Sharing is caring!

Hello friend! If you are on this post, you are likely THIRSTING to get on Mediavine, one of the best ad networks for bloggers. In the past I was just like you, researching just about every post and video I could on how to get onto Mediavine.

Some of the posts I read were SUPER helpful, and others were so vague and generic, they left me feeling a little miffed! Regardless, every scrap of info can be helpful on your journey to get to 50,000 sessions and getting on the Mediavine ad network.

This blog post is all about tips to get on Mediavine!

Tips to Get On Mediavine in 2023

In this (pretty lengthy) blog post, I’m going to go into EXACTLY what I think helped me get on Mediavine. As I was outlining my guide on Mediavine, I realized I needed a *bit* more structure.

Instead of grouping tips together by topic (SEO, back office stuff, etc), I decided it would probably be easier for you, my reader, if I ranked them in order of when I’d do what. Put another way, I’ve ordered my tips to get on Mediavine by what I’d do first, second, third, etc. The first few tips are on mindset, and I challenge you to really ABSORB them, rather than scroll on by.

You gotta get your mind right to get on Mediavine! <3

You gotta get your mind right to get on Mediavine! <3

Keep in mind that this is all based on my very biased experience! I first made the goal to get on Mediavine in 2018, and thennnn Mediavine raised their traffic requirements in 2020… It was finally in October 2022 that I got on the platform! (I could’ve gotten on the platform in fall 2021, but I fumbled the ball, failing to finish the application process before my traffic dipped after Q4).

It is my hope that sharing my tips will help other bloggers out there, and hey, the traffic is nice, too! 😉 If you have questions on my tips or would like to dive in further, I do offer one-on-one coaching and consulting sessions for bloggers, which you can check out here! I also help clients put together content for their blogs, writing blog posts for select clients, so feel free to message me about those projects if you need help creating more content to get on Mediavine.

Alrighty, let’s get to the tips!

(Remember, these are in order of what I’d do first, second, third, etc!)

Before we start…

This post is over 5,000 words long, which could overwhelm new bloggers! So before we jump in, I want to be sure you have the basics in place.

Before freaking out about getting on Mediavine, check off this list:

• You should have decided your blog niche or topics
• You have your blog and own your own website
• Your blog is self-hosted on WordPress
• You have published at least 15-20 blog posts
• You have reserved all social media handles for your blog
• You have installed Google Analytics
• You understand what affiliate marketing is, AND you use affiliate links
• You have set up some sort of ads service on your blog, or have a really good reason for not doing so (“I don’t know how” doesn’t count as a good reason, bestie!)

Just Getting Started as a Blogger?

If you’re just getting started blogging, I encourage you to start with this post: How to Get Started Blogging! I wrote this post for people who are newer to blogging, with the goal of helping folks make MOVES — quickly!

Assuming you’re well into your blogging journey, here are my best tips on getting your blog on Mediavine (including what I wish I had known when I started!):

#1 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Get Over Yourself & Get GRITTY

Ok, so my first tip for bloggers looking to get on the Mediavine ad network is this:

Get over yourself.

If you’re on TikTok, you may have come across videos that go something like, “BE CRINGE! Embrace it!” Being a blogger means you’ll be cringing at yourself. A lot.

I’m a well-adjusted show pony, and *I* still cringe at myself!! Promoting your work, talking about your work — it can be hard!

ALSO! Your work will NOT always be perfect!!

Being a blogger usually involves a good amount of self-promo, and putting work out into the world that isn’t perfect — because it’s based on your experience.

When I first started blogging, I had to smash my inner critic that wanted PRISTINE blog posts with PERFECT GRAMMAR. I realized pretty quickly that 98% of the population didn’t care if I have an overabundance of commas, and sitting on blog posts so I could go back and make them perfect was killing my publishing calendar.

What is important in blogging is having REALLY GREAT INFO that prioritizes the reader, as well as sharing info that is super helpful to the reader. The pursuit of perfection (be it graphics, grammar, etc) will trip you up.

Perfection is usually procrastination, friend!

Perfection is usually procrastination, friend!

