Too much of a good thing - Overused Blog Topics

When I began providing tips for aspiring bloggers, one of the most common mistakes was bloggers believing that my "make money online" blog was the money maker when in fact, it was quite the opposite.  That blogging persona was one of charitable contribution only.  There was no money to be had.  Mostly because there are such amazing and valuable resources that exist and frankly, I don’t like to try to reinvent the wheel.

Most of the topics I would discuss was my own experiences with various affiliate programs - did they work, did they not?

The driving force for my effort to help educate those scouring the Internet looking to grab the brass ring - was to provide some bit of prevention to those who would otherwise be taken in by the promise of easy, quick money.

My heart was breaking in fact, after my cousin had left my house with a box full of Mia Bella Candles (MBC). 

It’s my personal opinion that MBC is one of the biggest scams going.  The way the company stays afloat is by the force ships they send those who sign up for their programs.  It’s not customers buying the products, it’s the ones hoping to turn a profit once the candles arrive on their stoop.

I have been fortunate enough to be at home with my twins since they were 5-years-old and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.  Especially being a single mom for most of their life.  I believe other mom’s (and dad’s) should have that option too.

Now that I’ve rambled on and on and gone totally off track, let’s step back here and find out just what you think are topics that are so completely saturated when it comes to blogs?

Any thoughts on where the money might be?

Leave a comment here with your ideas and I’ll gladly give you my own opinion on what I think would work and what won’t - and I’ll even toss in a why for good measure.

 

August 6, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Tips, Niche Blogging | Leave a Comment 

What makes a good blog topic, the topic or the writer?

What exactly makes a good blog topic, the writer’s knowledge and perspective of the topic or the topic itself?

I was asked that question recently and to be honest, I have to believe it’s the writer.

I’ve seen topics that I would have never dreamed I would find interesting, but was drawn in and captivated by the writing abilities of the writer.

A simple search of some of the most mundane topics can yield hundreds, even thousands of websites or blogs - that in itself suggests that nearly any topic has an audience.

While discussing the future with my kids and their desire to get a summer job, I encouraged them to learn how to write.  To write about what’s of interest to them or pick a topic they want to learn about.

They were quick to respond with lack of confidence trying to convince me they wouldn’t know how to write.

The simple truth is, if you can take a subject and answer the questions:

You can write!

The part of blogging that people fail to focus on is what exactly sets them apart from other bloggers within the same niche.

Again, the answer is simple - be educational or entertaining, however, the perfect storm for any writer would be to possess a little bit of both.

Thoughts?

August 3, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Tips, Niche Blogging | Leave a Comment 

Tips for Pitching a Blog to a Network

Many network bloggers, or aspiring network bloggers, have great ideas for blogs. If this is the case, they might want to pitch it to their networks. The worst they can do is say "no", right? If you have an untouched niche or a fun idea running around in your head, do suggest it to your editors. Here are a few tips to help you out:

Take Your Time

Instead of rushing off a hurried email to your editor, take your time to craft a well-written, well thought out proposal. Describe exactly what you had in mind with the blog and why you feel it will be successful. Include:

Don’t Bug

Don’t bug your editor or contact at the network. If you don’t hear back in a day or two remember editors and people in charge are busy and get email inquiries from hundreds each day. After a decent amount of time, say 30 days, write back and inquire. If you still don’t receive an answer you have several recourses:

If the network turns down your idea

If the network turns down your idea, hopefully they will give you a reason. For instance, they don’t see it as a profitable idea or they already have a similar blog. You can continue to shop your idea around or you can start the blog on your own. It’s good to remember being turned down is nothing personal. There’s a business decision behind it, but that should deter you as a blogger.

You also not let one rejection discourage you from coming up with other ideas in the future. Bloggers are creative people and rejection is only a momentary setback. If you think positive, you’re sure to find an outlet for your ideas.

May 30, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Tips, Blogging for Others, Niche Blogging | 1 Comment 

Some Cool Niche Blogs

Yesterday Jennifer talked about how she likes to read blogs not in her niche or about blogging. I like to call them recreational blogs. I read them as recreation rather than work or research. What I love so much about niche blogging is seeing all the different types of blogs - and different types of passions. What I’d like to do today, if you don’t mind, is highlight some of the more interesting niche blogs I’ve come across. Some of this is to show you different ideas and another is because I like to give props to people who do cool things. Some of these blogs aren’t on my daily or weekly read list, but I did want to highlight them because they’re unique niches.

Behold, some great niche blogs:

As you can see, people will blog about anything, and most of these blogs do well. What are some of the more unusual niches you’ve come across?

May 29, 2008 | Filed Under Niche Blogging | 1 Comment 

No Link Love For Blogging Bloggers Today

I was going to link to some good blogging posts today, but decided not to. Deb did on Sunday anyhow, and we read a lot of the same stuff.

I like blogs in the niches I blog best; probably because I (thankfully) get to blog what I enjoy. I love architect bloggers, and also really like blogging and green bloggers. These are the topics I write about most, and likewise the blogs I visit most.

