12 Highest Earning Bloggers ($1 Million+ Per Year Income Reports)

People often wonder whether it is possible to make money from a passion or a hobby.

And the simple answer is yes, and blogging is one of the best ways to make money from your passion.

But is there any proof that you can make money through blogging?

As you will see, there are plenty of blogging success stories that prove that you can make a great living by writing about things you enjoy.

And if you learn how to do blogging well, there is no ceiling on how much money you can make from blogging.

Can you make a million dollars from blogging?

Yes, you can. In this article, I will highlight 12 top bloggers who make (or have made) over a million dollars a year ($86,000 or more a month). I will also explain how they did it.

There are many examples of such seven-figure bloggers, but I have chosen to focus on these 12 because they:

• Have verifiable income reports on their websites. Income reports provide proof of earnings, and in many cases, they show how the income was made. Luckily, some top bloggers make their income reports public, and we can learn a ton from them.
• Are in control of their blogging business. I have not included many of the top bloggers you see in lists such as these, (for example, Arianna Huffington (HuffPost), Rand Fishkin (Moz), Peter Rojas (Gizmodo), or Pete Cashmore (Mashable) because they have already sold their blogs for millions of dollars.
• Are ordinary people. These are ordinary people that started their blogs with little or no experience. Many are former teachers, stay-at-home moms, or students. We even have a former state trooper making the list. What they are doing to be successful can be replicated if you know what to look for.

How do you make a million dollars from blogging?

First, it is important to understand that success in blogging is not an overnight thing. It will not be easy. Many of these top bloggers took 2-5 years of hard work to make it.

Blogging has become quite competitive in recent years, but it is still possible to make it big. Adam Enfroy, for example, started his blog in 2018 and was making over almost a million dollars by 2020.

You don’t have to earn $100,000 or $200,000 a month like the bloggers on this list to become a blogging millionaire. Even with moderate success, you can still become a millionaire. For example, if you make $15,000 a month, you can become a millionaire in 6-10 years.

Alternatively, if your blog is making a monthly income of $30,000, you can sell it for a million dollars (at 35X monthly income) at sites like Motion Invest or Empire Flippers.

But can anyone do this? Is it even realistic? To see how someone can become a millionaire from blogging in about three years, see my article about calculating blog earnings. In the article, I explore, using data and calculations, the best path to take if you want to become a blogging millionaire.

Starting a blog is not expensive, for less than $50 a year (using a hosting service like ChemiCloud), you can start a professional-looking blog in no time.

If you want to start a blog but are not sure how to get started, you can check out my step-by-step guide on how to start a blog. It will show you how to start a blog even if you are a complete beginner.

For now, let us check out the highest-earning bloggers and see how they made their money.

1. Melyssa Griffin (melyssagriffin.com)

Melyssa Griffin started her blog in 2013 when she was still a high school teacher. In less than three years of blogging, she had turned her blog into a multi-million business.

Through her blog, Melyssa helps people to start successful businesses, so that they can enjoy a life of freedom, purpose, and fun.

> Melyssa Griffin’s Blogging Income

In December 2016, Melyssa made $283,680, according to her income report. This was her last income report, so her income has likely grown tremendously since then.

> How Melyssa Griffin Makes Money from Blogging

Melyssa has several courses for sale on her blog some of which are high-ticket courses. In 2016, courses accounted for over 90% of her income. She also made 9% of her income through affiliate marketing.

Since then, she has branched into podcasting and also offers masterminds and coaching.

2. Adam Enfroy (adamenfroy.com)

Adam Enfroy started his blog in 2018 after quitting his job as a digital marketing consultant in Michigan.

Less than two years after starting his blog, Adam was earning over a million dollars a year.

Through his blog, he helps people to start blogs and make money from them. He also has a successful YouTube channel.

> Adam Enfroy’s Blogging Income

In June 2021, Adam made $281,776, according to his income report. This put him on course to earn over a million dollars in 2021, an improvement over the $812,000 he earned in 2020.

He hasn’t updated his income reports since 2021 but he is likely making much more today.

> How Adam Enfroy Makes Money from Blogging

In June 2021, Adam made 69% of his income from selling his blogging course. Also, 28% of his income came from affiliate marketing and 2.5% from display ads.

3. Heather Delaney Reese (It’s a Lovely Life)

Heather Reese started blogging in 2000 after the birth of her daughter. She wanted a way to make money that allowed her to be a full-time mom.

Her blog, It’s a Lovely Life, is primarily a travel blog, but includes other lifestyle aspects like food, blogging, and life tips.

The blog became very popular and soon, everyone in the family joined her in her blogging business.

> Heather Delaney’s Blogging Income

In August 2019, Heather made $222,857 from her blog, according to her income report. It is unclear how much she is making now because she stopped posting public income reports in 2019.

> How Heather Delaney Makes Money from Blogging

In August 2019, Heather made most of her income from selling courses (53.5%). She also made money from affiliate income and sponsorships (46.5%).

