3 Steps to Picking the Right Topic for Your New Blog

Dear Reader,

I was at the local coffee house with my two best buds this past weekend discussing how important blogs have become.

One a signed musician and the other an optical scientist, these gents are considered far smarter than me in most circles.

Yet neither could muster the courage to start blog because they didn’t think they would have enough to say!

In this post I’d like to address the issue of finding a good, dependable blogging topic you can write about forever.

If any of my readers have really great topics I’d love to hear what they are and why you picked ’em!

Step 1: Cut back on other blogs and sites

When you are just starting out and hunting for a good blogging topic it is really important to focus on the YOU and gather confidence from the right places.

Reading other blogs in small doses can be inspiring but this can also become a major problem as seeing other bloggers’ success is often discouraging and depressing.

I have found it helps to remember 3 things:

1. You cannot ever copy another blog
2. Other blogs will always be further along so deal with it
3. Most importantly, you have your own unique expertise that no one else possesses

Keeping these things in mind as you start your blogging journey can be really beneficial to your growth.

Step 2: Look closely at your hobbies

What do you race home from work or from lecture halls to open up on your computer? What is your favorite hobbie?

That’s your topic.

Whatever you crave doing most on your free-time is your best blogging topic.

Yes, picking a topic really is that easy.

It could be gardening, rock music, or legos.

The alternative to blogging about your favorite hobby would be blogging about something you feel will make you bundles of money because it exists in a profitable niche. I would only do this if you have concrete plans for building a successful review site. If not, go the hobby route and let the money come later.

Seriously, there are so many money-driven blogs out there you can only go this route if you have a proven blueprint for making it work.

Step 3: Dive in niche-narrow

Niches, or like-minded thinkers, exist around any topic.

To do a bit of niche-specific research, just pull up Google and search “best blogs in ________”.

Finding your appropriate niche will increase your confidence; you’ll know that others are involved in what you want to write about.

And understanding a niche will let you know what to cover and what’s been covered already.

This is really important to gaining an edge early on.

An example of a niche could be “gardening bloggers” or “coffee blogs” but it could also be more broad like “home-improvement blogs” or “food and beverage”.

Generally speaking, writing on specific, niche-narrow topics is the best way to convince readers you’re an expert, and here’s why.

Anyone could write on “how to create a garden” but “how to grow beautiful roses in the winter”…? That shows some real skill!

Make sense?

Topics that might work

If you just set aside a couple hours tonight after dinner to think about what hobbies you really love, you’ll have the concept for a new blog.

Here are some directions you could take a new blog:

• If you love animals, blog about how to care for pets.
• If you love race cars, blog about ways to fix cars.
• If you like candy a lot, don’t blog about candy because that’s not very helpful.
• If you like video games, consider writing expert reviews to beating different games.
• If you love red wine, write about wine preservation, best ways to drink, best practices, etc.

Any sort of blogging that helps people enjoy their hobbies to a greater extent and empowers them with new lessons from your own experience will work out just fine!

And all you really need to start the blog is a web browser, some internet, and a little spare change.

You don’t need to know a lick of code these days.

Once you have your topic you need to (each link goes to another post at Dear Blogger):

1. Find a good domain name
2. Setup a blog, I recommend you get a domain name and set up a WordPress blog
3. Create a post launch gameplan

It’s really that easy.

Over to you

I know a lot of my readers have just started new blogs using my quick guide and I want to hear from you.

Did you choose the right topic? What topics do you find work best and why?

I would love if you could drop off some insight on how to start on the right foot for those new bloggers hiding out around here. Thanks!