When I first started out with blogging - I found one of the biggest stresses was trying to keep to a consistent theme. If you can't remember that far back (which is fair enough) - originally I had intended on Short Girl Walking to be a fitness and weight loss inspo blog (We can all laugh collective together). Obviously this hasn't worked out, but it got me thinking. Is it possible to have a successful multi-niche blog and still be coherent, and importantly, keep readers coming back?
The answer was yes.
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So how do you make a successful multi-niche blog?
An absolutely fantastic question and we're actually going to look at this question in reverse.
To start with, we first need to have a quick look at what this means for you - and where you are in your blogging journey. If you've read my post about having a coherent blog - you'll notice that I mention that having too many subjects on your blog can really throw off an audience. Truthfully, I'm not about to tell you differently here. There is absolutely a fine line between having a blog that talks about a different range of subjects that you'll keep coming back to vs a blog that's really a hot mess.
Are you in month 0-4 of your blogging journey?
I would suggest if you're only just starting out in your blog (As in, months 0-4 of officially launching) - stick with your chosen blog niche until you start getting into a regular posting pattern. You'll continue to build up your base over this time, and can then start branching out. Why do I think this is important, rather than diving into the deep end straight away? Number one is to be able to create your blog identity. Number two, it gives you time to test out if blogging is right for you. Number three, blogging and writing is much like photography (aka, your first 10000 photos are going to be your worst.)
I don't expect you to write 10k blog posts in 4 months, but having a bit of structure before you start writing about everything under the sun will allow you to get used to what style you're wanting out of your blog, and practice the other little things that go into making a blog post.
This isn't to say however that this is the time to not be planning ahead. There is no reason that you can't already have a vision in your head (or paper!) about what direction you want your blog to go in. Let me be honest, there's a really high possibility it might not be what you originally anticipated!
Are you 4+ months into your blogging journey, and have at least 8-10 posts created?
I know a number of people will disagree with the timing, and that you should really start branching out more after about twelve months. I disagree. Unless you're ready to 100% commit to a one niche blog (doing only fashion, DIY tips, etc) - then around the four-month mark, if you're like me, you're going to get bored. Blogging is SUPER fun, and I think having this super restrictive timeline of 12+ months is kinda crazy.
The great news is that if you've got those 8-10 posts already curated, there's a couple of things that happen:
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- You've got posts to deep-link back to (Google LOVES this.)
- As mentioned above, you've already got a rhythm going on what you're writing
- Hopefully, you've now established a bit of an audience and can start asking for opinions on what to write about
- There's also a strong likelihood that when you were doing the posts that other post ideas started popping up and you've got them saved as a future idea in a draft folder somewhere
- You already have posts that you can expand on!
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Having a non-micro niche blog is not a get out of structure jail for free card.
Just because you've now got a lot more freedom to post about different topics, doesn't mean you can get lazy. You absolutely should have an over-arching theme of what you're wanting to achieve across all of your blog posts. In some ways, this actually makes it more difficult to have a blog where you are actually writing about different things. It's once again taking a step back and thinking, what exactly am I trying to achieve with each post? How does this relate to what I want my readers to take away from my blog?
There is such a thing of over-complicating your blog.
Key things to remember when starting to add more category subjects:
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- You need to be conscious of SEO: Your keywords may not fit every category!
- Your Tone of Voice still needs to remain consistent in all your posts
- Everything still needs to tie together in some capacity across the whole blog
Micro vs Multi-Niche - Which Should I Do?
There's a lot of arguments for and against having a multi-niche blog. I can't begin to tell you the number of hours and stress that it caused me when I first started out blogging, to feel that I had to have a specific blog type to be successful. Once I realised the notion this wasn't the case, and I had free reign for what I wanted my blog to be - I became a lot more invested in what I was doing. I was more than happy to do more research, write more posts, do more graphics. This compared to dragging my feet through the dirt on topics I didn't really care for anymore was a game-changer.
This said - you might be better suited for a niche blog or a micro-niche blog. In another example - I'm also a photographer, and I used to have a dedicated blog for tips and tricks for doing better photography on a budget. This then made no sense to add extra topics about things that weren't related to that particular niche.
There is a benefit of doing smaller niches in that you are competing with fewer people (theoretically), but you can also tend to shoebox yourself in if you want to later expand.
The best things to do to have a successful multi-niche blog
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- Plan out your content in advance, and make sure your posts continue to link to your over-arching theme
- Research your potential future categories, and consider combining category posts until it's ready to have its own separate one
- Make sure you have an actual interest in the topic you're writing about - Don't just create a category or blog post just because you feel like you have to
- Don't be afraid to ask your readers what they want to see from you
- If your goal is to eventually make a profit on your blog - are you able to think of how affiliate marketing or ads will be able to carry across your different posts?
- Remember to space your blog posts out. For example, have a "Travel Thursdays" or "Fitness Fridays", it will give your readers who might be more partial to one part of your blog than another to see what they want to read.
- Consider whether you may actually be suited a niche, or micro-niche blog. If you're finding that you're going too over the place with your posts - it might be time to re-evaluate.
- Remember to still ask for sign-ups for your newsletter!
