How To Pick a Subject For Your Blog

One of the questions that gives people a lot of trouble is how to decide on a subject for your blog.

First of all, people mistakenly are looking for a small “niche” for their blog. There is less competition in a small niche. Well, guess what? There are also a lot less people looking for the information in that small niche. What good is it to dominate a small niche, if you can’t make any money on it?

You have been told to shy away from writing about a subject that is already saturated. But I say, go for it! You may not dominate that subject, but you will still be successful.

Every person has their own take on a subject. If you write about what you know, experience, and believe, you will have unique articles and be discussing your subject from a unique viewpoint.

Here’s an example: I started a blog on weight loss (under a pen name, so you will not find it by searching for Pat Doyle). After only a couple of months, I was contacted by someone who wanted to interview me for a TV program! She had found me by searching for a particular thing related to weight loss. I was one of the top 3 for that term on google. Apparently, all the other thousands of weight loss blogs had not talked about this particular area.

Unfortunately, her TV show was in the Netherlands, and I am in the USA, so nothing came of it. But it just goes to show you that you can rank very highly for terms in your subject area after just a short time, no matter how much competition there is. I still get people searching for that term who find my blog on a regular basis.

The most important consideration in choosing a subject is your interest in it. If you don’t have a genuine interest in it, you will never last. You will start looking at updating your blog as a chore, and your posts will get less and less frequent.

Your posts also will be very stale and boring. It will show through in your writing if you have no interest in the subject. On the other hand, if you are passionate about your subject, your blogging will show it! You will attract readers and keep them because they will be attracted to your enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject.

Having knowledge of the subject is less important, as long as you are willing to learn. You can start by publishing what you do know and discuss what got you interested in the subject. Start reading other blogs on the subject, and do some research. Then blog about what you have found out. This is an excellent way to learn about a subject and create a great blog at the same time.

One mistake I would caution you about is this: don’t have a blog that does nothing but point to other articles by other people, with a few comments of your own. It is ok to do this on occasion, but if your whole blog is filled with this kind of thing, why would people read your blog? They will go and read the original sources.

You need to post your own opinions and experiences. That is what people are looking for – originality. Don’t worry if your opinions are different. The internet does not need another person parroting the same old accepted knowledge. What is needed is fresh ideas and perspectives.

Don’t be afraid – just do it! Pick a subject you are interested in, and start a blog today! You will be glad that you did.

- Pat Doyle