Overview
- Personal/Brand Name: korni (BlackHatWorld member since May 24, 2010, with niche website building experience since 2010. Previously failed with a Google SEO-dependent website due to 2023 algorithm updates).
- Implementation Timeline: Started January 9, 2024, with updates reported until June 7, 2024 (approximately 150 days). Key milestones:
- January 2024: Website and Pinterest account setup
- February-March 2024: Traffic growth and pin optimization
- April-June 2024: Traffic breakthrough and monetization with Mediavine Journey
- Target Market: Not specifically mentioned, but targeting international markets, especially the US (84.9% of Pinterest users from the US according to korni’s statistics). Target audience is female (82.59% of Pinterest users are female, 3.99% male, 13.4% other), focusing on suitable topics like lifestyle, home decor, or fashion (but not overly “feminine” like makeup/nails to match korni’s personal preferences).
Revenue Model
Primary Income Sources:
- Display Ads: Using Mediavine Journey (ad program for small websites, requiring minimum 10,000 sessions/month) as main revenue source, accounting for ~90% of income. From May 7 to June 6, 2024, the website earned $2,348.16 with ~$46.04 RPM (estimated actual ~$30-35 after adjustments due to traffic reporting discrepancies).
- Affiliate Marketing: Plans to join higher-paying affiliate programs than Amazon (like ShareASale, CJ Affiliate), but not significantly implemented yet due to focus on advertising.
- Paid Guest Posts: Plans to accept paid guest posts since not worried about Google penalties (website doesn’t depend on SEO), but not implemented in this phase.
Cash Flow Generation:
- Pinterest Traffic: Create visual content (pins) on Pinterest, linking to website articles. Each article (~1,000-1,500 words) contains Mediavine ads, generating revenue based on impressions and sessions. In May 2024, the website achieved 4.18M impressions, 73.14k outbound clicks, 71k sessions, and 88k pageviews (per GA4), earning $2,348.16.
Operating Costs:
- Domain: ~$10-15/year
- Hosting: Estimated ~$5-10/month (not specifically mentioned, but WordPress hosting typically at this level)
- Kadence Theme: ~$50/year (premium version)
- Social Sharing Plugin: ~$20/year
- Canva Pro: <del>$120/year (</del>$10/month)
- Midjourney: ~$10-30/month (depending on plan)
- Total initial cost: ~$200-300, mainly fixed costs and tools. No paid advertising used, reducing costs compared to other models.
Profit Potential:
With <del>$30-35 RPM, the website could reach $10,000/month if achieving the goal of 10M impressions/month and maintaining ~1.5% CTR (equivalent to ~150,000 sessions/month). Korni also plans to sell the website for 6 figures (</del>$100,000-500,000) if goals are met.
Key Features:
- Model leverages Pinterest to avoid Google SEO dependency, suitable for visual niches and female audiences.
- Low cost, easily scalable, but risks lie in Pinterest algorithm instability (e.g., impression drops on May 31, 2024) and low CTR of image-only pins.
- Combines advertising with potential for affiliate and paid guest posts, creating multiple income streams in the future.
Tools Used
ChatGPT/GPT-4 API:
Role:
- Write articles (~1,000-1,500 words/article) with listicle content (e.g., “60 Spring Dinner Ideas”) to attract clicks from Pinterest.
- Create pin titles and descriptions with main keywords, optimized for Pinterest SERPs.
- Generate detailed prompts for Midjourney to create unique images.
Key Features:
- Uses specific prompts to achieve Flesch reading score >80, clear language, active voice, avoiding advertising language or buzzwords. Example prompt:
- Closely follow this writing style:
- Use clear, direct language and avoid complex terminology. Aim for a Flesch reading score of 80 or higher.
- Use the active voice. Avoid adverbs.
- Avoid buzzwords and instead use plain English.
- Use jargon where relevant.
- Requires manual editing to avoid AI-sounding content, ensuring natural and audience-appropriate content.
Midjourney:
Role:
- Create ~95% of images for pins and articles, with unique prompts for each title/item in articles (e.g., not repeating “cozy living room decor” but creating unique prompts for each decorating idea).
- Support logo creation (combined with Canva).
Key Features:
- Cost-effective compared to stock images (~$0.1-0.5/image vs $1-5/image on Shutterstock).
