Why You're Not Making Money Yet (And How to Fix It Without Losing Your Mind)

byJDenesovych

486 followers

1 month ago

Spoiler alert: If you’ve been grinding away in affiliate marketing for months (or even years) without seeing significant money roll in, you’re not alone. And before you start questioning whether this whole thing is even worth it, let’s get real about what’s happening—and, more importantly, what you can do about it.

This isn’t about magic solutions or “fixing” your business in 90 days. Instead, we’re going to break down exactly where you are, why things aren’t moving faster, and how to set yourself up for serious growth—whether you’re juggling one site or four.

Let’s dive in.

1. The Harsh Reality: Why Most Affiliate Marketers Struggle Early On

Here’s a truth that no one likes to hear: Most people don’t make money in their first year of affiliate marketing.

Not because it doesn’t work, but because the process takes time, and most people aren’t doing the right things consistently enough.

👉 Your problem isn’t that your sites aren’t working—it’s that they haven’t had enough time to grow.

Look at MY journey:

• I'm running FOUR websites.
• In 3 years, I've made about $1,500 total (that's just a guess though).
• That’s despite publishing nearly 700 posts across my sites.

At first glance, you might think: “Well, that’s not encouraging.”

But let’s flip the perspective:

✅ My sites are still in the growth phase.
✅ Some of my content is ranking and pulling in traffic.
✅ I have multiple monetization methods in place.

👉 If I stays the course and refinee my focus, I'll be setting myself up for long-term, scalable income.

2. The "90-Day Improvement Plan" (No False Promises Here)

Can you start making more money in 90 days? Yes.

Will you suddenly hit a full-time income? Probably not.

But here’s what you CAN do to maximize your progress in the next three months:

✅ Step 1: Prioritize Your Traffic Sources

• If your traffic is mostly organic (SEO), focus on Google Search Console and improve rankings for posts that already get some visibility.
• If your traffic is low, lean into Pinterest, social media, and email marketing to get things moving.

My Fix: I should probably identify my top-performing posts on each site and update them for better rankings.

✅ Step 2: Stop Leaving Money on the Table

• Email Marketing—Most people don’t have an email list, which means they aren’t capturing leads who could turn into buyers later.
• Tripwires & Upsells—Even if you don’t have a high-traffic site yet, you can still monetize by offering small digital products or exclusive content.

My Fix: I already have multiple monetization methods, but I can increase conversions by testing a simple email sequence and more in-depth product recommendations.

✅ Step 3: Fixing the Content Problem

• If you’ve been publishing content but nothing is ranking, your SEO strategy needs adjustments.
• If your content is ranking but not converting, you need stronger calls-to-action (CTAs) and internal linking strategies.

My Fix: I've already published a ton of content. So my next step? Prioritizing what’s working and optimizing for conversions.

3. The "Full-Time Income Timeline"—How Long Will This Actually Take?

💡 Let’s break this down based on industry averages.

If you’re running one website, a typical growth-to-income timeline looks like this:

• Year 1 → Learning Phase ($0 - $500 total earnings)
• Year 2 → Traffic Growth Phase ($50 - $300/month)
• Year 3 → Authority Phase ($500 - $2,000+/month)
• Year 4+ → Scaling Phase ($3,000 - $10,000+ per month)

But I am running four websites.

That means my growth is split across multiple sites, making my timeline look more like this:

• Year 1-3 (Now) → Traffic is still growing, but earnings are low across all sites because the focus is spread out.
• Year 4-5 → If each site continues building authority, (which it is), I could reach $500 - $1,500 per month on EACH site.
• Year 5+ → If all four sites are running smoothly, full-time income (5k+/month) becomes realistic.

The tradeoff?
👉 If I focused on one site, I could hit full-time income sooner.
👉 But because I'm a multi-tasker, and proud of it, I'm building four long-term income streams at once.

Either way, I'm not failing—I'm building.

4. The Truth About Affiliate Marketing That No One Talks About

1️⃣ Not Everyone Makes It—But That’s Not Because It’s Impossible.
If you give up too soon, you’ll never see results. The people who make money stick with it long enough to see the payoff.

2️⃣ Your Timeline Will Depend on Your Focus & Strategy.
If you’re juggling multiple sites, growth takes longer. But if you focus and scale strategically, you’ll build multiple passive income streams.

3️⃣ Most People Give Up Too Soon.
You can read all the advice in the world, but if you’re not actually applying what works and sticking with it, you’ll always be stuck.

Final Thoughts: Can You Really Fix This in 90 Days?

Let’s be clear—no one becomes a millionaire overnight.

But in the next 90 days, you CAN:
✅ Increase your site traffic.
✅ Improve your conversion rates.
✅ Set yourself up for more income growth.

👉 If you’re serious about making this work, your next step is simple:

💡 Take ONE key strategy from this post and implement it today.

What’s the biggest challenge YOU’RE facing in your affiliate journey? Drop a comment below, and let’s figure out the best way forward.