I Had Zero Tech Skills, Zero Followers, and Barely Any Free Time — Yet I Got Accepted Into Journey by Mediavine

I was scared of technology. I had absolutely zero technical skills, zero followers, and barely any free time as a busy mom of three.

Honestly, starting a blog felt overwhelming.

Even the thought of setting up a website, figuring out WordPress, or dealing with technical problems made me nervous.

And here’s the truth: I’m still nervous when I have to deal with technical stuff today!

I still worry about breaking something on my website, clicking the wrong button, or facing a technical problem I have no idea how to fix.

But I wanted to build something of my own, so I decided to give blogging a try anyway.

I started learning one thing at a time, writing helpful blog posts, and promoting my content on Pinterest whenever I could find a little time between work, kids, and everyday life.

Related post : How to Start a Blog When You’re Already a Busy Mom

And after just five months of promoting my small blog on Pinterest, I got accepted into Journey by Mediavine!

The most surprising part? My acceptance email arrived about one minute after I applied.

It was one of my biggest blogging milestones.

Not because I had suddenly become good at technology or figured everything out.

But because I had managed to build something of my own, even while feeling completely out of my comfort zone.

Related post : How I Work From Home With a Toddler (Without Going Crazy)

In this post, I’m sharing how I grew my blog traffic through Pinterest, what helped me along the way, and how I got accepted into Journey by Mediavine with a small blog.

If you’re a busy mom who wants to start a blog but feels intimidated by technology, I hope my story encourages you.

You don’t have to be confident with technology to get started. I’m still figuring things out myself.

1. I Started My Blog With No Technical Skills and No Audience

When I first decided to start a blog, I knew almost nothing about building a website.

WordPress, hosting, plugins, SEO — they all sounded complicated.

I didn’t have an existing audience waiting to read my posts. I wasn’t a social media influencer, and I certainly wasn’t a technology expert.

Related post : How to Monetize a Small Blog Before You Have Thousands of Visitors

I was just a mom of three who wanted to create something of her own.

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And because I was already working and taking care of my family, I couldn’t dedicate an entire day to learning how blogging worked.

Some mornings, I would sit at my kitchen table around 5 or 6 AM, trying to get a little blogging done before the day became busy.

Other days, I could only manage a small task.

Maybe writing part of a blog post.

Maybe creating a Pinterest pin.

Or maybe just learning how to do something new in WordPress.

One thing that helped me feel less overwhelmed was knowing I could get technical support when I needed it.

I use HostArmada to host my WordPress blog, and having access to their amazing support team has been reassuring, especially because technical problems still make me nervous.

I share more about my experience here How to Start a WordPress Blog on a Budget (Without Choosing Bad Hosting)

I quickly realized that if I waited until I had more time or felt completely confident, I might never start.

So I kept learning as I went.

And honestly, that’s still how I blog today.

2. What Is Journey by Mediavine?

If you’re new to blogging, you might be wondering what Journey by Mediavine actually is.

Journey is an advertising program from Mediavine designed to help smaller publishers earn money by displaying ads on their websites.

That means when readers visit your blog, you may earn advertising revenue from ads shown alongside your content.

Before getting accepted, I was already exploring ways to monetize my blog through affiliate marketing.

But Journey was especially exciting because it gave me another potential income stream from the helpful content I was creating.

Of course, getting accepted doesn’t mean your blog will suddenly make hundreds of dollars.

Ad revenue depends on many factors, including your traffic, audience, content, and advertising performance.

Journey also has eligibility and quality requirements, so approval isn’t guaranteed.

You can check the latest requirements on the official Journey by Mediavine website.

3. How I Grew My Small Blog

I focused on practical topics I knew from my own experience as a mom of three, such as easy toddler activities, rainy-day ideas, and screen-free play.

My goal was simple: create useful content that other moms were already searching for.

I Used Keysearch to Find Keywords for Google

I use Keysearch to research Google search keywords, check search volume, and find lower-competition topics that a small blog might have a chance to rank for.

Don’t waste hours guessing what to write about. Start with keywords your readers are already searching for!

It helps me choose what to write about without wasting my limited blogging time.

Want to find Google keywords your small blog could realistically compete for?

I Used PinClicks to Grow My Pinterest Traffic

Pinterest was my main traffic source during those first five months. I used PinClicks to research Pinterest keywords, discover content ideas, and understand what people were searching for.

It helped me create more targeted pin titles and descriptions instead of simply guessing.

As a busy mom, having a tool that makes Pinterest research easier saves me valuable time.

Want to find Pinterest keywords without spending hours researching?

4. The Blogging Tools I use

As a busy mom who still gets nervous about technical problems, I rely on a few tools to make blogging easier and save time.

HostArmada — Reliable Hosting and Fast Support

I use HostArmada to host my WordPress blog.

Once, after a WordPress update, my website showed a 502 error. I panicked because I had no idea how to fix it!

Thankfully, HostArmada support resolved the issue within minutes. They also helped me set up Cloudflare.

For someone who isn’t confident with technical tasks, having responsive support makes a huge difference.

