An Honest Elite Blog Academy Review: Is it Really Worth It?

Is Elite Blog Academy worth it when you’re a small niche blogger? I have spent a lot of money on blogging courses and I don’t want you to waste yours. I tell you Elite Blog Academy 2019’s pros and cons in this honest Elite Blog Academy Review.

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Can I really do this? I’ve seen amazing and inspirational stories of bloggers making it big and earning a full-time income working part-time hours. Last year, I got email after email from my favorite bloggers accrediting their phenomenal success to Elite Blog Academy* (EBA). I was excited for the possibility but completely nervous that I was falling for a very convincing infomercial.

I don’t know these bloggers in person, I don’t know if they’re just making it sound better than it really is to get my commission. My excitement overtook me and I took a rather impulsive plunge, spent the $499 and purchased EBA 2.0 in late February 2016. And now I’m here to give you my really honest Elite Blog Academy review so you can think about whether it is a wise investment choice for you and your blog.

Founder of EBA, Ruth Soukup, is a very honest and transparent instructor. She doesn’t hold anything back when she tells you this course will take a lot of time and effort. She gives us every bit of advice and the steps she took to bring her blog Living Well Spending Less, Living Well Planner and her bestselling books* to incredible success.

So I believed Ruth when she said to set lofty goals for yourself. It’s when I started thinking about what my dream life looked like, not just for my blog but for all areas of my life. Ruth said,

“the reality is that big goals get big results, while small goals, get small results. What you will become is what you believe you can become, and the bigger and scarier your goal, the more chance you will have for big success.”

So in March 2016, I set my stretch goals and in 15 minutes wrote down my in-a-perfect-world-with-the-stars-aligned goals for the next year, I wanted to:

• get 50,000 monthly pageviews
• earn $1,000 in income
• double my newsletter subscriber list to 1,000
• get a new blog design
• have a stellar newsletter
• grow Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to 5,000 followers
• grow Instagram to 2,000 followers
• sell my own planner
• improve photos

Honestly, I laughed at myself when I wrote these down. How could I possibly do all that in a year? I don’t know about you but I am easily my own worst critic. I’m filled with overwhelm, self doubt and negative thoughts that I have to battle all. the. time. I live in fear that my autoimmune chronic illness will interfere even more with my dreams than it already has. It’s an uphill battle to dream big but I did.

The real question is, could I accomplish all these goals as a small niche blogger? Writing about books, planning and productivity and chronic illness? Well let’s see what I learned from Elite Blog Academy.

Elite Blog Academy Review – A Walkthrough of the Course

Please note: this review is based on Elite Blog Academy 3.0 which is the version released in March 2017 and nearly completed in 2018. Elite Blog Academy 4.0 has been updated for additional content and I won’t have access to it until it goes on sale on March 4, 2019.

So in my Elite Blog Academy review, I thought I would break down for you by module:

• what Elite Blog Academy teaches,
• what I learned,
• what I felt was missing and
• (because I’m a time tracking nut), how long it took me to complete and
• my best guess for how long it would take a beginner blogger (just a starting point, you might be faster or slower than this but wanted to give you something to go on)

Let’s be real…Elite Blog Academy only works if you do the work methodically and don’t rush through it.

Now, let’s walk step by step through the 4 modules of Elite Blog Academy* .

Module 1: Refine Your Message

What EBA teaches in Module 1

In this module, Elite Blog Academy* teaches how to refine your message so that you are reaching your people, the raving fans who need and want your content. The people you can truly help and motivate with your words. The people whose lives you want to make a difference in as soon as they come to your site.

What I Learned in Module 1

I really needed this module. As someone who had been blogging as a hobby for years already and wrote about whatever I felt like at the time, this module really helped me:

• Focus on the direction I wanted my blog to go
• Identify the topics I’m passionate about
• Discover the people I’m passionate about helping
• Find my writing voice and style in order write content that resonates with those people I want to reach and
• Redesign and restructure my blog to make it more organized, professional and appealing to my ideal reader.

The 9 assignments in this module were effective and helped me dig deep into what I wanted for the future of my blog. Because I already had a blog established and many posts written, this module did not take me as long as it would a beginner blogger starting from scratch. But every step was necessary in getting your beautiful blog off the ground and noticed.

What I Felt Was Missing in Module 1

Honestly, I don’t think anything was missing from this module. This is where Ruth gives her secrets to establishing those connections with readers that she does very well and writing content that your readers will love. This is the cornerstone of your blog, the writing and the pretty package you deliver your blog in. You don’t skimp your efforts or rush through this part.

Time to Complete Module 1

My time: approximately 23 hours to complete this module but I already had a blog with 500+ posts on it.