In the same vein, you have to grit your teeth and JUST DO THE DANG THING. I have held workshops on blogging, talked about it 1:1 with clients, etc, and 90% of the time people stay in the “Dream Phase” of blogging. They think about the future, but they don’t WORK FOR THEIR FUTURE. Blogging requires grit, and it requires you to work and publish posts — even when you’re not making any money and no one is really seeing them.

With blogging, I always remind myself of a quote that was on my sister’s hoodie for her soccer team in high school: “If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

“If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

TLDR: Perfectionism is often procrastination, and you’re gonna have to do stuff outside of yourcomfort zone that makes you CRINGE!

#2 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Pay for Knowledge – SAVE TIME!

The next tip might sound a little self-serving, but I promised you I would be REAL about what I wish I had done to get my blog on Mediavine sooner.

I wish I had paid in MONEY — not time, for a good number of things. Specifically, I wish I had just PAID SOMEONE to set up my blog on WordPress, instead of me spending 3 months on YouTube trying to figure stuff out. I could’ve used that time to write more content!

Relatedly, I’m so glad I paid to go to Blogger Conferences, like the Blogger Day at TCF Style Expo, to learn from other bloggers. Additionally, this course from By Sophia Lee (each around $150), have been CRITICAL to my blogging success.

I’m not going to write a full review of those courses, but you can check out my review on the Sophia Lee blogging course, and how it made such a difference for me HERE. The Sophia Lee courses were critical on getting my session count up, so I could break past 50,000 views on my blog — to then get on Mediavine!

Now, a course is only helpful if you, you know, actually PUT THE INFORMATION into PRACTICE. So as I watched Sophia’s Lee courses, I made a list of things I needed to do/ad and then a plan to put them into place. It didn’t happen over night, as I’m not a full-time blogger (yet)!

As a blogger and business owner, you can pay in TIME or you can pay in MONEY. You can pay in time, making mistakes and learning from them — or you can find people who already know what the heck they’re doing, and PAY THEM!

As a blogger, you can pay to learn in money — or in your time!

As a business owner, your job is to learn to LEVERAGE your resources to spend your time doing what only you can do. It’s why I tell my clients to hire a cleaning service, get groceries delivered and pay experts — save time doing what you don’t need to be doing, so you can spend it on creating content and other efforts to grow your business!

The TLDR here? Take courses and figure out what only YOU can do. Hand off or hire out things you don’t need to do yourself.

#3 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Pay for Top Shelf Hosting & Email

Kiiind of related to the above post is to pay top dollar for web hosting. When I first got started, I hosted my blog on GoDaddy, and their WordPress SUCKED, in my experience. My blog would be “unavilable” for hours or days, which obviously does not help my readers or SEO! To get to the necessary 50K sessions to get on Mediavine, people need to be able to, you know, ACCESS MY DANG BLOG!

I went from paying like $10 a month to $80 a month to Agathon because of this (thanks for the rec, Marie!), and I feel so much better. I’ve seen a few blogger besties have issues with their established blogs, because they went with the lower end option for hosting. Do NOT cheap out on hosting!!

I ended up paying Agathon to migrate my blog, and Im’ so glad I did!

In the same vein, I wish I had not used the cheapest service for email marketing. I’ve been using Mailchimp for years, and I *hate* the platform. If I could go back and make myself pay for ConvertKit to start out, I 100% would. (Some bloggers, like Sophia Lee, talk about using Activate.)

It’s way easier to start out with the good stuff, than to have to transfer everything over in a year or so! Start as you aim to finish, my friend!

TLDR: Bite the bullet and invest early!

#4 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Build Your Kingdom on Your Own Land

This next tip is actually something that I learned from Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista, at the Blogger Day at her conference a few years ago.

Build your kingdom on your own land.

I realize that sounds a bit like a DND (Dungeons and Dragons) thing to say, but let me explain.

Build your platform FIRST on properties you own.

Put another way, don’t get distracted trying to get a certain number of social media followers, thinking those followers would automatically translate into visits to your blog.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love creating photoshoots, like fashion editorials, to share on social media. I am a content creator, and my blog is one aspect of that. I’m a model! A creative! I was born to create!!

But it is the MAIN aspect of everything I do. A few years into being a social media influencer, and I realized pretty quickly that I did NOT want to have to depend on brands to pay their invoices on time to pay for my life. I thank my higher powers every day that Marie Denee was in my life to prod me to focusing on *the platform I own* first!!

