This report is only being published now because the last quarter of 2017 was unexpectedly busy with a few events and projects that saw me travel interstate (and speak at an event) and a partnership with Toyota that had me flying to Japan on a last minute trip to road test their new Camry Hybrid. I lost all control of my business strategy and unravelled. That’s the honest truth.
Now it’s 2018 (happy New Year!) and I’m playing massive catchups. Such is life. Plus, a transparency report published late is better than no transparency report – am I right?
So without further ado, here are the stats for the month of October…
Website Traffic for October 2017
The snapshot of our Google Analytics ‘Audience Overview’ for October:
The Google Analytics data breakdown from the above screen shot is as follows:
- Sessions: 34,814
- Users: 28,232 unique visitors
- Page Views: 52,120
- Avg. Session Duration: 00:01:31
- Bounce Rate: 78.52%
Traffic Analysis
There was a slight improvement across all key metrics in October compared with September. Bounce rate reduced, visitors remained on the site a little longer and there was an increase in the number of visitors that coincided with a higher number of page views.
Comparing the month’s results with last year’s (thanks Google Analytics for this in-built capability!) we did very well indeed, with traffic increasing by a whopping 159.01%, page views by 130.59% and sessions by 159.46%.
Income
Now for the part influencers and bloggers love to know about: the total income the Eco Warrior Princess website earned (not necessarily paid) for the month of October (in $AUD):
- Google Adsense: $40.06
- Amazon Associates: $74.33
- Skimlinks: $80.37
- Linkshare: $12.11
- Share-A-Sale: $1.88
- Other Affiliate Programs: $117.37
- Sponsored Post/Paid Guest Posts: $1355.45
- Patreon Pledges/Reader Donations: $155.18
Total Income: $1,836.75
Please note: There may be exchange rate discrepancies when I convert USD to AUD as I calculate what has been earned in the month rather than what has been paid in the month. Also, exchange rates used by each platform may vary.
Expenses
Here are the business expenses and costs* we incurred for September
- Software: $236.05
- People: $2300.40
- Office expenses (phone, internet): $340.78
- Equipment: $110.45
- Fees: $57.38
- Advertising: $41.93
Total Expenses: $3,086.99
*Note: Rough estimates as the operating costs are divided between our other businesses as well.
Income Analysis
We were in the red for October with a net loss of $1,250.24. Our expenses blew out in the month of October due to contractor payments. We typically pay on average approximately $1400 per month in writer payments, but in October we paid out $2300! I of course expected this to increase given that part of our strategy was to hire more writers and increase the number of articles we published. The higher than average expenses is the result of this staffing decision. The way I see it, it’s short term pain for long term gain. I am playing the ‘long game’ and understand that investment in our people is our biggest advantage when it comes to establishing an eco-conscious media brand that readers trust for information about green living and honest reporting. So I am in no way worried about this blow out. So long as it doesn’t happen too frequently and it’s supported by a corresponding blow out in revenue.
I should point out, I do not draw an income from the site so my ‘wage’ doesn’t factor into the equation. One day I am hoping to, but for now this seems a little luxurious. Any net profits made are reinvested back into the business anyway.
Email Subscriber Stats
Our email subscribers for October was as follows:
- New Subscribers: -42
- Existing Subscribers: 7,314
- Total Subscribers: 7,272
As the focus has been on building the team and ironing out processes increasing subscribers hasn’t been a priority and it’s no surprise that we lost some. I don’t sweat the small stuff. At this point last year, we were at 2,797 subscribers so what we’ve achieved is no small feat.
In addition, I don’t view losing subscribers as a bad thing. If a person doesn’t want to hear from us, that’s ok. If a person doesn’t open their emails and stay on the list to be polite, I’d much prefer they exit. It keeps the email list healthy, and it has never been about numbers anyway. The best communities are the ones were members are active and are engaged. It is quality over quantity for me. Always has been, always will be. Plus, simplifying life by managing your inbox and unsubscribing to newsletters is something I also do on a regularly basis so there’s no hard feelings here.
Overall thoughts
Eco Warrior Princess now has a solid core team that will help to transition it from a ‘blog’ to a media business and the main priority will be strengthening our media brand by way of publishing well-researched, well-written pieces for our discerning audience, and to free up some time for me to work ON the business. My role will no longer involve just interviewing and writing, but will include business development and securing long-term advertisers and partners, developing other cool initiatives such as organising events (like the travel/volunteer one we’re doing in South East Asia this year!) and executing strategy for other broadcast channels such as our YouTube channel.
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If you value our work perhaps you can spare US$1 a month to support us in our mission to be the change and spread the sustainability message far and wide? We also have some rad rewards for our pledgees. Head to our Patreon page for more details.
Now over to you: Are you an eco blogger or run a conscious business? Is your business financially sustainable or are you having challenges too? We’d love to hear your story so please leave a comment below.
Click here for a running tally of our gross income.
