How We Research & Review

Our Research Approach

MakePerMonth exists to help you reverse-engineer specific monthly income targets. Every number, benchmark, and recommendation on this site is grounded in real data — not personal anecdotes or unverifiable claims.

We do not personally earn income on every platform we cover. Instead, we aggregate data from multiple authoritative sources to give you the most accurate picture possible.

Primary Data Sources

• Platform-published data: Official reports from YouTube, TikTok, Etsy, Shopify, and other platforms regarding creator earnings, fee structures, and payment mechanics.
• Creator surveys and reports: Industry surveys from organizations like Influencer Marketing Hub, Podcast Business Journal, and eCommerce Fuel that aggregate earnings data across thousands of creators and sellers.
• Community data synthesis: Aggregated reports from creator communities on Reddit (r/juststart, r/Entrepreneur, r/EtsySellers, r/blogging), indie hacker forums, and professional networks — synthesized for patterns, never copied verbatim.
• Ad network and affiliate network data: Published CPM rates, RPM benchmarks, and commission structures from major ad networks (Mediavine, Raptive) and affiliate programs.
• Government and financial data: Bureau of Labor Statistics, IRS data on self-employment income, and SEC filings from publicly traded platforms.

How We Build Income Tiers

Each platform and method guide includes income tiers showing what creators/sellers typically earn at different levels. These tiers are built by:

1. Collecting earnings data from 3+ independent sources per platform.
2. Cross-referencing self-reported data against platform-published statistics to identify and discard outliers.
3. Presenting ranges (not single numbers) to reflect the natural variance in creator/seller outcomes.
4. Updating data quarterly when new industry reports or platform changes are published.

Calculator Methodology

Our revenue calculators use straightforward math to work backwards from your income goal. The formulas are transparent:

• Sales needed = Goal ÷ Revenue per sale (including upsells)
• Visitors needed = Sales ÷ Conversion rate
• Impressions needed = Visitors ÷ Click-through rate
• Per-post reach = Total impressions ÷ Posts per month

Default values for conversion rates, CPMs, and other inputs are sourced from industry benchmarks and clearly labeled. You can adjust every input to match your specific situation.

What We Don't Do

• We do not make income guarantees or promise specific results.
• We do not present personal earnings as proof of what you will earn.
• We do not use fake screenshots or unverifiable income claims.
• We do not accept payment from platforms to influence our coverage or recommendations.

Editorial Independence

Some pages on this site contain affiliate links that earn us a commission when you make a purchase. These relationships never influence our research, rankings, or recommendations. Our editorial team operates independently from our business relationships. See our Affiliate Disclosure for full transparency.

Updates and Corrections

We review and update our guides regularly. If you spot an error or outdated data point, email us at editorial@makepermonth.xyz and we'll investigate and correct it promptly.