All great, realistic points. Though to add on even further (to both your points and my original points), all the revenue generating streams you called out take time and effort, and none will get you rich overnight, which is why, as you pointed out, "may not work great" (if not a high traffic blog). That being said, blogging/content creation has never been a get rich quick endeavor. To earn a consistent income, it takes years. It's a marathon, not a sprint, as they say. If anyone is in it thinking they'll go viral and explode in traffic overnight, or that they'll make thousands each month handed to them directly from creator rewards, then these are not realistic expectations for making this a career. Building my site traffic to qualify for Mediavine (and now AdThrive) took me literal years of consistent effort. However, there are ad networks with lower minimum requirements (like eZoic, I believe) that can help you start earning something. So, there are ways to start earning something while you work to become a high traffic blog.
Similarly, for sponsored posts, there is a bit of a chicken and egg thing. You have to have some experience working with brands to qualify for brand partnerships. Going through network agencies is a good way to start, but it's hard to make a living off of a $350 sponsored post here and there. Trust me, as even though I wasn't actively trying to monetize until years in, it took me 10 years into my blogging journey to finally make enough to quit my corporate day job (and I had to take a pay cut at first, but 5 years later, I've surpassed my income as a corporate communications director). So again, the recipe for success here is to keep working and keep growing. Getting sponsorships that pay well and include Pinterest took time and effort of showing not only proven content creation experience, but also building relationships with brand partners so I could then help them see the value of Pinterest and Idea Pins (that being said, you'd be surprised how many brands already have Pinterest Idea Pins on their radars for campaigns).
When times were tough, I dug in further (I would focus on SEO hard when Pinterest traffic was low and while sponsored posts were slow during the pandemic, etc.). Was I bummed? Was I stressed at times? Yes! But I kept working, and I've accepted the traffic ebbs and flows from different sources are inevitable and do eventually right themselves if you don't give up. It is not easy, but it is possible if you play the long game and are prepared to work through even the hard times. And don't expect things (money, sponsorships, traffic) to just fall into your lap. You have to go out and get them.
I think all this is to say, the Pinterest Creator Rewards program was an AMAZING supplement to my income last year, and I'm very grateful for that. But I can see how the amount spent must not have been sustainable for the business, and though it was "easy money" in a sense, nothing in blogging is ever easy money, and I don't think any of us should expect for things like that to last long. As I said in my earlier comment, don't put all your eggs in one platform's basket so you're not reliant on any one stream of income that you ultimately don't have control over. Keep focusing on growing your website traffic. It doesn't always feel like it pays off right away (it's not "get rich quick"), but I can tell you that SEO work does pay off, and when it pays off, it can pay off big time. I kick myself often for not focusing on SEO way earlier in my blogging career.
As far as recent changes everywhere making it hard to bounce back from, I'm not sure I agree. The nature of content creation as a career is ever-evolving. Some things do right themselves (I've come back from devastating blows on Pinterest, Google, the Instagram algorithm, and sponsored dollars), and even when they don't, new streams for growth and earning pop up all the time. We've always had to be agile in this line of work, and when we lose our will to be agile and accept changes, then that's when we will get surpassed for dollars and opportunities by those who are.
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk LOL. I'm sitting here iced in in Central Texas and the stir craze has me fired up haha!