Focus on platforms you *OWN*

Social media platforms utilize INCREDIBLE user research and user design, and their goal is to keep people on the platform. (Have you ever spent hours scrolling on a social media platform, without realizing it? This is by DESIGN.)

While I have been blessed to have a pretty solid social media following (links at the end of this post), a good number of those followers do not EVER visit my blog. It’s not because I don’t promote my blog, and it’s not anything nefarious. I don’t shake my fist or rant at the owners/founders of these platforms! It’s just the way things are.

So instead of investing ALL my time into growing my social media platforms, I actually take a “Blog First” stance. I prioritize writing and publishing posts for my blog, sticking to a content calendar, over social media. As my blog revenue grows, I do plan on pulling a “Sophia Lee” and hiring people to help me run my blog and life, so I can grow my community and impact on social media.

Do not freak out about having a small social media following!! Many bloggers and content creators get distracted by wanting to hit a certain number of social media followers, and it’s a distraction! There are bloggers out there making a full-time income on their blog who don’t have much of ANY social media following! Keep your eyes on the prize, friend!

The TLDR on this post is this: Focus your time building your blog on the platform you own (your website), over social media content.

#5 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Put Your Reader First

I think a good number of bloggers (who want to get on Mediavine) get in trouble when they fail to put their READER first.

People get very freaked out (and sometimes nasty!) debating SEO practices, what the Google algorithm is looking for, etc.

And while it’s definitely important to understand SEO and what is going on in the world of content and media, I have found that taking an attitude of SERVICE for my readers helps me create the best content. By really focusing on what I think is most helpful to my readers, I am able to:

• Better structure my posts
• Find new keywords and niches that are underserved
• Create more helpful content from my experience (which google loves)

I get this can sound kind of hokey, but I genuinely believe that focusing on serving your reader will empower your business for the long term.

Additionally, having a goal to make every blog post 2,000 words has actually HELPED me serve my readers, as it forces me to dig down deeper and really figure out what else to share. I think having a wordcount rule just to have it can be dangerous (fluff is NOT helpful, and google doesn’t like it!), but I frame my wordcount requirements around being sure to really dig into a topic and help my reader!

TLDR: No fancy strategies MATTER if you don’t have READERS. Prioritize your readers!

#6 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Use Questions on Social Media & DMs to Write Your Blog Posts

This might not apply to everyone equally, but everyone can use this tip!

Doing keyword research is a key (lol, pun intended) part of blogging. And if you’re looking to get on Mediavine, you’re definitely going to need to utilize a keyword research strategy.

And while there are a good number of helpful tools and strategies out there, I’ve found the best keyword strategy comes from TALKING to people who are in my niche, and learning what they need.

Doing this has empowered me to uncover trends and new topics that don’t have a lot of content on them, that soon will! Connecting with readers is SO SO SO valuable, which is why on nearly every post, I encourage people to reach out with questions or ideas if they have them. I get DMs on my Instagram, comments on my TikTok videos, and learn a CRAP TON from Facebook groups, all from people in my niche.

Write blog posts based on questions your readers ask you, or questions you see in Facebook groups!

Emailed questions from my readers and comments in Facebook groups have led to some of my TOP performing posts. The keyword research didn’t support prioritizing these topics, but I write posts to serve my readers (remember that previous tip?), and it’s worked out pretty well for me.

TLDR: Get ideas from posts from your current readers and related Facebook groups.

#7 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Leverage Your Lived Experience

This tip to get on Mediavine kiiiind of relates to getting questions from your social media followers, readers and Facebook groups.

But, it got pretty long, so I made it its own tip! 😉

When writing posts for my blog, I have found that it is SO MUCH EASIER to write posts that relate to what I’m currently searching and looking for. Many new bloggers make the mistake of choosing a blogging niche or topic that isn’t super relevant to their life, which gets them in trouble, because they run out of ideas.

In my own life, I literally take research that I do on plus size summer wedding guest outfits, or where to adopt a doberman, and I turn those searches for info into blog posts. It’s a bit easier for me to do this as a lifestyle blogger, but you can do this no matter what your niche is.

