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Researched profile. Starter Story's AI research system compiled this page from 48 public sources — the founder didn't write it. Automated research can misread or misattribute a source, so treat figures as best-effort. How this works →
DollarSprout logo

How DollarSprout Grew

Personal finance blog earning money through affiliate marketing recommendations

How did DollarSprout grow?

Summary of the sourced claims below

Starting out, the articles were shared through Twitter and Facebook, but traffic did not increase much, and the founders saw some success from the tail end of the Pinterest boom. They then began paying more attention to Google and SEO, structuring content so that search engines could understand and rank it. The site now uses Pinterest, some Google ads, and paid Facebook ads for its articles, and it uses an email list of readers to bring people to the channel. The site generates income through affiliate marketing, earning a commission when readers click a link and sign up.

Channels

32 channels · grouped by how DollarSprout grows

  • SEO

    · 10 mentions · 9 sources
    “We built the foundation of our audience and business on social media (mainly Pinterest and Facebook), but the real key to our growth over the past year has been SEO. Many SEOs try to overcomplicate things. Our strategy from the start has always been fairly straightforward: Create useful, keyword-...”
    high
    Show 9 more quotes
    “1 to 1.2 million page views a month, 80% from search engines...This site appeared to have come out of nowhere over the past year, dominating tons of number one rankings in Google...the big growth that you've had...most of its traffic coming from Google...”
    medium
    “He leads up a lot of our SEO effort which is a big source for our traffic... as of now, we’re getting between 1 and 1.2 million pageviews a month, I believe to Dollar Sprout. The majority of that, I would say, 80% or so, is coming from search engines.”
    high
    “The real key to our growth over the past year has been SEO.”
    high
    “In August 2016, their website traffic — and with it, the business' income — began to grow exponentially, from 100 readers per day to 5,000 or more every 24 hours.”
    medium
    “You can capitalize on loads of traffic from Google search”
    medium
    “DollarSprout.com, a personal finance blog geared towards millennials, went from zero to over $2 million in revenue in four years through a laser focus on affiliate marketing, constantly creating useful, keyword-oriented content that helps readers solve a problem, SEO, and diversifying income vert...”
    high
    “They started paying more attention to Google and SEO. SEO is a way to create your content in a way that makes it easy for Google and other search engines to understand what your content is about. SEO also helps Google assess the content and rank it accordingly.”
    high
    “Promotion, publishing is only the beginning, after publishing you cannot sit, thinking by blog is good and google we surrey show it to the reader ... boost your SEO rankings on Google.”
    medium
    “Of 120 with growth-channel information, founders most often credited organic social media (68%), SEO & organic search (62%)”
    medium

  • Pinterest

    · 9 mentions · 8 sources
    “we stumbled upon Pinterest. "[While] there isn't an audience for day trading (scalping) on Pinterest … there was an audience for side hustles. For making and saving extra money. For shrewd, tax-advantaged ways to save money for retirement." ... With a new game plan in place, instead of continuing...”
    high
    Show 8 more quotes
    “Thoughts on Pinterest”
    medium
    “And that was our first little glimpse of success, was when we first started out affiliate marketing and using Pinterest as a way to get traffic. That's where our first breakthrough moment was, was affiliate marketing and Pinterest.”
    high
    “One of our first breakthroughs in terms of building an audience was Pinterest. Neither of us had ever used Pinterest in our personal lives, but we heard it was a great traffic source for a lot of blogs so we decided to give it a shot.”
    high
    “One of our first breakthroughs in terms of building an audience was Pinterest. Neither of us had ever used Pinterest in our personal lives, but we heard it was a great traffic source for a lot of blogs so we decided to give it a shot. Like any new platform, there is a bit of a learning curve, but...”
    high
    “Pin on Pinterest as well. (Tailwind)”
    high
    “Through a combination of organic search, paid ads, and viral Pinterest traffic, the blog now earns over $30,000 in monthly revenue.”
    high
    “Starting out, the articles were shared through Twitter and Facebook. However, Jeff wasn’t seeing the traffic increase much. They got in on the tail-end of the Pinterest boom and were able to see some success from that.”
    high
    “If you’re not using Pinterest to promote your blog, you’re leaving a massive source of free traffic on the table ... That’s the kind of compounding return that makes Pinterest one of the best free platforms to promote your blog.”
    medium

