Before you ever open or start an online blog, get out a piece of paper and pencil and decide what you want to write about. What are you passionate about? Are you good at something? You do not have to be a writer to be a blogger. Maybe you are good at crafts and can share some great crafts for children or adults. Maybe you are an artist who can draw and add quippy sayings. Maybe you take photos and can have a photo blog. Maybe you would love to be a food blogger.
Your niche will be what determines what your name will be, what your blog will look like, and what type of audience you will reach. Don't set a niche for yourself that you don't love. If you are blogging for fun, your blog won't be fun if you don't like what you are doing. If you are planning to turn your blog into a business, you will grow to hate it if you don't like it.
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. What are your passionate about or would love to share with others?
2. Who is your targeted audience? What type of people do you want to reach?
3. Do you want your blog to bring in an income or do you want to do it just for fun or both?
4. Are there a lot of other people in your area or field of interest? How would you stand out from the crowd? Would you do things differently?
Brainstorm, choose your niche, and next we'll talk about choosing your name. Your niche and your blog name are all important things to contemplate before you ever begin your blog. It will give your blog the direction, motivation, and structure you need to be the great blogger you want to be.
7 comments:
I'm actually niche free... I've been blogging since long before blogging was what it is now though. I blog about literally everything. I've considered niche blogging but I just can't bring myself to focus on one specific thing.
You gave some great tips for startup bloggers though! I think generally, niche blogs bring in more dedicated visitors and in turn, more income. Also, I agree that being unique increases a blog's appeal :)
What a great post - I started my blog before I really understood what blogging was, and the name I chose at the time, probably isn't what I'd choose now but after two years, of being online with it, hard to change now! If I had read a post like this when I first started, I likely would have done things differently. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Great post. I have been thinking of starting my own blog but just didn't know where to start. I mean I feel kind of pressured to do so with so many ladies jumping on the blog wagon. Reading this post, though, has me seriously reconsidering jumping on. I now know what the basics are, so I can better judge if the time is right for me.
Kat, I completely understand. I don't know that I am dedicated niche blogger which is why I changed my name. I think bloggers who blog about every day life and the products they use have their own little niche called real life. :-)
Tammy, I did the same thing with the name! This is the very reason I started my series. I have changed my name but that was a process all on its own. I want to to save new bloggers the same struggles that I had.
Cheryl, I love blogging and wouldn't change it for the world. I don't want my series to discourage anyone but I want to help with the process that it can become. I do not blogging is for everyone but at the same time there are lots of people that could jump on. Feeling pressure to start a blog could make you feel discouraged and not like what you love. If you truly want to share something or think it would be fun, I would whole heartedly encourage you to contemplate it. I will admit though blogger is not as easy as it looks sometimes.
i truthfully love your own writing style, very helpful.
don't quit and also keep writing seeing that it simply just good worth to look through it.
looking forward to read far more of your well written articles, have a great day ;)
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