What Type of Blog Should I Start for the Best Chance of Success

Last updated on August 1st, 2018 at 06:54 pm

Most new bloggers will always ask the dreaded question “what type of blog should I start?” Starting a blog is so easy, in fact, you can follow this step-by-step tutorial and get your first self-hosted WordPress blog up and running in no time. What is challenging is choosing the right niche for your blog.

When it comes to finding a niche, that’s where most of drag our feet. We have no clue what we should start writing in, that it can literally stop so many of us in our tracks.

I’ve started several blogs in the past and some of them were a success while others NEVER took off. Here’s what I have learned and what I think you should ask yourself if you’re just getting started.

Maybe you’ve started a blog and you’re second guessing yourself because you see so many people having faster success than you. Well, don’t worry, I’ll cover that in this post as well.

You’re going to be surprised at how they did it, but the best part is so can you and I.

But first, let’s discuss some of the questions that you should consider asking yourself before you start your blog.

What Type of Blog Should I Start 7 Questions to Ask Yourself

I’d love to tell you that choosing a niche is extremely easy. But if you’re planning on turning your blog into a successful business, there are some questions that you should consider asking yourself.

Especially, since a blog doesn’t grow overnight. You’re going to have to write a lot of content for it if you want to see it grow into an online empire that you’re proud of.

1. What Am I Passionate About?

There’s a lot of people who say that you should start a blog if there is a way to monetize your blog, it doesn’t matter if you’re passionate about it or not.

Then there are other people who say that you can’t succeed in a niche that you’re not passionate about. So which scenario is true and what works best?

Well, I’ve done both things before and I’ll share what I’ve experienced.

When I started a blog based just on the monetization potential, I failed. Yes, I did make some money with the blog, in fact, at one point it was making over $3000.00 per month. (which was awesome by the way)

I loved the fact that I was able to make money from blogging. However, I had such a hard time growing the blog and maintaining it because I had absolutely no interest in writing about junk cars.

The blog ended up getting penalized by Google and I never took the time to fix the errors. (at that time in my life, I was chasing the fast overnight success methods)

Trust me, those don’t work and they’ll just end up getting your blog penalized.

I think if I had started in a niche where I was more passionate about the niche, I would’ve actually taken the time to fix the errors.

But once the site got penalized, the traffic and income died literally overnight. That’s why I prefer to start a blog in a niche that I am somewhat passionate about.

Although the second blog that I’ve just started is in a totally different niche than this one. We’ll see how I do on creating content on a regular basis for it.

It’s been a challenge so far and I haven’t been giving it the time that it needs. I am still working on improving my time management skills so I can focus on growing my second blog.

I guess that’s why so many people say that you shouldn’t start a second blog until your first blog can actually maintain itself. I’ve never been good at listening to what people have to say.

Maybe You’re Different

Who knows, maybe you’re different than I am and you can learn to love the niche as long as it makes money. If so then you should definitely consider starting a lifestyle blog or a crafts blog.

Both of those niches do very well on Pinterest. As long as you can learn how to create amazing pins, then you’ll most likely see some success with it.

The cool thing about a lifestyle blog is that you can write content in more subjects and many lifestyle bloggers seem to go broad with their blogs. Unfortunately, the only way to find out what type of blogger you are is to get started and see what works for you.

2. What Do You Love Talking About?

Do you find yourself talking about the same things over and over with your family and friends? I personally love talking about blogging and WordPress with everyone I know.

It’s not unusual for people to tell me that I talk wayyy too much about it.

I don’t know why, but I just love it. The thought of blogging and turning it into a full-time business just fascinates me. I’m NOT sure if it’s because I’ve been building blogs for several years. (this is the first blog that I’ve had for this long)

Or the fact that I am getting older and am working towards setting up this blog for my golden years? (I still have a long way for that, but it’s never too early to start thinking about retirement.)

