Selecting a Topic for Your New Blog

Deciding on a blog topic or focus can be one of the most difficult decisions for beginning bloggers (and long term bloggers as well).

Avoid the Urge to Set Up a Blab Blog

Often, new bloggers will click in and begin a “blab” blog. These are basically online journals. You simply attempt to share your entire life in little blurbs and snippets.

I hate to tell you this. You’re just not THAT interesting. I’m not either. Very few people can draw a following by posting up mundane daily activities. Even your Momma likely will get tired of hearing that you got up, took a shower, went to class, ate lunch . . . You get the picture. That kind of information is not great fodder for building a blog.

Day to day notes work better on Facebook or Twitter. If you like to keep a running log of your activities, then check out other social media outlets. Your friends and family members are much more likely to see the data than if they have to search out a blog where you run down a trip to the grocery store.

Follow Your Passion When Blogging

While many bloggers hope to have a blog that draws large visitor numbers and/or will eventually generate good income, it’s not a great idea to research and invest time and energy into a blog topic simply because you find that a certain topic is popular or pays well. What’s “hot” today does, after all, change.

Blogging is more fun (and ultimately does pay off - if that’s the goal) when you select a topic that you’re excited about. You’re much more likely to stay on top of your true interest area and share information on a regular basis if you’re excited about what you’re covering. You’re also more likely to have readers, because onliners can recognize knowledge, passion, and quality materials.

Deciding on Scope When it Comes to Blogging

A blog focus is a balancing act. You want a topic that is broad enough to serve you well for months or years. But, you don’t want a topic so broad that you never find your niche audience, and most blogs do draw niche audiences.

A general cooking blog is too BROAD (in most cases). You’re not likely to attract a regular following if you range from crock pot recipes to decorated cupcakes to gourmet salts. You’re simply not “speaking” to any specific cook, and blogs really need to have that focus. When I blog, I often pick one “real” person from my life, and I write materials with that person in the back of my mind.

On the other hand, you can get too specific. I could blog on grilling chicken. Yes. There are a number of ways I could go with that. But, I would have a hard time keeping a stream of grilled chicken materials posted. In addition, I would personally get bored if I limited my blogging to only one food – no matter how much I might like that food.

Ideas for Blogs

There are limitless topics you could cover in a blog. In fact, some people have numerous blogs, because they have so many ideas and find that they need multiple blogs to share all the information they’d like to share. Others may find honing in on an idea more difficult. That’s when brainstorming can be helpful.

A good way to brainstorm is to sit down with a pencil and piece of paper and just begin writing down things you enjoy doing and things that matter in your life. These ideas may revolve around your hobbies, your part-time job, or your college major. Don’t censor yourself initially. Just get some ideas down on paper. Then, you have something to work with.