  • Organic social media

    · 9 mentions · 9 sources
    “After gaining traction with viral tweets and amassing a large social media following, they leveraged this audience to launch Alpha Letter, a paid investment newsletter. Within 12 months, they grew their subscriber base to 82,000 individuals and generated over $200,000 per year in paid revenues.”
    high
    Show 8 more quotes
    “for us, our two channels that we use are Pinterest and Facebook. Facebook will post stuff organically but that’s more of just to do it and be present...”
    medium
    “So we did, we found something that worked even if it was like a totally different strategy and affiliate marketing and, you know, social media type stuff like that worked. So then we, you know, ditched what wasn't working and then pivoted to what was.”
    high
    “Our first few months after the site was live was spent posting on social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter) and writing news-style blog posts on investing trends we were seeing.”
    high
    “So they spent the first 18 months of their bootstrapped endeavor feverishly cranking out content. ... Every day after a grueling 12-hour shift at the hospital, Huber would head home to join Proctor in drafting thousand-plus word synopses of what occurred in the financial markets that day and prov...”
    medium
    “Schedule, IN ADVANCE, tweets, posts, pins, etc. Hopefully, you’re already using a tool like SmarterQueue or Buffer to automate social media posts… so queue a few up for the week of your giveaway. Pin on Pinterest as well.”
    high
    “Together, my husband and I operate a blog that averages 75,000 unique monthly visitors in addition to social profiles totaling over 125k aggregate followers.”
    medium
    “You can email Jeff at [email protected] or follow them on social media. Lastly, you can find them on their YouTube channel here.”
    medium
    “Of 120 with growth-channel information, founders most often credited organic social media (68%)”
    medium

  • Email List Growth

    · 6 mentions · 6 sources
    “Bloggers run giveaways to build their email list, which is a key channel for marketing their blogs.”
    high
    Show 5 more quotes
    “MarketBeat is expected to generate approximately $8 million in revenue in 2019 and end the year at about 1.3 million unique email subscribers.”
    medium
    “MarketBeat evolved into a financial media company, generating $8 million in revenue in 2019 and boasting 1.3 million email subscribers...ending the year with over 1.3 million unique email subscribers due to a freemium model with 75% of revenue from advertising and 25% from subscriptions.”
    medium
    “In addition to those, they also have an email list of readers.”
    medium
    “How to build an email list for your blog without paid advertising: Start with a compelling lead magnet ... once people are on your list, send them genuine value every week.”
    medium
    “Of 120 with growth-channel information, founders most often credited organic social media (68%), SEO & organic search (62%), email & newsletters (43%)”
    medium

  • Affiliate program

    · 5 mentions · 5 sources
    “He writes blog content for the website, and the way the site generates income is through affiliate marketing. One example that Jeff uses is an article they have about saving tips. They will provide the tips and then recommend specific banks that offer a good interest rate. When and if the reader ...”
    high
    Show 4 more quotes
    “that was our first little glimpse of success was when we first started out affiliate marketing and using Pinterest as a way to get traffic. That’s where our first breakthrough moment was, affiliate marketing and Pinterest and it happened that we discovered both at the same time.”
    high
    “In our case, we sort of stumbled upon affiliate marketing. Even though we had no clue what we were doing at the time, that small bit of success is sparked us to dig a little deeper and go down that path… and it was a great decision.”
    high
    “it quickly became more refined as the cofounders learned more about affiliate marketing and display advertising.”
    medium
    “DollarSprout.com, a personal finance blog geared towards millennials, went from zero to over $2 million in revenue in four years through a laser focus on affiliate marketing, constantly creating useful, keyword-oriented content that helps readers solve a problem, SEO, and diversifying income vert...”
    high

  • Advertising on social media

    · 3 mentions · 3 sources
    “Facebook will post stuff organically but that’s more of just to do it and be present, but we also spend a little bit of money on Facebook ads just to drive traffic to our content.”
    high
    Show 2 more quotes
    “but we also, you know, spend a little bit of money on Facebook ads just to drive traffic to, to our content”
    high
    “Now they use Pinterest, some Google ads, and some paid ads on Facebook for their articles.”
    high

  • Guest posts

    · 3 mentions · 2 sources
    “We do a mix of guest posting; we have one of our assistants leveraging our current connections to try to get us guest posting opportunities. We try to crank out three or four a month, some months are better than others.”
    high
    Show 2 more quotes
    “Hustle and get the word out about your content (aka guest post, go on podcasts, network with journalists, etc.)”
    high
    “Hustle and get the word out about your content (aka guest post, go on podcasts, network with journalists, etc.)”
    high

  • Online Community

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “Start building an online community. Regardless of business model, any entrepreneur starting a business in 2019 and beyond needs to understand the power of social media and search engines. The sooner you are able to build an audience, the better.”
    medium
    Show 1 more quote
    “Of 120 with growth-channel information, founders most often credited organic social media (68%), SEO & organic search (62%), email & newsletters (43%), content marketing (37%), communities (Reddit, forums, Slack groups) (23%)”
    medium

  • Pay Per Click Advertising

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “Through a combination of organic search, paid ads, and viral Pinterest traffic, the blog now earns over $30,000 in monthly revenue.”
    high
    Show 1 more quote
    “it quickly became more refined as the cofounders learned more about affiliate marketing and display advertising.”
    medium

  • Email marketing

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “Send to your email list We’re all bloggers by this point right? This should be a “duh” moment for you. Send a very brief note to your list informing them the giveaway is live, and include a partial (or complete) list of the prizes in the body of the email.”
    high
    Show 1 more quote
    “They use their email list to get people to the channel just as they do with Pinterest and Google.”
    high

  • Medium Content

    · 1 mention
    “Medium hosts nearly 100 million monthly visitors. Publish adapted versions of your posts there with a link back to the full article on your blog.”
    medium

