This post was most recently updated on August 2nd, 2016
The “3 Steps To Selecting A Blogging Niche” I’m about to share come as a result of years of experience.
In other words, they didn’t come from my conference notes, and they’re not a condensation of the first chapter of a “how to blog” course.
This was just a natural process for me, and you might find it works for you.
When I first started blogging, I had no idea what I was doing.
I heard people talking about niche selection but it seemed to be mostly a matter of “blog about something you like.”
So, I did what a lot of people do I suppose.
I blogged about me.
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I told people who I was and why I decided to start blogging.
The truth is, though, I didn’t really have any clear idea of where I was heading.
You see, niche selection is way more about where you’re going than where you’ve been.
I think, though, that most new bloggers talk about things they’ve done than things they want to do.
I guess that’s because when we first start blogging, we want to impress people.
It’s hard to impress folks about some vague goals for things we want to achieve.
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It’s much easier to let them know about things we have achieved.
If we can’t think of anything remarkable we’ve achieved, then we can always fall back on our experiences… places we’ve been, people we’ve met and things we’ve seen and done.
What this gets down to is blogging about lots of random things, but nothing in particular.
That’s okay, too.
Walk Around The Room A Few Times
If you have no idea what to blog about, but you just know you want to start reaching out to people by blogging… go for it.
Just start introducing yourself and getting to meet people.
That’s pretty much what I did.
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I loved it because I’ve always loved talking to people and getting to know them better.
My blog was just a new place to do it.
I always thought of my blog as going to a party or a convention or some other gathering of people.
If I didn’t know anybody and didn’t know what to do or say, what would I do?
I don’t know about you, but in situations like that, I just walk around the room a few times.
Don’t hide in a corner and expect people to find you.
Step out of your shell and start talking with people.
Sure, it might be a bit of a strain in the beginning, but soon enough, you’ll “know the room.”
You’ll learn soon enough, which little clusters of folks you find to be a bit boring and which ones are fun to hang out with.
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You’ll start identifying your “crowd.”
The more you walk around the room, the more you’ll know the room… who to gravitate to and who to hide from, hehe.
Hangin’ With Your Peeps
So, when you find the people you feel naturally tight with, they become your “peeps”… the ones you want to know better and hang out with more than all the others.
So, do it.
In time you’ll know more than just their names.
You’ll know where they live, what they do for work, what kind of struggles they’ve been through and what their dreams are.
You’ll come to know their big challenges in life.
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Who wants to get married, who wants to fit into a new bathing suit this summer, who wants to start their own business or go back to college.
The more you’re hangin’ with your peeps, the more you’ll know about them.
The more you know about them, the better you can relate to them.
That’s because they’re in your head a little bit by now, right?
Like when they hear a song, or talk to some random guy… you know what’s going on in their mind.
Then you can grab them on the side and say “I know what you were thinking when that song came on” or “I saw you talking to that guy… I know he’s not your type, but…”
You know what I mean?
I always thought of it as “girl talk,” but it’s really just getting close to people.
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Late Night Movies
Eventually, some of the people you met as strangers not long ago, have become your friends.
You go to their house, they come to yours.
You might grab lunch together, or even curl up with a late night movie.
This almost always leads to deeper connections.
You know your new friend pretty well, and start trusting them with your deepest thoughts and aspirations.
They trust you, too.
In time, you pretty much know your new friend almost as well as you do yourself.
But it goes beyond knowing and trusting.
It rises to caring about each other.
You really want them to get past the things that trouble them most, and you want to help them when you can, or just be there to support them when you can’t.
You’ve formed a bond, and the tighter it gets, the more loyal you will always be to each other.
3 Steps To Selecting A Blogging Niche
By the way… I told you’d I’d share 3 steps to picking a niche for your blog.
So, here they are.
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1. Walk Around The Room A Few Times
Go to something you’re interested in.
It could be a party, a car show, a food exp.
You don’t have to actually “go” to an event… just do a virtual skip-through of some of the online groups you’ll find.
Visit your favorite social media sites, maybe some blogging circles, forums… wherever.
Walk around a bit.
Get a feel for what you like to do and talk about.
Eventually, start identifying who “your crowd” seems to be.
This is your niche audience.
These are the folks you’ll want to write your blog posts for and about.
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2. Hang With Your Peeps
Spend some more time with the folks you resonate with.
Talk to them.
Teach them things.
Learn from them.
Share your thoughts and address your challenges.
This is when things start warming up with you and your crowd.
They’re not just a random and nameless cluster of folks, they’re your peeps 🙂
These are the people you’ll follow onto social sites and visit their blogs.
You’ll make it your business to get to know more of what they’re about.
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And, in turn, they’ll make it their business to get to know more about you and your blog.
3. Late Night Movies
Your most loyal followers and readers will be the people you bond with.
Don’t just write information for them to read.
Have conversations with them.
Dig deeper into their lives and into their heads.
Know what they want, and give it to them.
These are the folks you blog for.
They are the ones who will form the base of your new business.
The more you know what they need, the more you can help them.
The more you help them, the more they’ll want to get to know you.
The more they know you, the more they’ll trust you.
That trust is what blogging is all about.
Without it, you’ll never have a business.
With it, there’s no limit to what you can achieve with your blog.
Are you struggling to define your niche?
I actually know people who have been blogging for years and are still trying to figure out their special focus.
Do these “3 Steps To Selecting A Blogging Niche” help you find your way around in the blogosphere?
I’d love to have you comment below, and please share this article on your favorite social sites.
-Donna
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