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Blogging Niches: Understanding Them & Finding Yours

What is a Niche?

Niche: noun ?nich also ?n?sh or ?nish
A place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted

As a new blogger, finding your niche can be intimidating. I’ve thought long and hard on this many times and never really been able to determine where I classify in the tree of the blogging world. Sometimes I worry that it leaves me too far out in the gray area, or that I need to start trying to pin it down into something specific. Writing for a niche could also help when looking for ways to market your website, with some working to help with SEO for niche sites and blogs.

So when I sat down to write this post I reached out to other amazing bloggers on Facebook and Twitter. It’s amazing how fast you get a good bunch of comments and responses from other amazing bloggers out there who have often thought the same thing as I’d been thinking. (We’ll talk more about the community of bloggers and social media in a later New Blogger Series post.)

Sometimes, having a niche and sticking to it can be a good thing. Such as if you are a beauty blogger and most of what you write about is beauty products, hair and makeup tips, etc. Then you’ll want to stick with your niche so you attract people who come to expect that type of post from you. If you choose a niche, you’ll want to stay within those perimeters as much as possible. If you’re a book blogger, write about books and reading related events, food/recipe bloggers can post about restaurants, recipes, or food related events and so on…

This doesn’t mean you have to always post within that niche, as most readers will want a sneak peak at who you are as a person every now and then, but it does mean you should try to write in that niche as much as possible. If you classify yourself with one thing, then most of your readers are going to come to you for that thing-keep it consistent.

Examples of Blogging Niches

All of these bloggers do a great job of sticking with their topics, even though they do let you see a little bit of themselves too. If you’re looking for tips or tricks in the following categories of expertise, check these guys out!

Beauty Bloggers: Hairspray & High Heels | Confessions of a Makeup Addict | Classy Sassy and a Bit Smartassy

Book Bloggers: Book Soulmates | Page à Vu | Such a Novel Idea | A Girl Who Reads | Guiltless Reading

Recipe/Food Bloggers: Lemoine Family Kitchen | Fantastical Sharing of Recipes | Petit Gourmet

Health & Fitness Bloggers: Health NOT to Health NUT | Fierce Fabulous & Fit | Delicously Organic

Craft/DIY Blogs: Imagine Gnats | Make It & Love It | UCreate | Crafted | A Beautiful Mess

Fashion Blogs: Moda Mama | Little Tree Vintage | Faded Spring

Travel Blogs: Local Adventurer | Wherever I May Roam

I think those should be a good group of examples on bloggers who have chosen a niche and stick to it really well. They have a strong readership base that comes back time and again for the specific thing they write about, but who also don’t mind when they post something else. However most often, they’re going to that blogger for what that blogger writes about most.

What About Those Without a Niche?

But what about those of us that don’t stick with a topic? Does that leave us out in the cold when it comes to gathering a good blogger following? I personally blog about a little of everything, my life, dating & relationships… I write book reviews, share recipes, and even write DIY/Craft posts among other things. What niche do I fit into?

“I refuse to have a ‘niche’ [because] I get bogged down in trying to conform. I like to talk about it all, although I tend to stay within a few categories. I consider myself in the IRL niche lol!” -Felicia from My Personal Legend

“Screw a niche. Be yourself and your niche will naturally shine through.” -Heather from Spunky Real Deals

“I did not want to have a single ‘niche’ because then I would feel like I would ONLY be allowed to write about things in that ‘niche’… It allows me to blog about anything that I would like and not feel like my readers expect something different. Maybe a little crazy and hard to follow-but such is life!” -Thaleia from Something 2 Offer

“Niches aren’t for everyone and I feel you appeal to more people when you don’t have a niche.” -Amanda from Somewhere Over the Camo

“I had a hard time when I started out. I just wrote whatever, I was thinking *that* was my niche. Life!” -Amy from Sweet Home Amy

“I feel like I’ve finally found my niche. It’s the realities of my life!” -Diana from Nanny to Mommy

All of these ladies have a point-why isn’t life considered a niche? I think it is. I always choose Lifestyle when asked what type of blog I have, and I’m going to stop stressing about finding a niche-my niche is life. Life is a beautiful thing.

Is it bad to have a niche? Nope. Is it bad to not have a specific niche? Not at all. There are upsides to both, and it takes all kinds to make the world go around. If everyone fit in specific categories, the blog world would be a very boring place.

I mean just look at some of these big time bloggers (who are some of my personal favorites that I look up to): Wonder Forest, , Living in Yellow, The Freckled Fox, and This Charming Life. While they definitely have a lot of consistency and cleanness in their posts and blogs-they talk about anything they want to talk about and are extremely successful.

So new blogger, if you want to write about books-write about books! If you want to write about food and recipes, fashion, beauty, etc. Write about it! If you just want to write about anything that comes into your pretty little head-do it! Your blog should be about you, and what you’re passionate about.

“I write about recipes, my blog is all about the food I cook for my husband, kids, friends & family. This [niche] was an easy decision for me because it is a passion. It’s a wonderful feeling to make people happy with a home-cooked meal.”

-Angela from LeMoine Family Kitchen

*A big thanks also to Amanda from 3lilapples, Jacquie, Joanna Marie, Leann, Tara, and everyone else for your input on the matter as well!*

So do you have a niche?

Leave me a comment and let me know what it is! Or what your thoughts are!

The Better Your Blog Series is a series of posts written by myself, Angie of My So-Called Chaos, from my own personal experience as a long-time blogger, small-business owner, and as someone who’s worked with technology and customer service for many many years. They are written with the intent of sharing the knowledge I’ve acquired through years of practice and education (both self-taught and school-taught) with others in the blogging community.

In this collection of posts you’ll not only find tips for maintaining your blog, but also for anything that goes along with being a blogger and/or small business owner-like design tips and tutorials, social media, tools, and more.

The posts in this series are constantly being updated to make sure they stay current, and the series is constantly being added to. Please contact me if there’s something you’d like to learn.

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