[5 Consecutive Side Hustle Failures] A Record of All-Too-Real Failures and Lessons Learned (3rd Place: English Blog x Affiliate Marketing)

Are you interested in a side hustle, but feel like
"I don't know where to start"
"Everything looks good, but I don't know which one is right for me"
"I'm afraid of failing and wasting my time and money"
Do you feel that way and find it hard to take the first step?

Hello, I'm Sachiko Mama🤗
I quit my job due to my husband's job transfer to a regional area, and now I'm a full-time housewife exploring the path of "earning money through side hustles."

Actually, my husband's transfer was decided over a year ago.
In the year before I became unemployed, I tried my hand at quite a few side hustles.

And I spectacularly failed at 5 side hustles in a row😂

But, encouraged by the words "failure stories have value too," I started this side hustle failure series.
In this series, I am laying bare my real-life failure stories and "so, what should I have done instead?".

I don't want you to make the same mistakes.
So, I would be happy if this note helps you reduce wasted time and money📚

＼Click here for previous posts／

Introduction

This time, as the 3rd place in my side hustle failure ranking, I will share the story of "how I failed at aiming for affiliate revenue with an English blog."

……That said, this actually happened 8 years ago.
Honestly, I don't remember the details very well anymore. I started writing it many times, but stopped, thinking, "Who would find such an old story useful now...?"

Even so, there are two reasons why I decided to write it this time.
One is that someone said they wanted to read it.
The other is that while learning about content creation on Note now, I have gradually begun to see why it didn't work out back then.

So this time, I will look back on my English blog side hustle from back then from these perspectives👇

• What kind of articles I was writing

• Why I failed to monetize it

• Improvement perspectives on what I would do now

"There are things I don't remember, but there are things I can see precisely because it's now."
This is a real failure story from a little while ago, written with that thought in mind🤗

I hope this will be a small hint for those who want to start a blog or Note, those who are wondering "Can I do it too?", and those who are thinking "I'm writing on Note now, but something feels off"🌸

If you only want to see the conclusion, please jump from the table of contents to "Self-investment amount spent on this side hustle"💡

3rd Place: Affiliate Marketing with an English Blog (Tool costs: 37,600 yen)

Originally, I was very bad at English.
The TOEIC score I received in my third year of working was,a shocking 430 points😿

Even so, what I really wanted to challenge myself with was,the company's overseas training program✈️
Determined to seriously improve my English skills, I enrolled in "TORAIZ," a Spartan English school costing 1 million yen per year.

👉 "1000 hours of study in 1 year"
👉 "Dedicated supporter to accompany you for 1 year"

Attracted by this style, I studied 2-3 hours on weekdays and 3-5 hours on weekends.
My days immersed in English began, both during my commute and after returning home💦

However, a 1-million-yen self-investment at age 25 is still a big decision.
I also had the feeling of, "If I could, I'd like to at least recoup some of the cost...".

That was when I remembered that,I couldn't find any blogs by people actually attending the school before I enrolled.

"If I compile my experiences, it might surely be useful to someone."
"If I could recover even a little of the cost by introducing the teaching materials..."
Thinking that, Istarted an English learning blog✨

Thus began my "English x Blog Affiliate" journey.
But the reality of writing and writing only to not be read was waiting for me😭

What kind of blog was it, and how were you running it?

While attending TORAIZ, the blog I was writing looked something like this👇

・Learning records (1 per week)
　→ Recorded daily study content in chronological order under the title "Week XX Record." I wrote about 52 posts in one year✏️
・Test result trends (monthly)
　→ Created a page where you could check the one-year change in English proficiency at a glance, and updated it every month📈
・Teaching material reviews/summary page
→ Listed the textbooks used, and shared study methods using those materials and my impressions of using them📚

Tools used and the affiliate mechanism

🔧 Tools used

• Server: Xserver (10,000 yen/year)

• WordPress theme: JIN (one-time purchase 14,800 yen)

• Domain: Onamae.com (1,400 yen/year)

• Images: Used only free materials

I launched the blog while searching for things like "how to create a WordPress for beginners."
At first, I used a free theme (like wallpaper in LINE) and customized it little by little🖥️

💰 Revenue source (affiliate)

• Revenue source 1: "TORAIZ" affiliate via A8.net
  → Performance reward: 33,000 yen/case

• Revenue Source 2: Introducing study materials via Moshimo Affiliate
  → 3% of the material cost (I think...)

• Revenue Source 3: Google AdSense
  → Revenue generated based on the number of article views

The way to do affiliate marketing is simple: just pop an ad link at the end of an article introducing study materials 😅
I didn't have any deep strategy, just the feeling that "if it helps someone while I'm recording my studies, that's great."