HostArmada also offers a free domain for the first year on eligible plans and a 45-day money-back guarantee on qualifying shared hosting plans.

Nervous about the technical side of blogging?

Related post : 7 Blogging Tools That Help Me Grow My Blog(What I Actually Use to Run My Blog as a Busy Mom)

5. How I Applied to Journey by Mediavine

After five months of promoting my blog on Pinterest, I decided to apply to Journey by Mediavine.

I had been publishing original content, growing my traffic, and working on making my website useful for readers.

I also had important pages on my blog, including a Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Affiliate Disclosure.

Related post : Are You Blogging Legally? 3 Legal Pages Every Blogger Should Know About

When I felt ready, I submitted my Journey application.

I wasn’t expecting anything to happen immediately.

I thought I might have to wait days or even weeks to hear back.

But I was completely wrong.

6. I Got Accepted Into Journey by Mediavine in About One Minute!

About one minute after submitting my application, I received my acceptance email!

I couldn’t believe it.

I checked the email and realized that my small blog had actually been accepted into Journey by Mediavine.

For someone who started with zero technical skills, zero followers, and very limited time, this felt huge.

I thought about all those early mornings at my kitchen table.

All the time spent figuring out WordPress.

All the Pinterest pins I had created.

And all the little things I had learned along the way.

I was so happy that my small blog had reached this milestone.

Of course, not everyone will receive an acceptance email in one minute. My experience was unusually fast, and approval times can vary.

But it was a moment I won’t forget.

7. What Happened After I Got Accepted?

After getting accepted, I still needed to complete the Journey onboarding process.

This included setting up the Journey plugin, connecting Google Analytics, and completing the required account information.

I also completed identity verification and payment-related setup.

I’ll admit that some of these steps felt technical to me.

And yes, I was nervous!

But I worked through them one at a time.

Eventually, the ads started appearing on my blog.

Seeing ads running on a website I had created myself was such an exciting feeling.

It didn’t mean I was suddenly making a full-time income.

My blog was still small, and I knew there was a lot more work ahead.

But I had reached an important step toward monetizing my content.

8. What I Learned From Starting a Blog With Zero Tech Skills

Looking back, getting accepted into Journey taught me more than just how to monetize a small blog.

It reminded me of a few things I want to share with other busy moms.

You Don’t Have to Be Good at Technology to Start

I certainly wasn’t.

And I’m still not comfortable with every technical part of blogging.

But I’ve learned that I don’t need to understand everything at once.

I can learn one thing, practice it, and ask for help when I need it.

You Don’t Need Followers Before Starting a Blog

I started with zero followers.

Instead of waiting to build a social media audience first, I focused on creating helpful content and learning how to bring readers to my website through Pinterest.

That gave me a way to grow without already having a large following.

You Don’t Need Hours of Free Time Every Day

As a mom of three, I know how difficult it can be to find uninterrupted time.

Sometimes all I can manage is one small blogging task.

But those small tasks still count.

Writing one section of a blog post, researching a keyword, or creating a Pinterest pin can all move things forward.

You Don’t Have to Figure Everything Out Alone

This is especially important if you’re nervous about technology like I am.

Having reliable hosting support, useful research tools, and resources to help you learn can make blogging less overwhelming.

You don’t need to buy every tool available.

Start with what you actually need, and add tools when they solve a real problem for you.

9. My Advice if You Want to Get Accepted Into Journey by Mediavine

If you’re working toward Journey by Mediavine, here’s what I would focus on.

1. Start with a clear audience. Think about who you want to help and what problems your content can solve.
2. Write original, useful blog posts. Focus on content that readers will genuinely benefit from.
3. Learn keyword research. Tools like Keysearch can help you explore content opportunities.
4. Choose a traffic strategy you can manage. Pinterest worked well for my blog, but other bloggers may find success through different channels.
5. Experiment with your Pinterest content. Research keywords, test titles, and pay attention to what encourages clicks.
6. Keep your website reliable and easy to use. Make sure readers can navigate your content without unnecessary problems.
7. Review Journey’s current requirements. Eligibility and approval policies can change, so always check the official website before applying.

And please don’t compare your first few months with someone else’s fifth year of blogging.

Everyone starts somewhere.

I Was Scared to Start, and Sometimes I Still Am

When I think about getting accepted into Journey by Mediavine, the thing that makes me happiest isn’t just the approval itself.

It’s remembering where I started.

A busy mom of three.

Zero technical skills.

Zero followers.

Very little free time.

And a genuine fear of dealing with technology.

I’m still that mom who gets nervous when something goes wrong with WordPress.

I still have so much to learn.

But after five months of promoting my blog on Pinterest, I reached a milestone that once felt far beyond me.

And that means a lot.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a blog but keep telling yourself you’re not technical enough, don’t have enough followers, or simply don’t have the time, I hope my story gives you a little encouragement.

You don’t have to know everything before you start. You just have to be willing to learn as you go.

And if you’re ready to begin, you can read my guide on How to Start a Blog as a Busy Mom to see how I recommend getting started, one step at a time.