So you’d like to be a freelance blogger…
But deciding on a niche seems almost impossible.
The Importance Of A Niche:
Why do you need a niche? Why can’t you just put out whatever you want?
There are 2 cases to consider:
If you own a blog:
You need to have a specific target audience. That means deciding on a niche and blogging extensively about it. If your blog talks about saving money today and healthy eating tomorrow, you won’t have a point of focus, and it will affect your readership adversely.
It’s better to have 2 separate blogs for 2 separate niches.
If you’re a guest poster/freelance blogger:
The rules are a bit lenient. Guest posting is a great way to establish your authority as an expert in any field. But you don’t have to stick to a single niche. Writing in 3 to 4 different niches also makes your potential client list exponentially larger.
A number of beginner freelance bloggers (like you and me) love to dabble, and we probably aren’t “experts” at anything.
Meanwhile, other bloggers use their work background or life experiences to grow into a niche and be awesome at it.
Read: How Being a Niche Blogger is More Profitable?
Writing in any niche requires the all-important first idea and article.
So how do you find that first idea?
Don’t you have life experiences you can talk about?
Of course you do!
So, pick up a pen (or just open Word) and write:
1. What are you good at?
Start from your childhood.
Dig really deep. What were you good at back then that you still are good at today?
Be as abstract as you can.
For example:
I can play 3 different musical instruments.
I know a lot about gadgets and tech.
I’m a big sports and movie buff.
I’m great at saving money and budgeting, math, and remembering stuff.
…and I can write.
Potential niches:
Music and musical equipment
Technology
Personal finance
Sports
Entertainment
Writing
Maybe you:
Are a great mom/dad (Parenting).
Like working out and eating healthy (Health and Fitness).
Are awesome at organizing and getting things done (Productivity).
Can sell ice to an Eskimo (Marketing).
List any valuable quality, skill, or quirk you have.
Then..
2. Make a list of significant events in your life.
We all have them – some memories we cherish, some we can’t wait to forget.
All of these change our lives one way or another.
List them all.
And remember:
Be as abstract as you can.
For me, some notable events were:
Getting into college.
Starting a freelance career.
Getting scammed out of months of work by a bad client.
Playing music for a big crowd.
Your experiences can be anything:
Your relationships and breakups (Dating and Relationships).
Your first job (Making Money).
Getting promoted (Productivity).
Getting fired (Motivation).
Finding a new job (Self-Improvement).
Starting a new business (Business).
…and so on.
One important thing to remember:
Blogs solve problems and give practical advice to their readers.
Keep this in mind when looking for niches/topics to explore.
For example:
Tips to Save Money in College (Personal Finance)
How to Avoid Getting Scammed By a Client (Freelance Writing)
How to Get Out of a Toxic Relationship (Relationships)
Things to Remember Before Starting a Business (Business)
You get the gist…
Now, you should have 2 lists.
Play around with them.
Pick out some problems you can solve and advice you can share (based on your experience).
List out some potential article titles and their corresponding niches (like I have done above).
10 to 15 titles in 4 to 5 different niches should be an ideal list for a beginner.
3. Now, start writing.
Pick an idea you like, open a fresh document, and fire away.
Don’t worry about grammar or article structure.
Just write what you know and finish it.
It may or may not be great, but it’s something. That first article will get you started.
Get it proofread from a friend or critique partner, or better yet:
Edit it yourself.
Put it on your blog, or pitch it as a guest post to a relevant blog and forget about it.
Pick at least one title from every single niche and repeat this process. This will help you gauge your level of comfort with a particular niche.
It’ll take a few days, or if you’re like me, a couple of weeks.
Before long, you’ll be thinking clearer and you’ll know where to start.
Your writing will start getting better and ideas will start coming to you more naturally and effortlessly; you’ll know your niche (or niches.)
Picking the perfect niche for your writing is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. It helps to be a specialist if you want to grow your own blog, but being a generalist is fine for freelance bloggers looking to gain a reputation and build a portfolio for prospective clients to see.
Most successful freelance bloggers have multiple areas of interest and they write for a variety of clients.
Now, you can too.
Use your life as inspiration and you’ll be on the path to freelance blogging success.
How do you find inspiration for blogging topics? Let me know in the comments…
Did you find this guide useful? Share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus!
Here are hand-picked articles for further reading:
How to Choose Blogging Niche?
Single Topic vs. Multi-Topic Blog: Which is Better and Why?
How I Built a Micro-Niche Site Earning $174/Month from AdSense
Signs Which Shows You Blogging in a wrong Niche
Subscribe on Youtube
Trouble Picking A Blogging Niche? Use Your Life As Inspiration is a post from ShoutMeLoud - Shouters Who Inspires