There are a few different ways to bleed brakes.
1. Vacuum bleed. This requires only 1 person, but special tools. Which you probably don't have.
2. Gravity bleed. This is SLOW and doesn't work as well as the other methods. But only requires 1 person. To do this, just make sure that the master cylinder is physically at a higher level than the caliper or wheel cylinder, and crack open the bleeder. Fluid will start to drip out.
3. I forget what the technical name is, but its the one everyone is familiar with. Takes 2 people, one sits in the car, and pushes the pedal to the floor once the second person has opened the bleeder. Once the pedal is on the floor DO NOT let it up until the second person has closed the bleeder. Repeat until air stops coming out and you're content with the pedal feel.
With all of these, don't forget to not let the master cylinder get much below 1/2, or that is the ideal amount.
Bleeding still doesn't sound quite right as the solution for this, but it's worth a try.