This post was written by Heather Rae. Follow me on Twitter or StumbleUpon.
Just when I think I have this blog thing under control, something changes.
Here’s the thing. Since way back at the beginning of this foray into blogging, I’ve struggled with what to focus on. Should my blog be the personal journey of my day-to-day? Should I strive to inspire my readers to live their best lives? Should I make it more of a travel blog and write about my trips? Should I just focus on the art of writing?
I’ve heard over and over from a number of top bloggers that if I want my blog to be big and get the most traffic, I need to narrow my focus. This attracts the readers that are most interested in my topic. Pair that with writing the best content that I possibly can, and, bam, I’ve got a winner! Readers will come back over and over to see the latest I have to say about said subject. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.
The problem is, I don’t quite fit that mold. You could say I’m an eclectic person. My interests and my focus vary from day to day. Sometimes I want to write about writing. Sometimes I want to write about traveling. Sometimes I want to write about that new TV show I just saw and sort of fell in love with. I’m like that.
Is this a problem? I don’t really know. Would I get more hits if I stuck to one field, one subject? I’m not sure. Perhaps. But, then, would I be equally happy posting to my blog three times a week if I forced myself to focus on one area of interest? Probably not.
And so I’ve decided that I’m not going to limit myself. I’m going to write whatever strikes me at the moment, and I’m going to seriously enjoy it. I absolutely love having you as a reader, and I sure hope you’ll keep coming back (even if I do write about more than one thing).
I’m curious about other bloggers out there. Have you had similar issues with your own blog? Do you try to limit the areas you write about? Or do you let your imagination run wild? Have you found a happy medium?
Interestingly, I’ve noticed that I want to write a lot more about the process of writing. The art of writing fiction has taken over so much of what I think about these days; thus, it seems only natural. With that in mind, I realized that the tagline for my blog wasn’t really working anymore. So I changed it. You might notice, it now reads: Thirty-Something Aspiring Author Seeks the Good Life. I loved the other tagline, but I think this fits better. What do you think? Do you think it works?
My blog has become an ever evolving thing. Sort of just like me. In that sense, I think it’s okay to go with the flow.
photo credit: Ed Yourdon
Twitter Updates
I have the exact same problem – I have eclectic interests too and am thinking or writing about different things each day depending on my mood. I love culture in general – travel, music, movies, tv, art, fashion – animals and volunteering and I like to write about these things, but sometimes I just want to rant about an issue that is on my radar or talk about something dumb, like a funny thing that happened to me or a funny website I found or something. I worry about this too – not just in terms of my blog, but it’s also making it hard to find the right career for me and choose a Master’s program – I have many interests that change day-to-day so it’s hard to narrow my focus too much and that’s something you kinda have to do when choosing a career/education path. Anyway, I try not to worry about it though. To me it’s a strength – it shows you’re open-minded and knowledge-thirsty. Besides, it’s your blog so you should write about what you want!
I struggled a lot with this issue with the first blog I started which was a beauty blog. I loved writing about beauty but sometimes I wanted to write about something else and was afraid I’d turn off some readers who had strictly come for beauty advice. Now with my new blog I have much more freedom to write about whatever I please. I think it’s great that your blog is evolving because that is precisely what your blog is all about. Plus I think that if you have fun, interesting content people will keep coming back no matter what you write about.
N-
PS – I like the new tagline – very fitting!
Def okay to go with the flow. And find a niche, but cast a wide net in terms of topics.
I totally agree with this. This is and has been the biggest sticking point for me. Since I change my mind daily about what I want my blog to be about I never actually get any content up. Some days I want to write about Social Media, next day Comedy..etc… I think I agree with the “Write what you feel” idea, otherwise it may sound forced if that makes sense and the content will suffer. After all quality content supposedly is the most important thing, or so I’ve read.
I think all of us bloggers struggle to stay “on topic” or within a certain niche, at some point or another. When I started my blog (only a few months ago), I wanted to speak directly to other people in their quarterlife crises. I learned quite quickly that I wrote best when I wrote about my own experiences – when I wrote from an “I” point of view, instead of a “you” point of view. So, now, I’m giving myself the permission to write about whatever it is I’m feeling that day – but what I try to do at the end of each post, is bring it back to the quarterlife quest, either by offering some advice or a question or something similar. I can write about whatever you want, but I try to keep my message clear and consistent
But it’s YOUR blog! You can do whatever the heck you want with it – it’s your own personal journal, your own words. Write for you
I agree with the others – this is your space, and readers will keep coming back if they like your writing. Personally, I enjoy a little variety. I’ve struggled with this on my own blog – sometimes it’s photos, sometimes it’s travel, sometimes it’s daily life/work/books/relationships. I think that’s OK. Alexis’ comment pretty much sums it up.
Thank you all so much for your feedback! It’s SO helpful to hear your thoughts on this. I’m glad I’m not alone, struggling with keeping on topic at times and trying to figure out my niche. I think I’m definitely evolving and getting to that point – and it’s exciting!
ps…@Kim – funny that you mention you have this problem even when it comes to choosing a career and masters program. I had that SAME problem. I always joked when I was in my masters program that I should not have chosen a field that was so broad, and I should have picked a career field that would pigeon hole me. Lol. Given my eclectic nature, I tend to want to do *everything*, and it’s so hard to pick just one career path. But like you, I think that’s become one of my strengths – because of my many interests, I’m constantly learning new things. And I love that!
Btw, there will be a local blogger get together here on May 8th. An opportunity for loco blogger’s to come out from behind their computers.
Cafe – Sounds like fun! I wish I could be there, but I’ve got plans to do some rock climbing that day. But, hey, at least I’ll be out from behind my computer, right!?!?