- Don't be afraid to reach out to others to ask for collaborations or guest posts
- Have fun! Experiment with your style, and remember your readers will continue to follow you for your writing, as long as it's consistent writing style!
Wrap up time!
I personally love having the flexibility of a multi-niche blog. It gives me the opportunity to go and explore my many different hobbies and interests, and I no longer feel that I have to be bogged down sticking to one thing, and one thing only. There are a lot of bloggers out there that are very successful in having multi-niche blogs, and there's absolutely no reason you can't be one of them.
Let me know in the comments below what you're struggling with at the moment with your blogging goals? Are you getting stuck on finding a niche? Or trying to break out from it? Or let me know if you found this helpful!
Clarissa Cabbage
Thanks Claire, that definitely does make sense. I appreciate the pointers!
I think I’ll take your advice and go through the posts I’ve written so far, as well as my long list of blog topics I want to write about, and make a mind map out of it. I haven’t used that technique in forever. I think that should give me a little clarification going forward. Thanks so much for your insight!
shortgirlwalking
You’re always welcome! Feel free to reach out on Twitter if there’s anything else you want a second opinion on! x
Michelle
Thanks for an interesting post. When I started my blog last year, I planned to focus on eco friendly living and waste reduction. Over time, I expanded to some health and lifestyle posts. Over the last couple of months, I have been writing more about what’s happening in the world because some eco-friendly practices have gone by the wayside and don’t make sense at the moment. Ultimately for me, it’s all about living your best life. Maybe that’s my niche! LOL
shortgirlwalking
Hi Michelle!
I was reading some of your posts last week and noticed the adaptability that you’ve done with some of your eco posts. You’re absolutely correct, some of them don’t make sense at the moment. (In particular, at least down here, our coffee shops have stopped accepting BYO coffee mugs which really sucks!) I think you’ve got your niche down pat, to be honest! It’s super consistent – I know exactly what I’m expecting when I visit and you’re doing an awesome job!
– Claire xo
Clarissa Cabbage
Thanks for this Claire! I’m a new blogger trying to navigate all of this. I have already narrowed my original topic quite a bit. So much so that I think I might need to switch the name up! The name of my blog now is Your Adventure HQ (headquarters) – and the original plan was to write posts about adventures to take in the Pacific Northwest as well as how to train and get in shape for those adventures. Now I have pivoted to mostly focus on building healthy habits to help people adopt a more adventurous lifestyle. Under that umbrella I have been writing about how to build healthy habits you can actually stick to (goal setting, motivation etc.) but also mindset for behavior change, fitness and workout tips for beginners, and a little about how you can still plan and go on adventures even with all this covid-19 stuff. So I’ve got a number of different topics, but they all relate back to healthy habits for an adventurous lifestyle. Would that be considered multi-niche? The name I’m considering changing to is “Adventure Fit For Life” (from Your Adventure HQ). I feel like I can’t really build a solid brand until I work this stuff out. What are your thoughts?
shortgirlwalking
Hey Clarissa!
It sounds like you’ve gone from almost a micro-niche blog (being for those adventures in the Pacific Northwest) and then evolving into the healthy habits & adventurous lifestyle. I’d say that with what you’ve said – it looks like you’re going to be focusing on that positive wellbeing niche rather than a multi-niche. I find multi-niche blogs are more along the lines of like what this one is (That weekly we go between blogging tips, “real talk”, DIY etc) – BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t post a heap of different subjects which is what it sounds like you’re currently doing! The one thing that I think is a freeing thought is that you can still do a wide range of categories and not be restricted without losing focus on your goal.
In regards to the name change – I’m all for changing it up if you think that it’s going to better represent your blog/website going forward! However, things to be mindful of is, of course, the traffic you’re currently getting through, and any links that you’ve previously published with the YAHQ site won’t automatically translate into a re-direct. I do also think that you’ve really gotta love your name, so if YAHQ isn’t it – then go for it!
I have a notebook (actually two of them!) with all of my intended content ideas for the next six months. I really love having a mindmap – and branching out what the most common topics are. Another tip that I’ve been doing is also going back through the posts I have already done, and finding the connection of what I post the most, as that’s usually an indication of what you like talking about!
If you spend an hour or two just fleshing that out – I reckon you’ll have your answer on what to build your brand on, and what direction you’re wanting to go over the next 3/6/12+ months!
Hopefully that makes sense!
Claire x
Blog of Sunshine
This was such a helpful blog post to read, thank you so much for posting!
I only restarted blogging two weeks ago, and I was so worried about having a multi niche blog! Thanks for reassuring me, I’ll definitely follow these tips 🙂
I’ve connected with you on instagram as well for more great tips!
Blog of Sunshine <3
https://blogofsunshine.com/
shortgirlwalking
I’m so glad you found it helpful! Congratulations on restarting – I know how hard that can be!! I hope you find HEAPS of success on your blog xx
Sophie Lou
This post is so helpful!! I’ve felt like I should have one niche and that be it but this has reassured me that I can have a multi-niche blog and still be successful! Thank you for sharing this! x
shortgirlwalking
I think as long as you’re confident in yourself, and you stay committed to doing a multiniche blog AND stick to do a few bits of hard work here and there, you can absolutely have a successful one! Thank you so much for popping by ?