I haven’t set up my own blog yet; I’m stuck on a decision I have to make before I can really begin. How do I figure out what topic I should blog about? There seem to be blogs on pretty much every topic imaginable, so I know I could write about any topic, but how do I figure out what kinds of topics people would be interested in reading about? – Christopher
This is such a great question, Christopher, and one that many people have. Here’s my encouragement to you and anyone else who is considering starting a blog and wondering what topic would be good for them to choose as their focus:
Take out a sheet of paper or open up a blank page on your computer screen and answer these questions. There are no right or wrong answers. Just write exactly what comes to mind in answer to these — anything and everything you think of:
- What do you love?
- What are your interests?
- What are your hobbies?
- What words come to mind to describe you?
- What unique life perspective do you have?
- What could you talk about for hours and not get tired of?
After you’ve done this exercise, then wait a few days and take out another sheet of people or start a new page on your computer and ask a few close friends and/or family members to go through the questions with you giving their answers and input.
A
t the end of all of this, you should see some themes emerging and this should give you some direction for where to go with your blog.
One important note: I believe that the most successful bloggers are people who solve a problem, provide hope, and/or meet a need. When you are considering what you should focus on when you blog, make sure that you are seeking to do at least one of these things through your writing. If not, I encourage you to go back to the drawing board.
Here are a few things to consider:
1. You don’t have to pick just one topic.
While there is definitely a place for a very niche blog, I think it’s much easier to choose a focus for your blog that encompasses at least a few different topics.
This not only makes your blog more appealing to a wider audience, but it also provides you with more blogging options and it makes it less likely for you to run out of post ideas within a few months!
2. The best way to learn is to just start writing.
I’m a big fan of just jumping in and learning as you go. Yes, it’s good to have an idea in mind of where you’re headed for the first few months. And no, I don’t recommend publicly announcing your blog when you haven’t even written one post. However, don’t sit around and spend hours agonizing over a topic — just jump in and start writing posts.
Here’s the thing: It’s hard to really know what works best until you just get out there and try it. I would have never guessed that I would love writing on some of the topics I’m passionate about today. And I certainly would have never guessed that so many people would have been so wildly interested in certain topics.
Had I sat and planned and brainstormed and mapped out and goal-set and analyzed and never just DONE SOMETHING, I wouldn’t have figured out what I loved to write about or what the market wanted.
So truly, just go for it. Start writing posts. Try different kinds of styles of posts.
Experiment with different topic angles. Keep learning, keep tweaking, keep observing what’s hitting a nerve and what’s not. And then keep doing what works and let go of the things that don’t work.
3. It’s perfectly acceptable to change your focus down the road.
When I started my first blog, I would have never dreamed that I would someday be writing about saving money and helping people make money blogging. At the time, we were just trying to make ends meet financially. I had just had my first child, and I was trying to figure out how I could make enough money from home to keep our family afloat financially while allowing me to still be a stay-at-home mom.
In the beginning, I was not in a position to be blogging about making money from blogging because I wasn’t really making any money from blogging then! So when I started, I just tried out a lot of different topics. In fact, my blog was so eclectic that I really couldn’t tell you what the focus of it was.
I had a lot of learning to do and a lot of life to live. But honing and sharpening my writing and thinking skills by blogging about whatever I was passionate about that day was one of the best exercises for a budding blogger. Not only did I quickly discover how little I knew, I also discovered there were a lot of topics I shouldn’t be blogging on — because I had no life experience to bring to the table!
As I continued to experiment, I slowly learned things that worked, learned areas I was qualified to write on, and developed a better understanding of what kind of blogging focus was a good fit for me. It took me a few years, though, and lots of writing and trial and error to find that happy medium.
Choose some topics you think will be a good fit for you, jump out there and start writing about them, and keep learning and tweaking as you go. I’m cheering for your success!
What advice do the rest of you have for Christopher? If you’re a blogger, how did you choose the focus of your blog? I’d love to hear!
