I’m going to imagine you haven’t started yet, so if you have, then you’ll need to adapt my tips\u00a0to your existing blog. After all, if you’re going to make it work, you may need to go back and make some adjustments.<\/p>\n
Once you’ve identified\u00a0your niche by following this post, there will be follow up posts designed to help you turn your idea into reality:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Setting up your site and configuring it as a professional blog<\/li>\n
- Producing content that fits your interest and your audience<\/li>\n
- Engaging with your audience via your blog and other platforms<\/li>\n
- Monetising your blog \u2013 identifying which methods are right for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
So let’s start with the initial concept – your niche.<\/p>\n
Read the other posts in this series about making money with your WordPress blog:<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Want to Make Money From Your WordPress Blog? You Need a Niche<\/a><\/li>\n
- Making Money From Your Blog: Site Configuration and Preparation<\/a><\/li>\n
- Making Money From Your Blog: Producing The Right Content<\/a><\/li>\n
- Making Money From Your Blog: Engaging With Your Audience<\/a><\/li>\n
- Making Money From Your Blog: Seeing the Money Roll In<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/wordpressdotcom-get-started.png\")
Creating a successful blog isn’t just about setting up your site<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n What is a Niche?<\/h2>\n
The Oxford English Dictionary<\/a> gives two relevant\u00a0definitions of the word “niche.” Firstly, one that’s about you:<\/p>\n
“A comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This\u00a0could\u00a0be what’s driving you to launch or develop a successful blog – finding something that suits you, that challenges and fulfills you and that (yes) is less stressful and dull than the nine to five.<\/p>\n
The other definition is about your audience:<\/p>\n
“A specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is about your audience, knowing who they are, what market they’re part of and what they’re looking for. Fail to take this into account at your peril.<\/p>\n
Finding Your Niche<\/h2>\n
So, identifying the niche for your blog means you have to understand\u00a0two things:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Your topic\u00a0– interest, specialism or hobby that you know lots about, have some authority on (maybe), enjoy working on and have lots of idea for future content relating to.<\/li>\n
- Your\u00a0audience – a segment of the population that shares your passion for this topic, works with it or needs to learn about it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
If you focus just on yourself, you’ll struggle to make money. But if you focus solely on the audience you’ll soon run out of ideas for the blog or get tired of it, or both. So the trick is to find a topic you’re knowledgeable on, love creating content about, and that there’s an audience for. The audience doesn’t have to be huge – if it’s a small but extremely dedicated audience not served elsewhere, that could be a bonus.<\/p>\n
\n![\"WPMU](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/wpmu-dev-blog.png\")
The WPMU DEV blog has a well defined target audience, which includes you!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n You need\u00a0not be an expert on your chosen topic, which is fine as long as you’re honest. Plenty of bloggers have documented their journey learning about a topic, which appeals to an audience looking for authenticity and the opportunity to learn alongside the blogger.<\/p>\n
Finding a Topic\u00a0You Love<\/h2>\n
Let’s start with you, and finding\u00a0a topic you can produce content on. That\u00a0doesn’t have to be written – you could\u00a0produce videos, podcasts or photo galleries. Bloggers working\u00a0across a variety of media are becoming more common (and successful). And written blogs are so numerous that using an alternative medium helps you stand out and boosts your search engine rankings.<\/p>\n
Think about what\u00a0interests you:\u00a0hobbies, professional specialisms, or something you’re just learning\u00a0about. It could be domestic\u00a0– there are thousands of people out there blogging about the experience of becoming a parent, for example – or professional – as myself and other WordPress bloggers can attest.<\/p>\n
The key is being specific. So if you want to blog about family life, find an angle. If you want to blog about web design, find a specialism. Something you’re interested in and know there’s an audience for.<\/p>\n