- Requires prompt creation skills and post-processing time (compression, formatting, WordPress upload).
- Unique images help increase viral potential and compete with competitors.
Canva:
Role:
- Design text overlay and collage pins with custom templates, ensuring high CTR (~3-4%).
- Create logos and other visual elements for the website.
Key Features:
- Easy to use, supports high-quality pin creation, but time-consuming when creating 20-30 pins/article (~45-60 minutes for 30 pins).
- Reusable templates help save time after initial phase.
Kadence Theme (WordPress):
Role: Website interface, CSS customization for speed and user experience optimization. Key Features: Lightweight, fast, reasonably priced (~$50/year), suitable for niche websites with social media traffic.
Social Sharing Plugin:
Role: Display “Pin It” buttons on all images in articles, encouraging natural repins from users. Key Features: Increases viral potential, especially for articles with many high-quality images.
Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Search Console (GSC):
Role:
- GA4: Track sessions, pageviews, users, and average engagement time.
- GSC: Monitor search performance (though not focusing on SEO).
Key Features:
- GA4 records higher traffic than Mediavine Journey (~12-13k session difference), showing Mediavine reporting issues.
- Supports user behavior analysis for content optimization.
Buffer (planned):
Role: Schedule automatic pin posting. Key Features: Affordable (~$6/month), 2,000 pin limit, but korni hasn’t used it yet to maintain quality control by posting pins manually.
Keywords Everywhere:
Role: Pinterest keyword research, identifying high-search-volume keywords. Key Features: Data not completely accurate, but useful for initial keyword direction.
Pinterest Trends:
Role: Analyze Pinterest search trends, targeting popular topics (e.g., “spring dinner ideas”). Key Features: Free, provides seasonal and regional data, but needs combination with Keywords Everywhere for optimization.
Implementation Process
Phase 1: Setup and Launch (January 2024):
Actions:
- Domain registration: Choose short, memorable domain (~$10-15).
- Website setup: Use WordPress with Kadence theme, CSS customization, install social sharing plugin (~$20/year).
- Logo creation: Combine Canva and Midjourney to design simple but professional logo.
- Pinterest setup: Create account, identify niche targeting women (lifestyle, home decor, fashion) but not overly “feminine” to match personal preferences.
- Keyword research: Use Pinterest Trends and Keywords Everywhere, identify high-search but moderately competitive keywords.
- Initial content creation: Write <del>10 articles (</del>1,000-1,500 words) with ChatGPT, create 50+ pins (5-10 pins/article) with Canva, post ~10-15 pins/day.
Details:
- Focus on visual content (pins) instead of SEO. Each pin contains main keywords in title and description, linking to website articles.
- Encountered Pinterest “sandbox” issue (pins not pushed to home feed), similar to Google, but maintained consistent pin posting.
- Images mainly from Midjourney (<del>95%), some from Instagram (</del>5%, with copyright risks).
Results:
- Completed website with silo structure (4 main categories, multiple subcategories).
- Pinterest account achieved 1.96k impressions, 117 engagements, 37 outbound clicks, 10 saves (January 26-27, 2024).
- Website traffic nearly zero, but established foundation for growth.
Phase 2: Growth and Optimization (February-March 2024):
Actions:
- Increased pin posting frequency: From <del>10-15 pins/day to ~20-30 pins/day, focusing on text overlay/collage pins after noticing image-only pins had low CTR (</del>0.4-0.5% vs ~3-4% for text overlay).
- Created new content: Wrote ~10-15 new articles, each with 5-10 pins, using Midjourney for unique images.
- Experimented with second account: Created second Pinterest account in different niche, but failed (only 10-30 impressions/day) due to lack of specific keywords and suspected shadow ban.
- Analyzed competitors: Studied successful accounts on X (e.g., 4.4M views account with <1,000 pins) and Pinterest, learned pin design and keyword selection.
- Applied for Mediavine Journey: Submitted application, waiting for domain to be 4 months old (requirement from May 2024).
Details:
- Faced Pinterest algorithm issues, especially early phase when pins weren’t pushed to home feed. Korni persisted with consistent pin posting and experimented with different pin types.
- Optimized pin descriptions with main keywords, used ChatGPT for more natural writing (e.g., “Spring dinner ideas for family” instead of “Dinner ideas”).