I’ve read the ‘Beginner’ articles and appreciate the information. This may sound like a stupid question, but where is the best place to start blogging? On social media, a personal website, a site already set up for bloggers, or ???
We have some more in-depth courses coming soon on how to set up your blog, etc., but for now, here’s a simple overview (scroll to the bottom of the post): http://yourbloggingmentor.com/make-full-time-income-blogging-story/
So good, Crystal! Initially I spent SO much time planning and analyzing everything about blogging. I’m now a much more by-the-seat-of-my-pants blogger, but I’m also happier and feel like I’m blogging more about the things I truly care about.
I love this! Thanks for sharing!
I worked hard to keep my blogging topics really broad. And by “worked hard,” I mean that I fought tooth and nail against making my mission statement too specific and limiting. LOL But over time, I’m finding that my readers are most encouraged by my posts on overcoming overwhelm in their homes. They appreciate that I’m struggling right along with them and that I don’t talk from a place of perfection. It matters to them that I “get it.” But they don’t care much about my commentary on kids or marriage or homeschooling. They have other places to find help with those things. So, while I can write about whatever I want (hey, it’s MY blog after all!), I’m learning that it’s actually freeing to limit myself to what my readers want from me. But it took me a LONG TIME to come to this realization, and it was only after writing about a bunch of different things that I could see which posts were driving traffic and reaching people in the middle of their need.
I love how you came to this by just jumping out and writing! That’s almost always the best way to learn what works for you and what works best for your audience. Way to go!
Even though I have been blogging 3 years, I was so all over the place, that in many ways I’m still a beginner. I have very much learned as I’ve gone. Totally agree that you just gotta jump in there.
I’m the same way! I’ve made a lot of mistakes but also learned a lot of lessons I never would have learned had I sat on the sidelines and waited to jump in until I was “ready”.
My blog is very much in the newborn phase. My main focus is growing the inner homemaker. I am figuring out that there is a big difference between being interested in something and writing about that interest. I am still trying to figure out how to make the topics more relevant and applicable to my readers.
My blog began because of having to be on modified bedrest for the greater part of my pregnancy. At first I began using my downtime to write in my journal, but my husband challenged me to find a project with an end product and the Lord prompted me to start blogging. Since I am unable to perform normal household tasks right now, I wanted to explore how I could still grow as a homemaker.
“I am figuring out that there is a big difference between being interested in something and writing about that interest.”
YES! That is so true!
I haven’t started a blog yet. I am still trying to figure out what I want to say. I have a lot of interests, not really many that I feel like an “expert” though. I have written a few trial posts. But I just feel kind of stuck too. Maybe I just need to dive in and start writing! I also need to block off some time for just writing with NO distractions. Thanks for writing this blog!
Yes! Just dive in and do it!
Thank you for sharing these tips. I really appreciate you taking the time to encourage those of us who are at the beginning of our journey. I have been writing on my blog for 6 years now. I don’t write every week. I am so grateful that you started this blog so I can learn more.
You’re so welcome! Thank you for your encouragement!
I started blogging ten years ago when we started our international adoption journey as a way to keep family and friends updated. Now, on the other side of that adoption journey, I am realizing that I want to take my blog in another direction. Looking forward to gleaning insight from you, Crystal, via this new blog! Also relieved to know that I don’t have to “niche-down” and be super specific — because I am not one-dimensional and neither is my blog 🙂
Thanks so much for your encouragement! And welcome here!
Abby, that’s exactly where I am, too! My first blog was heavily driven by our international adoption experiences, but once all our kids were home and we were just living life, it was harder to focus on that one topic. I am now thinking about starting a new blog with a new focus, but not sure what that focus will be yet. Crystal, thanks for the questions to help get me thinking!
You are so welcome!
I really appreciate everyone giving their personal stories and advice. As someone who has always wanted to start a blog but felt that I wasn’t an expert in any one particular area, I felt at a loss. But now knowing that I AM able to speak about a few areas that really interest me is really liberating. Thank you all so much – and thank you, Crystal, for staring your blogging university!
