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Starting a blog can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it can also be a daunting task. It takes time, effort, and dedication to create content that resonates with your audience.
For many new bloggers, it can be discouraging when they don’t see immediate success or financial gain, especially when your blog seems more like a ghost town than a bustling city like NYC.
Imagine pouring your heart and soul into an epic blog post and waiting for the applause that never comes. That’s a reality I (along with many newcomers) faced. It’s like throwing a party and no one showing up. But remember even the Beatles started playing in almost empty rooms. It’s all part of the journey.
I personally started with zero results, and despite how much effort I put upfront with nothing to show for it, I still kept going. I didn’t give up, and neither should you.
Throughout this blogging series, we’ll be interviewing new bloggers who are currently on their journey toward fulfilling their aspirations of building a successful blog and achieving financial independence. We’re talking real folks, real journeys, and real grit like this new blogger who managed to earn his first $3,000 online with his first 1,000 pageviews.
Each of them has a unique tale to tell, a nugget of wisdom to share. From the sleepless nights spent crafting the perfect post, to the exhilarating feeling of that first sale on their affiliate link, they’ll be laying it all bare. It’s about as real as it gets.
So, if you’re a newbie blogger feeling a bit lost, or a novice-intermediate blogger who’s yet to see the green, this series is your lighthouse.
Our hope is that their stories ignite a spark in you, a little flame of belief that you can transform your dreams into reality. It’s not about instant success, it’s about unwavering tenacity. With a pinch of patience, a splash of determination, and a whole lot of hustle, anything is possible.
PIN THIS: I’ll be updating this post so make sure to pin this image here and save it to your Pinterest board. That way you’ll be able to come back to this page and get all the juicy details on how Mariz made her first blog income online despite her very low traffic!
About Mariz and My Serene State’s Blogging Progress
Today, we’re really happy to have Mariz here to tell us about her new blog and the progress she’s making with it.
Let’s be real; Mariz has had her share of uphill battles. There were times when she felt like she was climbing Everest in flip-flops. But did she throw in the towel? No way! She dug in her heels and turned on the turbo. She wrestled with her doubts, danced with her fears, and now her blog is buzzing, alive, and making great progress.
Now here’s the highlight of Mariz’s journey so far. Even with her website still in its infancy, barely gaining any traction, she defies all odds and scores her first affiliate sale.
So, what’s the take-home message from Mariz’s adventure? Simple. Keep doing it. Keep swimming. Even when the odds seem stacked against you. Because when you keep at it, when you pour your heart and soul into something, magic can happen.
You’re not just waiting for success to knock on your door – you’re going out there and creating it.
Let’s welcome Mariz to share her authentic blogging journey with us!
1. Hi Mariz, please introduce yourself and tell us what blog you started.
Ling, before we start, I want to take the moment to say that I’m so honored to be under your spotlight, sharing my blogging journey right here on your platform.
I’m beyond thankful to have you by my side and cheering me on from the sidelines. Thank you so much for your kindness and support!
Hi there! I’m Mariz, and as an introverted individual, I decided to create an anonymous lifestyle blog called My Serene State. After enduring a long, demanding, and stress-filled day dealing with angry customers, my blog is my sanctuary – a quiet corner of the internet where I can unpack my thoughts and ideas, and find some much-needed calm, effectively shaking off the day’s burdens.
While browsing through FinSavvy Panda’s website, I discovered that Ling – the blogger behind it – is an introvert too. Talk about a pleasant surprise! Seeing someone like me finding success in the blogging world was a real confidence boost and inspired me to strive for success as a blogger myself.
Being a quiet person, I often face difficulties in public places or around unfamiliar people. My thoughts get all jumbled up, making socializing and meeting new friends a bit of a challenge.
But thanks to my blog, I’ve discovered a way to overcome these obstacles and express myself without any constraints. It’s my little victory against introvert struggles and I’m loving every bit of it!
2. I am so happy to hear that you can relate to an introverted and quiet person like me! Please tell us why did you decide to start a lifestyle blog? What motivated you to do this?
After reading about how you started an anonymous lifestyle blog on your FinSavvy Panda website, I had an idea – why don’t I create a lifestyle blog myself so I could help others relax and de-stress?