Instead of looking outside for blog post topics, literally look at your own life and what YOU are currently experiencing to write blog posts! Doing this has helped me write blog posts on kind of random topics that do SUPER well. If you’re not sure how to do this, pull out your credit card statement — see what you’re spending your money on, and look for ways to tie those purchases to your blog niche(s)! For example, if you’re spending money every month on a specific kind of subscription box, review it on your blog! If you bought new products to try that relate to your blog, review those!

Now, this isn’t the case for every post I write (lol I wish), but I find it very fulfilling to be a blogger, because if *I* am learning something, then I tell myself, “I’m going to tell my readers all about this!)

If you scroll back through my blog archive, you’ll see I’ve written posts on:

• My own goals and vision board
• My travels in Boston, Jamaica and other rad places
• My experience as a fashion designer who has a TON of knowledge on plus size sewing
• Blogging
• Career coaching

Almost all of my posts come from my lived experience or need, and the rest come from what I think my readers need!

In fact, this brings me to my next tip….

#8 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Stop Doing So Much Dang Research

As a coach who works with bloggers, content creators, etc, I stumbled across this tip.

One day, one of my clients told me, “I want to write more blog posts, but the research is taking me FOREVER. Like 6 hours!”

*Record scratch noise*

“Wait, 6 hours?!” I said. “What the heck are you researching for that long?!”

In my experience as a blogger, I do preliminary research to see what other posts are out there about my topic, but it takes… maybe 15 minutes, max. Probably more like 7 minutes.

6 hours is wayyyyy too long!!!

My client said, “Well, I want to be sure to write the very BEST post out there, and I don’t know a lot about this particular topic.”

AHA!!! Internally, I gave myself a high five, because this insight from my client showed the issue.

If you don’t ALREADY know a crap ton about your blog post topic, you probably shouldn’t write a blog post on it.

Seriously!

When I sit down to write a blog post, I have already done the research I need (because the blog post relates to my life/lived experience, and I researched it for that purpose) or I already *KNOW* a crap ton.

9/10 I am sitting down and just… pouring my knowledge and information out onto my blog.

Staying in “Research Mode” is really just a form of procrastination, and if you have to spend that much time researching something…. you probably don’t know enough to write about it.

(Note: I’m not talking about spending hours finding the best products to put in a gift guide. I’m saying if you’re writing an educational blog post on a topic, you should know a CRAP TON already — before you start writing. If you’re starting with ZERO to LITTLE knowledge before writing a post, then you probs shouldn’t be writing that post, in my not-so-humble opinion!)

(Second Note: I’m ALSO not saying to avoid fact checking! EW! No! But, for example, if you don’t know anything about red wine, it doesn’t make sense to spend 6 hours researching it to write a 101 post on red wine or the best credit cards for college students. You should already know a crap ton about it if you’re going to write about it!)

#9 Tip to Get on Mediavine: 3 Posts a Week, Minimum

It can be SUPER hard to figure out how many blog posts you need to get on Mediavine and hit 50,000 sessions.

From my research and talking to other bloggers, most successful bloggers are publishing around 3 posts a week, aiming for 2,000 words per post.

Folks who are SERIOUS (and don’t have a team), seem to be publishing 5 high quality posts a week.

You may find this super overwhelming, so remember that blogging is a long game! And, in the year before you get on Mediavine, you will likely find yourself writing posts late at night, in the morning, on your phone if you commute to work by subway, train, etc. You can also experiment with transcription (recording yourself talking and then paying someone to transcribe it into a blog post) or using talk-to-text on your iPhone with Google Docs open.

You may have to give up fun things for a while, to prioritize your blog. I’m not advocating for grinding day in/day out FOREVER, but you may have to sign off Netflix/video games/etc for about a year to get onto Mediavine.

TLDR: Writing one post a week isn’t TERRIBLE, but it’s probably not going to get you to your goal very quickly. If 1 post a week is all you can do, great! But I bet you can find extra time SOMEWHERE to write 3-5 high quality posts a week!

#10 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Content is King, so PUBLISH IT REGULARLY

Ahhh, we finally got to one of my most favorite rants.

You are not publishing NEARLY the amount of content you think you are publishing in your little brain.

How do I know this?