But that’s one of the reasons that I started this blog. I’ve learned so much from all the courses, my personal experiences and just daily reading that I thought it was time to start a blog in this niche.

What Can’t You Shut Up About?

Maybe you just can’t stop talking about all the new recipes that you’ve been trying or that new bread maker that you just ordered from Amazon?

Or maybe you’re an avid runner or love mountain biking and you talk about it all the time?

If you start paying attention to the conversations that you’re having with your family and friends, you’ll notice a trend. Pay attention to what you’re always talking about.

Who knows maybe you already have the perfect blog niche in you and it’s just itching for you to start your own blog.

3. What Can You Teach Others?

Most people who find your blog are going to be looking for advice and want to solve their problems. This means that if you can teach others how to accomplish certain tasks in your niche, you’ll have a much better chance of succeeding.

If you’re a food blogger, people will turn to you for recipes that they can use to cook in 30 minutes or less. Especially, if your blog caters to busy moms that don’t have a lot of free time.

A travel blog will want to provide tips and resources on how to travel on a budget. You can also provide tips on things that you should always pack when you’re headed to the beach.

Every blog is different and the ways that you teach and solve problems on your blog will vary. It takes time to learn what you’re readers want, this is why so many people say to find the popular blog topics that people have already written when you’re first starting out.

Just by seeing what other people in your niche have already written about, you won’t have to waste a bunch of time trying to find what actually works. The important thing to remember is that you don’t want to copy someone else’s work.

I’m Not An Expert In My Niche

We’re our own worst critics and this alone can stop us from starting a blog. When we hear people say that we need to be an expert or know something about our niche before we start.

That can be paralyzing and then we start to think that we’re not good enough to become a blogger.

The truth is that you don’t have to be an expert in your niche just to start. There are people who are willing to follow you as long as you don’t come out saying that you’re an expert when you’re not.

You can blog from the point of I’m just learning and you can follow me. Don’t forget to share your own personal experiences as well, that’s what will help make your blog unique and help your readers get to know you a little bit.

Remember, you’re writing to the people in the journey behind you. As long as you keep that in mind, you’ll be fine.

4. Is The Niche Big Enough?

Blogging is a long-term strategy and the truth is that you’re going to need a lot of content. I know that some people say that you don’t need a lot of content.

But if you take a look at their blog archives, you’ll probably notice that they have tons of articles. As a new blogger, you won’t have a bunch of articles, so you’re going to have to love writing blog posts.

Don’t make the mistake of narrowing down your niche at the beginning. I did that with this blog, I started out writing WordPress tech tutorials because that’s what I love doing.

However, I realized that new bloggers not only want to learn how to do the techie stuff, they also want to learn how to blog and make money. That’s why I’ve decided to expand more on my niche.

Give Yourself Room to Grow

When you start a blog, make sure that you choose a blog name that allows you to grow. Most of us start our blogs with the intention of blogging about a specific subject.

The truth is that as your blog starts to grow, you’ll most likely have to change the topics that you write about. Ask any blogger and they will most likely tell you that at one point you may have to pivot your blog.

I would’ve had a hard time pivoting this blog if I had registered a domain name that tied me to the techie side of WordPress. Thank goodness I just decided to blog under my real name.

Now I can pivot this blog anytime I want without having to worry about if I need to change my blog name.

5. What Am I Already Doing?

Maybe you’re into crafts or woodworking and are constantly doing projects around the home? If so, then why not start a blog and share the projects that you’re creating.

There are always readers who want to learn how to become more crafty. Heck, I wish I was more crafty and am always reading these types of blogs to see if I can create some of the projects they create.

But honestly, when it comes to being a crafty person, I suck. That’s actually one of the reasons that I never started a crafts blog, even though they do extremely well on Pinterest.

Share Your Experiences

People love reading other people’s experiences before they try something. This is why case studies are so popular online. In fact, I’ve written a case study on how I have used a blog series to help me get more traffic to my blog.

