How to Build a Million Dollar Blog with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

If you are a blogger looking to boost your income and turn your site into a money-making business, this article is for you.

I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my blogging mentors, and I can’t wait to let you into her world!

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner is a full-time blogger over at Making Sense of Cents, a well-known personal finance website.

She has helped more than 20 million readers earn extra money, create their dream life, and achieve financial independence.

Michelle and Making Sense of Cents have been featured on Forbes, Time, Business Insider, CNBC, Reader’s Digest, Oprah, and more.

I am humbled and honored to welcome her at Blogging She Thrives today and talk about how she turned her hobby into a million-dollar blogging business.

I have learned a lot from Michelle’s blog over the years, and she was one of the people who inspired me to start my own blogs a few years ago.

More recently, joining her program – Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing – and becoming part of her community was one of my best decisions!

Michelle is passionate about blogging, and you can feel that in every lesson of her course and in every piece of content she shares.

What I love about her is that she is open and honest when offering advice, and she is always willing to let her students into all of her “secrets”. Even at the level she is at, she continues to be extremely approachable and is always ready to help.

Even if I haven’t met her in person, I could write a full post about Michelle. But I think you should take it from her! 

Let’s get to my interview with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner…

If you want to learn more about Affiliate Marketing and get a taste of Michelle’s style, you can start by downloading her free Affiliate Marketing Tips for Bloggers e-book here.

Interview with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

1. Can you tell us about yourself, why you started blogging, and what your journey has been so far?

My blogging journey began as a way to share my personal finance experiences and lessons. Back in 2011, I was dealing with my own financial challenges, such as my student loan debt and living paycheck to paycheck. Blogging became a creative outlet to document my journey and connect with others who were going through the same. I did not blog to make money – it was all just for fun.

As I continued to share my insights and strategies for managing money, I realized the potential for turning my passion into a source of income. The blog evolved from a personal diary to a comprehensive resource for readers looking for financial guidance. 

My journey has been filled with learning experiences and milestones, such as achieving my first $1,000 month in income, and eventually, my first $100,000 month in income. It’s been a rewarding adventure, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help others on their financial journeys. 

2. How long did it take you to make a living from Making Sense of Cents and quit your day job?

When I started Making Sense of Cents in 2011, the idea of making a living from blogging wasn’t on my radar. It was more of a creative outlet and a platform to share my financial journey. However, as the blog started getting more page views and I began trying out different ways to make money blogging, I started to realize that I could possibly make a full-time income.

It took a couple of years of hard work and learning before Making Sense of Cents started earning a substantial income. Around 2013-2014, I began to see significant growth in my blog’s earnings. This allowed me to transition away from my day job and focus on blogging as my primary source of income.

This was with a lot of hours being spent on my blog too. I was working around 45 hours a week at my day job, and many times another 45 hours a week on my blog.

You can actually find all of my blog income reports here – Blog Income Reports From A Multi-Million Blog (My Real Reports!)

I quit my day job in the fall of 2013, so just around 2 years after I started my blog.

3. What made you decide to quit your day job, and how much were you making on the side at the time?

Deciding to quit my day job was due to many reasons. As my blog’s income increased, I reached a point where it became financially viable to blog full-time. 

The decision was driven by a combination of passion for what I was doing (I have always really loved blogging!), the desire for more flexibility (no longer having to work an 8-5, Monday through Friday job), and the realization that I could provide even more value to my audience with dedicated time.

Around the time I left my day job, I was earning around $10,000 a month from Making Sense of Cents. 

That was more than enough to cover my bills, so I didn’t see a need to continue to work a day job that I was not happy at.

4. I’ve read some of your early income reports where you mention other blogs and services too. What else were you doing in the early stages of your blogging career?

In the early stages of my blogging career, besides writing content for Making Sense of Cents, I also diversified my income as much as I could. This is because I was trying to pay off my student loans as quickly as I could (you can actually read about this at My Student Loans Are Fully Paid Off!). 

Some of the other side hustles I had were freelance writing, virtual assisting, mystery shopping, and selling items on eBay.

5. Do you remember your very first affiliate sale?

I do not remember what it was from, but I do remember the feeling of earning it and being shocked that it was actually possible.

It felt great thinking that I could actually make money from my blog in a more semi-passive way.

I don’t think it was for much money, maybe just a couple of dollars, but it gave me the motivation that I needed to continue to grow.

6. Things have changed a lot since you started blogging… What’s your #1 tip for a newbie looking to monetize a small blog today?

For a newbie looking to make money with a small blog today, my #1 tip would be to focus on building trust and providing genuine value to your audience. 

Some ways to do this include writing high-quality content that is actually helpful, engaging and replying to your readers (such as on comments and in emails), and making sure your blog is user-friendly with a clean design.

A positive reader experience helps with audience retention and satisfaction, increasing the likelihood of your reader coming back to your blog in the future and staying to read other blog posts.

Remember that building a successful blog and monetizing it takes time and patience. So many bloggers quit too early, such as just a couple of months in. It will take longer than that to create a successful blog! 

7. Tell me about how you make money online today.

I do not run any other sites or businesses. Today, I make money on Making Sense of Cents, through affiliate marketing, display advertising, sponsorships, and through my courses.