Because I’ve coached a good number of bloggers, and I’ve also managed to lowkey lie to myself about the amount of effort I put into my blog.

After watching the Sophia Lee course, I got SUPER motivated to begin blogging and writing new content. And I quickly realized that while I *THOUGHT* a lot about writing blog posts, that time spent THINKING and DREAMING wasn’t translating to, you know, actually blogging.

Once I realized this, I started TRACKING the number of posts I was writing and the number of posts I was updating each month. It was incredible to realize that my brain took the time I spent *thinking* and *talking* about blogging, and counted it as blogging.

Put another way, I was spending HOURS each month thinking about my blog, talking about it, etc, and very little time actually WRITING. (comparable to just talking about it).

What made a big difference for me was:

• Setting a time every day to write 1 new post, at least 3x a week
• Counting regularly the number of posts I wrote that month (and then sharing threads on that on Twitter)
• Sucking it up and writing when I didn’t feel like it

^That third bullet point right there? Yeah, we’re going to make that it’s own tip!

#11 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Suck It Up and WRITE

Blogging is a game of grit and endurance. The most beautiful, brilliant and talented people can totally fail at blogging, because you have to show up LONGTERM. You have to be willing to suck it up and write posts when you REALLY REALLY DO NOT FEEL LIKE IT.

Seriously. Just like anything else in life, from training for a marathon to learning a new language, you have to show up on days you *really* do not want to.

I cannot tell you the number of blog posts I have written in the early hours of the day or at 11PM, because I had goals to stick to. I literally wanted to be just about anywhere else for those posts, but I sucked it up, because I had goals to meet and readers to serve.

It’s very difficult to maintain that internal motivation, which is why external motivation and personal development are so key to my success (my blog post here on personal development).

Some days I bribed myself with a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (I’m all about using bribery). Some days, I teamed up with a blogger bestie to get stuff done. Other days, I read the success stories of bloggers and content creators who inspire me.

The TLDR is that you’re going to have to learn to write when you don’t feel motivated. You’re going to have to learn what motivates YOU specifically, and how to keep yourself on track.

From my investigations, it looks like most successful bloggers are publishing at LEAST 3 blog posts a day, with many of them publishing 1 post a day. This can take a LOT of time, I get that!!

That said, I’m earning $$$$ from posts I first wrote (then revamped) in 2018!!! That’s 4 years ago!! To get on Mediavine, you’ve got to learn how to create a schedule for posting and stick with it!

Oh — an additional note on that! While I have a crap ton of keyword research and list of blog post topic ideas, I don’t calendar out what I’m going to write when. I have too much ADHD, lol.

Instead, I time block for writing a blog post, and then when I sit down I decide to write whatever I’m in the MOOD FOR. Doing this makes writing more fun and feel more spontaneous, and I honestly don’t stick to a specific calendar. I decide to write based on different factors (what season is coming up, holidays, what I’m doing in life, etc), but it’s more like I choose from a bunch of GREAT OPTIONS, rather than writing “Write blog post about X on November 21.”

This post, for instance, I just started writing on my phone then moved to my computer. I’ve had “Write Mediavine tips post” on my list of blog post ideas for months (probably even a year?), and today, I’m actually WRITING it.

TLDR: You may not need a super in-depth content calendar. What you need is a list of researched keywords and topics you want to write about. Then, simply WRITE!

#12 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Get on Pinterest

In other blog posts that give advice on how to get on Mediavine, everyone talks about Pinterest.

I’m not going to beat a dead horse, here. Pinterest was critical to my getting on Mediavine. I do not care if you don’t use Pinterest (you should start using it), or whatever other silly little reason you have to not be taking Pinterest seriously.

Get over yourself.

Get on Pinterest.

Turn into a Pinterest power user and really LEARN the platform. I use pinterest to plan photoshoots, travel, etc. It’s a great tool to just use as a human on planet Earth!

And it is CRITICAL to your blog!!!

Sophia Lee does have a course on Pinterest, and I found it.. kind of confusing, to be honest. That said, it’s a place to start. You can also check out the Simple Pin Podcast for other great info on Pinterest Marketing!

#13 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Be the MOST Annoying Person on Facebook! (Self-Promotion)

If we hang out anywhere on social media, especially Twitter, then you have seen me post about how important self-promotion is.