4. Steve Chou (My Wife Quit Her Job)

Steve Chou and his wife Jennifer started an online store (bumblebeelinens.com) in 2007. The store sold (and still sells) linen items (such as handkerchiefs, pillowcases, and towels). Within a few years, it had turned into a seven-figure business.

Following the early success of the store and Steve decided to start My Wife Quit Her Job in 2008 to teach others how to replicate his success.

> Steve Chou’s Blogging Income

In February 2017, Steve made $144,000 according to his income report. For the whole year (2017), Steve made a total of 1.3 million dollars.

Steve stopped making income reports in 2019, so it is unclear how much he makes today but it is likely much more than the 1.3 m he made in 2017.

> How Steve Chou Makes Money from Blogging

Steve does not go into detail on how he makes money from blogging in his income report. However, there are several high-ticket courses ($1,000+) for sale on his blog so it is safe to assume that he makes most of his income from course sales.

He also has a podcast and organizes an e-commerce conference.

If you add income from his e-commerce store, he likely makes over $300k a month.

5. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner (Making Sense of Cents)

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner started Making Sense of Cents in 2012 after graduating from college, to track her progress in paying off a $30,000 student loan.

Success came quickly, and she earned almost a million dollars four years after starting her blog. Her story has been featured in top publications like Forbes, CNBC, Oprah, and Business Insider.

> Michelle Gardner’s Blogging Income

In January 2017, Michelle made $139,233 from blogging, according to her income report. This was her last income report, so she is probably making much more by now.

In her blog, she says she has earned over $4 million in 6 years of blogging.

> How Michelle Gardner Makes Money from Blogging

In January 2017, Michelle made most of her income from affiliate marketing (50%). She also made money from courses (35%), sponsorships (12%), and display ads (2.5%).

6. Pat Flynn (Smart Passive Income)

Pat Flynn is the granddaddy of income reports, and over the years, he has inspired many people to start blogs by using data to show the earning potential of blogs. He has income reports going back to 2008.

Pat started blogging in 2008 after getting laid off from his job as an architect. He decided to start his first blog Green Exam Academy. At the same time, he started Smart Passive Income (SPI) to document his journey in making money online.

> Pat Flynn’s Blogging Income

In December 2017, Pat made $125,819 from blogging, according to his income report. Pat Flynn has so many income reports, but for this article, I chose the latest I could find on his blog.

His blogging income comes from his main blog (SPI) and several niche sites.

> How Pat Flynn Makes Money from Blogging

In December 2017, Pat made most of his money from affiliate marketing (63%). He also made money from courses (24.5%), software (6.5%), niche sites (2.5%), podcasting (2.5%), and book sales (1%).

Today, he is probably making much more because he has diversified into other activities, such as a membership program and a physical product (the SwitchPod).

7. Jon Dykstra (Fat Stacks)

Jon Dykstra started publishing niche sites in 2009. Before starting his blogging career, Jon practiced as a lawyer for six years in British Columbia, Canada.

Jon has a portfolio of 20 sites, but the number keeps changing because he also makes money by selling sites. Unlike many other bloggers on this list, he focuses mainly on content sites and outsources most of the writing to others.

> Jon Dykstra’s Blogging Income

In May 2022, Jon made $115,732 from blogging (See his income report). On his Fatstacks blog, Jon has income reports dating back to 2014. Since 2021, he has consistently made over $80,000 a month.

> How Jon Dykstra Makes Money from Blogging

From his portfolio of sites, John makes most of his money from display ads (over 90%) and a small amount from affiliate marketing.

Jon probably makes much more than revealed in his income reports because he also has online courses and does coaching at FatStacks. It is not clear whether he includes this income in his income reports.

8. Kristin Larsen (Believe in a Budget)

Kristin Larsen started her blog (Believe In a Budget) in 2015 while working as an interior designer. In 2016, after only ten months of blogging, she was able to quit her job to concentrate fully on blogging.

In her third year of blogging, she made $290,000 and the rest is history.

Following the success of her blog, Kristin has made several TV appearances and was featured on sites like US News, CBS News, and MSN Money.

> Kristin Larsen’s Blogging Income

In April 2018, Kristin made $109,879 from blogging, according to her income report.

She earned this with roughly 200,000 visitors to her blog.

> How Kristin Larsen Makes Money from Blogging

In April 2018, Kristin earned most of her income from selling courses (91%), although she also made a bit of money from affiliate marketing (7.8%) and display ads (1%).

9. Jeff Proctor and Ben Huber (DollarSprout)

DollarSprout was started by two best friends, Jeff Proctor and Ben Huber, in 2015. Before starting DollarSprout, Ben worked as a clinical administrator and Jeff worked in private wealth management.

DollarSprout has become a big name in the online business/side hustles space and has been featured in top publications like Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Credit Karma, and Lifehacker.

> Jeff and Ben’s Blogging Income

In December 2018, DollarSprout made $104,097 (See Income Report). Jeff and Ben stopped posting income reports after 2019.

In their last income report, they made a gross monthly income of $180,285 (January 2019) and $167,390 (February 2019), indicating that their income has continued to grow steadily.

