Blog Your Passion

By: Lorelle VanFossen

Apr 25 2012

Tags: blog content, blog focus, blog purpose, blog title, blog topic, blogging tips, content, content with intent, diversity, focus, how to blog, niche, topic

Category: How to Blog

4 Comments

I teach many workshops and classes on blogging and WordPress, and all of the classes and training workshops begin the same way. With the question: What are you going to blog about?

While other instructors start with blogging basics, WordPress sign up and installation, I start with the main reason you choose to blog. You wish to share a part of yourself with others.

Define that.

Complete the sentence: On my blog, I want to share ________________________________________.

I recommend the topics be no more than three to start.

This isn’t about creating a blogging niche, a specialty for which you are known for, or expertise. It is about starting the process of blogging with a narrow focus.

If you begin your blog wide, you will quickly be overwhelmed with the possibilities.

Narrow your focus at the beginning and you will have fewer choices, fewer decisions, and less chance for confusion or frustration. Let it grow naturally and organically.

You’ll find your path in time.

Do the topics need to be related?

Not necessarily. I’ve seen bloggers be quite successful blogging about cars, chocolate, and coffee, the three Cs. They found a connection that works for them.

Most people should start with a single topic, then break down the specifics.

For example, if you wish to blog about cats, be specific.

What kind of cats? House cats, feral cats, or cats in the wilderness.

What will the cats being doing? Will you blog about their activities, habits, health, or life cycle?

What is the relationship between you and the cats? Are you the observer, owner, trainer, lover?

What information on cats will you share? Adventures with kitty? Training? Ownership? Friendship? Health? Maintenance?

Maybe you aren’t going to blog about living cats but cartoon cats, funny cat pictures, or funny cat videos.

Cats is a huge topic, so be specific. Narrow it down to three topics around cats.

Why is it important to be specific about what you are going to blog about first?

I’ve found that the more commitment you have to your topic, the more likely you are to continue blogging. If you are not, most people run out of interest and steam within a month or less.

Here’s a hint:

Choose something you could talk about every day for three years, and still love talking about at the end of the three years.

More information in this series exploring the blogging journey and path may be found in the How to Blog category.