On my blog, you’ll find tips to keep your motivation levels high, advice on looking after your body, mind, and relationships, and pointers on finding the sunny side of every situation. And since I’m a bit of a travel junkie, I’ll be sharing tales of my own adventures too!
My deepest wish is for my blog to be a cozy and uplifting spot for anyone who comes by. The fact that I can lend a hand to others while also exploring my own unique path is something I’m really proud of. It’s a win-win, and I couldn’t ask for more!
3. How did you make time to work on your blog while having a full-time job?
Balancing a full-time job and working on my blog can be a real challenge!
Personally, I find that sticking to a schedule helps me stay on track. I’ll be honest though – I don’t always have time to write a new post every day. That’s why I make sure to set aside some time each weekend (or whenever I have a bit of downtime) to work on my blog.
Whether it’s writing a new post or creating some awesome new pins for Pinterest, every little bit of action helps. There’s something energizing about imagining eager readers waiting for my next blog post or seeing my new pin. This thought fuels my motivation and helps me stick to my deadlines, even when they’re self-imposed.
Recently, I stumbled upon something intriguing. Apparently, everyone is using AI to speed up their writing process. I’ve got to say, the thought of using ChatGPT to simplify my content is pretty exciting!
I learned that the eBook I invested in, The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days, has now been upgraded with a fascinating addition – a section dedicated to leveraging ChatGPT effectively.
I can’t wait to read it and put it into action. Not only will I be following these techniques to allow me to create content at a faster pace, but it will also ramp up page views for my blog while keeping my own voice on my blog. It’s really valuable, and I am very excited to leverage this to write better content for my readers in less time!
LING’S NOTE: Yes, as always, I’m committed to sharing the latest tools and strategies to make your life easier and add value to your blogging journey. This update is all about helping you simplify your writing process, so you can deliver captivating content faster than ever. It’s all part of my commitment to provide as much value as I can to my readers!
4. What was the biggest challenge you faced as a brand-new blogger? And what did you do to overcome it?
Starting out as a new blogger, I found the process of setting up my website to be a major challenge. So many decisions and techie bits to figure out – from picking the right platform to making my blog visible online and working out how to make some money from it. As someone who’s not exactly tech savvy, trying to troubleshoot issues felt overwhelming, adding to my stress levels.
Luckily, things took a turn when I discovered The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days eBook. I’ll be honest, I was a bit skeptical about buying another course or eBook, but I decided to take a chance and grab this affordably priced guide. The reason is that I’ve been following Ling since 2019 and watched her transform her personal blog into a real success story.
If there’s anyone who could show me the way, it’s definitely her.
As I worked through her comprehensive guide, I was amazed by how much I didn’t know about building a successful blog despite all the online research I did.
Her explanations were very clear and easy to understand. She even included clickable links and step-by-step guidance that made it easy to follow along. I felt like I was sitting right next to her, watching as she clicked on everything and moved through each page with ease.
Another thing I want to add is that I’m not a native English speaker, so I was also worried about starting a blog in a language that wasn’t my first. But Ling’s use of plain, straightforward English throughout her eBook gave me the confidence that I could pull this off, just like the many others who had found success before me.
Ling’s guide was incredibly helpful and I was so pleased with my purchase that I just had to write a review on my website here and let everyone know about this!
It was an essential resource in helping me overcome the challenges of setting up my blog. Not only that, but it also provided me with the motivation to take action and just go for it. I now feel confident to continue growing my blog, thanks to Ling’s expertise and support!
5. That is amazing to hear you overcame the challenges of setting up your blog! What was your favorite chapter from The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days and why?
I have so many favorites! But the one that really stuck with me was Chapter 2: How to Set up your blog theme using WordPress. It’s my favorite because the ebook has a real step-by-step guide after you made a Bluehost account and set up your WordPress login.
The chapter shows how to set up a blog theme and I really enjoyed this part because there are A LOT of free themes on WordPress to choose from (literally, thousands of themes!).
There’s also a guide within Ling’s ebook on where to go to set up your sidebars, pages, and header, and how to insert images like a logo for your website. Because I only have to select a design, it feels like I’m just playing, but I’m actually setting up my blog image to make it look better!
