Alright, guys, we are back again for another installment of my Friday Blogging Tips! Today we are going to discuss one of the most common blogging questions I have heard lately. Do I need a niche? Well, friends, the answer isn’t as simple as it may seem. While yes, you should have a niche, in my opinion, you don’t have to be as narrow as many others will tell you to be.
Do I Need A Niche?
So right around the time you are setting up your first blog, you will need to choose a niche. Most of the time, your niche will determine your name as well as all of the content you will be producing. Having a niche is important, as it allows you to target a specific audience, but is there such a thing as too targeted?
Why You Need A Niche
First, we are going to start out by answering the most basic of questions, ” do I need a niche?”. As I mentioned before, the answer is yes…but why? Well, a niche allows you to target a specific audience. Without a clear idea of what your blog is about, readers will most likely not return after reading one article. The goal is that everything flows together which would allow for a reader to scroll through and read multiple of your articles in one visit.
Not Narrow Enough
Now, you don’t want to be too broad with your writing. If you are too broad then people will feel confused and they probably will lose interest quickly. One example of that is a mom blog doing video game reviews. To me, that doesn’t make a ton of sense, unless it is targeted at gamer moms maybe… Anyways, don’t be TOO broad, because it can hurt your chances of having people come back to your site.
Too Narrow
On the other hand, you don’t want to be too narrow either. While this may go against what so many other influencers will say, I personally like a broader blog. I am a ” mom blogger”. I target mothers, especially mothers of younger kids who want to work from home. That is decently broad and allows me to post what I feel like. Everything from recipes, to parenting tips, travel, and work-from-home advice can be found in my blog. In my video, I go into more detail on this but having a slightly more broad range really works for me personally.
Know Your Voice
The most important part of choosing a niche is knowing your voice. This may take some time to refine, but you need to know what you want to write about and who you want to speak to. As I mention in my video, I try to speak to mothers like myself, so I write things that I know would entice me to click on them. Your voice won’t be perfect and refined at first, and that is okay. You may bounce around until you find what works, and that is okay too. Just get out there and write though! Search for your voice, find your audience, and just go for it!
No matter if you are a new blogger or a seasoned one, it is never too late to learn something new!
Jessi is the creative mind behind The Coffee Mom, a popular blog that combines parenting advice, travel tips, and a love for all things Disney. As a trusted Disney influencer and passionate storyteller, Jessi’s authentic insights and relatable content resonate with readers worldwide.
I think niche’s are really important and help bloggers stand out of the thousands of others. Such a great topic and post!
It’s really hard to learn how to define your own voice. For me, it took awhile and now it makes total sense.
I am still finding my voice. I have been really trying to focus more on what I want to say. That said I like so much it is really hard.
I think knowing your audience is important. If someone is coming back because of your humor or your advice you kind of need to stick to it.
I struggled with this when I began blogging. I had so many categories on my blog and didn’t know how to narrow it down. Once I learned what my audience wanted to hear, I was able to determine my niche. Thanks for sharing xx
Oh my gosh, I struggle with this! I know that I’m too broad right now and need to narrow down. But, then I can’t settle on what that means. I need some blog soul searching! ha!
Great tips and you are right – having a niche is important. I’ve been blogging since 2009 and when I first started it was all about a niche. After a few years the trend was to have broader content. Now it’s so saturated that you have to have a niche to be heard and found.
Like other commenters here, I’ve been blogging for a number of years, and this is something I really struggled with in the beginning. Over time, my content has focused and I’ve found my niche, but if you had asked me a few years ago where I thought the blog would be headed and compared that to where it actually is now, there would likely be some significant differences in focus. Life is full of surprises, so it’s good to leave room in your backpack for them.
I def have struggled a lot with this in the past. I’ve been too broad and wanted to do it all and then suddenly too specific hahah I think I found a happy balance now!
I’m working on narrowing down my niche and think it’s a great way to have a clear message! It definitely takes some time to discover what you want to write about that will also resonate with your readers.
When I first started by blog, I thought I knew exactly what i wanted it to be about. I’ve only had it for about 4 months and it’s already drastically changed. Now I finally have figured out my niche!
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