> How Jeff and Ben Make Money from Blogging

In December 2018, DollarSprout made almost all of its money from affiliate marketing (98.3%), although there was less than 2% from product sales and ad revenue.

In their income report, Jeff and Ben explained that they had been gradually reducing the number of ads with the intention of going Ad-free.

Since 2018, they have added other sources of income, such as a cashback app and a podcast.

10. Lindsay Ostrom (Pinch of Yum)

Lindsay Ostrom started her food blog (Pinch of Yum) as a hobby while working as a fourth-grade teacher in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She was able to quit teaching after only a few years of blogging.

Pinch of Yum is primarily a recipe blog, although Lindsay also writes about other aspects of her life, such as travel and lifestyle.

Her blog has been featured on sites like BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, and Mixergy.

> Lindsay Ostrom’s Blogging Income

In November 2016, Lindsay made $95,192 from blogging, according to her income report. This was from 2.4 million visitors who came to her blog that month.

> How Lindsay Ostrom Makes Money from Blogging

In November 2016, Lindsay made most of her money from display ads (60%) and sponsorships (23%). She also made a bit of income from affiliate marketing (14%) and selling e-books (3%)

Since 2016, she and her husband Bjork, have added other income streams such as Food Blogger Pro (a blogging membership), Clariti, and Nutrifox.

11. Rosemarie Groner (Busy Budgeter)

Rosemarie Groner started Busy Budgeter in 2014 to help people budget and save money. Before starting her blog, she had been a state trooper for ten years before quitting her job to start a home daycare business, so that she could stay home with her son.

> Rosemarie Groner’s Blogging Income

In January 2017, Rosemarie made $86,439 from blogging (See income report).

> How Rosemarie Groner Makes Money from Blogging

In 2017, most of her income (68%) came from selling digital products (mostly workbooks and cheat sheets). She also made money from affiliate marketing (22.5%), display ads (5.5%), and sponsorships (4%).

12. Sarah Titus (sarahtitus.com)

Sarah Titus’s story is one of rags-to-riches. She became homeless after her husband of 14 years left her, and she had to figure out a way to support herself and her kids.

She started selling products online (on eBay), and this started doing quite well. In 2014, she started sarahtitus.com to share her experiences with e-commerce.

The blog became successful and now contributes a big chunk of her income (in addition to her e-commerce stores).

> Sarah Titus’s Blogging Income

In 2017, Sarah made $981,036. This translates to roughly $81, 753 a month on average (See her income report).

> How Sarah Titus Makes Money from Blogging

In 2017, Sarah made most of her money from selling printables (94.4%). She also made some income from affiliate marketing (3.3%) and a small amount from other sources.

In her online shop, she has all kinds of printables (planners, coloring books, binders, etc) for sale.

Sarah’s success shows that you can make good money by selling low-ticket items ($20-$50), provided you can drive enough traffic.

Since 2017, Sarah has leveraged her success to sell a high-ticket course, so her income today probably runs into the millions.

Wrapping Up

As you can see from these examples, you can start a blog and grow it to a point where it is generating thousands or even millions of dollars a year.

I have gone into greater detail on how you can make a million dollars from blogging in my article about calculating blogging income. Check it out if you are interested.

It is worth noting that the results that you see from these top bloggers are not typical. Many people who try blogging fail because they make simple and avoidable mistakes.

These millionaire bloggers do things differently. I have written a detailed article that goes through all you need for success in blogging as a new blogger. It summarizes all the lessons that I wish I knew when I was starting out. For more check out my article on the best blogging advice for beginner bloggers.

However, here is a quick summary of what you need to do:

• Ensure that your blog is technically sound so that you don’t keep away visitors. At a minimum, you need to have a WordPress blog.
• Get into lucrative niches. Niches such as personal finance, online business, travel, and food are great for making money (although they are also quite competitive).
• Look for monetization opportunities that have high returns, such as creating courses or high-ticket affiliate programs. Most of the top bloggers on this list either have high-ticket courses (costing $1,000+), are doing affiliate marketing, or are selling products (like e-books or printables). If you sell a $1,000 course to 1,000 students a year, you will make a million dollars.
• Write lots of SEO-optimized articles to get traffic. Many successful bloggers have hundreds or even thousands of articles that bring in visitors. You need roughly a million visitors a month (at $30 RPM), to make 30k per month.

So, if you have always wanted to make money doing something you care deeply about, try blogging.

The process of starting a blog is straightforward.

1. Figure out something you want to write about. This could be a hobby or a passion.
2. Get a domain name and web hosting. You can use a service like ChemiCloud, which is fast, secure, and cheap (check out ChemiCloud pricing here).
3. Install WordPress, design your site, and you are good to go.

Even if you are not a techy person, you can get started in less than 30 minutes. You can check out my step-by-step guide to starting a blog. It will take you through the entire process (with no steps skipped).

You may also like:

• Calculate potential blog earnings
• Benefits of blogging
• Blogging tips