So...what is a niche? According to Dictionary.com, a niche is "having a specific appeal". In essence, this is the point of your blog.
Here are some questions to get you started figuring out what it is.1. What are you passionate about?
Do you like writing stories? Cooking? Fashion? DIY? Sewing? Lifestyle? Fitness? (More possibilities here) A combination of a few things? Write about what you love and make it passionate. It will show through your writing and make people want to read it.
2. Will you still be passionate about this topic in the future?
It's going to take a little while to grow an audience. You want to make sure that you will stay interested and passionate about this topic for a while to grow your audience. In addition, if you are going to spend hours designing and writing on your blog, why would you want to throw it away in a year or two?3. How will your blog be unique from others in the same niche?
There are a TON of blogs in the same niche as you. (Seriously. Anyone can start a blog who has an email and Internet access.) I bet I follow at LEAST 50 other writing blogs. There are even more than that too! According to Google, as of September 2014, there are over 1 billion websites. That's pretty much 1 website for every 7 people. Can you believe that? With so many websites people can go to, you HAVE to make yours stand out.
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How did you find your blogging niche? Have any tips to share? Any questions for bloggers?
Great post Alea! I knew I wanted to get free books, thus a review blog was the apparent choice. I turned it into a writing/review blog later.
ReplyDeleteAh yes. :) Free books are awesome!
DeleteI am a writing blogger. I write about writing, I ramble about writing, I breathe about writing. Writing, editing, character development, tropes, you name it, I'll probably talk about it. Occasionally I also talk about bookish things, but honestly, the two go hand-in-hand, in my opinion. As there are hundreds of other blogs like mine, I can't say mine stands out a lot. I honestly think that it isn't entirely about WHAT you say, but about HOW you say it. If someone is going to blog about writing, but they do it in the most boring, monotone fashion, I'm not going to be interested. If you're going to be funny, sarcastic, and interesting in how you write it, then I'm instantly hooked.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, Anna! How you say things really sets you apart. :) Thanks for bringing that up!
DeleteI started my blog as just a place where I could record what was going on and post about events that happened. Later on, it became more writing-based. The writing-ness started when I began posting serial stories (which are ATROCIOUSLY written. Seriously, I get embarrassed just reading them to myself) on my blog, and it escalated from there. Now I definitely know what my niche is: writing. For sure.
ReplyDeleteI think we all have those horrible cringe-worthy pieces of writing we hide away in a dark corner. :) If you ever decide to make your blog public, Savannah, I would love to read your posts!
DeleteAwesome post Alea! Quick question though...how do you make your blog stand out? I know looking professional helps, as well as having a good writing style,etc. Just want to know how you do it. =)
ReplyDeleteHavingaHeartLikeHis.blogspot.com
Well...I try to have a professional design that invites people into the leaves of it's Elvish forest and trap them there so they will never leave. Mwahahahaha. xP Just kidding. I try to make my blog a welcoming place where people can ask for help, find posts that are actually helpful, and have fun being a writer/reader/fangirl!
DeleteYou blog really does that!!! =)
DeleteYour blog provided us with valuable information to work with. Each & every tips of your post are awesome. Thanks a lot for sharing. Keep blogging..
ReplyDeleteWebdesign