Niche Blogging: the Pros and Cons

I’m often asked what I blog about. My answer is usually “motherhood,” a somewhat broad topic that indicates I don’t have a blogging niche. I blog about mom life, travel, homeschooling, marriage, blogging, books and more. Other bloggers write about very specific topics. There are pros and cons to niche blogging, and pros and cons to having no niche, so today I thought I’d talk to some of my fellow bloggers about their perspective on both.

Niche Blogging

Blogger: Lisa Marie Fletcher

Blog: The Canadian Homeschooler

Niche: homeschool

Pros:

• I love that I can target my audience specifically. I can make a community of people to whom I am directly relevant to.
• I love that I know exactly who I am, what I’m doing, what I need to focus on and that people know exactly what to expect when they arrive at my site.
• I love that I can make products and have them completely focused on the needs and interests of my readership.

Cons:

• I often feel like I’m missing out on so many opportunities that my blogging friends are participating in.
• I also find that I’m often bound by my own limitations and can find myself completely frustrated that I can’t write about this or that, but have to find something in my niche to write about.
• I have a more limited audience, which means I have to really work to find the readership of those who are wanting / needing my niche.

Blogger: Shari Goss

Blogs: And She Games and Traveling Maple

Niches: gaming, travel

Pros:

• You have a topic, one topic, to write about.
• People are willing to send you topics or posts to share because they aren’t really writing about that on their own blogs
• You can share other people’s posts more freely as it lends a different perspective (we often share other people’s gaming posts or travel posts) to the topic.  For example, if two people play the same same game, they may have a different thought or perspective on it.
• I can pitch genre specific companies and say “listen we can do more for you in this area because our readers are specifically interested in that thing that you sell” vs a non-niche blog.

Cons:

• I don’t just game all day every day, so sometimes with life I might not have anything new to write about.  Then I can’t just pop up something else like I can on my non-niche blog. If I run out of gaming things to write about, I am stuck.
• It can be hard to get noticed as companies go to non-niche blogs first, as they are more prominent
• Getting sponsored posts or ad agencies can be difficult. There aren’t as many niche specific opportunities out there (depending on your niche).

Blogger: DeBalino

Blog: BabyStylista

Niche: kids’ fashion

Pros:

• I always know what I can and cannot blog about. Fashion, yes; what I ate for dinner, no. Thank goodness, because cooking is obviously not my strong point. I’ve developed my own mantra: those who don’t cook, style.
• Everyday situations in the world of fashion, aesthetics, and design are forefront in my mind, so I can be intentional with taking photos, which I would later use for a post. Because it is rather specific, I’m not overwhelmed with an onslaught of blog-potential ideas, which could affect my everyday experiences.
• I know my target audience, and they know me. It’s easier to know what I’m going to be blogging about specifically, because I know what my readers are looking for. My readers always know what to expect when they come visit my blog. Again, keeping things simple.
• It’s not as overwhelming to find like-minded cohorts in the industry. I consider myself to also be a mom blogger/ mompreneur as well, so it’s been nice to meet other bloggers in the field. However, I can further narrow down my focus as far as finding fellow bloggers who are also interested in my particular niche. If I didn’t have as much of a focus, it would take a little more sleuthing through the blogging x-files. There are just too many wonderful blogs out there!
• For the niche blogger, coming up with topics for future posts, is for the most part, a simple process. This comes as no surprise, as we are limited to a narrow focus in the grand scheme of things. I’m not bombarded with ideas left, right, and center. For the indecisive, topic-ambitious bloggers, such as myself, having a focus makes planning and scheduling (and follow through) so much more feasible.
• In the vast world of the interwebs, within a niche market, it’s surprisingly plausible to stick out and be seen. Especially in social media, where timing is key, hashtags are a free for all, and the world and their dog are online more often than not, the chances of overall visibility is no easy feat. But as a niche blog, using specific hashtags, strong and bold images, and narrowing your target helps bring visibility in an otherwise oversaturated online world.

Cons:

• It’s challenging to be diverse as a niche blog without confusing your readers. I am often tempted to step out of the dress-up box, but it’s tricky to segue into unknown territory without losing my target audience’s attention.
• I find it hard to fit into the blogosphere. There is an expectation that one must be an expert in one’s niche. For blogs that do not fall into a particular niche, I feel that the world is the blogger’s proverbial oyster and the variety of topics to cover are endless. The pressure to be the “go-to guru” of a particular niche isn’t as apparent as it would be in a target specified blog.
• The exclusivity of niche blogging limits my ability to broaden my coverage. There is so much pop culture news and events that I would love to include in my blog, which in turn, encourages readership and allows me to exercise my role as influencer. Once again, it may confuse myniche market. For this reason, I typically steer clear of these opportunities.
• Coming up with topics for future posts may be relatively straight-forward for the niche blogger, but the amount of topics are significantly less in comparison to non-niche bloggers.

Blogging without a Niche

Blogger: Bonnie Way

Blog: The Koala Mom (formerly the Koala Bear Writer)

General topic: mom blogger

Pros:

• My topic is wide-open; I write about anything related to motherhood, from homeschooling my girls to marriage tips to books I’m reading (with my kids or for myself) to family activities and more.
• Almost anything I do is fodder for my blog; my girls are always asking me “Are you going to blog about that?” and I’m always snapping pictures with my blog or social media channels in mind.

Cons:

• Readers visiting my site might be confused by the variety of topics that I write about. Since they don’t know what I blog about, or don’t like the variety, they might not return.
• I find it hard to answer the question, “What do you blog about?” Um, everything.
• I’ve missed out on a few sponsored opportunities because my topic is too broad; for example, I don’t post enough recipes to attract food companies, or enough DIY projects to interest DIY brands, or enough travel posts to be considered a travel blogger.

Blogger: Colleen O’Dea

Blog: Curtains Are Open

General topic: lifestyle blogger

Pros:

• Not having a nice blog means I can just write about whatever I want—whatever suits my lifestyle at the time.
• It allows me to be a story teller. If a company wants to hire me to write a sponsored post, then it has to fit my story or it doesn’t suit me.
• I find that in writing about myself and my life, other women think I “inspire” them when the reality is that they’re giving me confidence every single day.
• My blog is about my likes and dislikes. I write about a great many things but that changes depending on what’s going on in my life.

Cons:

• Sometimes, it’s a bit tough to tell people what I write about—it sounds a little “wishy washy” to say “I write about me” or “I write about my life.” It sounds a bit egotistical. However, what I’ve learned by writing about me is that we’re not so different from one another. My issues and insecurities are the exact same issues that everyone else has. We’re all normal in our quirky ways.
• I bear it all; I’m rather vulnerable and that makes me sometimes feel like I’m out there on a limb.
• I turn down a lot of product posts as they just don’t fit my blog.

Do you have blog within a specific niche or do you blog with a more general focus?