When I first started to blog in 2010, I invited my friends to give me feedback. After the initial oohs and aahs the one thing that most of them pointed at was – that I was trying to write a whole blog about jewelry and accessories and if I was smart I would write about other topics too and convert it to a lifestyle blog. This was a little before the epic jewelry craze, at a time when practically no Indian jewelry blogs existed and lifestyle blogging was the ‘in thing’.
Even though I was tempted to create a lifestyle blog, I stuck to writing a niche blog because that is what I believed in. The journey hasn’t been without its share of doubts and failures but it has indeed been very interesting.
As a newbie blogger, when I was confused about the route I wanted to take in blogging, I asked myself these questions and they helped me decide. If you are bewildered like I was once, you could try it too.
1. What is your expectation from your blog? Do you I want to (a) Use it to chiefly promote your work/brand (b) Blog so as to share ideas, reviews, inspiration, or real information pertaining in a field (c) Only make money (d) Blog as just a hobby or a way to pass time
2. How much time and resource can you allocate? Blogging is an intensive job that requires a lot of effort and dedication
3. Do you want to be an expert Niche blogger or a lifestyle blogger or a little bit of both? The first two are great ways to blog, but I wouldnt recommend the third option
Though the first two questions are completely for you to think about (remember that there is no right or wrong answer) I can help out a bit with the third. A niche blog, which is ‘the trend now’ is an extremely focused blog on a particular topic which answers a question for the reader. It could be a solution, a recipe, a tutorial, an idea, an inspiration or even pure hardcore information within the niche. Lifestyle blogs on the other hand are all about connection.
The internet is filled with articles of how Niche blogging is mainly for making money but you get a lot of connections with lifestyle blogging which is somewhat incorrect. Like everything else, both have pros as well as cons and as a Niche blogger, here is my analysis of Why you should or should not be a Niche blogger
Pros:
1. You get to write about a topic that you are really passionate about and inspire people which is really satisfying
2. You get to befriend similar minded people even if they are halfway across the globe
3. Chances of getting recognized with respect to that topic/genre are high without getting lost in the crowd
4. Niche blogs pave the way for other opportunities like paid guest blogging, columns in magazines or newspapers, appearances on shows and maybe even a book deal. Most of my writing jobs, press features and even a TV appearance came to me through my blog.
5. You get great free products & Supplies for reviews and with supplies you get to keep or sell the finished products that you make.
6. Money inflow from category targeted ads and affiliate product recommendations could be high depending on your niche and the type of readers you have
Cons:
1. To write a lot on a topic, you either need to be an expert in it or be willing to work really hard to do research and provide a variety of interesting information to your readers. Though some people (like me) would really love this, it can get a little tedious if you don’t have a lot of time to devote to your blogging
2. It could get boring at times for your readers and you might lose a little crowd now and then
3. If you live in a place where there are few manufactures or distributors corresponding to your niche you might not be offered any products or supplies for review, even if you have a great blog. I have experienced this firsthand as there aren’t too many craft or jewelry supplies manufactures in India who do internet advertising and are willing to work with bloggers. Also if your readers are looking for serious academic content on your blog and you have shopping ads all over, you might not get any revenue from it
4. Competition from biggies in the field
So that pretty much sums up both the pros and cons of having a niche blog. Regardless of what the trend is, I think you should follow you heart when it comes to blogging and if you choose to do niche blogging, I hope that the things I shared help you. Cheers!
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October 1, 2013 @ 9:05 am
Hey Thanks for an opportunity to post here
October 1, 2013 @ 10:41 am
You are always welcome. As a niche blogger myself on my sewing site, I really appreciate your point of view on this. I have found that a smaller niche is actually more profitable because you get more engaged readers who are really interested in your subject. Thanks for writing for MMM.
October 1, 2013 @ 7:22 pm
I started out as a niche blogger…shopping, saving and sharing. I still cover those topics but now more which makes me a Lifestyle Blogger of sorts!
October 2, 2013 @ 5:05 pm
Food for thought!! I often fail to find answer to the question.. ‘What do you blog about?’
Primarily because I blog about every thing under the sun that interests me and I like it that way. Since money making or setting my foot in a particular market is not on my list as of now.. I prefer my way of blogging. But niche blogging would definitely be on the top pf the list, the day I give arts & crafts a business thought.
October 3, 2013 @ 12:21 pm
I came here from the Lambert’s Lately link party. Thank you so much for your article! I just got back into blogging after a year break and it’s hard at times to keep focus on what I actually want to blog about. I loved your input!!
October 4, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
Hello I am Ciara from Teaspoon of life. I stopped by from the pin junkie link party. I am fairly new to blogging so I wasn’t quite sure what a niche was (that’s what caught my attention).
I can see how that would be a better idea. My blog is primarily about food but on occasion I shake it up and do a life/mommy post, but I think it’s ok every now and then.
I really loved your article though, because when I first started I wanted to write about everything but narrowed it down a lot!
October 4, 2013 @ 9:09 pm
Hey Sayuri! I have had this problem. I could not find that one thing I am really passionate about. which I could write for ages. So I picked my favorite subject.. Me! And I write practically everything under the sun!
Ayesha
October 4, 2013 @ 9:48 pm
I write very much a NICHE blog… It’s great because it truly narrows my focus in terms of what I should make videos/write about… However, it really limits me when it comes to try to earn money. People sell e-books, etc, I don’t really have a way of writing an e-book to be honest, but honestly, I am okay with not making too much money from my blog (okay… er, uh… Maybe I take that back? LOL)… Because I really just love to blog and entertain people and I truly think that’s what I am doing! 🙂
October 5, 2013 @ 7:06 am
Just took a look at your site. Its a great combination of informative, educational and hilarious. I never knew all those facts about your mystery fish. I’ll certainly be reading more. Thanks for your comment.
October 5, 2013 @ 7:35 pm
I’ve only been blogging for a month and wasn’t actually sure what “niche blogging” was. You have some good points in this post. I guess I’m a niche blogger, since my blog is all about homeschooling, but there are so many topics I can cover under homeschooling! I have been thinking about how to make my blog unique. Some way to make my blog stand out from the many, many other homeschool blogs out there. This post gave me some more to think about 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I found your post through Paula’s No Rules Weekend Blog Party.
October 5, 2013 @ 9:14 pm
Thanks for the summary. I’m a craft blogger. 🙂 Linda
October 6, 2013 @ 8:36 am
Those Halloween Mason Jars are so funny – looks like the little ghosts are screaming to be let out!
October 6, 2013 @ 11:14 am
I think some of the cool things about being a niche blogger is that 1) you can position yourself as an expert and 2) you always know what your content will be. Thanks for sharing at All Things Pretty!
October 9, 2013 @ 12:15 pm
I guess I have a niche blog. I blog about real food. The nice thing about niche, like others have said, is that it is easy to focus and create a blog plan. I do allow myself maybe 20% other topics. So I might throw in a homemade product or a other story that is not food related, but for the most part I stick on topic.