By Not Finding Your Blogging Niche
Most experts agree that finding your blogging niche is the starting point of a successful blog. Find something you’re good at or know a lot about, they say, and simply write.
I didn’t find my blogging niche!
A few years ago I blundered into my blog-world the same way I blunder through life. I didn’t read the instructions first – I just did it.
Everything starts with an idea – sometimes not even a substantial one – more like a whim. And then before I know it, I’m up to my neck in it, for better or for worse. Yep, relationships were no exception.
It’s only when I failed that I took the time to find and read the instructions.
Who are you writing for?
Find a niche, they said, and write.
I tried.
I signed up for a couple of Ultimate Blog Challenges (UBC). The challenge is to write a blog a day, for the entire month. You can either free-write or follow the prompts that Paul sends out.
Sometimes the prompts are life-savers, especially when you can’t think of anything to write about. At other times they are like being on the ocean in a boat with a hole in it. No matter how much water you bale out, you’re still sinking.
Some blog posts were easy to write.
Others not only sank, but almost swallowed me up as well. Especially a recent blog that is still sitting in my Draft Folder. The only reason it didn’t suffer the ‘delete’ function is because I’d put so much work into it.
Is it just about your blogging niche?
According to the experts, finding your blogging niche forms the basis of a successful blog.
I’d like to take that a step further.
You have to honour your writing style. No matter how good your niche is, if you don’t apply your unique writing style, it probably won’t work.
My writing style is me. It’s what carries my passion to the screen or page.
I’ve clocked up a few miles around this planet in my lifetime and I was convinced my blogging niche was in the travel field. I love writing about where I’ve been and the adventures I’ve had.
But recently I tried a serious approach to a prompt on the UBC. It sank faster than a lead balloon. I mean, it was rotten to the core. It’s the one I mentioned earlier – the one sitting in my Drafts Folder. I will resurrect it one day. And I’ll rewrite it in my writing style.
I found my niche!
My writing style – the one I’m most comfortable with – is conversational. It’s pretty much the way I’d say it if I was having a conversation with you. Kind of casual. And probably way too wordy…. But I’m working on that – trust me!
When that great (potential) work of art flopped, I figured it out. I can write about something I’m passionate about, but if I try coming at it from a formal perspective, it ain’t gonna work. And that pièce de résistance will be stuck there in draft format until I rewrite it in my style.
Once I figured out my style, and how important it is, I figured out my blogging niche.
For me, it isn’t about finding a single topic or theme, it’s about writing about anything. As long as I use my writing style! It’s kind of like my niche style, I guess.
It works when I use my writing style to write about anything
By not finding my blogging niche – I found my blogging niche!
Yep – I think that’s going to take another blog to explain – another day….