For beginner bloggers, I would estimate closer to 50 to 100 hours depending on how long it takes you to write a blog post (for purposes of the estimate, I used 4 to 8 hours a post because that’s how long a new post takes me from idea to published).

Module 2: Grow Your Traffic

What EBA teaches in Module 2

In this module, Elite Blog Academy*  teaches how to grow your audience through email list building, SEO and social media. During this unit is where all the partner bonus courses unlocked which provided deeper learning on these topics so I could take the courses I needed more assistance in or wanted to pursue.

What I Learned in Module 2

I knew the basics of SEO and had social media pages already set up prior to taking Elite Blog Academy. I had a small email list but paid it no attention. I had a couple optins but once they were delivered, I didn’t do much with sending welcome emails or newsletters to my subscribers. So module 2 helped me:

• Learn WHY my email list is worth the time and effort
• Create optins that my readers will value
• Cultivate a relationship with my subscribers from the first welcome email  
• Finally be able to answer, “so what’s your blog about?” without fumbling for answers…why is that question so hard?
• Think outside the box to get my blog noticed.

I think the email list building section of this module was very thorough and well done. I still use her tactics in my welcome emails today and that unit was one of my favorite of this course. Clearly email lists is where Ruth’s strength lies. I am a subscriber to many of Ruth’s newsletters and I open nearly every one because she is soooo good at being relatable, connecting to her readers, and providing value.

What I Felt Was Missing in Module 2

I thought more SEO secrets would be uncovered than what I already knew. This unit made me realize that although Elite Blog Academy is very comprehensive and fabulous for the relationship building you want to do to create loyal fans who keep coming back, it does not get overly technical. Ruth keeps things simple on purpose. She gives you what you need to know, eliminating the unessential for you.

That said, there are partner bonus courses that do get more technical and dive deeper into a topic but it might divert your time away from the EBA main course if you want to do that before moving on like I did.

I also switched email providers to Convertkit which was one of Ruth’s recommendations. I loved the tagging capability and data analysis available but it was too expensive for my limited income as my number of subscribers hit the next level (a good problem to have but costly!)

I switched again and have been using Mailerlite* since June 2018 and have been pleasantly surprised because it has similar capabilities as Convertkit but at 17% of the cost for my size list. You can email me to learn more about either one or to get my email provider comparison I had done before switching.

Time to Complete Module 2

My time: approximately 20 hours to complete this module since I had some of the work done and it just needed updating.

For beginner bloggers, I would estimate closer to 30 hours.

Module 3: Monetize Your Platform

What EBA teaches in Module 3

In this module, Elite Blog Academy*  teaches you about how bloggers make money pursuing different revenue streams. This is where you identify which paths are right for you and how you can start earning money for your passions and efforts. Here is where you start earning a return from your time and money investment.

What I Learned in Module 3

Before Elite Blog Academy, I earned income solely from physical books I received for review (which are not cash but I still count as income) and affiliate marketing. This module helped me:

• Focus on the revenue streams I wanted to pursue while being authentic to myself and my readers
• Generate a bank of 15 revenue generating ideas to pursue that I know my readers will want
• Market my ideas effectively to my email list

Still to do but I know what has to be done!:

• Setup an effective launch from start to finish

Besides the email list building unit, this module was another absolute favorite and where Ruth lays out in great detail and step by step how to get your income growing. I will be completing this unit again since students get lifetime access for the lifetime of the EBA course. I want to check out what’s updated, refresh my memory, get back to the heart of the matter and earn more in 2019! 

What I Felt Was Missing in Module 3

As a former accountant, I really think the business side of earning income should be addressed BEFORE you start bringing in money. Boring but necessary things like:

• getting your blog a separate Tax ID number
• knowing your blog structure (sole proprietorship, partnership, S Corp, LLC)
• setting up a separate bank account for your blog
• Filing Doing Business As (DBA) paperwork for your blog
• make sure you know how to deal with sales tax for online sales in your state if you sell products

So I stalled at the last two tasks partially because of my own irrational fears about selling my own products and taking that next step (but it’s my dream too!). Elite Blog Academy does not cover the back end of setting up your business in these areas. It also doesn’t deal with setting up a shop or store on your site to deliver products but does have a simpler recommendation for getting it done. Done is better than perfect. Keep it simple to get you started, and then if you love it, you can grow and change it up.

Feel free to email me if you have questions, I’m no expert but I can share what I’ve done for my blog/business.

Time to Complete Module 3

My time: approximately 70 hours to complete part of this module though honestly, I didn’t track it well and I did not do 2 of the assignments because they did not apply to me. I also have a couple of assignments to do to launch my products for sale to the public.