With your blog (if it’s attached to your face/life, assuming you’re not blogging semi-anonymously), you need to SHARE AND RESHARE your posts SO MUCH, that you start to annoy yourself.

Some bloggers and content creators talk about their version of the 80/20 rule, where you spend 20% of your time creating content and then 80% of your time promoting it.

I create a lot (A LOT) of content, so I don’t follow this structure. But if you’re posting 1-2 blog posts a week? Then HECK YES, you need to be using this strategy.

You need to be sharing your blog posts to all of your social media platforms, even if folks don’t really respond, because those social media platforms can impact SEO, get you new readers, alert sponsors, etc. Also, most people are not going to see a blog post if you just post it one time, because (unless you’re quite famous) most people are not watching every little thing you do.

I have gone back and reshared posts that were first published YEARS ago, and I’ve had longtime readers say, “Oh, I’ve never seen this! Thank you for sharing!”

You’ve got to be sharing your work a LOT on social media, my friend. And over time, I encourage you to experiment (platforms change) and really learn what does and doesn’t work. Experiment with copy, posting times, etc, to see what grabs people’s attention!

#14 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Network with Other Bloggers

For the next tip on getting on Mediavine, I have a bit more of a tough tip.

“Network with other bloggers” sounds like a no brainer, buuuuut in my experience, there are a lot of “Baby Bloggers” who don’t know anything who are super loud online, and this makes it more difficult to find folks who know what they’re doing and want to network.

I’ve been in a good number of Facebook groups where people are almost… intentionally helpless, and it can get frustrating.

SO! Instead of just sharing the reasons why you should network with other bloggers to get on Mediavine (which is a “No, duh!”type of tip), let me share some of the ways I’ve found to network with bloggers:

• Blogger Conferences (if you’re paying money to learn about blogging, you’re probs a bit more serious)
• Twitter (using the search fields to find people in your niche or related to it)
• Facebook Groups (I recommend paid groups, tbqh)
• Instagram and social media – you can reply to a blogger’s IG Story, etc, to authentically network
• Hire successful bloggers to consult with you // coach you
• Listen to podcasts and podcast interviews (I’ve found interviewing people for a publication or podcast to be a great way to network)

And, this last tip to network with other bloggers is kind of weird:

Find a successful blogger (or 5!) to do contract work for.

Just like an internship, doing contract work for a blogger can help you network, learn new things and form relationships. Doing this was pretty helpful for me, and I still do contract and consulting work with some of my blogger besties!

I’ve also began to figure out how to network with folks and share information equitably, instead of just instructing folks to pay me. I’ve began to thoughtfully foster relationships with bloggers who are also successful, forming a sort of “Blogger Bestie” relationship where we get on a call every once and a while and share tips.

#15 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Dive Into Your Website Data

Ok, so I actually have a degree in engineering, so this tip is a bit more difficult for me to explain — because I’m so ENMESHED in my nerdery.

That said, I really encourage you to dig into your backend Google Analytics, and figure out what’s working. Look at what blog posts do well seasonally or throughout the year, and hypothesize on WHAT made them do well.

Then try to go out and duplicate it with your other posts.

In my own blog, I’ve found Pareto’s Principle to be true, 20% of my posts get 80% of the traffic.

So figure out what your top 20% of posts have in common, and do more of THAT.

You’ll also want to investigate:

• Traffic sources: How are people finding your blog? Is it organic google search? Pinterest? Did someone super famous link to your blog?
• Countries/location: Where are people located when they pull up your blog
• Traffic Flow: Do people stay on one page, or do they click to different posts?

TLDR: Overall, if you’re overwhelmed by Google Analytics, that’s ok! It’s got a LOT of great info that can be overwhelming. The only thing I can tell you to do here, that I think will work, is just to DIVE IN! Click around! Maybe get Google Analytics certified if you need help!

#16 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Start Your Email List – Yesterday!!

I know I shared a little rant about how much I do NOT like Mailchimp (an email service provider), and now that we’re further down I think it’s time to share that you MUST have your email newsletter popup going RIGHT NOW.

I literally tell my clients who are new bloggers, “As soon as your site goes live, start collecting email addresses.”

As soon as your blog website goes live, start collecting email addresses!