For some reason, people like to read case studies to see if it’s worth their time to try something or not. Which really surprises me because you really can’t take someone else’s word for it.

The only way you’ll know if something works for you or not, is to test things out on your own. I admit, I love reading case studies as well, but I am always willing to test it out for myself.

After all, you can’t ever know if something works for your blog unless you start writing and testing things out for yourself.

Now that you know some of the questions you should ask yourself when trying to find the right niche for your blog, let’s see if there’s such a thing as the perfect niche.

Is There Such A Thing As A Perfect Niche?

It’s so easy to believe that there’s a perfect niche and you’re in the wrong niche. But the truth is that you can succeed in pretty much any niche as long as you’re willing to stay consistent and persistent. (even when you’re not getting fast enough results)

Maybe you’ve read a blog income report online that says so and so now makes $20,000 per month with their blog. (and they did it in 6 months) So you start a blog in the same exact niche they are in.

Then six months later, you realize that you’re lucky if you make $100 per month with your blog. You start thinking that something isn’t right and maybe you’re in the wrong niche.

So you start a second blog in a totally different niche, only to realize that it’s like a revolving door. Eventually, you just keep starting new blogs and NOT seeing success with any blog.

The truth is that growing a blog takes time. Yes, there are more popular blog topics than others, especially, if you want to use Pinterest to grow your blog. If you have never used Pinterest before, this course will help you understand all the newly updated changes.

But the truth is that we all have our own learning curves to go through as a blogger. For some of us, it takes a lot longer to realize that if you just stick with it and keep learning, eventually, you will create a money making blog.

If only I would’ve stuck with some of my earlier blogs, instead of always jumping to the next shiny object. Who knows where I would be instead of starting over with this blog.

Take it from me, you can make money in pretty much any niche. I’ve had blogs in the following topics:

• junk cars
• warts
• beauty
• lifestyle (I had no clue it was a lifestyle blog at the time)

All of those blogs made me some money if only I would’ve persisted and kept growing it. My point is that you can make money in pretty much any niche, here’s a list of some blog niches that do better than others.

43 Blog Niche Ideas for Your New Blog

If you’re still asking what kind of blog should I start and you have made it this far down the post. Well, here’s a list of 43 blog topics that you can consider for your new blog.

I could go on and on with different blog niche ideas for a new blog. But the truth is that it would take all day and hopefully, you get an idea that it’s possible to make money in a lot of different niches.

Niches That Do Extremely Well On Pinterest

One of the things that I have learned since being on Pinterest, is that some niches do a lot better than others. Nope, it’s not the blogging niche.

I’m not saying that the blogging niche can’t get traffic on Pinterest. But I’ve noticed that it doesn’t do as good as some other niches. Here’s a list of some of the niches that do very good on Pinterest.

Don’t forget to check out the niches that do good on Bloglovin.

Should I Blog About Blogging?

When you first start blogging, it’s natural to be excited and want to share how you’re growing your blog. But the truth is that it’s going to be challenging to teach people how to blog if it’s your first blog.

I know what you’re thinking, why am I blogging about blogging if I just started this blog. Well, if you’ve read my blogging mistakes, then you know this isn’t my first blog.

Yes, it’s the first blog that I’ve posted on a regular basis. My last blog’s I never enjoyed and got bored of them quickly. So I just let them die away in the blogosphere.

The point being is that if you’re a brand new blogger who has never had any blogs or experience in the blogging world, you probably shouldn’t start in the blogging niche.

It’s hard to grow a blog in a niche where you haven’t had a lot of success. Yes, I know that we all start from zero no matter what niche you’re in.

But you’ll have a hard time teaching people how to blog if you’re just getting your blog started.

Let’s Look at Some Bloggers Who Succeed In The Blogging or Marketing Niche

I’m not saying that you can’t succeed in the blogging niche. I’m just saying that you be better be willing to face an uphill battle. It’s NOT as easy to grow a blog in the blogging niche as it is to grow a blog in the parenting niche.

