Niche Pursuits Podcast: Find Your Next "Niche" Business Idea! How Van Tran Uses Facebook and Pinterest to Earn $10K/Month
6 snips
Oct 15, 2025 Van Tran, a Vietnam-born web publisher, lost 90% of his traffic after Google's update but rebounded to earn $10K/month through social media strategies. He shares how he pivoted to Facebook and Pinterest, leveraging creative content and targeted ads to drive over 400,000 monthly sessions. Van discusses his methods for turning followers into clicks, his insights on monetization with display ads, and the importance of researching social trends. His journey is a masterclass in resilience and re-strategizing for success in the digital space.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From $1.5K Starter Site To Social-First Portfolio
- Van started web publishing in 2019 after buying a starter site for $1,500 and scaled to a multi-site portfolio.
- He now runs sites driven mainly by Facebook and Pinterest and has a small full-time team of three.
HCU Crash And Survival Cuts
- Before the Helpful Content Update Van earned about $25,000/month from a tech site and had six full-time staff and office costs around $10,000/month.
- After HCU his earnings fell to ~$3,000/month and he cut costs to under $2,000/month to survive.
Facebook Requires Upfront Investment
- Facebook success requires upfront investment to buy followers and ads to build an engaged audience before monetizing.
- Van views this pay-first model as a beneficial entry barrier that filters out spammers and rewards creators who invest.