Ready for our second lesson?
When it comes to blogging, the possibilities are endless. You can blog about literally anything, you can blog about things like:
-FASHION
-COOKING
-PARENTING
-HEALTH & FITNESS
-RELATIONSHIPS
-PERSONAL FINANCE
-BOOKS
-BEAUTY
-KNITTING
-LIFESTYLE
-TECHNOLOGY
-ART
-TRAVEL
-SELF-IMPROVEMENT
-COMICS
… and the list goes on and on. The important thing, and something I tell all new bloggers, is that you focus on something you like, something you’re passionate about, or something you’re good at. By focusing on something you’re passionate about, you set yourself up for success because you will never get bored.
A lot of pro bloggers will also tell you that you need a very specific niche, in order to make “real” money or have a “successful” blog.
I happen to disagree. Here’s why:
I started as a beauty blogger, writing exclusively about skincare and makeup. After a couple of years, I really got into self-development and was toying with the idea of adding a few other categories to my blog, like “self-growth” and “girl-talk.” At the same time, I was constantly receiving emails from my readers and other bloggers asking about my photography (which I also learned during my first few years of blogging; to be honest, my photography beginnings were pretty embarrassing). Then I thought: “well, but I’m a beauty blogger, how can I write about self-improvement or photography? Who am I to give people advice?”
Finally, I decided to publish my first Photography post back in 2014, and my blog stats exploded!! I simply shared what I learned, using my own words, examples, making photography a bit easier to understand than your standard camera manual. I then started writing about personal development, often sharing my own journey, and tips I’ve learned along the way- that’s when everything changed.
My blog started to get a ton of attention, my articles were being featured on other sites like BuzzFeed, Bloglovin’, Flipboard, Yahoo, and, I finally started making money blogging. That was the moment when I realized “wow, you really CAN make money doing something you love, while also having fun!”
See, most of the biggest blogs out there, have no niche. What they do instead, is help others solve some kind of a problem- which is what I started doing when transitioning into a lifestyle blog. Each of the categories on those blogs, are their own “mini” niches. If you want to create a profitable blog, you want to help people with something, you want to create value.
I know what you might be thinking right now: “well… I can’t teach anyone anything!”
WRONG!
YES, you can! We all have something special to offer to this world. We are all unique and special in our own way.
Remember, you don’t have to be an expert at anything! I mean, look at me, 5 years ago I knew NOTHING about blogging or photography, yet today, hundreds of thousands of people read my tips on both.
That, is one of the best things about blogging- you get to constantly learn new things! Getting to share that knowledge with others is incredibly rewarding.
So, here’s a little homework for you: take a minute to write down a few things you think you’d like to blog about. What are some things you love to do? What are some things you love to talk about? What is it that you’re good at?
I’ll see you in tomorrow’s lesson!
Paula at Thirteen Thoughts
PS: If you want to start your blogging journey ASAP, you can go ahead and read my How To Start A WordPress Blog Tutorial and start your blog in about 10 minutes!