There’s a lot of advice out there on how to blog. A lot of it sucks. Specifically, I’m thinking of the advice to specialize, specialize, specialize. I disagree. I say forget the micro-niche.
Few popular bloggers stay on topic. I read foreign policy blogs that write about hip hop, film blogs that discuss politics, finance blogs that discuss “Settlers of Catan”, and politics blogs that discuss sports. Each of these bloggers, giants in their field, blog for a living. Each one strays off topic. It’s not an accident.
Why?
1. If you are successful, your readers allow you more creative freedom.
2. Good writing is good writing, no matter what the subject.
3. Different perspectives keep your reader from being bored.
4. It humanizes you. When a professor writes about his love of hip-hop, that intrigues me.
My blog, On Violence, writes about foreign policy, the military and the Global War on Terror. But it also touches on art, philosophy and personal experience. We couldn’t cover our larger topic, Violence, without writing about each of these topics. (We are aware this could turn some people off, so we keep a consistent tone and each post relates to the theme of Violence.)
If you feel constricted by your blog’s topic, branch out. It’s OK.
Eric Cummings writes about for On Violence, a blog on counter-insurgency warfare, military and foreign affairs, art, and violence, written by two brothers–one a soldier and the other a pacifist.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I do agree with you somewhat, but writing on multiple broad subjects on one blog relies very heavily on the fact that people actually care about you. This is something that can’t be attained out of thin air, hence why the leading advice is to go with a niche you can “own”. It’s a much more effective strategy when starting from scratch than meandering from topic to topic and never really grabbing anyone for the long haul.
If anything, I’d say to run two blogs side-by-side with one being more “personal” – then after some time, you can leverage your niche blog in promoting your “who I am” blog.
As with anything, do what you love more than what seems like it could make you the most money. No matter what, your passion will shine in your content and there’s *always* a way to monetize that.
.-= Jordan Cooper´s last blog ..Why Not Use Promo Codes To Boost Your Affiliate Sales? =-.
I am Eric C’s coblogger at OnViolence and I just want to say how much I agree with this post. We both feel that a knowledge of movies, music, foreign policy, the media, sports and a whole host of other things makes us better as bloggers; and the best blogs we read follow this too.
I’m so happy to have read this post. I have never had any luck in niche specialization and it has always been a problem for me. Mainly because I love and can write about a dozens of things. Your post has provided me with additional motivation. Thanks and happy holidays!
.-= Gordon´s last blog ..Blogging On Autopilot During The Holidays =-.
Thanks for the kind words. I checked out your blog and it is pretty good. I think most blogs would be better with a personal touch and a larger focus.
.-= Eric C´s last blog ..5 Lessons Learned From "The Things They Carried" =-.
All I can say is a thousand times thank you. Even my blog which has topics all about helping to improve websites and blog and make money on the Internet gets criticism. I can’t believe that people keep telling bloggers to specialize, specialize, specialize, when there are bloggers like John Chow who writes about cars, his personal life, and making money online.
OMG, I so believe in this post to be the most rejuvinating I’ve ever read on the topic of starting a blog. All that specialize maloney does only one thing.. hold the beginners back. Couldn’t agree more dude and will be something I will be looking to cover in my own section on blogging.
.-= Mark´s last blog ..Excellent Goal Setting Software =-.
Thanks Mark and Jake. I think the bloggers mean well, but even the best blogs cover tons of crazy stuff.
.-= Eric C´s last blog ..Why I Learned to Fight: Martial Arts, Self-Defense and the Karate Kid =-.
Eric, this post hits on something I’ve felt for a long time… write well about what you’re passionate about, and people will listen. It might seem odd to have 5 posts out of 10 coming from out of nowhere on a blog about digital marketing (or anything else), but by the time you have 100+ posts, those oddball gems will help set your voice apart from the sea of others.
There is nothing wrong with micro niche and write different topic on their blog. If they have more specialize field, they can just write anything which inspire them and share it with others.