When I first started blogging, I made a huge list of topics I knew quite a bit about and could help others with. Unfortunately, my mistake was one that many beginning bloggers and writers know all too well – when you spread your knowledge too thin across multiple subjects, you end up not being particularly well known for any of them. Instead, your writing comes across as a mish-mash of thoughts and ramblings, and neither you, nor your readers, have any real idea what your expertise is.
The solution to all this scattered writing? Finding and capitalizing on a niche.
Of course, there’s no shortage of software, websites and guides all written to help you find a niche, however, you don’t really need any of them. Computer programs and web services are great at sifting through and organizing keyword searches, and that can tell you the potential for new markets, but the real answer to “how to find a niche” comes from YOU.
What Drives You to Write?
What is it that you love to write about? What kinds of posts really resonate with you or your readers? What do you feel you could truly make a difference with, just by words alone? Make a list or brainstorm possible subjects, and be detailed. If your blog is about horses, ask yourself what it is about them that specifically strikes that “vibe” in you. It could be showing, racing, grooming or even talking about a certain breed. But go even deeper – such as asking yourself, what is it about showing horses that you truly enjoy? Why?
What if My Niche is Still Too Saturated?
If you’ve done this little exercise and come up with a niche that has lots of competition – that’s actually a good thing! That means there are people out there who are interested in, and possibly willing to pay for information related to the subject. If your niche is ultra-competitive, consider a way that you could put your unique spin, experience or angle onto it. For example, “internet marketing” is extremely crowded, and has been since the early days of the web. Yet there are people starting blogs on this very subject every day, and bringing their own perspective to it while creating a loyal legion of fans and followers.
So ask yourself, what could you bring to your niche that no one else has? If you can’t think of anything, could you build upon someone else’s work or update a relatively old post from someone else whose work you admire? (Just be sure to credit the original author!) The truth is – there’s no new “idea” that hasn’t already been done, somewhere, by someone. But putting a fresh new perspective to it can attract a whole new audience.
The final word is this – when you combine your passion for a particular subject with an audience that’s willing to pay for such advice, you’ll find that you quickly ratchet up quite a few notches on the authority ladder – an enviable position that can’t be quickly usurped by writers looking solely to the latest fads and trends.
Give these tips a try and watch as all kinds of great niche ideas open up, ready for you to step up and claim them as your own.
Sherice Jacob is the author of “Get Niche Quick!” – A step by step guide to discovering the perfect niche and building a thriving online business around it. To download the first two chapters free of charge, visit www.getnichequick.com.
