So You Want to Start a Blog? | The Content

I’m going to start this off by telling you the opposite of everything else you will read: you do NOT need to choose a niche. Take a look around my blog, it’s been four years and I’ve yet to pick. Don’t worry about it.

What do you like?

The most important thing about blogging is you need to write about things you like. It doesn’t matter if it’s not popular (trust me, you aren’t the only person who likes something), it doesn’t matter if you don’t know everything about it (learn). What matters is that you enjoy what you’re talking about. It shows when bloggers are writing about what’s popular, what they think will sell, it’s not what they care about, they’re doing it for the views.

Find Your Folks

This is the only place you’re going to have trouble when you don’t have a niche- but it’s doable. My folks are for the most part other twenty-somethings generally at the same stage in their life as I am. Each person and I have something different in common, all of my folks are from different “tribes” (a term for another post) if you will.

Finding Your Voice

I don’t like to be professional on my personal blog, these are my thoughts and opinions, and I want to write in a very familiar tone. I want people to know they’re reading Mary’s Average Adventures by a line. I don’t want to be authoritative, I don’t want to lecture, I just want to be, so I use my own voice. A lot of my writing is exactly how I talk– run on sentences and scattered ideas. I’m very scatter-brained- the kind way of saying a mess, but that’s me and that’s what I want my blog to show. My voice is not me showing my best self (did I get tipsy and write the other night, yes), it’s me showing me.

That’s not to say that’s the only way of doing things. If I was talking about business that wouldn’t be okay, but I’m not. You have to figure out what voice fits your blog.

This is you.

A blog isn’t meant to encapsulate anyone but you. It’s meant to house your thoughts or information you think the world should have. It’s you. Don’t worry about what’s popular- it’s easy to fall into the trap of what will get views but at the end of the day it needs to be what’s best for you. Don’t burn out over a blog, that’s silly.

Thoughts? New blogs I should be looking at?

Feel like you could use a hand getting your blog off the ground? Let me know and I’d be more than happy to give a free consultation of my services :)
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8 responses to “So You Want to Start a Blog? | The Content”

  1. Hi Mary! Thanks for posting! I just wanted to give you a heads up that I nominated you for the Liebster Award here: https://dothething.net/2017/09/12/19-earn-a-masters-degree-liebster-award-2/

  2. Great post Mary! And yeah, that niche thing really tripped me up. Right now I’m mostly writing about books, but I’m refusing to strictly stay in that “tribe.” Niche’s can be helpful, but they can also be limiting.

    1. I would also add–don’t be afraid to take risks. Some of the posts I have been most hesitant about sharing have been the ones that have been received best. I think it’s because those posts are more “me” than when I try and write what I think I “should.”

    2. Right, because if you did, we wouldn’t be friends! :) it’s great to venture outside of the “tribe” mentality!!

  3. sweetlymistakengirl Avatar
    sweetlymistakengirl

    You really started this subject with something that may not be as commonly heard ( that it is okay to not have a exact focus as long as you can manage having a plethora of topics). For me, I have found that I have so many ideas that it does me best to focus on one particular thing but I am sure that it is each to it’s own. I love how you re-directed things back to us, authors/creators of content. Sure, I want to be liked, I want to be noticed but not at the expense of my own values and interest.

    ~ Bree

    1. Exactly! Thank you for a lovely comment!!

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