Days spent just writing without knowing SEO

Honestly, at the time, I was operating at a level where I didn't even know what SEO was 💦
Although I had installed access analysis tools like Google Analytics and Search Console, I didn't know how to use them, so I just left them alone...

About half a year later, I realized that "SEO seems important" and looked it up, but since I was putting all my effort into learning English, I thought, "I don't have time to study that! 😤"
In the end, I bought "JIN," a paid WordPress theme that claimed to be "SEO-optimized."

What I gained was... a loss and a small harvest

My earnings were only about 5,000 yen over two years. On the other hand, my self-investment, including server costs and theme costs, was 37,600 yen, so it was a complete loss 😇

Still, there were some small gains.
Through WordPress, I was able to understand the basics of HTML and CSS a little bit, which actually came in handy in my later work.
Furthermore, I even received inquiries about study methods from people taking the Tri-s course who read my blog, and realizing that "it's actually reaching someone" was a huge encouragement to me at the time 🥰

Self-investment costs for this side hustle

The costs incurred while running this blog for two years are as follows 👇

・Server (Xserver): 20,000 yen (for 2 years)
・WordPress Theme (JIN): 14,800 yen (one-time purchase)
・Domain (Onamae.com): 2,800 yen (for 2 years)

　▶ Total: 37,600 yen

Reasons for failing to monetize that I can say now

Looking back now, the four reasons I failed are all things I wish I had done differently.
I've summarized improvement measures for "what I would do now" in the next heading, so I'd be happy if you read that too ☺️

1. It was a classic example of writing only what I wanted to write and not being read

"If I write about my experience of investing 1 million yen in the English school Tri-s on my blog, it should reach people who are worried about whether to join Tri-s."
I believed that 😭

But in reality, I didn't think about SEO or the reader's search intent at all (I didn't even know these words back then), and I was just writing things chronologically like "I studied this this week" or "I used this material" 💦

"What are readers searching for?"
I didn't even have the idea to provide the answer to that 😿

I was convinced that "it has value because it's something I actually experienced." I think I perfectly fit the pattern often cited as "writing what you want to write and not selling." 💦

2. I didn't notice the comparison-type competitors, and the scope was too narrow

It all started when I read about the English learning experience of the president of Toraiiz in a magazine. I strongly resonated with the philosophy of "acquiring usable English in one year", so I looked it up immediately and signed up right then and there. For me, it was almost an instant decision. 🥺

So at the time, I thought this:
"If I just write about this experience properly on my blog, it should reach the people who need it."

I hadn't researched competitors at all, and I hadn't even thought about "who" I was writing for or "what" I was writing for. I was just obsessed with sharing my own experience. 😿

But looking back now, when people who "want to improve their English" look for information, don't they go through steps like these?

① Decide on a study method based on your goal (Writing / TOEIC prep / Daily English conversation, etc.)
② Choose a learning style (Self-study / App / Online English conversation / Spartan-style school)
③ Compare specific services (e.g., Progrit vs. Toraiiz)

My blog was specialized only in "Toraiiz" within step ③, so even though my experience was very passionate, it wouldn't reach people who weren't at the comparison stage yet.
In other words, the scope was far too narrow to be "found through search." 😱

After starting my Instagram side hustle, I learned that "research first" is the absolute prerequisite.
Even after starting Note, I studied how to write using paid Notes, and what all of them have in common is "the importance of research".
I truly realize that knowing the market and needs is indispensable.

That's exactly why I understand it well now. Back then, I was "just starting to write without even looking into it." 😂

3. I didn't think about who I was reaching or how to connect it to revenue

Now I understand that "who am I writing for?" is the starting point of content creation.
But back then, I thought, "There are so many people who want to improve their English, so if I just write, people will read it."

At the time, there were only two people, including me, writing about their Toraiiz experience. 😲
That's why I assumed "few rivals = niche and valuable" and just started writing.

I had no idea "who I wanted to read this," and it was unclear "what kind of problems the article was answering." I was just leaving a record of myself.

And yet, I wondered, "Why isn't it being read?" so I was truly living in a fantasy world. 🌸

Moreover, even though I wanted to monetize it, there was almost zero flow. I just slapped an affiliate link at the end of the article...

I really thought, "If they read it, they'll buy it on their own." 😂

4. Because there were no results, the content became more sloppy

Even without any reaction, I thought, "I'll at least write for the one year I'm attending Toraiiz," and somehow managed to update the articles.