8. What do you do with the money you earn now, apart from paying the bills? Do you invest?

Great question. I have earned over $5,000,000 blogging over the years. I have fully saved for retirement, and I invest whatever I have leftover after paying my bills.

I am a lazy investor – I prefer boring Vanguard funds.

9. What are your best tips for new bloggers wanting to increase their traffic so they can start seeing results faster?

For new bloggers wanting to increase their traffic and see results faster, here are some tips:

I always recommend writing high-quality content that is helpful, valuable, well-researched, and engaging.

Quality content not only attracts readers but also encourages them to stay on your site longer, as well as sharing it with people that they know!

Learning the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure your content is easily found by search engines is so very important. This includes optimizing titles, meta descriptions, using descriptive image alt text, and doing keyword research. 

In order for people to find your blog, you will have to share it!

You may want to start by focusing on the platforms where your target audience is most active, such as Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Networking with other bloggers in your niche can be very helpful because building relationships with other bloggers can lead to collaboration opportunities, guest posting, and learning helpful tips from them.

I highly recommend starting an email list as soon as you can. I know this sounds hard, but it does get easier and you will only regret not starting it asap. It’s one of my biggest regrets!

You can encourage visitors to subscribe to your newsletter to stay updated on your latest content. 

I am a big believer of engaging with your audience. I know that this is something that I personally like to see when I follow someone on social media or on a blog, and I know my readers appreciate it as well.

You can do this by responding to comments on your blog, on social media, and more.

10. Finally, I wanted to talk about Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I just went through the course again, and I love it, as you know.
If you had to speak to someone who’s on the fence about enrolling, what would you say?

I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course! If I were to speak to someone on the fence about enrolling:

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a comprehensive and in-depth course on affiliate marketing, covering everything from the basics to advanced strategies. It’s designed specifically for bloggers. This way, you aren’t wasting any time learning lessons that aren’t actually tailored for you as a blogger.

The course was created by me, and I have a successful track record in affiliate marketing and have personally used these strategies to earn an income from my blog, Making Sense of Cents.

I have earned well over $1,000,000 from my blog over the years from affiliate marketing, and it has allowed me to do so many things such as:

Due to this, I love helping others learn about affiliate marketing because I know how helpful it can be.

This course is ideal for bloggers looking to monetize their blog through affiliate marketing. Whether you’re just starting or have some experience, the course can help you.

Plus, once you are enrolled, you get lifetime access to the course content, allowing you to revisit and review the course as needed. 

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a valuable investment for those looking to learn affiliate marketing, increase their blog income, and build a successful online business.

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

11. You also have a free resource – your e-book, Affiliate Marketing Tips for Bloggers. How is it different from Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing?

The e-book is an introductory guide to affiliate marketing.

It’s designed to give bloggers a beginner understanding of what affiliate marketing is and how it works.

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a detailed and comprehensive course that goes beyond the basics. It covers a wide range of topics, including advanced strategies, optimizing conversions, and maximizing earnings.

The course is structured in modules, each covering specific aspects of affiliate marketing. It dives into advanced topics like creating high-converting content and effectively using Pinterest for affiliate marketing.

While the free e-book has introductory guidance on affiliate marketing, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a comprehensive, in-depth course for bloggers.

The free ebook is a great place to start if you simply want to learn more about affiliate marketing 🙂

12. Do you recall any fun stories or big wins from past students who were new to blogging when they took the course?

Yes, I have heard so many wonderful stories from bloggers such as:

• One blogger who gets just 10,000 page views a month, yet made over $1,000 through Amazon in one month;
• One blogger went from $87 a month in affiliate income before taking the course, to over $1,700 one month after;
• One blogger received their first affiliate sale just two days after taking the course (and they were a brand-new blogger too!). This blogger now has a very successful blogging business with many writers and makes a very good income.

13. I am curious about your sister too. We exchanged a few emails after I took the course, and I recognized her name from Fitnancials. How are your businesses connected, and who got into blogging first?

Haha, so funny!

I started my blog first. I pretty much begged her to start her blog because I was seeing such great results and I wanted the same for her.

She’s now been blogging for many years and has a great blog over at Fitnancials.

Wrapping Up

I hope you have enjoyed reading my interview with Michelle as much as I have enjoyed getting to know her a little better! 🙂

As you’ve learned, blogging can take you to unimaginable places, and if you truly love what you do, you WILL find success. If you are motivated to start your own blog, head over to my full tutorial here.

Once you have your systems in place, affiliate marketing is certainly one of the best ways to monetize (even for new bloggers!).

Learning from Michelle’s journey has been my best decision yet, and I cannot recommend enough that you check out her online course.

You don’t need a ton of page views to generate passive income from the early days. All you need is a tried and tested affiliate marketing strategy!

Michelle is one of the most successful bloggers I follow. And if there’s anyone who can help you reach financial freedom and earn a great living online, it’s her!

Don’t forget to grab her free e-book as well! Here’s a direct link: Affiliate Marketing Tips for New Bloggers.

Did you learn anything new today?
Are you inspired to try affiliate marketing and become your own boss?

Please let us know in the comments!