For beginner bloggers, this one I have no idea, hours you spend will depend on how simple or complex you want your product to be.

Module 4: Build Your Business

What EBA teaches in Module 4

In this module, Elite Blog Academy*  teaches you how to set and achieve your big blogging goals and get the tools and plan in place to manage your business. Here’s where your blogging dreams turn to reality.

What I Learned in Module 4

I am a productivity junkie so I appreciated the thinking big and breaking down goals into manageable pieces part of this module. That process wasn’t new to me but a welcome and needed refresher.

Here’s what this module did help me do:

• Overcoming my fears about selling and entrepreneurship
• Dream bigger
• Figure out how my blogging dreams fits with my other life goals
• Create a true brand 
• Use new tools to improve productivity, collaboration and project management
• Recognize what to focus on and what I can let go of/hire out

What I Felt Was Missing in Module 4

I loved this module but I really think some of it should have been at the beginning of the course. I completed some of the assignments and then realized I would have approached things differently in Module 1.

Again, it’s the former accountant in me talking that you lay out the foundation of your business before starting on the content. You are only interested in Elite Blog Academy if you want to turn your blog into a business.

So really you should think through what you want for your business BEFORE you start executing. I also found some of the business pieces lacking financial support. You need to think through the projected costs along with the revenue of any decision you make in your business.

Feel free to email me if you have questions, I’m no expert but I can share what I’ve done for my blog/business.

Time to Complete Module 4

My time: approximately 20 hours to complete part of this module though honestly, I didn’t track it well and I was so close to the end that I wanted to get it done. As I said, I would dive further into one of the assignments than was required and skipped others that were not pertinent to my situation right now.

For beginner bloggers, this one I have no idea, you might take even less time than me because I’m so particular about the business and technical side of things.

Elite Blog Academy Pros and Cons

When comparing Elite Blog Academy*  to other blogging courses I’ve taken there are several pros and cons that make Elite Blog Academy unique. Maybe this will help you decide if Elite Blog Academy is right for you.

Cons:

• It’s a TON of work. If you are expecting quick success, don’t. You have to do the work and for bloggers like me that started with 500+ posts, it might take you longer to get it done right. 
• It’s not overly technical. If you are expecting detailed guidance on setting up your business behind the scenes, you’ll need supplemental info. EBA offered lots of free blogging printables to help get your blog setup and off to a good start if you are a brand new blogger. EBA is really about drawing readers to your site and converting them to avid fans and customers.
• It’s expensive. You have to be dedicated to making your business a priority to invest in it (and since it is an investment, you could write it off as a deduction on your business taxes).
• If you are a small niche blogger, you’ll have to be more creative and think outside the box to get success. It’s doable but you might have to work harder at it at first than the mom, food, home decor and personal finance bloggers. You’ll have to be more in tune to your audience needs and create products and services that serve them well.

Pros:

• Short instructional videos and easy step-by-step guidance. I like how Ruth simplifies the complexities of blogging and tells us what works, straight up. Ruth keeps things simple on purpose so you don’t overcomplicate things and overwhelm yourself.
• Ruth’s contagious “you can do it too” attitude. Ruth’s always sharing her personal stories, her struggles, how she overcame them and what she did to succeed.
• Ruth holds NOTHING back. She gives step by step scripts and templates for what worked for her blog and products.
• PROVEN RESULTS! My stats show it! I have already surpassed some of my BIG goals despite my chronic illness and mom life derailing my consistency. Nevertheless, I am so excited about the path my blog business is taking! I can pursue my passion and make an income doing something I love. Isn’t that everyone’s dream come true?
• EBA is a completely comprehensive framework. EBA*is amazing and life-changing for bloggers who want to reach that 6-figure income mark with a solid foundation for your business.
• Exclusive EBA Facebook group with EBA experts, current students and successful alumni where you can get questions answered, advice, find a tribe or mastermind group and bounce ideas off one another. This support is invaluable.
• LIFETIME ACCESS. I’m stoked about this because once you buy EBA, you get access to all future editions when it’s released for the lifetime of the EBA course. Now EBA 2.0 was $499 when I bought it in 2016, was totally revamped in EBA 3.0 so the price went up to $897 in 2017 and EBA 4.0* is going through updates again so will be $997 when it goes on sale March 4-8, 2019. But I automatically got access to EBA 3.0 and it is way awesome and I can’t wait to see what EBA 4.0 has in it.
• 100% 365-day money-back guarantee. There is a guarantee like I said above but with the growth and income you get, I’m betting (and hoping) you won’t need it! I love that they extended it to a full year to get that guarantee. 

