Picking a blog topic that will work
Picture this.
You’ve come cross Darren’s Problogger site and been totally blown away. Here’s a guy who earns A LOT of money from blogs and you think to yourself why can’t I do that? Every blog tip website will tell you the same thing. That blogging is easy; anyone can whack together wordpress and be just as successful as we are.
Ding. Wrong.
I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble here but blogging is just like any other business in the world. You will still need something original and catchy to earn decent money. Darren just happened to be one of the first to realize the potential blogs had to stream content to the World Wide Web … and is extremely good at it.
If you want a successful blog, read the following advice. Everyone who is considering starting a blog should know the fundamental rule, blog about something you have a passion for! What they (Problogger and co) neglect to tell you is that you must pick a topic that will get attention! Something that will get linked to from all over the world! Something that blog networks will want to post about! Something that Darren himself will post about! Why? Because this is how a blog gets major traffic! Even though you’re passionate about shoes, don’t expect to start a blog on shoes and get rich. It’s been done before. Other sites (blog news, networks etc) won’t want to post about another “shoe blogâ€.
How many times have you added a new blog to your RSS reader simply because you found a blog post via 9rules, Problogger or B5media. I know I have, many a time.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Personal Thoughts
11 opinions for Picking a blog topic that will work
Hendry Lee
Oct 18, 2005 at 1:22 am
Good insights. I do believe that whoever want to start a new content site using a blog should consider doing some basic research to determine competitiveness and profitability.
Too many bloggers focus on contextual ads, while in fact there are many additional revenue streams available.
Let’s don’t forget that using a blog is only one way to build a site. There are many other applications of blog in the business world.
Michael Moncur
Oct 18, 2005 at 6:26 am
You don’t have to be original. You just have to be good.
If you have a passion for your subject, are dedicated, and can write well, you can succeed regardless of the niche. Engadget wasn’t the first gadget weblog, and I doubt Manolo started the *first* shoe weblog.
There aren’t many original topics left (Hurry! There are no low-light houseplant blogs yet!) but it doesn’t matter. To succeed, you need to do one of these things:
1. Do something unique.
2. Do the same thing in a unique way.
3. Do it better.
4. Do it longer.
There’s lots of room. It’s also bloody hard work, though.
Jamsi
Oct 18, 2005 at 7:05 am
Hi Michael,
Good points. Although I agree with you, I still believe with the increasing amount of weblogs popping up (1 per second according to latest stats) putting in the hard work won’t cut it much longer. There is 1 blog every second to compete with. :)
I like the idea of taking an idea and doing it your own unique way. I can see that working.
Maybe I should have phrased the post as “Picking a blog topic that will make you successful fast!”
FMF
Oct 18, 2005 at 9:35 am
You have to LOVE the topic or otherwise you’ll burn out quickly. And bloggers who burn out quickly rarely make much. ;-)
Jennifer Grucza
Oct 18, 2005 at 2:11 pm
I recently started a blog on a subject I love, and one that doesn’t seem too saturated, but I’m sure it will never take off and make me tons of money, because it doesn’t appeal to a large enough portion of the population (violinists, violists, and cellists), and it’s unlikely to ever get linked to by the likes of Darren or other high-profile bloggers.
I probably could make it more popular, if I were able to write with the humor of dooce without using too much jargon and stuff that non-string players wouldn’t understand. But I’m no Heather Armstrong! So I guess it’ll just be a nice little site that pulls in some pocket change.
One Stop Under
Oct 18, 2005 at 7:10 pm
While your message is valid, your example of Problogger is a little off. Darren wasn’t “one of the first to realize the potential blogs” - he’s only been doing it for a few years. Also, he doesn’t “neglect to tell you” about looking for a profitable niche - he’s written several great articles on the topic, including http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/01/31/how-to-research-a-profitable-blog-topic/.
One Stop Under
Oct 18, 2005 at 7:12 pm
That said, Darren is damn good at what he does!
Jamsi
Oct 18, 2005 at 7:39 pm
As long as you love blogging on that subject Jennifer, pocket change should be heaven :)
I see too many people launching into the blogosphere purely to make a profit. They don’t love what they do and that’s their downfall!
Lyndoman
Oct 20, 2005 at 2:23 am
I am sure it’s a lot easier dealing crack than doing the blog/adsense shuffle.
Shirazi
Oct 25, 2005 at 12:16 am
True as long as you are talking about blogging as a work. What if you are doing it for pleasure?
Telagon Sichelputzer » Can you be a ProBlogger?
Oct 25, 2005 at 1:32 am
[…] [via Light Within, Workboxers] Tags: none […]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: