In my previous post I helped you figure out why you wanted to start a blog. Today we’ll get a little deeper and get some ideas on finding your blogging niche once you create your blog. I'll take you through the process of choosing what subjects to blog about and how to narrow it down to a few important niches that will keep your content focused and relevant instead of general and boring. I've put together a free printable worksheet to walk you through the process (you can find it at the end of the post). Once you complete it you'll know exactly what to write about and have ideas for your first 10 blog posts!
Figuring out what to blog about might seem a little intimidating at first, but it’s not, I promise!
Once you figure out why you want to start a blog, there are a lot of different directions you can take, but the point is to pick at least one and go with it.
Be Specific on What You Should Blog About
One of the biggest mistakes beginning bloggers make is being too general with their subject matter. To get traffic and make income from your blog, you want to appeal to as many people as you can, so you write content that applies to everybody. But in the end your content ends up being so general that it appeals to nobody.
Don't fall into that trap!
Finding your blogging niche works so much better. People would much rather read something very specific and helpful rather than info that generally applies to everybody.
It’s much better to have a blog that’s a mile deep and an inch wide than one that is a mile wide and an inch deep.
Completing the free printable worksheet (below) will help you narrow down your subject and refine your goals for what you should blog about , plus you’ll have solid ideas for your first 10 blog posts!
Here’s What I Did
Let’s use me as an example.
I write about personal finance. Of course, that’s a pretty general subject. But within that broad subject I’ve narrowed my focus to several important areas.
- Getting out of debt
- Biblical financial principles
- Making extra money
- Saving more money
First, Pick a General Topic for What to Blog About
So now that you’ve seen my example, here are some general subject areas for you to think about. Once you decide on a general subject area for your blogging niche, then you can narrow it down from there.
Obviously, you’re not limited to just the subjects below. Your subject can be anything you want it to be. These are just a list you can use to get some ideas:
- Cooking
- DIY
- Animals
- Scrapbooking
- Inspiration
- Health and Fitness
- Travel
- Video Gaming
- Relationships
- Music
- Careers
- Politics
- Family
- Parenting
- Crafts
- Entrepreneurship
- Software Coding
- Human Resources
- Personal Finance
Or anything else you can think of, it’s totally up to you!
Now It’s Time to Niche it Down
Once you’ve decided on a general subject, It’s time to niche it down to a few narrow subjects to focus on within that broad subject area you chose.
For example, let’s say you decided to blog about Lifestyle. That’s a tremendously broad subject that can take you in a million different directions.
So now let’s think about some niches within the Lifestyle category that you might enjoy writing about.
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Write About Niches That Interest You
It’s important to think about what you’re truly interested in. The more excited and passionate you are about a subject, the better you’ll be able to attract a following to your blog because that excitement comes through in your writing.
Now you can list out subcategories you’re interested in within the Lifestyle category. For instance:
- Living in the South
- Beach living
- Living on a houseboat
- Tiny house living
- Travelling full time
- Living with extended family
- Country living
- Frugal living
- Farm living
- Living off the grid
- Mountain living
- Small town living
- Apartment living
- Urban living
List out as many of these subcategories you can think of, then proceed to the next step.
Narrow it Down to Find Your Blogging Niche
Once you’ve come up with as many subcategories as you can think of, it’s time to eliminate most of them in order to find your blogging sweet spot.
Narrow it down to 4 or 5 niches you’d really like to blog about.
For instance, let’s say you live on a farm in the south and you really enjoy country décor.
So you can choose to narrow your blog’s focus to:
- Country living
- Farm life
- Country décor
- Small town living
- Living in the South
Finding your bloggin niche by narrowing your subject matter down helps you find subjects that work together well and keep you focused.
You Don’t Have to Be an Expert or Have a Degree
One thing I want you to understand is that you don’t have to have a college degree to blog about a subject you’re interested in. Heck, you don’t even have to be an expert in what you’re blogging about!
The only real prerequisite is that you have an interest in it and you’re willing to spend time researching and writing about it.
Remember, even if you only know a little about what you’re writing about, there is always someone who knows less and can learn from you.
Over time your audience will grow and evolve with you as you write more posts and build an email list. As you learn more, teach them what you learn. Maybe you can even make some money as a new blogger. Everybody wins!
Now, download my free printable to help you find your blogging niche, then I’ll see you tomorrow for the next lesson in your free course.
This post is part of my How to Start a Blog email free email course. If you're interested in blogging and would like to take the course you can sign up here or use the form below.
Check out my 8 best tips to get your new blog started right
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