But halfway through, "writing" became the goal, and the content became increasingly sloppy... It was a state of "as long as I update, it's fine." ⚡

Honestly, the work of piling up articles with no reaction was quite painful, and while posting articles that no one read, I sighed many times, thinking, "What is the point of this...?" 😭

For one thing, English was the center of my daily life at the time, so I felt that the blog was more of a 'side project to my studies' than a side hustle. Even though I didn't pour that much time or energy into it, I somehow thought, 'It would be nice if I could make a decent profit.'

If I were a reader, I wouldn't want to read such articles at all😱
From this experience, I learned painfully that the writer's attitude of 'this is good enough' really comes across to the reader.

If I were to do it now, this is what I would do

Up to this point, I have honestly looked back on the 'reasons why I failed with my English blog'.
But there are also many things I saw through my failures💓
It's not a perfect answer, but I've summarized the improvement points I think, 'If I were to do it over again now, this is what I would do'✍️

1. Decide the theme of the article based on what is being searched

At the time, I thought, 'If I just record the year I spent at Toraiiz, it should be useful to someone.'

But if I were doing it now, there is one thing I would do first: 'Research the words that are being searched.'

For example, 'English conversation spartan comparison,' 'Toraiiz reputation,' 'English school working adult failure story.' I would decide the theme and title according to these actual search words.

By the way, when researching search needs, I recommend this tool👇

For example, try entering 'side hustle'.

Then you can see what kind of words are being searched. It seems that tax return-related terms are being searched. If 'side hustle failure' had been in this capture, the persuasiveness of this note might have increased😂

I now believe it is necessary to convert 'valuable experiences' into 'experiences that get read'.
That is why I first choose keywords from the perspective of 'What kind of worries are searched for?' and 'What kind of words are used to look things up?', and then incorporate those words into the article.

Just by taking this one step, I think the situation of 'I wrote it, but it didn't reach anyone' will change✨

2. Even with a specialized blog, widen the entrance with 'traffic design'

Even now, I think that a 'Toraiiz-specialized blog,' which I could only write because I actually experienced Toraiiz, was not bad as a strategy.

But if I were doing it now, I would think like this.

It's fine for the blog to be specialized. However, the 'entrance' to get there should have been designed to be much wider.

📌 [How I would act now: Designing the traffic flow]

• Months 1-2: Share English learning progress on Threads and X
  ▶︎ Build closeness with followers through "true-to-life records" of study setbacks and fluctuations in motivation.
  

• Month 3 onwards: Casually introduce "TORAIZ" into daily conversations
  ▶︎ Casually weave the presence of TORAIZ into posts, such as "I was told this at my TORAIZ interview" or "I did this with TORAIZ members."
  

• 6 months to 1 year: Direct to the blog once trust has been built
  ▶︎ A flow where people who found value in your posts spontaneously think, "I want to know more."
  

• 1 year later: Back it up with achievements
  ▶︎ Reinforce credibility with changes like going from 430 to 880 on TOEIC with zero prep, and participating in a short-term overseas study program sponsored by the company.

With this flow, instead of "not writing comparison articles = weak," you create a flow where you are chosen because "it's you that they want to read."

"A specialized blog, but with a wide entrance"
This is the battle strategy I would choose without hesitation if I were doing it now✨

That said... honestly, I am still going through trial and error regarding this "how to design a flow that sells" part💦
At the very least, I think it was a big step forward just to realize that the important attitude is not "if you write it, it will reach them," but rather to post while thinking about "how can I make it reach them?"😊💓

3. Decide "who to reach" and "how to monetize" from the start

At the time, I was convinced that "if I just write, it will be read and it will sell," and I hadn't thought at all about who I was writing for or how to monetize it.

📌 [How I would act now: The starting point of design]

• Decide "who to reach" based on your past self
  ▶︎ Myself, who hated English but had a strong longing for overseas, and suffered from that gap
  ▶︎ Myself, who wanted to be able to use English but didn't know where to start
  ▶︎ Myself, who would get discouraged after failing repeatedly even after making a fresh start
  

• Think about titles and structure based on words likely to be searched
  ▶︎ Example: "English study method working adult," "working adult English restart study method," etc.
  ▶︎ Combine your real experiences with search keywords to increase the probability of being read
  

• Design monetization in 3 steps: "Emotion -> Information -> Link"
  ▶︎ Instead of posting a link immediately, first gain empathy (e.g., "I couldn't do it either").
  ▶︎ Next, convey experience-based information on "how I was able to overcome it."
  ▶︎ Finally, connect to an affiliate link in a natural flow by saying, "This is what I actually used."

