[A collaboration post – all thoughts are my own.]

The thought of starting a blog is fun. But… what are you going to write about? Or maybe you have decided on your topic (niche), but you are not sure if it will work.

For beginner bloggers, you are definitely not alone. I’ve encountered a few bloggers this past year, and picking a blog niche is one of the hardest parts of starting a blog. Many bloggers struggle to pick a blog niche even after they start blogging—this is not a secret anymore. There are some who started a blog and quit before they could have discovered the glory of the blogging community.

The purpose of a blog is to share your thoughts and ideas with the world, right? Then why can’t you just share your thoughts as they come to you? Why do you have to pick a single niche?

You might have a million ideas running around your mind. But here is the issue. Your readers aren’t guaranteed to be interested in all the topics you are going to write about or personally love. On the other hand, if you stick to one topic, you can guarantee that people who are interested in one of your posts have a high chance of being interested in all of your other content too.

So, today I’m going to unravel the secrets of niche selection, which will help you pick a blog niche and become your foundation to create a profitable blogging business.

This is a long read, so you need to bookmark this guide for future reference.

List your interest, passion, or expertise

What are your hobbies? What topics do you read about the most? What is your past experience?

These are a few questions to help you come up with a list of blog niche topics based on your passions. You can use your hobbies, current interests, past experience, readings, learning, and life accomplishments as a base to pick a blog niche.

For example, if you have experience living minimalistically, you can start a minimalist blog, or if you have become debt-free, you can start a finance blog. In another word, you have to genuinely care about the people you’re helping with your blog posts if you want to succeed.

So not only do you need to be passionate about your blog’s niche topic, but you also need to be passionate about helping your audience. It might sound cheesy, but it’s all about helping your audience and gaining their trust.

You need to know that blogging is sooo time-consuming and requires a lot of hard work. You’ve got to have a lot of love for what you do and for the people you help if you want to be able to keep going when times get tough.

Even if you consider yourself an intermediate in your niche topic, you can still offer so much to people who are beginners. And remind yourself that what you know is valuable and useful, even if you aren’t an expert on the topic yet!

I didn’t know much about SEO at first, but I knew how to write well-structured material, attract traffic to my site using social media, and interact with other bloggers. At this point, I could definitely use my blog to give “blogging beginner” tips to others who are just starting their first blog, gaining their first followers, and promoting on social media.

As my blog grows and I learn more about what works, I’ll be able to provide even more in-depth and professional advice. They include performing basic SEO to increase organic traffic, earning money through affiliate marketing, and designing my own graphics.

Look for longevity

What niche are you both passionate about and knowledgeable in?

Could you write about this niche regularly and not get tired of it?

Is this niche something you feel like you’ll still be passionate about later on and remain relevant in the future?

You want your blog’s niche to be something you won’t get weary of, something that will be relevant for a long time, and something you’ll like writing about.

I enjoy writing about the blogging niche. I feel that the blogging niche will remain relevant throughout time due to its evergreen content. There may be some changes here and there, but overall, the methods remain the same.

Consider profitability

We’ve already talked about passion and longevity, so let’s talk profit. Is your blog niche monetizable?

It is normal for beginner bloggers to write about things they are passionate about but struggle to monetize them. The reason is that there are many high-traffic niches that are hard to monetize, and there are also not enough advertisers who are interested in advertising in such niches.

When picking your blog niche, you need to consider passion and profit. If you’re blogging as a hobby, then it’s okay. Without profit, your blog is not a business, and without passion, you’re going to burn out. Blogging requires a lot of work, so if money is your only motivation, you’re not going to last long.

Here are some of the most popular and profitable ways to make money with your blog:

Digital products (blog planner, Pinterest templates, etc.)
Offering your services (freelancing, designing, etc.)
eBooks (affiliate marketing, making sales with Amazon)
Online courses
Membership sites (stock photos membership)
Physical products

Ask yourself whether or not the niche you’re considering would allow for any monetization methods. Start thinking about and researching the profitability of those monetization methods. Check out how others within your desired niche are monetizing to help you come up with ideas.

What if I want to write more than one niche?

Merry of August is a blogging and lifestyle blog. I write about personal development, productivity, self-care, career advice, and blogging topics. There are a lot of topics to write about for the lifestyle niche, and I could still make passive income from it. I also offer a lot of advice on how to work from home as a translator and a lot about translation services. Basically, I write things I enjoy sharing with my audience.

If you are interested both in fashion and beauty, you can tie the two topics together to create occasional “crossover” posts. For instance, how to match your makeup to your outfit or select a lipstick color for a fall outfit.

That way, you get to have a post about something you enjoy and it’s still relevant to your audience.

I read about only focusing on one niche, is that true?

The reason content creators or bloggers want to really focus on one niche is that it allows them to tailor one particular topic and market their efforts better. It’s a lot easier to build a brand and write quickly when you’re constantly meeting the needs of your readers with useful content.

Do I need to start a second blog for the second niche I want to write about?

There is nothing wrong with starting or having a second blog for your second niche. Many bloggers have more than one blog. A blogger could have a mommy and money blog, or others could create a blogging and fashion blog.

However, running a blog is a really demanding job. Writing is just a small part of it. You have to market yourself, get engaged in the community, balance your time well, etc. But if you’re looking to turn your blog into a full-time career, just focus on your main blog. Otherwise, you could burn yourself out.

This is your only choice. Some could have two blogs, and some only need one blog to create a passive income. You know, you could still make money, maybe even more, by having more than one blog. The key is that you have to put the same amount of love, time, and effort into all your blogs!

This free guide is meant to help you to pick a blog niche. Well, you would end up paying hundreds or thousands of $$ to learn all this. However, if you already have a blog in a particular niche, you can use this guide to give it a new direction.

Make sure you have a well-thought-out plan before you start blogging in your niche—with personal interest, longevity, and the ability to create income, your niche blog can be a successful venture!

So, have you picked a blog niche? Is your current niche something you’ve been wanting to write about for a long time?