However, breaking out of your niche is cool. I think bloggers should have a good handful of blogs, that don’t relate to their own topic, that they visit on a regular basis. There are payoffs for visiting outside of niche blogs. The biggest is you have no idea what other people read. If folks see you around, making comments, they might click your name and like what they see. Sometimes you get the oddest, most seemingly out of character readers.

Example: For the longest time, at Offbeat Homes, I got a ton of page views from one guy. I went to investigate. Turns out he didn’t even have a blog, he was on one of the social network sites - MySpace or something like it, where we had one friend in common. All this kid (he was young) talked about was beer. How to get it, drink it, and beer based shenanigans; typical kid just found beer behavior. He did however, like my blog. He’d link to it, and this kid had oodles of pals, who also only talked about beer, but they liked beer guy, so they’d click on his links. End result, me with lots of page views (and some odd comments - but I can live with that). You never know who might like you.

Another benefit is it keeps you from wearing out. Maybe five of my blogs are green, or have a heavy eco slant. I love green, really, but sometimes I’m just so tired of thinking about it all the time. Reading outside of my niche probably saves me from complete and total saturation; my brain gets a rest. You can also get some quirky ideas. You’ll find stuff you don’t normally blog about, that you can perhaps slant to your topic. All in all it keeps things fresh.

So today, forget reading all the blogging blogs, forget blogs in your niche, go find something new. If you have no clue where to start, here are five random ‘out of my niche’ blogs I visit.

Now tell me five out of your niche blogs you like. I need some nice new reading.

May 28, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Tips, Blog Traffic, Link Love, Niche Blogging | 12 Comments 

How Celebrity Bloggers Can Set Themselves Apart

Yesterday I talked about using your competition as a guide for setting your blog apart from the rest. Today I’d like to talk about one over-saturated niche where I don’t see much of anything new going on at all: celebrity blogs.

Celebrity blogs can be very popular and lucrative, just look at Perez Hilton, PopCrunch or TMZ. The problem is, with dozens of new celebrity blogs starting every day, they’re all starting to look the same. Each one reports on the same bit of news, without having anything new to say. Why would I want to visit a blog saying the same thing as all the others? As a celebrity blogger I had to learn to do a few things to set myself apart from the pack.

Ask yourself "What can I do differently than these bloggers?" "What can I say they’re not saying?" "What can I do to make people visit me over the other celebrity blogs??"

Instead of being the 257th person to tell us Angelina Jolie is having twins, see if you can find someone else to talk about. Find interesting facts or post a mini-bio on the different celebrities.

Try to narrow your niche. For instance, one of my celebrity blogs is strictly about celebrity role models. Another offers great lists and feature stories in addition to news and gossip. In fact, the blog offering celebrity lists is often quoted by radio stations.

Last summer everyone delighted in reporting on the antics of Britney Spears. Turns out, she was mentally ill and being manipulated by people she trusted. Instead of writing the obvious angle, dig deeper to see if there’s more to the news item than meets the eye.

Every gossip blogger thinks she has to be snarky, but that’s not the case at all. Try being a nice blogger and seeing what happens.

As you can see, there are a few different ways to set yourself apart as a celebrity blogger. Why do the same exact thing as everyone else?

May 23, 2008 | Filed Under Niche Blogging | 1 Comment 

10 Ways to Let Your Competition Be Your Guide

I’m always hesitant to use the word "competition" to describe other bloggers in my niche. I always like to look at them as colleagues in which to share ideas and community rather than the person whose traffic I should be stealing. For the purpose of today’s blog post, we’ll allow it just this one time.

If there’s one thing I learned with Freelance Writing Jobs is that if you have a popular blog, others will want to do the same exact thing. It used to frustrate me, but I decided to use this to my advantage. Rather get frustrated with all the other job listings blogs, I look to them to see how I can do things better or different.

Some of my network blogs are in competitive niches as well, my blogs on saving money or beauty tips certainly aren’t the only ones out there. How do I stand out among the rest?

Here are 10 ways I let my competition be my guide.