You may get like, one subscriber a WEEK to start, and that’s ok!!!

Email marketing is incredibly powerful, because while social media platforms have risen and fallen in popularity in the last decade — email is forever.

Think about it. You’ve probably used the same email for YEARS! Emails are valuable because people hang onto them for, well, forever!

Related to email marketing, you’re also going to want to:

• Get an email address like hello@blogname.com to use for your email campaigns (I messed this up)
• Embed a plug-in into your website to automatically pop up with each post, so people can subscribe while reading through it
• Eventually create a “lead magnet,” based on your website data, to prompt people to sign up to get the lead magnet

Email marketing is a whole specialty, a whole WORLD, and you’ll learn as you go. To start out, just COLLECT email addresses while you learn! <3

Oh, and of course, subscribe to your fave bloggers email lists, to get an idea of what to send, formatting, etc!

TLDR: Set up your email newsletter subscription.

#17 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Update Old Posts

This next tip to help you get on Mediavine is a liiiiiittle contentious. Some bloggers post a blog post and literally NEVER go back to update it, focusing only on new content.

I am not in that camp. Instead, I try to balance creating new content with updating old posts. This last April, I realized my earnings should be WAY higher based on my traffic and number of published posts, and upon further investigation, realized the issue was outdated or just broken links on my blog.

The reasons for this vary, but include:

• Companies moved affiliate networks
• Companies changed their own website organization, which changed the URL for a specific product — making my link broken
• Products were no longer available

That 3rd bullet point is honestly the most popular, and one of the challenges of being a fashion blogger. Fashion moves FAST in 2023, and it’s a tough niche — requiring a good amount of updates!

TLDR: Updating old posts can also help you get your blog onto Mediavine, if you focus on optimzing those posts for SEO, adding information, etc. After taking Sophia Lee’s course, I went back through my blog archive and updated a LOT of my posts with her info and method. Doing this helped bump up my traffic significantly!

#18 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Use Mediavine Resources – Summer of Facebook Lives

Ok, at this point you may be getting a little overwhelmed with all of my tips to help you get on Mediavine, but stick with me!

The next tip is to USE MEDIAVINE RESOURCES.

Many bloggers who are lowkey desperate (I’ve been there!) to get on Mediavine don’t realize that the company has created a LOT of resources to help you.

They have their “Summer of Lives” series on their Facebook and YouTube, packed with great tips, interviews, and super current information.

I’m currently doing the Mediavine RPM challenge, in an effort to get my blog earnings up!!

I highly recommend following Mediavine on literally every platform, and learning over time. There’s a lot of information out there, so I’ve learned to just include my learning/tip search as I’m derping on social media. If you follow Mediavine and interact with their posts, you’ll get their content naturally in your feed — and learn over time, as it pops up!

#19 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Utilize Contractors & Protect Your Website

When it comes to getting on Mediavine, many a blogger has hired contractors — and not everyone shares that they do! There’s this sort of…. lore around being a blogger and “doing it all yourself,” and real talk- a blog is a BUSINESS! It’s probably going to need multiple people if you have big goals and dreams!

(Side note: I really love how Sophia Lee talks about building out her team!)

This next tip is something I’m currently testing, and I’ve worked with clients to build out their contractor teams, as well as hire help for their blog.

My #1 tips when it comes to hiring contractors is to NOT GIVE THEM ACCESS TO YOUR BACKEND. There are a lot of security considerations that go into giving someone access to the backend of your WordPress, and you shouldn’t be sharing/creating logins willy nilly.

Here are a few things contractors have done for my blog:

• Pinterest Management (super trusted friend who was a contractor did this)
• Blog research (ex: my post on adopting a doberman)
• Blog research and formatting (ex: getting product information and formatting it in Google Docs for gift guides)
• Email marketing (adding images and links)

For all of my contractors, I stipulate that they can only do work for me on private WiFi (not on public WiFi at a library or Starbucks). I write and upload blog posts for a select number of clients, and I am INTENSE about making sure to protect the backend of their respective blogs. A contractor’s mistake can compromise the integrity and security of your blog, so BE AWARE! <3

I’m currently testing new ways of working with contractors, so if you’re ready to hire (and have the budget), feel free to reach out to discuss this further. This tip could be it’s own BOOK.

