Choosing a niche to blog about can be agonizing- how do you know you’ve found “the ONE” when it comes to picking a topic to blog about? If you’re starting a blog- you may fall into one of two camps: either you hastily find something that is seemingly perfect and register your domain immediately, or conversely, you spent days agonizing over possibilities, never making a decision. If you have succombed to analysis paralysis when choosing a blog niche, fear not! I have tips for you.
How To Pick Your Niche:
- Define Your Purpose. What brought you to blogging and what do you want to get out of it? Choosing a topic will hinge largely on what you want to get out of blogging and what you want to give to the greater community. Your blogging goals should align with your topic, and knowing what you came for will help you decide.
- Define Your Scope. Choose a topic that you could expand upon in multifaceted ways. If you were thinking of starting a shoe blog, would you run out of things to say and would a broader scope of accessories or overall “fashion blog” be more appropriate?
- Choose An Audience. Who are you hoping to speak to? Men? Women? What age group? What demographic? To carry on with the fashion blog theme- would you be blog about a particular high end brand, budget fashion or DIY clothing? How could your name, niche and communication best suit the people you intend to speak to?
- Survey The Landscape. What else is out there and what are other bloggers saying about your specific topic? What has been done already and what needs to be said?
- Define Your Tone & Contribution. What do you want to convey to your readers and how do you want to represent yourself? Are you an expert or a beginner and are your readers along for your journey or coming to you for advice?
- Decide The Scale. Decide early how you want to grow your blog. If your blog is limited by topic or author, would you be able to (or want to) bring on staff writers, use it as leverage for later projects or eventually- would you consider selling the blog if it’s successful?
- Define Your Goals. Do you hope to blog for extra income or to build a portfolio, or are you hoping to get recognized by a potential hiring managers for your dream company?
If you think you’ve picked your ideal niche, see what other bloggers on your topic have been able to do- how they’ve monetized, what other media they offer (podcasts, blogs, ebooks), and what networks they’ve joined and how they build community around their topic to see what appeals to you.
Try not to overwhelm yourself in the beginning with decisions- your blog will evolve as time goes on and you get a feel for it.
Your tone and style will develop as you become more knowledgeable about your topic and the logistics of blogging- but set your intentions early on, even if you decide to change them.
Making key distinctions about your intended topic, audience, tone will help you set your blog up for success by having a clear purpose and message to potential readers that will radiate in all you do. Again, and I cannot emphasize this enough- do NOT stress yourself out about having everything mapped out but do not underestimate the power of having a goal for your blog, even if you have to change it as you become more experienced!
