Why I Don't Think You Have to Have a Niche to Be a Successful Blogger

One question I've received from a couple different readers about blogging is:

"I DON’T FEEL LIKE MY BLOG HAS A NICHE. IS THAT OKAY?"

When I first started my blog, I subscribed to a bunch of blogs that were dedicated to the art and business of blogging. I read a lot of what they had to say, and I incorporated a lot of what they had to say.

I also ignored a fair amount of what they had to say.

All that stuff about having a niche? I think that definitely has its place in blogging, but I think that sometimes it’s overrated.

Because for me, I consider my niche to be “me.” Some days I write about food I make, other days crafts that I've created, other days how I'm living out and digging into my faith. It varies, and I do try to be consistent about that variety (making sure once a week I publish something that’s personal in nature or about my faith, something homemaking related, etc.).

So while there’s variety to the posts, they're still—well—all about me.

But that’s okay. I don't think there's anything wrong with just blogging about your life.

You know why? Because those are my favorite blogs to read, so that’s what kind of blog I write.

I think, all too often when we talk about the need for a niche, we think like if we were writing a non-fiction book or starting a magazine. It has to be about one specific subject and nothing more. So focus on finances or book reviews or cooking and that’s all.

For some people, that has worked beautifully for them and there are a lot of really successful financial and foodie blogs. (It should be noted that those kinds of blogs probably are easier to monetize, so if you're looking to turn your blog into a business, then perhaps focusing your writing on a single topic is something for you.)

What I’m saying though is that it doesn’t have to be that cut and dry. We can expand the idea of the niche and remember that what is so lovely about blogs is that they are inherently more personable and personality-infused than your typical media. There is much more room—and oftentimes more need—for the blogger to be transparent in his or her writing, so that you feel like you’re getting to know the person behind the post as much as you’re getting to know the content of the post itself.

Which is why I love blogs about people and their lives and their struggles and their triumphs and the chance to walk alongside them through it all. Which is what I’ve, consequently, tried to create here at my own blog.

Still, I do think there ought to be some order to the chaos, which is why I make it a point to keep my posts varied and make sure I hit all my bases—homemaking, faith-based, personal, craft or cooking—over the course of a week or two of posts.

So, all that to say. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with variety and a hodge podge of posts about your life. That can very well be a niche of its own!

This post is part of my Better Blogging series, where I respond to some of the most common questions that I receive about blogging. Feel free to read all of the posts in this series here.

Related Posts
Why I Started This Blog
My Advice About How to Improve Your Writing For Your Blog

4 comments:

  1. Thanks! That is exactly how I write too. If I wrote about one specific topic, I think I would run out of things to write about, but when you write about your life, you never run out of things because it is always changing.

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  2. phew! this was actually comforting. i've been trying to figure out what to do with my blog and sometimes it's tempting to look at other blogs and imitate them but i'm constantly being reminded to be myself.

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  3. I'm so glad you both enjoyed this post and found it encouraging!

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  4. I also want to say thank you! I'm new to blogging and was starting to wonder if I could make all of my interests fit together into one blog. But that's exactly it, it's about life and that means there's variety. Even with the limited experience I have however, I think I'd also stress that there needs to be "order to the chaos" otherwise people will get confused...

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