Deciding what topic you want to write about can be tough, but is a super important step to take when you first start blogging (or want to start another blog). I first struggled to come up with a decent topic for my own blogs. My first blog focused on television (created during my first semester of college)from a older teen/young adults perspective, and it did pretty miserably. Why? Probably because there are a lot of blogs/websites on TV, from Entertainment Weekly’s Inside TV to Television Without Pity.
Part of the reason I struggled was my niche perhaps wasn’t defined well enough. General TV is something that has been covered a lot, by larger, more popular blogs. I did however, get dozens upon dozens of hits when I posted an article and a video about how to copy a character from Glee’s hairstyle, something that had never been done before, so it landed a pretty high ranking on Google. But that in itself, although it brought in hits, wasn’t enough to make me successful.
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Finding a Niche
Instead, you’ll want to pick something that’s pretty small area of interest. For instance, I blog about ballerinas who began ballet as an adult. Another topic you could do would be ballet in Philadelphia. Or blog specifically about TV shows on Netflix. It needs to be a fairly small topic area, and preferably something that hasn’t been covered to death. TV, for instance, has been covered to death, but perhaps I could have worked harder at finding a more specific to topic, such as a specific genre of TV show that hadn’t been covered. While these things have some coverage on the main media circuits, they could still use some more.
What Interests You?
One of the most important things about picking a blog topic is picking something that interests you. You’re never going to want to write blog posts if you don’t pick something that you like. Although you might think that writing about something, make sure it’s something you can truly be passionate about. 5 Tips to Choosing a Blog Topic lists some great questions you can ask yourself before committing yourself to a specific topic. It should be something that you’re passionate about, can easily discuss with people, as well as be something you’re not overly sensitive about.
One of the easiest things to do is think about what your hobbies and passions are. I discovered that I really enjoyed watching TV in my spare time, so it was something I decided I might like writing about. When I created my second niche topic blog last year, I settled on ballerinas who started as adults, since I was passionate about my adult ballet topics.
If you’re not sure where you want to go, consider starting a personal “lifestyle” type blog first. Although you may not get many hits, you’ll have a more general topic range in which you are free to cover. Start writing about a few different things and discover what it is you love to write about most. This is primarily how Adult Ballerina Project was born. I started generally writing about my life and writing and ballet, and then discovered there was a lot to be written about in the adult ballet niche.
Who Else Writes About This?
Do some research to see what other blogs you can find that are about similar topics to your blog. Don’t worry if you find some that are similar–they can help you to network more and find more readers for your own blog. You can also figure out what’s already being written about and how can and expand or narrow in on a topic.
I originally started Adult Ballerina Project after realizing while a lot of my fellow bloggers were writing about their personal experiences with ballet and their personal lives, but no one was really regularly interviewing ballerinas or instructors or running a magazine-type website, so I decided to start one.
Don’t Be Afraid to Change or Expand
I’ve know a lot of fellow bloggers that have wanted to change their topics or expand a little bit–most of them are too afraid and worried about losing followers/having to start over again. If you’re not happy with what you’re writing about, try something new out. Start a new blog, or if your topic only expands a little, start writing about that topic on your current blog and see how your readers react. There’s no harm in trying something out. I’ve recently expanded to include a lot of information about eating well and cross-training for ballet.
When it comes down to it, if you’re not happy with what you are writing about, you’re not going to want to do it, and you’re not going to be successful.
How did you pick your blog’s niche topic?
About Carson Derrow
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