When you’re hustling to grow a blog, figuring out how to monetize it can feel overwhelming.
I get it—trying to hit traffic milestones, navigate ad networks, and predict what kind of income you’ll earn is no small feat.
If you’ve been eyeing Mediavine Journey and wondering if it’s worth the hype, you’re in the right place.
I’m Millie, and after having two of my websites accepted into Mediavine, I’ve seen the ups, the downs, and the RPM rollercoaster firsthand.
In this post, I’ll share everything I’ve learned over the past five months, from how I got into Journey and how much I’ve made.
Let’s set the record straight—this is my personal experience, and your results may vary. But whether you’re just starting or already working toward your Journey goals, I’m here to give you a clear, honest look at what to expect.
In this article, I’ll break down:
- The steps I took to qualify for Mediavine quickly
- My first five months of earnings (and RPM fluctuations)
- Actionable tips, including my Pinterest strategy that helped me get there
Let’s dive in!
How My 2 Websites Were Accepted Into Journey by Mediavine
For my first website, beanleafcup.com, the "journey to Journey" was FAST!
I started seriously working on it in early May, focusing 100% on Pinterest traffic and one TOOL i used to streamline the process is Pin Inspector (Read my review here!)
I spent hours researching trending keywords, creating pins and testing designs.
On June 30th, my site was averaging 6,000 sessions per month, and I submitted my application.
I remember double-checking my analytics every day to make sure I hit the threshold.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to hear back for weeks, but just TWO WEEKS LATER, the email arrived: “You’re eligible for Journey!”
That moment felt like all the late nights, failed pin experiments, and learning curves had finally paid off.
For my second website, this website, I’ve been focusing more on Google traffic. Most of the keywords I go after are affiliate-focused, but I also wanted to monetize some of the how-to articles with ads.
Even though these keywords aren’t super ad-friendly, I figured adding ads would help bring in some extra income alongside the affiliate revenue.
I applied in September once it hit 12,000 sessions. Two weeks after applying, I got the acceptance email for this site too.
Each site followed a slightly different path, but the key was staying focused on my traffic goals and tweaking my approach based on what performed best.
Journey By Mediavine Dashboard: A Closer Look
The Journey Dashboard is your go-to hub for tracking how your site is performing.
It might feel overwhelming at first, but once you understand the key metrics, it becomes a powerful tool to help you grow your income. Let’s break it all down step by step.
- EARNINGS: This one’s straightforward—it shows how much money you’ve made for the selected date range.
- Updates daily by 10 a.m. ET, so you’re never left guessing.
- Keep in mind, earnings can fluctuate depending on your traffic and RPM.
- RPM (Revenue Per Mille): This tells you how much you’re earning per 1,000 sessions.
- It’s influenced by your niche, traffic quality, and ad placement.
- IMPRESSIONS: Every time an ad shows up on your site, it counts as an impression.
- Sessions and Pageviews: These metrics measure your traffic.
- Sessions: The number of visits to your site.
- Pageviews: The total number of pages viewed during those visits.
- Both stats start tracking from the day your ads launch in Journey.
Every metric in the dashboard tells a story, but impressions and RPM are the ones you can act on the most.
You can start by analyzing how ads show up on your site and focus on improving your traffic sources.
Also, in the dashboard, you can view RPM, Earnings, Sessions, and other key metrics for different time ranges:
- Last Day
- Last 7 Days
- Last 30 Days
- Last 90 Days
I usually focus on checking the RPM and Earnings because they give me a quick snapshot of how well my site is performing day-to-day.
Ads Placements
Let’s talk about ad placements with Journey by Mediavine because getting these right can really make a difference in how much you earn.
The good news? Journey handles most of the setup for you, but knowing how ads work on your site gives you a big advantage.
Here’s what you need to know:
In-Content Ads:
These show up between paragraphs as people scroll through your posts.
Journey spaces them out automatically based on how long your content is, so you don’t have to worry about them being too crammed.
If you want more or fewer ads, you can tweak the settings in your dashboard.
Sticky Adhesion Ads:
These ads stick to the bottom of the screen and are visible as readers scroll.
They’re super effective because they stay in front of your audience the whole time. Journey makes sure these work perfectly on mobile and desktop.
Sidebar Ads (for Desktop):
If you’ve got a sidebar, this is where these ads go. They’re static, so they stay in place as people scroll through your content.
It’s a nice, subtle way to add an extra ad without cluttering the main content.
A few tips I’ve learned:
- Write longer posts (at least 500 words) so you have more space for ads without it feeling crowded.
- Keep paragraphs short to create natural breaks where ads can fit in better.
- Use the Journey Dashboard to keep an eye on how your ads are performing and make changes if needed.
- Don’t go overboard. Too many ads can frustrate readers, so focus on finding the right balance.