- Noticed weekends (Saturday, Sunday) had higher traffic, focused posting during early morning and evening hours.
Results:
- February 2024: 184.52k impressions, 9.84k engagements, 2.15k outbound clicks, 910 saves, 75.25k total audience (Pinterest). Website achieved 3.2k pageviews, 2.3k sessions, 2.1k users (GA4).
- March 2024: Peaked at 25.22k impressions/day (March 24), 268 outbound clicks, 150 saves. Traffic increased strongly, but CTR decreased to ~0.75% due to image-only pins impact.
- Second account ineffective, abandoned.
Phase 3: Breakthrough and Monetization (April-June 2024):
Actions:
- Intensified pin posting: Maintained <del>30 pins/day, focusing on text overlay/collage pins with Canva designs achieving high CTR (</del>1-1.5%). Reduced image-only pins due to low CTR.
- Accepted into Mediavine Journey: Started earning from ads (May 2024), with $2,348.16 from May 7 to June 6, 2024.
- Content optimization: Focused on listicles (e.g., “60 Spring Dinner Ideas” or “20 Things To Do in Amsterdam”) to increase CTR and traffic. Each article optimized with Midjourney images and “Pin It” buttons to encourage repins.
- Faced Pinterest algorithm: May 31, 2024, many pins dropped to 0 impressions, suspected “partial shadow ban”. Some pins recovered but impressions significantly decreased.
- Planned diversification: Considered other traffic sources (Facebook, Reddit, Flipboard) to reduce Pinterest risk.
Details:
- Achieved impressive milestones: 50.76k impressions, 699 outbound clicks (April 14, 2024); 100.61k impressions, 1.53k outbound clicks (April 28, 2024); 3,114 pageviews/day (May 18, 2024).
- May 2024 recorded 4.18M impressions, 73.14k outbound clicks, 9.54k saves, 71k sessions, 88k pageviews (GA4).
- Traffic reporting issue: GA4 recorded <del>12-13k sessions higher than Mediavine Journey, affecting actual RPM (</del>$30-35 instead of ~$46.04).
- Second account completely abandoned, full focus on main account.
Results:
- Revenue: $2,348.16 (May 2024) from Mediavine Journey.
- Traffic: 4.18M impressions, 73.14k outbound clicks, 71k sessions, 88k pageviews (May 2024).
- Total ~550 pins on main account, achieved 3,114 pageviews/day (May 18, 2024).
- Haven’t reached 10M impressions/month goal, but approaching with 4.18M impressions in May.
Results Achieved
Revenue:
- $2,348.16 from Mediavine Journey (May 7-June 6, 2024), with ~$46.04 RPM (estimated actual ~$30-35 due to reporting discrepancies).
- No revenue from affiliate or paid guest posts yet, but potential for future.
Activity Volume:
Pinterest (May 2024):
- Impressions: 4.18M (137% increase from previous month)
- Engagements: 259.97k (150% increase)
- Outbound clicks: 73.14k (218% increase)
- Saves: 9.54k (49% increase)
- Total audience: 1.75M (111% increase)
- Engaged audience: 150.05k (134% increase)
Website (GA4, May 2024):
- Pageviews: 88k (210.8% increase)
- Sessions: 71k (181.2% increase)
- Users: 67k (187.1% increase)
- Average engagement time: 43 seconds (16.8% decrease)
- Peak: 3,114 pageviews/day (May 18, 2024)
Pin Count:
~550 pins on main account, ~200 pins on second account (abandoned).
Other Achievements:
- Successfully built niche website, correctly targeting female audience on Pinterest (82.59% users are female).
- Accepted into Mediavine Journey, creating stable cash flow from advertising.
- Developed pin optimization skills (text overlay/collage pins with high CTR), competitor analysis, and effective AI usage (ChatGPT, Midjourney).
- Built sustainable content system with Canva templates and ChatGPT prompts, reducing production time.
Challenges:
- Pinterest algorithm instability: Impression drops on May 31, 2024 (many pins to 0 impressions), suspected “partial shadow ban”.
- Low CTR of image-only pins: ~0.4-0.5% vs ~3-4% for text overlay pins, requiring more impressions to reach 50k sessions.
