How I Blew $400, Got Shut Down by Facebook, and Still Found My Groove in This Affiliate Game

byshawn8183

211 followers

2 weeks ago

Let me be straight with you: this journey hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park.

When I first got into affiliate marketing, I had that fresh-start energy, ya know? Fired up, ready to go, thinking I was gonna have a site up and running, traffic pouring in, and money magically showing up in my account by the weekend.

Spoiler alert: that’s not what happened.

What actually happened? A lot of trial, a lot more error, and a couple hard lessons that almost made me quit. But I didn’t. And in hindsight, I’m real glad I stuck with it.

It All Started With a Hot Mess

My first website? Oh man, it was rough. Wrong name, wrong domain, and to be honest—I had no idea what niche I was even in. I was like a dog chasing cars: excited, but no clue what to do if I actually caught one.

I was pushing stuff hard—just dropping links everywhere and hoping for the best. There wasn’t a real message behind it, no personal touch, no story. Just “Hey, look at this!” on repeat.

And then it happened...

Facebook Pulled the Plug

One morning, I wake up, open the app—and my whole page is gone.

Just like that. No warning. No “Hey bud, you’re pushing too hard.” Just deleted. Poof. Gone.

That moment hit me like a cold Alberta wind in November. Sat there staring at the screen thinking, *"Well, that’s it. Maybe this isn’t for me after all."

But after a good walk and a strong coffee, I decided to try again—this time, smarter.

Clean Slate, New Game Plan

I rebranded everything. Picked a name that meant something to me. Changed the domain so it actually felt natural. Took the time to figure out what my niche really was—not just what sounded good, but what I could actually talk about with confidence.

Then I got back on Facebook. Slowly. Carefully. Learned what I could and couldn’t post. Started experimenting with content that felt more like me—less salesy, more storytelling.

And because I thought ads were gonna do the heavy lifting… I ran some.

The $400 Reality Check (Yes, I Counted Every Penny)

Between mid-March and the end of it all, I spent right around $400 on Facebook ads. Yep—four hundred Canadian dollars. That’s enough for a decent weekend in the mountains, or in my case... a full-on crash course in what not to do with paid ads.

Here's what I got in return:

A handful of clicks
A couple sign-ups
Zero upgrades
$0 in revenue

Facebook 3 month views Hybrid

Facebook 28 day view move to organic

Facebook last 7 days all organic

Some ads got views. Some got engagement. But the cold truth? It didn’t translate into anything that moved the needle for me.

So I Hit Pause and Asked Myself: “What Would I** Click On?”**

I stopped everything and had a little chat with myself.
“If you were scrolling and saw your own content… would you even care?”

Yeah. That answer hit hard.

So I changed direction completely. No more pushing links. No more pitches. I just started showing up and sharing the story. The process. The mistakes. The tools I actually use. The good, the bad, and the “what was I thinking?”

When the Shift Happened, So Did the Growth

April 1st—of all days—I went all in on organic content. Started posting like I actually cared about connecting with people, not just converting them.

And the difference? Night and day.

I went from tumbleweeds to traction. People started engaging. Asking questions. Following along. Not because I was promising anything big—but because I was being real.

And Then Pinterest Showed Up Like a Surprise Party

Now, I wasn’t even thinking about Pinterest at first. I just posted there ‘cause… well, why not?

But sure enough, something started clicking.

In just 30 days:

• Impressions up 771%
• Audience up 2116%
• Engagements and clicks climbing too

And the 90-day view showed this wasn’t just a fluke:

• Still steady. Still growing. All from being consistent and showing up.

My Daily Flow Now Looks Like This:

Mornings are for posting. Afternoons are for writing or tweaking. And evenings are for tracking what’s working—and what’s not.

Nothing fancy. Just a routine that keeps me moving forward.

Paid Ads Brought the Numbers... But Not the Conversions (Yet)

So, what did I really get for the $400 I spent on ads?

A lot of views. A lot of traffic. A lot of activity…
But not a lot of sign-ups.

From those ads, I drove thousands of visitors to my content. And sure, that felt great at the time. But when the dust settled?

Only 8 people signed up with a free account.
Zero of them upgraded to premium.
Zero revenue from it so far.

But here’s the thing though…

Let’s Look at the Bigger Picture – My 11-Month WA Stats

Here’s what you’re seeing:

• Clicks (Blue line) – This is the total number of times people clicked through my affiliate links. In my case, that’s 3,107. These are not impressions or views—these are actual people who clicked, which signals curiosity or interest in what I was sharing.
• Unique Visitors (Red line) – This number (2,387) represents distinct individuals who arrived on the WA platform through my link. This count does not include repeat visits—it’s one per person. It gives a good idea of your total reach.
• Referrals (Purple line) – This shows the number of people who have seen or engaged with my content on the WA platform, whether through a blog post, training, or comment. These are not necessarily full sign-ups, but they represent potential future referrals—people who might come back, revisit my work, and eventually decide to become members.
• Upgrades – This is how many of those referrals decided to become Premium members—in my case, it's still zero. It's a number many affiliates don't hit quickly, especially when traffic is just starting to build. It can take months—or even years—for some people to upgrade.
• Revenue – No surprises here: $0 earned so far. Revenue is only generated once someone upgrades to a paid plan. Since none of my referrals have taken that step yet, this remains at zero—for now. Still zero. But like I said above, this isn’t a get-rich-quick game. It’s a slow cooker.

But here’s the thing most people don’t talk about…

Affiliate Marketing is a Slow Burn

Just because someone signed up with a free account doesn’t mean they’re a no-show forever. Most people don’t upgrade right away. Sometimes, they need time. They poke around. They wait for the right moment, or life gets in the way.

But that free account? It’s still there.
I’m still here.
And when they’re ready, I’ll be ready too.

So What Do These Stats Really Tell Me?

They tell me this:

• I’ve got reach.
• I’ve got interest.
• I’m putting out something that makes people stop and click.

And while I haven’t seen the payoff yet, the foundation is being built. I’ve got 425 free members who know my name, who saw the content, and who might come back tomorrow, next week, or three months from now.

And you know what? That’s enough for me to keep going.

Final Thought: If You’re in the Same Boat...

If you're looking at your stats thinking,
"Man, is this even working?" — trust me, I get it.

But don’t just look at the money.
Look at the momentum.
Look at the real people behind those numbers.

You’re planting seeds, not building vending machines.
And if you stay consistent—if you keep showing up—those seeds are gonna grow.

Give it time. Give it heart. Give it honesty.

That’s what I’m doing. And I’m just getting started. have a great day all

Shawn

Stay curious!