Getting your ad placements right isn’t just about maximizing income—it’s also about making sure your readers stick around.
Once you find what works best, the results are totally worth it!
RPM & How Much I've Earned
Now things get interesting, and I know you’re here to find out how much I actually earn in a month with Journey by Mediavine. Let’s break it down by site and niche because the numbers are wildly different!
- FIRST SITE: Drink Recipes (Pinterest Traffic)
- Niche: Recipes, especially drink recipes, are GOLD for ads. Advertisers love this audience because it’s super engaged and ready to try new things.
- RPM Range: $40 to $49 (yes, you read that right!). This niche is highly profitable, and those numbers reflect that. There was one day my RPM jumped up to $67.
- Traffic: With about 26,000 sessions per month, this site consistently brings in a solid income.
- Monthly Revenue: Between $1,200 and $1,500
- SECOND SITE: AI and Software Reviews (Google Traffic)
- Niche: This site is all about AI tools and software reviews, which is not ideal for display ads.
- RPM Range: $8 to $33
- Traffic: It gets about 13,000 sessions per month, which is solid but less than my first site.
- Monthly Revenue: Between $150 and $200
The differences in RPM show how important niche and audience type are for ad revenue.
A high-RPM niche like recipes can bring in a lot more income, even with similar traffic.
If you’re just starting out, focus on building traffic in a niche that aligns with what advertisers are willing to pay for. Trust me, it makes a HUGE difference!
As for earnings, I noticed some variation in when they get reflected on the dashboard.
Initially, it showed up around 6 PM, then it shifted to 8 PM, and sometimes it's around 7:30 PM in my timezone (GMT +7).
It’s not a big deal, but something to keep in mind if you’re checking often.
Payments
Let’s talk payments because I know this is the part you care about. Journey by Mediavine follows a Net 65 payment schedule, which means you’ll get paid 65 days after the month you earned the money.
Payments usually come through before the 5th of every month, but if that falls on a weekend or holiday, you’ll get it the next business day.
They offer a few payment options:
- PayPal (quick, but you might pay fees for transfers and currency exchange)
- Domestic ACH (direct deposit for U.S. publishers, no fees)
- International ACH (eCheck) (great for non-U.S. publishers, payments in local currency, no fees)
- Wire Transfers (fast but can have higher fees, especially for international transfers)
For me, I went with International ACH, and I always get paid on the 5th of every month, like clockwork—except for my first month, where I had to wait longer for the initial payment.
It’s been super reliable so far. Just keep in mind that if your earnings don’t hit the threshold, they’ll roll over to the next month.
If you’re setting this up, head to your Journey Dashboard under the Payments tab to choose what works best for you. It’s simple and lets you control how you get your earnings without much hassle.
User Experience
The setup process with Journey by Mediavine was smooth and straightforward. Once I got accepted, everything moved quickly.
Here’s how it worked:
- I got a follow-up email with a link to set everything up.
- All I had to do was click a button to get started.
- A few more clicks later, the setup was complete.
That’s it—no complicated steps or technical hoops to jump through.
The whole process was smooth and took LESS than 3 minutes on my end. After that, it took about 10 hours for the ads to go live on my site.
One thing I LOVED was how automated and simple the process felt. There wasn’t any back-and-forth or confusion. Everything was laid out clearly in the email, so I always knew what to do next.
If you’re worried about setting things up, don’t be—it’s quick and hassle-free. Journey by Mediavine makes sure you can start monetizing your site without wasting time.
Customer Support
This might be the SADDEST part of my experience with Journey by Mediavine. Unlike Mediavine, which offers a dedicated publisher support team that you can contact directly, Journey only provides a forum-based system for support.
Here’s how it works:
- You post your question in the forum.
- Then, you wait for a reply from either the Journey team.
- There’s no live chat or direct email option for immediate help.
While I haven’t posted a question myself, I’ve seen real experiences from other users.
Some people say the responses are helpful, but others mention that it can take up to 15 days to get an answer. This can be especially frustrating if you’re dealing with something urgent.
If you’re planning to use Journey, just keep in mind that customer support isn’t as robust as what you’d get with Mediavine.
The forum might work for basic issues, but it’s definitely not ideal for time-sensitive problems.
Final Verdict: Is Jourrney By Mediavine Worth It?
Heck YEAH!
The numbers speak for themselves, don’t they? If you’re looking for a straightforward way to monetize your site without dealing with overly complex setups, Journey by Mediavine is a solid choice.
Sure, it’s not perfect. The customer support could be better, and the forum-based system might feel a bit limited.
But when you look at the RPMs, reliable payments, and the simplicity of the setup process, it’s clear that this platform delivers where it counts.
If you’ve got the traffic and you’re ready to start earning, I say GO FOR IT. Just be prepared to test, tweak, and stay patient as your site grows.
The results? Totally worth it.