Unless you have an obvious passion, it makes sense to come up with a few viable ideas, so you can whittle them down when you start thinking about your audience. These ideas could relate to very different topics, or they could be angles on the same topic. Or they could be the same topic, but with a different readership in mind.<\/p>\n
Understanding Your Audience<\/h2>\n
So you’ve got some ideas, or one big idea if you’ve already started your blog. Now\u00a0think about your audience.<\/p>\n
Be realistic and honest with yourself, and seek second (and third, and fourth) opinions. Research what else is out there – the blogs that are successful and entertain you. Don’t worry if there are already other blogs on your topic \u2013 if you can provide a new angle or a new voice, then you’ll be giving something extra to an already established niche.<\/p>\n
If your blog only has\u00a0a tiny potential audience, then your blog is unlikely\u00a0to be\u00a0profitable. If you can widen that audience just a little, then you increase your chances of making money.<\/p>\n
But it’s actually more likely\u00a0that you’ll aim too big. It’s tempting to start a blog about everything under the sun, documenting all your experiences, ideas and opinions. But if your readers don’t know what your blog is really about and what makes it unique, they won’t come back.<\/p>\n
Examples of Successful Niche Blogs<\/h2>\n
Let’s take a look at some successful WordPress-powered blogs and the niches they fill. This should give you some inspiration on what’s possible and how you could tailor your passions to your audience.<\/p>\n
DIY and Design: Young House Love<\/h3>\n
![\"Young](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/yhl.png\")
<\/div>\nInterior\u00a0design and DIY blogging is huge. There are thousands of people sharing their home renovations, decorating or craft projects. It’s an industry that feeds upon itself – the bloggers teach their readers how to do design and DIY, and then the readers often become bloggers themselves, charting their own projects.<\/p>\n
Young House Love<\/a> was launched in 2007\u00a0when Sherry and John Petersik started doing DIY on their first house. Ten\u00a0years (and three\u00a0houses) on, they’ve released two DIY\u00a0books and a coloring book, have a successful podcast, and lines of homewares with retailers including Shades of Light and Target.<\/p>\n
What’s the niche?<\/em>\u00a0The Petersiks have one thing\u00a0setting them apart from\u00a0their competition, and that’s John. While most design\u00a0blogs are run by women, or women whose partners\u00a0are somewhere in the background, this blog feels different because of the\u00a0male perspective. It’s\u00a0a little more grounded than some\u00a0of the other blogs and feels like\u00a0a family affair.<\/p>\n
Cookery: Cooking on a Bootstrap<\/h3>\n
![\"Cooking](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bootstrap.png\")
<\/div>\nJack Monroe started blogging about food when looking for creative\u00a0ways to cook good food\u00a0on a meager budget. Out of work and desperate to eat\u00a0something better than Weetabix and water, Jack\u00a0started investigating the cheapest ways to eat well on a budget of as little as \u00a310 per week.<\/p>\n
Jack\u00a0was spotted by the Guardian<\/em> newspaper and invited\u00a0to write a column, then approached to take part in a supermarket advert. This was followed by a\u00a0book and\u00a0TV appearances.<\/p>\n
Jack’s\u00a0used the opportunities blogging has brought to become a campaigner on food poverty and on transgender issues (after coming out as non-binary\u00a0in 2015). All of the recipes on the Cooking on a Bootstrap<\/a> blog include costs and can be made for as little as 10p per person.<\/p>\n
What’s the niche?<\/em> Cooking on a\u00a0tiny\u00a0budget. While many food blogs and websites claim to cater for limited budgets, Jack Monroe claims\u00a0that many don’t come close to catering for people on benefits who want to eat well.<\/p>\n
Parenting: #LifewithBoys<\/h3>\n
![\"Hasta](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/hashtaglifewithboys.png\")
<\/div>\nParenting is one of the biggest niches out there, with probably the highest number of bloggers (most unsuccessful). ‘Mommy’ blogs range in their focus, including natural\u00a0and organic parenting, parenting kids with disabilities and balancing parenting and work. Some take themselves seriously, others less so.<\/p>\n
- Making Money From Your Blog: Site Configuration and Preparation<\/a><\/li>\n
- Want to Make Money From Your WordPress Blog? You Need a Niche<\/a><\/li>\n
![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tom-mcfarlin.png\")
<\/div>\n![\"Conservative](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/conservativehome.png\")
<\/div>\n