  • Journalists

    · 1 mention
    “we also really focus on building domain-level links to our site through HARO, Help A Reporter Out... we found that if we just stay consistent and try to do at least a few of those a week, pick up a link here or there, that definitely helps.”
    high

  • Brand collaborations and giveaways

    · 1 mention
    “So we do a mix of guest posting. We have one of our assistants that is leveraging our current connections to try to get us guest posting opportunities. So we try to crank out three or four guest posts a month.”
    high

  • Kickstarter

    · 1 mention
    “Since Gravity Products’ initial launch on Kickstarter in April 2017 (where the company raised more than $4.7 million in crowdfunding in the first 30 days), Gravity has generated more than $35 million in revenue in just over two years.”
    medium

  • Content marketing

    · 1 mention
    “Of 120 with growth-channel information, founders most often credited organic social media (68%), SEO & organic search (62%), email & newsletters (43%), content marketing (37%)”
    medium

  • Freemium

    · 1 mention
    “Real Life Trading has generated over $4 million in revenue and expanded to different countries. By offering 99% of his education for free and providing premium services through live events and coaching...”
    medium

  • Pilots with enterprise clients

    · 1 mention
    “Hustle and get the word out about your content (aka guest post, go on podcasts, network with journalists, etc.)”
    high

  • Launch parties

    · 1 mention
    “The biggest thing for me at the time was making sure that I had enough money saved up to go without a paycheck for a while.”
    low

  • Brand partnerships

    · 1 mention
    “Millennial Money Man founder Bobby Hoyt and partner Mike Yanda created Laptop Empires, which boasts a seven-figure revenue through their flagship Facebook Side Hustle Course, helping retirees and millennials launch and grow their local Facebook ad agencies.”
    medium

  • Giveaways

    · 1 mention
    “That’s it folks. Hopefully I’ve got you fired up for running your own blog giveaway for list-growth? I really do believe it’s an AMAZING tool to grow quickly, with relatively low cost.”
    high

  • Lead magnets

    · 1 mention
    “The website now gets over 300,000 page views monthly, has an email subscriber list of over 35,000 and continues to grow.”
    medium

  • Contribute on Quora

    · 1 mention
    “Schedule and automate social media posts before the launch. Tease the giveaway a few times to build anticipation (and the probability that people will open your giveaway announcement email)”
    high

  • Existing Tik Tok Content

    · 1 mention
    “Given the viral nature of the giveaway (I.e. entrants will share to get more entries), the potential ROI of a paid campaign can be massive…”
    high

  • Word of mouth

    · 1 mention
    “The best form of advertising is word of mouth. It’s your reputation! If you do good work, you’ll get introduced to high quality people and new clients.”
    high

  • Direct sales

    · 1 mention
    “Real Life Trading has generated over $4 million in revenue and expanded to different countries. By offering 99% of his education for free and providing premium services through live events and coaching...”
    medium

  • Partnerships

    · 1 mention
    “Making Sense of Cents now earns over $100,000 a month and has made over $5 million in total...thanks to a diversified traffic approach and monetization strategies, such as affiliate marketing, sponsored partnerships, and course sales.”
    medium

  • Facebook Community

    · 1 mention
    “Your blog’s Facebook Page is a good start, but the real free traffic magic on Facebook happens inside Groups — both your own and others’.”
    medium

  • Leveraging existing platforms

    · 1 mention
    “In 2017, Julie started her own Etsy shop, The Swag Elephant, selling temporary tattoos for bachelorette parties. After realizing she didn’t want to deal with the hassle of shipping orders, Julie switched to selling bachelorette scavenger hunt printables. Over the course of two years, she was able...”
    medium

  • LinkedIn

    · 1 mention
    “If your blog touches anything related to business, careers, finance, marketing, education, or professional development, LinkedIn is one of the best free platforms for blog promotion ... don’t just paste a link to your blog post and call it a day. Instead, republish adapted versions of your conten...”
    medium

  • LinkedIn outreach

    · 1 mention
    “Our first few months after the site was live was spent posting on social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter) and writing news-style blog posts on investing trends we were seeing.”
    high

  • Pinterest ads

    · 1 mention
    “Now they use Pinterest, some Google ads, and some paid ads on Facebook for their articles.”
    high

  • Testimonials

    · 1 mention
    “And through talking about our experience and building Dollar Sprout, a lot of people, we've been very fortunate, have just been willing to link to us just because they see the faces behind the brand as we write about our journey on BTOP.”
    medium

How 2,994 businesses grow

Of businesses with mapped growth channels, the share using each — DollarSprout’s highlighted.
  • Referral/Word-of-mouth
    67% ◀
  • Social media
    63% ◀
  • Search/SEO
    58% ◀
  • Email
    48% ◀
  • Community
    37% ◀
  • Content/Inbound
    35% ◀
  • Partnerships
    33% ◀
  • Events
    25% ◀
  • Paid ads
    24% ◀
  • Outbound/Sales
    19% ◀
  • Press/PR
    18% ◀
  • Marketplaces/App stores
    11% ◀
  • Podcasting
    4%
  • Building in public
    3%
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