You are so welcome!
First of all thank you for your posts, lots of food for thought.
My problem isn’t so much about having things to blog about as I have a set of experiences unique to being my 61yo self. My stumbling block is simply-writing. I wrote papers in college, but projecting your personality, making sure the grammar and punctuation are correct is a completely different talent! Do you find someone to edit your work? Thanks for everything you do!
I think the best way to improve as a writer is to write something every single day and also to surround yourself with good writing. It IS helpful to have someone edit your work at least a few times as this will help you get an idea of what types of mistakes you consistently make and can work to change/improve in those areas.
Thank you for your response. Very helpful!
Hey Crystal. I really appreciate that you are not for niching way, way down. Everyone touts that it’s best to niche down as far as you can go, but I don’t necessarily agree with that either. My blog is about a handful of helpful topics for my readers, work-life balance, blogging, inspiration, chronic illness, etc. Your readers are not one dimensional and only interested in one thing. If you can tie your categories together to make your blog cohesive, then you are golden 🙂
So true! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Crystal! My biggest concern is putting myself out there for the public to see. I’m a pretty private person and I don’t share a lot on my Facebook page because of that. I’m a little scared to put my family in the public eye too because I’m concerned for their safety. But I have a love for writing and helping others. I’ve wanted to start a blog for years now. Do you have any suggestions? And how do you keep your family safe?
I’m going to be doing a post on this soon, but for now I’ll just say this: You can totally have a blog without putting your family in the public eye. For instance, this blog talks very little about my family because it is focused on a specific topic — blogging.
Also, I’m careful about what I’ll share about where we live, my kids’ activities, etc. I also am careful about photos I share that might show something (a street sign, part of our front yard, etc.) that I wouldn’t want the whole internet to know. 🙂
Thank you, Crystal, for responding and for the tips! Looking forward to reading your post about this when it comes out. I took the first step and signed up with Bluehost. I found out about the special pricing they were offering through your MoneySavingMom emails so thank you so much for that. You are such an inspiration to me and I’ve learned so much already from you! God bless you!
Yay! And congratulations!!!
Really enjoyed reading this and shared it for others. It’s hard trying to decide what to blog about sometimes. This will certainly help!
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
I have been looking at what is/isn’t working in my blogging (which, admittedly, has been minimal the last couple of years) and my podcasting, as I have not generated much of an audience with either platform. This post has given me a great deal of hope as well as some jumping off points for where/how I should focus my efforts. Thanks!
Yay! I’m so glad!
Also, I’m doing a series on my Your Blogging Mentor Instagram stories this week on ways to get more traffic that don’t cost any money: https://www.instagram.com/yourbloggingmentor/ I eventually plan to turn it into a post and possibly a course, but I’m starting with doing it on stories as I flesh out the content and get input from followers on it!
Thanks a lot.
Thank you so much for this. I remember I didn’t get many things in place before I started. I just began and it’s working.
My only challenge is, I’ve never been able to effectively any the question: what do you blog about?
My blog is majorly about my life’s experience and others too. But the blog posts are not so coordinated yet. How do I get more streamlined?
I’m a lot like Jessica, I’m very private and I’m afraid to put things out there in the public world as well. I just joined Facebook a couple of weeks ago and only because I had to, the world seems to revolve around Facebook.
My other concern was that everyone always said that you have to niche all the way down and not be all over the place. So I’ve been sitting on my blog for about a year trying to figure out what to niche all the way down to. This blog post came at the most perfect time. Thank you 🙂 I’m just going to jump in and have fun.
This specific article was very helpful for me to read. I have been a website designer for years, helped many people set up blogs, and always wanted to start my own blog. I started a few times, but just couldn’t sustain the blog. The idea never has left my mind however. Recently, it has been growing. But I have this very question: what to blog about. I have so many interests, and quite a few things to possibly offer. I think I will take your advice and answer the 6 questions you recommend, but also, just start doing it! Just start blogging! Thank you.