You might become overwhelmed when choosing themes. That’s why Ling put a warning here not to concentrate too much on setting up themes since you may still change them even after setting up your blog. I did take a while here, but good thing I already have designs in mind for my blog.
Another chapter I really enjoyed is Ling’s introduction to making money with a blog including affiliate marketing. She introduced affiliate marketing and how it works. This got me really curious and made me want to try it out, which surprisingly happened to be my first source of earning money with my blog!
6. After going through the eBook, what results did you notice?
As I worked through The Treasure Map, I immediately noticed how much time and money I was saving. In the past, I had been scammed by courses and eBooks, which made me cautious about buying anything online.
With my busy schedule working at a call center and having to prepare meals when I got home, I didn’t have time to research and sift through the countless free resources online. Plus, I had my doubts about how reliable and trustworthy all this free info was.
But, The Treasure Map eBook was different. It provided me with reliable and updated information that I could trust. It gave me the tools I needed to set up my blog correctly, quickly, and efficiently, literally in 30 to 45 days, without wasting time or money.
Not only did the eBook save me time and money, but it also gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to earn my first income online. It was a huge milestone for me! Seeing my hard work pay off and realizing the potential of my blog was an incredibly rewarding experience.
7. Is there anything else you’d like to say about The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days?
This is a perfect e-book that will take you step by step through the process of creating the blog of your dreams!
As I’ve shared in my honest review, the thing I really admire about Ling is how much she genuinely cares for her readers. She doesn’t just put out an eBook and forget about it. She’s always updating it, keeping it fresh not just for new buyers but also for us who bought it before, making sure it’s packed with the latest information.
Every time she adds something, it’s like getting a mini-lesson. I always pick up something new each time I dive back in. One of my favorite updates is the chapter Ling added about ChatGPT, which teaches bloggers how to write blog posts in as little as 15 minutes!
Like most people, I’m super busy and don’t have tons of time to learn everything from scratch. But Ling’s done the hard work for us, sharing her expertise. She walks us through everything, even sharing screenshots to show how she uses ChatGPT to write your blog post.
You can really tell Ling’s dedicated to helping her readers with all her updates and easy-to-follow guidance. She’s made blogging way less complicated and way more doable. I’m so happy about it!
8. Have you made any money with your blog? Was it through affiliate marketing, display ads, or both? How did it feel to earn your first income online?
Yes, I actually have started making some money from my blog, primarily through affiliate marketing and display ads! Although I don’t have a lot of earnings through display ads, it’s still worth it because every click and visit has started to add up ever since I set it up.
My affiliate marketing earnings, while modest, have mainly come from product recommendations on my website.
But hey, every bit of progress is still progress, so I’m still going to show you my progress and my first earnings:
9. That is so amazing to hear! Congratulations on earning your first income! I can’t wait to see you double down your efforts in the months and years ahead. How did it feel to earn that first income online? Tell us more about it.
Thank you so much for the warm congratulations!
It felt amazing to earn my first income online especially when I didn’t get a lot of traffic yet! But Ling was being honest with me and told me that traffic is extremely important if I want to see a dramatic increase in my earnings whether it be through display ads or affiliate marketing.
One valuable piece of advice from Ling that really resonated with me was to not be swayed by those ‘pro gurus’ who promise huge blog income without substantial traffic. Ling herself confessed that she fell for this when she was a blogging newbie. While this claim might not be entirely false, it’s not the norm, especially for those just starting out or those yet to earn their first online dollar.
Now, my focus is to learn more about driving traffic to my blog. After getting my first taste of affiliate sales, I’m now even more super motivated to learn from Ling’s guide, The Golden Compass To Pinterest Traffic!
Although my current earnings from affiliate marketing aren’t as substantial as other bloggers, that doesn’t bother me. Before diving into traffic and money-making strategies, my main priority was to ensure that my blog is properly set up according to Ling’s guidelines.
However, when I received a notification that I had earned income from selling something through my blog, I became incredibly motivated. It made me realize that with the right strategy, I could significantly increase my sales and profits, prompting me to think of new and creative ways to get more traffic and promote more products on my blog.
