I’ve been trying to make money on the internet for a long time. Long enough that I’ve seen just about every version of the dream come and go, sometimes multiple times. Blogs, ads, affiliate links, email lists, courses, communities, apps, and entire social media platforms that were once hot, then cold, then weird, then suddenly hot again.
Every few years, the internet rearranges the furniture and everyone pretends this time is different. New opportunities pop up, new success stories circulate, and a fresh wave of optimism rolls through the online business world. Right now, Facebook is having one of those moments, whether we like it or not.
So here I am… again… intentionally stepping into a mildly chaotic, algorithm‑dependent experiment in hopes that it turns into real income. This post isn’t a victory lap, and it’s definitely not a blueprint or advice. It’s simply a very honest snapshot of what I’m doing right now to try to earn money online, and why I’m still willing to play the game after all these years.
Why Facebook? Why Now?
If you’ve spent any time online lately, you’ve probably seen the posts. Creators casually mentioning four‑figure and five‑figure months from Facebook’s Content Monetization program like they’re talking about a decent yard sale find. “Yeah, this post did okay… about $18k.” “Slow month… only $27k.”
Meanwhile, I’m over here quietly celebrating when a post gets comments from actual humans who seem to care. The contrast is hard to ignore.
But the important part isn’t the bragging or the screenshots. It’s the fact that Facebook is paying people for content again. Real money. Direct deposits. Not affiliate links, not selling a course, not launching some complicated funnel. Just publishing content and letting the platform do its thing. That alone is enough to get my attention.
I’ve Been Monetized by Facebook Before (And It Didn’t End Well)
This isn’t my first time dancing with Facebook money, and it didn’t exactly end in fireworks. On my Running It Disc Golf Facebook page, I was accepted into the Facebook Performance Bonus Program back in late 2024. Over time, I grew that page to more than 17,000 followers, mostly by sharing disc golf pictures, graphics, and videos.
Here’s where I need to be painfully honest. The videos weren’t mine. They were publicly available clips from other people. No stealing, no private content, but definitely not original either. Facebook didn’t seem to mind at first, and for a while, things actually worked.
During that period, the page earned real money. October 2024 brought in $356.97. November followed with $337.11. December landed at $102.41. March 2025 came in at $130.19. Nothing life‑changing, but very real money. A little extra money on the side. Money to pay for some fun stuff. The kind of money that makes you feel like the effort is worth it.
Then Facebook demonetized the page for videos. Once that happened, the earnings fell off a cliff. Pennies. Dimes. A few dollars here and there. Motivation disappeared almost immediately. The lesson was clear, even if it stung a bit. Borrowed content equals borrowed income.
So this time, I’m building something from scratch. Original content. My own page. My own mess.
Enter: Travel USA by Rambling Fever
The new Facebook page I’m building is called Travel USA by Rambling Fever, and yes, that name is intentionally vague. Almost aggressively vague. Travel in the USA. That’s the entire premise.
The reason for that is simple. I want room to experiment. Michigan road trips, small towns, big cities, random roadside nonsense, state parks, national parks, tourist traps, underrated places, and wildly overrated places. If it has anything to do with traveling in the United States, it fits.
Right now, most of the content is Michigan‑focused. That’s where I live, what I know best, and who my ads are targeting. The idea is to start local, build engagement with people who actually resonate with the content, and then slowly expand outward. At least, that’s the plan.
The Actual Strategy (If You Can Call It That)
I’m currently spending $5 per day on Facebook ads to grow the page. Nothing crazy, nothing aggressive, just enough to keep the follower count moving in the right direction. It’s a small daily commitment that feels manageable, even if nothing comes of it.
To keep things organized, I’m using Publer to schedule posts, add first comments, and handle ALT text without wanting to throw my laptop out the window. The content itself is a mix of images and text posts. Some observational, some informational, some things I personally find interesting and hope other people do too.
There are no viral hacks here. No recycled clips. No pretending I’ve cracked some secret code. As of this writing, I’m about six weeks in. The page is sitting at roughly 2,800 followers, and while nothing has exploded, views are increasing, and engagement is picking up. It’s not flashy, but it’s alive.
Waiting to Be Chosen by Facebook
This is where things get frustrating. The Content Monetization program is invite‑only, and Facebook doesn’t exactly explain how or why invitations are sent. There’s no checklist, no dashboard, and no helpful meter that says you’re getting close.
You just keep publishing and hope that one day Facebook taps you on the shoulder. It’s a terrible business model, and I know that. But it’s the game if you want to play on Facebook.
My short‑term goal is painfully boring. Get invited. Then earn more than $5 per day. If the page can at least pay for its own growth, that’s a win. From there, the next milestone I hope to reach is $3,000 per month in profit, not because it’s exciting, but because that would more than cover my mortgage. Anything beyond that starts to feel like gravy.
The Slightly Unhinged Goal
Now for the part that still feels a little ridiculous to say out loud. I want to hit a $30,000 profit month from Facebook. I’ve never come close to that in all my years of internet marketing experiments, but I also know people are doing it.
At some point, watching from the sidelines gets old. Quiet confidence mixed with mild delusion feels like the right energy to bring into this phase.
Travel, Kids, and Very Boring Tax Advantages
There’s also a very intentional and very practical side to all of this. We travel a lot. Our son plays travel lacrosse, and our daughter plays travel volleyball, which means tournaments, hotels, road trips, flights, gas, and food add up faster than you’d think when you start stacking weekends on the calendar.
Because of that, I’ve been very deliberate about building something that clearly qualifies as a legitimate, travel‑focused business. A Facebook page dedicated to travel. A blog where I regularly write about travel experiences, destinations, road trips, and places we visit. And actual content created during those trips, not just after the fact as an excuse.
As long as the travel itself is being used to produce content for the Facebook page and the blog, it falls squarely under the umbrella of business activity. This isn’t some loophole or gray area, and it doesn’t require aggressive gymnastics or sketchy accounting. It’s simply how content‑based businesses work when travel is central to what they produce.
The result is that many of those travel expenses can legitimately be treated as business expenses. Completely legal, completely boring, and honestly one of the least exciting parts of running an online business, but also one of the most helpful. Add in our usual spring break trips to Florida, and suddenly this whole setup feels not just convenient, but surprisingly well aligned with how our life already works.
The Steady Work That Pays Some Bills
Alongside all of this, I still build websites for clients through my business, DPI Worldwide, LLC. That work pays for hosting, software tools, and a chunk of the boring backend costs of being online. There’s usually a little extra left over, too.
It’s steady. It’s fine. It’s not life‑changing. Audience‑based businesses are, though, and that’s why I keep coming back to experiments like this.
Where This Goes From Here
I don’t know exactly how this plays out. Maybe Facebook will invite me next month. Maybe it takes longer. Maybe it never happens at all.
What I do know is that I’ll keep writing about this experiment here on Rambling Fever whenever it feels worth sharing. No strict schedule, no fake urgency, just honest updates from someone still trying to figure this out in real time.
And who knows… maybe one day there will be a post titled “That Month Facebook Paid My Mortgage… and Then Some.” I’m looking forward to that one because it’s going to be a fun one to write!