#20 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Utilize Google Indexing

Many bloggers don’t know about Google Indexing or how it works. Basically, Google has a system to “scan” new content online and then decide where to put it in search rankings. A lot of the time, this happens automatically.

As you gain more experience, you may decide to manually request Google index new blog posts. i’ve done this off and on!

Regardless of whether YOU choose to do this, I did want to make sure you’re aware of this!

#21 Tip to Get on Mediavine: Analyze Affiliate Earnings

This last tip doesn’t relate as MUCH to Mediavine, but I wish I had done this sooner.

Every month, I want you to track two things with affiliate earnings:

• How much you made that month, on each specific affiliate network
• How much was deposited into your bank account, from each affiliate network

Most (all?) affiliate networks have “NET” terms when it comes to affiliate earnings, meaning you get paid your commission 30, 60, 90, etc days after the sale goes through.

Knowing what affiliate networks (and even what BRANDS and PRODUCTS) you sell the most of is so so critical! You can then leverage this knowledge when creating new blog posts, and even use it when negotiating with sponsors.

This information can help you increase your earnings on your blog, and empower you to make investments to help get on Mediavine faster. You can invest in a VA, a cleaning service, an email marketing consultant, or even your own products!

Finally, a word on grit

When it comes to getting on Mediavine, what saved me was my dogged determination and my refusal to give up. In 2020, when the traffic requirements were changed, I considered – for a split second – giving up.

Then I realized what was happening. And my determination became MORE STRONG.

“Nah, I’ve come too far to only come this far.”

Keep your eye on the prize and keep publishing content.

I’ll see you at the top!

Mediavine Checklist

There’s a lot of info in this post, so here’s a to-do list to make things easier!

After you get your mindset right, here’s what I’d do (in order):

• Decide on a specific # of posts you will write each week, and decide on what day/time you will write (time blocking). Make this non-negotiable.
• Sign up for an email service and launch newsletter (write an automated welcome email)
• Take Sophia Lee’s course on blogging to better understand how to research and write high quality posts
• Boot up Pinterest (Make sure to include a Pinterest graphic in every blog post). Find a Pinterest course for bloggers.
• Encourage readers to reach out with questions in every post, as well as looking for questions on social media and Facebook groups
• Plan your content calendar using your own lived experience and questions from readers
• Listen to podcasts about blogging, social media marketing, etc. Listen to these while you’re driving, working out, etc. Aim for 1 podcast episode a day.
• Keep a short list of bloggers who inspire you in a Notes app on your phone, and make an effort each week to engage with these people
• Decide on a quarterly or monthly budget for blogging courses and consulting
• Watch past “Summer of Live” videos from Mediavine
• Hire your first contractor or a cleaning service to help you leverage your time
• Analyze your affiliate earnings and traffic at least monthly. Decide on what hypotheses to test for your blog and content.

This blog post was all about tips to get on the Mediavine ad network.

What I Wish I Had Done Sooner to Get on Mediavine

• I wish I had taken blogging courses earlier, these made the BIGGEST difference
• I wish I had just hired out setting up my website
• I wish I hadn’t used GoDaddy in the beginning
• I wish I had sucked it up sooner, and written 3-5 high quality posts a week

Whew! We did it!

Alright friend, thus ends my 5,000+ word post on how to get on Mediavine. I realize that tips like this can be overwhelming, so I encourage you to just KEEP WRITING and learn as you go! You will never know everything you need to know — I learn something new about blogging every day!

You will learn by doing, friend!

What to read next —>

If you found this post helpful, here are a few other posts:

• How to Get Started Blogging – My 4 Tips & Timeline
• Best Blogging Course – My Review of the Sophia Lee Blogging Course
• 21+ Best Gifts for Fashion Bloggers & Influencers
• How to Become an Instagram Influencer

Join VIP!

Want more content like this?  Then I recommend joining my fashion-focused email list is here! If you want to stay up-to-date on posts from The Huntswoman, I recommend joining me on your favorite social media platform (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter).

Finally, my business and career email list HERE!! 

I have two email lists because folks have different interests! For lovers of this post, I recommend joining both lists and following me on Twitter, where I share a lot of blogger tips and info!