  1. I participate in their communities - It would be silly to expect no one else to have the same type of blog, wouldn’t it? My philosophy is, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.  The great thing about the blogosphere is that there’s room for everyone. If I’m not going to be the only blog re-listing freelance writing jobs or offering tips for finding said jobs, I’m going to welcome the others into the neighborhood. By participating in the other blog communities I’m offering my insight, learning and gathering new ideas from others, and maybe even gaining a reader or two.
  2. I look to see what they’re missing - When I look at another blog like mine I wonder what they’re missing. What do their readers have questions about and what topics aren’t they discussing? Offer something your competition doesn’t have and people will respond.
  3. I define my niches. When I visit other blogs in the same niche I wonder how I can do things differently. For instance, with Freelance Writing Jobs I became more than a "relisting" blog. I began offering advice for finding and getting jobs. At this blog, Jennifer and I target bloggers who work for others rather than the usual make money online blogging blogs. At the List Maven, my beauty blog, I offer all tips and product reviews in list form, and at Simply Thrifty I offer stories from my youth and updates on home DIY projects. Even my celebrity blogs are different - I have one featuring celebrity role models and one featuring celebrity lists. Now when people visit me it won’t be the same old thing they see on other blogs.
  4. I continue to evolve - This holds hands with point number 3, by continuing to evolve I don’t get stuck in a rut. I don’t have to talk about or do the same things over and over. It’s ok to change your blog’s focus now and then to adapt to your readers’ tastes. Sometimes that’s by widening a narrow niche, other times it’s by changing a blog’s design.
  5. I look to see what my competitors do right - When I see other blogs in my niche, I want to know what they’re doing right. I’m not going to copy them, but I am going to use them for ideas for bettering myself and my blog.
  6. I investigate the most and least popular articles - What topics do their communities respond to most and least? This will give you a good indication of what your readers might like to learn about. Don’t copy, but do add your own point of view.
  7. I investigate their traffic - Knowing how the competition is faring can be a great kick in the ass. How many comments do they get? What is their Alexa, Technorati or Google ranking? Are they at the top of the search engines? Where does a lot of their traffic seem to be coming from? Do they get lots of track backs from other blogs?
  8. I investigate to see who is linking to them and why - Other other blogs and communities responding to my competitors’ posts? If so why? What makes one post more popular than another? Is controversy or negativity such a good thing? Knowing which posts get the backlinks might give you some good ideas of your own -and might also give you an idea of other communities to target.
  9. I offer to trade guest posts - By trading guest blogger posts with your competitors or fellow niche bloggers you’ll be sharing ideas and traffic.
  10. I keep them on my radar - Even the bloggers with the most popular blogs keep their competitors close. Even if you only visit the blogs or feeds once a week, know what others in your niche are talking about as well as the reaction of their readers. This way if they start to all of a sudden gain a lot of traffic or comments you’ll know why…and know what to do to use it to your advantage.
May 22, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Tips, Blog Traffic, Blogger Etiquette, Community Building, Guest Blogger, Niche Blogging | 4 Comments 

Don’t Forget Your Sense of Humor

smiley face

Before I forget, happy Blogger Appreciation Day! Show another blogger how he or she is appreciated by offering encouragement and support.

Yesterday I chatted for a bit with another network blogger who was a bit down about the direction her blog was taking. As a health blogger who discussed a chronic condition she felt her posts, and her community’s comments about their health issues, was bringing the community. She felt her blog was so depressing she didn’t want to do it anymore. A couple of other bloggers chimed in and we discussed ways to add positivity to the blog. Especially through humor.

I think as bloggers we feel our primary goal is to teach, but it’s also to entertain. There are people who come to read our blogs not to learn something new, but to read and interact. Humor is a great way to encourage positivity and get some great comments rolling.

The benefits of using humor in your blog posts:

How to use humor in your blog posts:

I think bloggers forget they don’t always have to be serious. Bloggers who discuss topics such as illnesses or sad topics especially have to be careful not to become too depressing. Don’t forget to inject a little humor in your blog posts. Watch and see the difference it makes with your community.

April 14, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Tools, Blogging for Others, Community Building, Niche Blogging, Stress | 5 Comments 

How Do You Know You Have Passion?

Passion

Bloggers talk a lot about "passion." Indeed, if you’re discussing the same topic several times a day on a daily basis, you should have passion for your topic. Someone the other day asked me, "I know I enjoy talking about my niche, but how do I know I have passion?" Before we answer that, let’s talk a little about the definition of passion.

What is Passion?

According to Dictionary.com, passion is "a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything." That sums up how I feel about blogging and writing. Is that how you feel about your topic?  Many bloggers, network bloggers especially, accept a gig to blog on a topic they know a little about but passion doesn’t necessarily show through. The blogger soon tires of his subject and the audience soon tires of the blogger.

How do you know you have passion?

So how can you tell if you have passion for your topic? Here’s how I know:

What happens if you don’t have passion?

As mentioned above, if you’re not into your topic it shows.

It’s not always enough to just "like" a topic

If you’re passionate about a topic, you don’t have to ask. You just know. We all have things we like to do, it’s the things we truly love to do that are our passion.

 

Image: stock.xchnge

April 8, 2008 | Filed Under Blogging for Others, Niche Blogging | 8 Comments 

The Importance of Knowing your Niche

niche

I like to think I know a lot about different subjects, but there are very few subjects in which I’d consider myself an expert. Still, when I hunt for blogging jobs there are always some I’m tempted to apply for even though my knowledge is rather limited. I did this early in my web writing career, and here’s why it’s a bad idea:

The bottom line is this: If you don’t know your stuff, it will become apparent. The best probloggers have the best traffic because their readers trust them. Pick a niche you know, and create a bond with your readers.

 

Image: stock.xchnge

March 26, 2008 | Filed Under Niche Blogging | 6 Comments