In a previous article I discussed the idea of niche blogging and how I don’t feel it’s a requirement for success. I still hold to that belief completely. But, many new bloggers (or those thinking about blogging) have said they still want a niche to keep them on track — they just don’t know how to pick the one that is best for them. So, in consideration of those who are looking for a basic overview of grabbing a specific corner of the blogging world – here are some factors to keep in mind and methods to make an informed decision.
Blogging: Finding Your Niche
Assigning your blog to a niche requires careful consideration. This is particularly essential when the blog is being created for monetary compensation — aka cold hard cash. An important factor is choosing a subject that they are enthusiastic and well-informed about. On the other hand, writers must also consider how many other blogs are talking about the exact same thing and how much direct competition your site will get. Hopefully this article will help first time bloggers understand these factors and use them to pick the best general subject for their blog. These tips can apply to both people starting their first site and those who are experienced but want to narrow their market or rebrand.
What Are Your Passions?
The very first thing a new blogger should think about is their personal interests and hobbies. This is very important since a writer who’s excited and familiar with a specific topic will not only have an easier time coming up with concepts for new articles, but will also be more successful as a result. This success may very well be due to the undeniable fact that blog readers can sense a writer’s enthusiasm (or lack thereof) for a subject and will appreciate professional posts which are both beneficial and energetic.
The interests of a blogger may vary wildly from topics that are commonly well-known to subject areas that are appealing to only a small demographic. Even so, there are going to be engaged readers no matter the topic. For that reason it’s not necessarily a bad idea to blog about even the most unique subjects. However, bloggers who want profit by means of high website traffic (eg paid ad views) should think about picking out a niche that is interesting to a wider audience.
Who Is Your Competition?
Technorati estimated over 200 million blogs at the start of 2009 – the niche you select determines how many of these blogs become your competition. After a blogger has made a mental list of the topics they might want to specialize in, it’s time to start analyzing those competitors. This can include visiting other blogs and forums that discuss the same concepts. Doing this doesn’t just provide the writer a great hint of whether the internet is already over loaded with sites about the topic, but also sheds light on the level of quality currently circulating which they’ll have to match in order to succeed. Driven by this info the blogger can come to a decision about whether or not they feel they can handle the competition for each topic they are considering or if, instead, they should go a different direction.
What Is Your Goal?
Another critical factor is the overall goal of the site. There are as many answers to that question as their are bloggers. Some of the most common goals are monetary or product compensation, personal journals or promoting a charity or cause. Bloggers that are starting up a blog as a personal journal will want to think about his or her hobbies and interests first and foremost since traffic often isn’t important. On the other hand, people that are setting up a blog for reasons like generating income or endorsing a charity will rely heavily on their number of visitors more than anything else. In such cases they will do best with an issue that attracts a large target audience. Last, but definitely not least, site managers should think about the level of website they are equipped to produce. The niche should be a topic they are positive they can not only publish about on a regular basis, but also ensure the content is attractive, informative and valuable to others.
Images: David Castillo Dominici and Michal Marcol - FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Join The Conversation:
Do you have a niche?
How did you decide which topic was right for you?
I still don’t know
For me, my niche sort of developed over time. I love coming up with new recipes, so that isn’t like work to me… reviews, were a chore.
My webiste doesn’t really have too much of a specific niche. I started to do it related to coupons and free local activities for the family. I feel there is a lot of coupon blogs there out and they all have the same things. I have been recently writing with writing prompts as it is getting back into writing which I used to do. This gives me an opportunity to write. I feel I will still stay local based. I may start highlighting various places for people to visit in this area that people don’t know about.
Writing prompts are awesome – I have joined in a few myself. Really good way to get the creative juices flowing when you feel ‘stuck’ in your niche. Great tip, Gail