If I were doing it now, I would definitely design it starting from "whose, what kind of problem, and how to help them" instead of "just writing for now".
I believe that is the first step to balancing content creation and monetization🙌

4. If you don't have the resolve, it's better not to do blog affiliate marketing

At the time, I felt that no reaction meant no meaning, and my enthusiasm gradually cooled. The articles became sloppy, and I even got tired of "continuing."

📌 [How I would act now: A design that won't break even if there are no results]

• If you're going to do blog affiliate marketing, you need "resolve"
  　▶︎ Blogs can become "assets," but they take time to grow
  　▶︎ If you want reactions in a few days or weeks, "instant reaction" types like Threads x Rakuten Affiliate are better than blogs
  　▶︎ Deciding "how long can I continue without profit?" before you start will help keep your mindset steady✨
  

• If you prioritize ease of continuation, the combination of Blog x Threads is the strongest
  　▶︎ Share real realizations and daily life on Threads, and store deep content
  on your blog　▶︎ Since Threads reactions give you hints about "what readers want to know," it
  becomes harder to run out of ideas + harder to get discouraged

• Show your "hard-working self" precisely during periods when you aren't seeing results
  　▶︎ It's not the achievements, but the process of trial and error itself that gives readers courage
  　▶︎ How you spend the time when there are no reactions will also become "valuable content" later on

Characteristics of people for whom this side hustle "resonates"

If you are this kind of person, you should be able to work on it steadily while enjoying it🤗

✅People who don't mind SEO and analysis
People who find it fun or don't mind steadily improving titles, structure, and keywords. People who can utilize analysis tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to make improvements.

✅ People who want to support someone's choices through their own experiences
While you can turn "your own experience itself" into a product on note, in blog affiliate marketing, the style of introducing products or services through experience is mainstream is the norm.
Because you actually used it, your real impressions make people think, "I want to try using this too." It is recommended for people who are good at such "text introductions that start with empathy"💓

✅ People who have the resolve to continue even if they aren't seen at first
A blog is not a medium where you get reactions immediately after writing. Still, I think people who can keep writing while believing that "a day will come when it reaches someone" are suited for it😊

💡 That said, I still recommend the combination of "Blog x SNS"✨
Rather than just waiting to be searched, the speed to turning it into an asset is overwhelmingly faster if you go and deliver it yourself.

I cannot recommend this to these types of people❌

✖️ ✅People who want to "commercialize their own experiences and information as they are"
A blog is not a place to "sell the articles themselves." Therefore, for people who want to turn their own experiences into a "product," note is more recommended💓 Especially now, since there are readers within note, accidental encounters are more likely to happen even without SNS or search is also a charm.

✖️ People who are better at talking or showing than writing text
A blog is basically a medium delivered through "text."
If you are the type who thinks, "It's easier to convey by talking!" or "I'm better at showing!", then visual-based SNS like Instagram or YouTube will likely allow you to demonstrate your strengths more easily🤗
※ However, regarding this, I want you to read the failure story of the #1 Instagram side hustle before deciding...!!

✖️ People who cannot endure the state of not being seen by anyone
Be careful if you are the type whose motivation drops when you think, "I wrote it, but there's no reaction..."🌀
If you are someone who thinks, "I want someone to see it as soon as I write it!", then media where reactions are easier to get, like note, X, or Threads might be more enjoyable without stress🥰

Bonus: note vs Blog, which one suits you?

For those who are worried about "which one suits me?", I had ChatGPT create a comparison table✍️
If you want to know the characteristics quickly, please use it as a reference👇

Finally

Thank you so much for reading until the end☺️

The earnings from this "English blog affiliate marketing" were about 4,000 yen from educational affiliate marketing (it might have included an introduction to an online school) and about 1,300 yen from Google AdSense, though I don't remember the exact figures.

It was my "first earnings in life" as a side hustle, but this was the amount after operating it for 2 years.
After deducting the server costs, it was completely in the red😿

Without the energy to think, "Let's change it into articles that get read," I quietly closed it, which was the end of my blog side hustle journey🚃

Thinking about it now, rather than launching a blog from zero, starting first in a "place with a foundation" like note or Ameblo is much more casual.
Since you can start for free and it's easy to determine whether expressing yourself through text suits you or not, I especially recommend it to beginners❣

💡 And finally, next time is ranking 2nd Place!
That side hustle where I poured in a "digitally different amount of self-investment" compared to everything so far!!!

Many of you are probably curious about the "AI writing" that has been popping up everywhere lately, right? I'm going to expose the real, raw truth! Haha.

See you again in the next note! ✍️
It would be a huge encouragement if you could follow me while you wait! 💓