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TMM 2018 Year in Review: Best Content + TMM Income Report

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Can you believe it’s 2019? Here’s a look at what went on at The Modest Man in 2018, including a detailed income report.

2018 Year In Review

Note: you can find the full version of this post at brockmcgoff.com.

2018 Income Report

You may know that I published quarterly income reports here on The Modest Man.

In a world of sponsored content, paid reviews and questionable online “business” models, it feels good to be transparent about how I make money.

You can apply this to any digital media publisher, by the way. When something is free, you’re the product. People like me who run websites and YouTube channels are in the business of monetizing your attention.

It’s not a bad thing, but you should know that’s what’s going on. If you want to learn more about this, read up on exactly how this site makes money.

Here’s how TMM did in 2018:

Here’s a look at 2017 vs. 2018 by category:

TMM Revenue 2017 vs 2018

This is the first year that TMM revenue didn’t grow substantially, mostly due to publishing way less sponsored content.

Most Popular Content

Of the 24 new articles published in 2018, these were the three most popular:

  1. How to Wear Shorts
  2. 12 Short Bodybuilders
  3. Smart Casual Style

Let’s take a look at what went well and what did not go well.

What Went Well

YouTube and Instagram went well in 2018. I uploaded 49 new videos and saw a lot of growth on the YT channel, which now gets more monthly views than this website.

Ended the year with almost 20k IG followers (way up from 2017).

What Did Not Go Well

I only published 24 articles (half compared to 2017), and traffic was totally flat.

In 2019, I’m focusing on building a team of TMM contributors in an effort to put out more great content about style, watches, grooming, travel, fitness, confidence and product reviews.

Goals for 2019

Here’s what I’d like to do in 2019:

More Articles – I want to publish at least 25 articles produced by TMM contributors.

More Organic Traffic – I’d like to see TMM start growing organically again; the goal is a “modest” increase of 15% in organic traffic, year over year.

More Instagram – IG is the only social media platform I actually use on a daily basis. It’s a great place for men’s style, watches, etc. I want to double the TMM Instagram following to at least 40k followers in 2019.

What are your goals for 2019? Leave a comment below!

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About Brock McGoff

The Modest Man founder, Brock is an aspiring minimalist who enjoys working out, spending time with his family, discovering new brands and creating great content.

Background: Brock McGoff has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a professional background in digital marketing. He believes that men's fashion is just one facet of self-improvement, and he started The Modest Man to help regular guys feel more confident by improving their appearance.

An east coast native, Brock currently lives in Arizona with his wife and daughter. When he's not working, he spends time with family, training BJJ, reading/listening to books and podcasts, and unsuccessfully trying to decide which movie to stream.

Expertise: Brock has built a men's lifestyle YouTube channel with over 400k subscribers. He's also worked as the creative marketing manager in a men's apparel startup. Brock has been quoted in, mentioned by or featured in publications like Esquire, Huff Post, Men's Health, WWD and Forbes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    Ask Me Anything

    Got questions? Want to share your opinion? Comment below!

  2. Mark P. says

    I’m enjoying your TMM website & YT Videos. As another gent of modest height & frame, I appreciate your efforts to improve the lives of men who are not so big & tall.

    Reply

  3. gentlemanwithin says

    What a year it was for you and TMM. As always, I’m inspired and excited to see where you take things next!

    Reply

  4. Barron says

    Well done, B-Rock! I noticed under your “Goals for 2017” (which I assume you mean 2019) header you didn’t mention anything about the YT channel. Think you’ll be doing fewer videos this year?

    Reply

    • Brock says

      Thanks dude! Oops, changed to 2019. For YT, I’m planning on continuing as usual – posting high quality videos when they’re ready (no schedule and no feeling obligated to post just to post something).

      This probably means fewer but (hopefully) better. I’m just finding YT to be very finicky – hard to rely on and hard to monetize.

      What are your plans for YT?

      Reply

      • Barron says

        Same as you. I’m shooting for 1x/week but not gonna kill myself if I take longer on some videos, just wanna make sure they’re worthwhile and good. Looking forward to chatting next time you’re in NYC!

        Reply

  5. Matthew A Sanchez says

    Brock,

    Awesome job this year. I’m really glad you are being super selective with sponsors. Did you stop doing BJJ for good?

    Thanks.

    Reply

    • Brock says

      Thanks! I’m sure I’ll go back to BJJ eventually. It’s so addictive. But I don’t have time to train AND lift, and I want to give lifting the dedication it deserves. So no BJJ plans in the near future.

      Reply

  6. Raph says

    Love the transparancy Brock! Hope your audience keeps growing and growing as your content has stood the test of time.

    Reply

  8. Jon Shanahan says

    Looks fantastic, Brock. Given the frothy influencer space right now and your audience size you could have easily done 100k in sponsorships if you wanted but I admire those who play the long game.
    A banner year for TMM and yourself. Honored to be a part of it in any way.

    Reply