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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 Makes Money

Personal finance blog earning money through affiliate marketing recommendations

How did DollarSprout monetize?

Summary of the sourced claims below

DollarSprout's revenue is mainly from affiliate marketing, where it earns a commission when a reader clicks a referral link and signs up, such as for a bank or banking app. The company previously ran display ads, including AdSense, which earned very little, and it stopped using ads, giving up about $20,000 a month in revenue at that time. Its monetization strategy became more refined over time as the cofounders learned more about affiliate marketing and display advertising.

Revenue sources

2 sources · grouped by how DollarSprout makes money

  • Affiliate / referral commissions

    · 7 mentions · 6 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 6 more quotes
    “When you buy something through one of the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.”
    high
    “everything kind of became what is Dollar Sprout today, which is an online personal finance blog that's mainly monetized through affiliate marketing. And by mainly, I mean like 99%.”
    high
    “Our revenue model is 100% focused on affiliate marketing. For those unfamiliar, this is when a publisher earns a commission on each sale or lead generated from their referral links. For example, let’s say we have an article that teaches a reader how to get better about saving money. Within that a...”
    high
    “Our revenue model is 100% focused on affiliate marketing. For those unfamiliar, this is when a publisher earns a commission on each sale or lead generated from their referral links. For example, let’s say we have an article...If a reader signs up for the app through our site, we earn a small comm...”
    high
    “Huber said that while their monetization strategy (how to capitalize on web readers) was crude at first, it quickly became more refined as the cofounders learned more about affiliate marketing and display advertising.”
    high
    “Initially planning to create a subscription-based investing website, Proctor and his partner eventually pivoted to focus on affiliate marketing. Now, four years later, DollarSprout is on track to generate over $2 million in revenue for 2019.”
    high

  • Advertising revenue

    · 6 mentions · 6 sources
    “When Dollar Sprout Quit Using AdsAt the time they stopped using the ads, they were giving up about $20,000 a month in revenue. Jeff said that was painful but they were paying attention to the leaders in their space. Not many have display ads on their sites because they are more focused on affilia...”
    high
    Show 5 more quotes
    “The next step for us was, we had AdSense ads on for a while and that made $2 a month or something.”
    high
    “the next step for us was we had AdSense ads on for a while”
    high
    “Huber said that while their monetization strategy (how to capitalize on web readers) was crude at first, it quickly became more refined as the cofounders learned more about affiliate marketing and display advertising.”
    high
    “DollarSprout launched in 2015 and will reap over $2.2 million in revenue and $1 million in profit in 2019. They reach over a million readers every month!”
    medium
    “DollarSprout.com, a personal finance blog geared towards millennials who are interested in making and saving extra money.”
    medium

How 2,220 businesses make money

Of businesses with mapped revenue sources, the share using each — DollarSprout’s highlighted.
  • Recurring subscriptions
    60%
  • One-time / lifetime deals
    28%
  • Services & consulting
    28%
  • Physical products
    25%
  • Affiliate / referral commissions
    16% ◀
  • Course / training sales
    12%
  • Add-ons & upsells
    11%
  • Usage-based fees
    10%
  • Sponsorships & partnerships
    10%
  • Advertising revenue
    9% ◀
  • Marketplace commissions
    5%
  • Licensing
    2%
  • Donations & tips
    2%
  • Setup / onboarding fees
    2%
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