- Content creation time: ~5-6 hours/day for writing articles, creating pins, and website management.
- Traffic reporting discrepancy: GA4 recorded ~12-13k sessions higher than Mediavine Journey, affecting revenue estimates.
Key Lessons Learned
Main Success Factors:
- Pinterest Focus: Ignored Google SEO, leveraged Pinterest’s visual characteristics and female audience for rapid traffic attraction (4.18M impressions in May 2024).
- Text overlay/collage pins: High CTR (<del>3-4%) vs image-only pins (</del>0.4-0.5%), helping optimize traffic with fewer pins. Example: One text overlay pin with 1,000 impressions could generate 30-40 clicks, while image-only pins only generate 4-5 clicks.
- Competitor research: Analyzed successful accounts on X (e.g., 4.4M views account with <1,000 pins) and Pinterest, learned pin design, keyword selection, and content optimization. Korni used “reverse engineering” skills to find competitor accounts and analyze their strategies.
- Listicle content: Articles like “60 Spring Dinner Ideas” or “20 Things To Do in Amsterdam” attracted strong clicks, suitable for Pinterest user behavior.
Creative Innovations:
- Effective Midjourney use: Created ~95% unique images, reducing costs and increasing competitiveness vs stock images. Unique prompts for each title/item helped diversify images and match content.
- Repin optimization: Added “Pin It” buttons on all article images, encouraging natural repins, increasing viral potential without additional costs.
- AI and traditional tool combination: Used ChatGPT for writing and prompt creation, Canva for pin design, and Midjourney for image generation, creating efficient content production workflow.
- Light “Build in Public” strategy: Though not revealing niche, korni shared detailed progress on BlackHatWorld, attracting attention and receiving community feedback.
Challenges and Solutions:
- Challenge: Pinterest algorithm instability causing impression drops (May 31, 2024). Solution: Continue consistent pin posting (~30 pins/day), focus on text overlay pins, and plan traffic diversification (Facebook, Reddit, Flipboard).
- Challenge: Time-consuming pin and content creation (~5-6 hours/day). Solution: Use Canva templates, effective ChatGPT prompts, and consider automation tools like Pingenerator or BlogToPin (though not implemented yet).
- Challenge: Low CTR of image-only pins. Solution: Switch completely to text overlay/collage pins, prioritize listicle content and “inspire action” design (according to Tony Hill).
- Challenge: Traffic reporting discrepancy between GA4 and Mediavine Journey. Solution: Accept margin of error, focus on increasing traffic to compensate and improve RPM.
Implementation Tips for Beginners:
Start Small:
- Register domain (<del>$10) and hosting (</del>$5/month), use WordPress with free Kadence theme.
- Create Pinterest account, choose visual niche targeting women (e.g., home decor, recipes, fashion).
- Write 5-10 articles (~1,000 words) with ChatGPT, create 5 pins/article with Canva (use free account).
Build System:
- Post ~10-15 pins/day in first month to “warm up” account, increase to ~20-30 pins/day after 2 months.
- Use Midjourney (~$10/month) for image creation, focus on text overlay/collage pins.
- Install social sharing plugin (~$20/year) to add “Pin It” buttons on images.
- Use Pinterest Trends and Keywords Everywhere to find keywords (e.g., “spring dinner ideas”).
Marketing:
- Post pins during peak user hours (early morning, evening, especially weekends).
- Create listicle content (e.g., “20 Summer Outfit Ideas” or “60 Spring Dinner Ideas”) to attract clicks.
- Research competitors by finding successful Pinterest or X accounts, analyze pin designs and keywords.
Initial Cost: ~$50-100 (domain, hosting, Canva Pro, Midjourney). Can use free Canva and Midjourney trial to reduce costs.
Skill Learning:
- Watch Canva/Midjourney tutorials on YouTube.
- Read Pinterest for Business and Mediavine Journey documentation.
- Join BlackHatWorld to learn pin optimization tips and competitor research.
Important Notes:
- Avoid image-only pins to ensure high CTR.
- Post unique content, avoid copying to reduce shadow ban risk.
- Be patient for 3-6 months, as Pinterest needs time to push pins to home feed.
Source / Links
Original Link: Journey: Growing a niche website from scratch with Pinterest as a main traffic source