EBA is only available for sale once a year to the public but they do sometimes have surprise sales and deals just for their waiting list. The price increases any time there’s an epic update so get on the wait list now to get the best price! So the best thing to do is to sign up for the waiting list, so you will get notified before it goes on sale again or the price increases.

This year Elite Blog Academy* will go on sale Monday, Mar. 4th, 2019 at 7am EST to Friday Mar. 8th, 2019 at 11:59pm PST for $997 (a payment plan option is available).

What Elite Blog Academy Helped Me Accomplish

Even though I am an incredibly slow and thorough blogger and still working on the last few assignments of  EBA, it is showing me I CAN do this. With Ruth’s comprehensive and step-by-step instructions, she’s giving me the confidence (slowly but surely) to pursue my dream life so that I don’t have to settle for a stressful job that destroys my health and quality of life for my family.

So what about those laughable the stars need to align for goals? Well here are the results of my past couple years (updated in December 2018):

• 36,245 monthly pageviews (Jan 2017) was my highest
• more than quadrupled my newsletter subscriber list to 2,500 (after cleaning up about 600 cold subscribers off my list)
• installed new blog design Nov 2017
• exceeded Pinterest goal to 6.557 followers
• improved my blog photos/style to match my new branding
• got my first blog planner for sale in the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit 2017
• got my second Thrive with Chronic Illness Planner + Journal for sale in the Ultimate Productivity Bundle 2019*

And if you want to know more about my income, check out my detailed income, expense and traffic results post since purchasing EBA.

I’ve watched all the videos in all the units and I’m still finishing up some of the units but I’m pretty proud of all I’ve accomplished in the past couple years and I do attribute that to the motivation, encouragement and education that Elite Blog Academy gave me. I may be slow but slow and steady can win the race and reach their goals!

The Bottom Line Elite Blog Academy Review

Overall, even though I don’t blog about mainstream topics like food, DIY/home decor, or personal finance, I was able to apply what I learned in Elite Blog Academy to my blog and the things I am passionate about writing and the people I’m passionate about serving.

It helped me generate ideas that I am excited about and will serve my audience well and gave me the tools to do it. I’m still executing those plans but I think it will be rewarding and fruitful when all is said and done. I really feel like it covered every aspect of blogging that I needed to know and is an excellent foundation to build a profitable blog on.

I think Elite Blog Academy* is especially good for beginner bloggers who are serious about making an income from their blog and getting it started off right as long as they are determined and motivated to complete all the work!

There you have the full and honest Elite Blog Academy review from the perspective of a small niche blogger. I will share more detailed, data-driven results soon but I wanted to give you a breakdown of what I learned and what it helped me do regardless of the niches you serve.

How Much Does Elite Blog Academy Cost? The Financial and Other Cost Considerations

This year Elite Blog Academy*  is $997, it is a SERIOUS investment. The price has increased with each new update of videos, content and partner bonuses and now it’s almost double the price of when I bought it in 2016.

Here are things you need to consider before you buy:

• Can I afford the CASH cost either paying it all up front or through the payment plan? Do not start your business off in debt. If you don’t have the cash, wait and save up for it. Sign up for the waiting list* in case it goes on sale before 2020.
• Can I dedicate the TIME needed to complete EBA and do it well? I’ve given you my time estimates above but can you fit dedicated time to EBA into your schedule and stay motivated to work on it until it’s done?
• If you have a live blog already, how can you carve time out to both keep your current blog running AND work on EBA?  
• How will the additional time for EBA affect your work and FAMILY life? Make sure you set boundaries and schedules so it doesn’t negatively impact your work or family. Make sure your family supports your investment decision. Seek help for things that others can help you with.

Additional costs you might incur depending on what you already have. However, these are costs to build a profitable blog whether you purchase EBA or not:

• Hosting and domain name for a self hosted blog- I recommend New Blog Hosting* $45/year
• A professional theme or custom design – I recommend Hello You Designs themes* approximately $65
• Email marketing service – I recommend Mailerlite*, it’s free to 1,000 subscribers, has tagging capability like Convertkit and is $84/year for my current list of 2,500 subscribers.
• (optional) Tailwind pin scheduling – I think it’s totally worth it – get a free month trial here*
• Shopify or Sendowl – if you are selling your own products on your site – I haven’t done this yet so can’t give a recommendation either way but I know the cost to deliver products is coming.

For a more objective and detailed look at whether Elite Blog Academy is right for you,  subscribe to my newsletter and download my FREE EBA Investment Decision Matrix to get you thinking and email me with any questions so I can help you decide if it’s right for your situation. You can easily adapt this file for any investment decision you need to make.