It’s true that even if your blog hasn’t been monetized a lot through display ads, you can still earn in other ways. And that’s through affiliate marketing. 🙂
10. I am thrilled for you! As someone who has achieved this milestone, we’d love to hear your insights and tips for beginners who are eager to make their own first affiliate sale. What advice would you give to those starting out on their affiliate marketing journey?
Making my first affiliate sale felt a little bit heart-pounding. I thought, “Wow, really? I earned money online?”
For those just starting and aiming for their first affiliate sale, here are a few strategies that worked for me.
I highly recommend focusing on promoting products or services that you personally use and find helpful. By having actual experience with the product, you can provide an authentic and detailed review. My readers could tell I was sharing my real-life experiences and the benefits I gained from the product, which helped me build trust. I truly believe that a genuine passion for the products you mention can really increase your success rate.
In my reviews, I made sure to highlight how the product specifically addressed the problem I was facing. I was being opened with the challenges that I was facing without holding back on my emotions and I think that helped.
For example, I let people know that in my day-to-day life, I have to deal with angry customers at the call center and when I get home, this can put a toll on my stress. It sounds personal but I remember Ling mentioned in her blog post and resources that expressing yourself allows readers to connect with you. They know that it’s a real person behind the computer screen.
When the person is reading your post and they can relate and feel an emotional connection to you, they will trust you as a person. When they trust you so much, they will also buy from your recommendations. So it’s important to be open and have a willingness to share even the real problems you’re experiencing.
This approach helped me demonstrate how the product had genuinely helped me, and potential customers could relate to my current issues.
11. In what ways were you bringing traffic to your site? How did you get traffic to earn your first affiliate sale?
At the moment, I’ve got three different methods for driving traffic to my blog.
The first method is leveraging Pinterest where I create visually appealing pins on Canva and share them on my Pinterest business account. Additionally, I ensure to link them back to my website to direct users to one of my blog posts when they click on them. This method is actually what I believe sparked my first affiliate sale!
My second strategy is all about the simple yet powerful practice of linking things together – both internal and external. With internal linking, I make it a point to tie together related blog posts on my site. Let’s say I write a new post about daily time management tips, I’d link it back to a previous post I wrote on a similar topic.
When it comes to linking to other websites from my blog, I take care to be selective. I make sure to only link to trustworthy sources for external references. For instance, if I mention a specific fact or statistic, I include a link to the source where I got that information. This allows my readers to check it out for themselves and confirm its credibility. On top of that, linking to real sources also sends a positive signal to Google, showing that I rely on reliable information, which can give my site credibility.
And finally, my third strategy is all about SEO – Search Engine Optimization. I’m going to work on sprinkling my website with keywords that people often type into Google. This SEO technique is key in enhancing my website’s pageviews and driving more organic traffic my way.
12. Thank you for sharing this, Mariz! Is there anything you learned about blogging that you would like to share with us?
Starting a blog is not as easy as it seems, but chasing your passions and dreams is always worth the effort.
As for me, I dream of becoming a blogger and decided to pursue it in my active years. Although working in a call center is fulfilling and pays me well, it can be quite toxic due to dealing with furious customers and complaints on a daily basis. The stress started piling up, and I found myself wanting more than just living from paycheck to paycheck.
I know that I need to work hard on my blog if I want to get out of my current cycle. It’s not enough to simply publish a post here and there and hope for the best. To build a successful blog, you need to be consistently putting effort into achieving your goals.
Even a few successful bloggers, like Ling, have shared their beginning struggles in their blogs and newsletters.
On some days, I feel unmotivated to create new content, and I take breaks to recharge and come back stronger. But I will never give up, because I don’t want to regret not pursuing my dream career as a blogger.
Remember that these struggles are normal and even experienced by famous bloggers who are now making full-time incomes. We all start as newbies and lack knowledge, but with patience and effort, it’s all worth it. In time, you’ll gain unique experiences and opportunities that others may not have, and you’ll be thankful that you pursued your passion for blogging.
There will be stressful days, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it. I watched Ling do it with my own eyes, and if she can do it then, so can we!
Again, thank you so much for this opportunity, Ling. I am praying that God will bless you more because of all the things you keep doing for bloggers like me. You truly deserve it!