But it is possible and if you manage to succeed, there’s definitely a lot of profit to be made.

If you do decide to start in the blogging niche, the important thing is to share your personal experiences and let other’s know that you’re a new blogger.

Don’t try to act like you know everything there is to know about blogging. Otherwise, you’re readers will know you’re lying and you’ll have a hard time gaining their trust.

Besides, no one knows everything about blogging. Things are always changing and as a blogger, you’re going to have to learn how to keep up with the constant changes.

Here’s What to Do Instead

Start a blog in a different niche and then once you’ve seen some success you can always blog about blogging. I’ve seen several bloggers do this and I wish I would’ve done this from the get-go.

But as I mentioned above, blogging is the only thing that really interests me. Plus, I’ve started so many blogs and invested in so many blogging courses, I just wanted to do it this way.

It’s a lot easier for me to write about something that I am knowledgeable about and actually enjoy. Than trying to write about something that I have absolutely no knowledge about and just want to make money.

Here are Some Bloggers Who Did It Right

Now let’s take a look at some bloggers who did it correctly without having to climb the uphill battle. They still put in a lot of work on the front end, but they didn’t start in the blogging or the make money online niche first.

Just A Blog and A Girl

Abby Lawson started her blog in the organization niche and grew her blog quickly, thanks to the help of Pinterest. Now she teaches people how to blog based on the success that she saw on her blog.

In fact, if you read this post, she tells new bloggers NOT to start in the blogging niche because of how competitive it is. You can read that post here I believe that it’s the 10th tip on the post.

Anastasia Blogger

Anastasia has a blog that started out not as a blogging tips blog, but she blogged about a lot of different topics. Here’s a post that I found that talks about Valentine Crafts for Kids. However, if you look at her blog now, it looks like she just started out blogging about blogging.

But the truth is that she realized that some niches do a lot better on Pinterest than blogging, so she grew her blog in the popular topics. Now that she is making money with her blog, she teaches people how to blog.

It’s Okay

I could literally go on and on and show you examples of other bloggers who maybe started in different niches and now they teach other people how to blog.

It’s okay to start in a totally different niche and then share your blogging experience or even create a blogging course. Heck, I wish I would’ve done this when I started this blog.

But as I mentioned, I’m NOT good at writing in the crafts or DIY niches.

It’s up to you how you choose to do it. Just remember, that starting in the blogging niche if you’re brand new is going to take a lot longer than starting in a popular niche.

Final Take Away

I’ve shown you that there are several blog niche ideas that you can run with. Heck, you can even start in the blogging niche like I did, just be prepared to give it time to grow.

I’ve thought about adding some popular categories that do well on Pinterest to this blog. But all my posts have been based on the blogging niche, I really don’t want to start writing in completely off the wall topics.

That’s actually why I started a second blog. (although I don’t really enjoy writing content for it like I do this one)

Honestly, it doesn’t matter which path you choose. If you want to grow your blog as quickly as possible, I recommend that you start in a completely different niche other than the blogging niche.

Pick a niche that does very well on Pinterest. Then learn everything that you can about using Pinterest for short-term traffic, this is the course that I bought when I first got started with Pinterest.

Focus on writing content just geared for Pinterest and Google, this will help you out. Once you start mastering Pinterest traffic, then learn everything that you can about SEO traffic. If you do this, you should start to see some profits in no time.

You might have to invest a keyword tool to help you uncover profitable keywords you can actually rank for. Here’s what I use.

Especially, if you chose a niche that does extremely well on Pinterest 🙂

Hand Picked Articles for You

• 5 Types of Blogs to Start If You Want to Make Money
• 11 Blog Niches That Get Good Traffic and Make Good Money
• How to Find the Right Niche For Your Blog

Now that you know you can make money in pretty much any niche, what’s holding you back? Let me know what kind of blog you’re planning on starting or why you chose the niche you’re in.