Give it to me Straight: Is Elite Blog Academy Worth It?

Yes, if:

• You are committed to doing all the work (24 videos and 36 assignments)
• You are serious about making an income from your blog and turning it into a business
• You are passionate about writing, your blog and the people you serve
• You need the step-by-step assistance and foundation in all aspects of blogging from content to marketing to creating a business you are proud of
• You want someone to simplify blogging for you

No, if:

• You don’t have the cash to pay for it up front or on the payment plan
• You don’t have the time to commit to it
• You aren’t sure if blogging is right for you
• You need detailed, technical or focused help in only one or two areas

What’s Included with EBA?

Elite Blog Academy* only goes on sale to the public once a year for $997 (a payment plan option is available). The sale for 2019 is over to the public but they may still have subscriber only sales. Elite Blog Academy is the most comprehensive blogging course that sets the foundation for turning your blog into a thriving business. Millionaire founder Ruth Soukup knew nothing about blogging when she started and turned her blog into a raging success, started her own Living Well Planner, wrote multiple New York Times bestselling books and now runs the Do It Scared podcast.

Ruth has done the hard work, paid for the expensive courses and passes along all that knowledge to us in Elite Blog Academy* . Not only that, she breaks down complicated topics and overwhelming amounts of information into a truly simple framework where she eliminates the unessential and gives you the exact formula you need to succeed.

You can see my Elite Blog Academy results and download my exact, real income, expense, traffic and productivity report to see how the amazing results I experienced when I focused on EBA and how my results tanked when I got distracted and let fear in. 

What You Get in Elite Blog Academy: 

• The EBA course includes 16 videos (the 8 instructional videos also include transcripts) and 36 actionable assignments that will set the foundation for your blog and future business
• The videos and assignments walk you through: 
  • Refining your message so that your writing has crystal clear focus and your ideal readers understands what you are all about
  • Grow Your Traffic so your blog gets noticed and you attract the audience you want
  • Monetize Your Platform so you can start earning money for your hard work using methods that give you most income for your invested time
  • Build Your Business so you can grow you income and readership even further and achieve the life you dreamed of with something you enjoy!
• Lifetime access. This means you get any future updates for the lifetime of the EBA course.
• 100% money back guarantee within 365 days if you show proof that you completed all the assignments and are still not satisfied.
• LOTS of bonuses which are additional courses, expert Q&A videos and tools to help you dive deeper into a particular topic. 

Get Notified when Elite Blog Academy goes on sale again here!

You’re ready, you’re excited, you want to achieve your dream life doing something you LOVE.

As my littlest son says when he’s super pumped, “Let’s Get It!” Get on the Elite Blog Academy waitlist here* and get the latest news for when Elite Blog Academy goes on sale and special deals and sales for subscribers!

In the meantime….

I understand that $997 is a SERIOUS and HUGE investment, I really do. I’m a CPA who is a SAHM with a kid going to college this fall. I don’t take this kind of money lightly.

So here is what I recommend you do next: 

1. Grab some of Elite Blog Academy’s free blogging printables to help you make money. This will show you how Ruth breaks down complicated concepts into simple, actionable pieces and a taste of what the workbooks and assignments in Elite Blog Academy will look like.
2. Check out my EBA results and free EBA investment decision matrix as a small niche blogger who isn’t earning 6 figures yet.  This report will be updated monthly so you can see my progress.
3. Check out these amazing success stories* for inspiration and see if you can dare to dream that big. I still do!
4. Download my free EBA investment decision matrix to help you decide if EBA is a wise business for you and your blog so you’re ready when EBA opens it’s doors again.
5. Send me an email at tanya{at}momssmallvictories{dot}com and ask me anything about EBA. I will give you my 100% honest opinion even if that means EBA is not right for you. I want you to be as happy with your purchase as I have been with mine! 

I think Elite Blog Academy was one of the best investments I have made in my blog because I lit the fire under to me for finding the audience I want to serve, refining my content and find ways to make an income talking about all the things I love and am passionate about and I look forward to seeing where EBA will take me still. This year I’ll be launching my products and services so I can fully take my blog to the next level. 

I don’t write negative reviews so I can honestly say that I love EBA and am excited for the opportunities it is giving me to pursue my dream life of working from home for a full-time income with part-time hours. Don’t hesitate to use my matrix to see if EBA is a wise choice for you or email me at tanya{at}momssmallvictories{dot}com to ask me anything you’d like and I’ll give you my honest opinion either way. I want you to love your decision to purchase EBA* as much as I did. It’s not for everyone, but Elite Blog Academy has worked well for me.