Apparently I need a blog. I’ve gleaned this from several people who are in the know. If I want to be a successful freelance writer, I need a blog to have an online presence.
It doesn’t matter that I’ve written professionally in one form or another for most of my 25 year working life. That I have over 50 examples of features and reports I’ve written in actual printed magazines. That I’ve produced and edited countless press releases, copy for brochures, websites, newsletters and special reports. To get anywhere in the digital world, my writing needs to be online, and the easiest and fastest way to do this, is to write a blog.
Ok, I get it. I’ll write a blog.
Blog research
So, I’ve been researching this. If you Google ‘How to be a successful blogger’ or similar, unsurprisingly, there are a LOT of bloggers out there telling you exactly how to do it. They offer a whole raft of tips on the dos and don’ts – how to set yourself up, what platform and plug-ins to use (who knew what a plug-in was?), when to post, how to post – the list goes on and on.
I’ve lost entire days, probably weeks, reading this stuff. There are blogs to read, obviously, as well as videos to watch, training courses on offer, newsletters to subscribe to, useful links within links, within other links to follow. It’s quite overwhelming.
Before you know it, you’re eight blogs away from the one you originally started reading and free-styling between random topics. I realised I’d gone off on several tangents when I found myself fascinated by how to clean out my washing machine using vinegar and lemon juice.
Time to get back on track. One blog and website I found myself browsing early on was Elna Cain’s. There’s some useful information there and I jumped from one post to another, eagerly lapping it all up.
Niches
My stumbling block came when I watched a video about the need to specialise. Elna advises that we all need to find our ‘niche’, or ‘NITCH’ as she endearingly pronounces it. For some reason, this had me chuckling like a small child every time she said the word. I know it’s very silly of me. I still snigger when I think of it. Nitch 🙂
Anyway, it is vital that I find my niche. I NEED to find my niche. And, ideally, I need to find it before I write anything.
And Elna’s not on her own here. Everyone I’ve spoken to, and everything I’ve read has said that you need to specialise.
Let’s consider avocados
So, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought – probably too much. What if I just picked something quite random and decided to become an expert in it? What if I decided to set myself up as the ‘go to’ person on avocados, for example, I wonder what it would take for me to be the world avocado guru?
Being a big fan of avocados, I’m pretty sure I’d have plenty to say about them. But for my views to carry any weight, I probably should have studied at an avocado academy or, at the very least consume three avocados a day AND concoct my own avocado face pack.
I’d need to immerse myself in the avocado world, have strong opinions, a bank of useful and most importantly, INTERESTING information, and key contacts in the avocado industry.
And I’d need a grasp of any topical issues. Aside from the global avocado shortage and an apparent increase in avocado-related injuries, I’m currently only aware of one, where an Australian real estate mogul, Tim Gurner, advised that young people save up to buy a house with the money they spend on avocado on toast. This, undertandably, caused a flutter of indignation among millennials.
Clearly my knowledge of avocados is not currently at expert level. With some research, at best it might be intermediate. I probably only eat a couple avocados a week. I know they have many health benefits and I do like to make avocado dips. And, heaven forfend, I have been known to mash them on toast – don’t tell Tim.
This niche thing has slightly unravelled me. I have interests, but am I interested enough? I’ve always had an interest in a wide range of things, but could I focus on just one or two?
Interests or passions?
As a child I went through phases of obsessively collecting things – teddy bears, postcards, bookmarks, stickers, stamps. I even had a collection of mostly broken snail shells which nestled on a bed of pink toilet paper in a 1977 Silver Jubilee tin. But were these passions or just childhood fads? And are my current interests, passions? Do they need to be, and do I, or could I, know enough about them to become a respected authority?
Elna Cain does give advice on how to find your niche – start with areas you’ve worked in, and experience and interests you already have. You can have more than one, and it’s important to ENJOY what you write about. After all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time doing it.
What to do?
I have experience in writing about home interiors products, designs and trends. I also have experience in the wellness area, particularly in sleep and relaxation. And I love dogs. I’ve written a piece about my dog Flossie for her rescue charity, and I plan to write more about her.
These are potentially vast areas with a diverse range of topics to write about. I might find once I dive in, that I become an expert on a particular ‘thing’, or not. Or I may become the ‘go to’ writer on several subjects.
Focus on what’s important
And maybe I’m overlooking what’s staring me in the face – what I’m doing right now. I can write about writing.
Maybe the topic isn’t that important. What’s important is that I write. And that I enjoy it. And if others find it interesting to read, that’s a bonus.
So, this is my very first blog post. It’s a little long I think so, well done if you’ve made it this far.
Watch this space to see how it develops.
Who knows, I may even get to avocados at some point.
🙂
Suzy Pope is a versatile lifestyle writer with a background in PR. If you would like help with a writing project, please get in touch.
