At one of my green-minded blogs I’m coming up on my second year anniversary, which got me wondering just how many green-minded posts I’ve written. Being anal and knowing I’d sit around wondering if I didn’t check, I took five minutes, hit all my green blogs and made a count.
As it turns out, I’ve written a lot of green-minded posts; almost 2,000 eco-blog posts in the last few years which is not counting all the random green I’ve blogged for clients, eco-guest posts, green articles I’ve done, or the eco-copy I’ve done for non-profits. That’s a lot of writing on the same topic.
Do I like this… Well, right now, about 85% of my work is green-related and to be honest, there are times I’d like to tell people to chop down trees and buy a hummer because I’m so darn tired of thinking about green day in and day out. Ok, not really, but the craziness around Earth Day really does get me tired. That said, of all the topics I write on, this is the only one I never run out of ideas for because I truly do love it. That’s probably the best reason to choose a niche you honestly love and stick with it. There are other reasons too…
Because as noted above I adore my niche, I almost never have to stop and think about what to write about, which means I spend more time writing and less time researching. In blogging and online writing the saying that time is money really does apply. If I wrote mostly about celebrities (blah) because I know it pays well compared to other blog niches, it still wouldn’t make me much more money than green. I’d be researching all the time, pausing when I write, and trying to work it all out as I go. That’s called a big waste of time.
You can make a name for yourself. I wouldn’t say that I’m some sort of household name in green, but I’m known enough by now that I’ve been approached with multiple writing job offers in this niche. I’m also approached by more eco-companies and green authors now than I was back when I started writing about green. Once people start to know you by your niche you may earn some career perks.
My resume is packed with links and other pieces. If I see a green gig I want it’s way easier to confidentially apply. It’s easier to say, “I have hundreds of pieces available to view” vs. “10.”
I don’t mind the networking part. Part of blogging is networking but if I had to network with social networks related to topics I don’t enjoy, it might make me nuts. I like networking with other green folks vs. say when I blogged at a music blog it was a chore to network with other music blogger. I LOVE music, but that type of chit-chat just was not my bag.
If you adore a smart niche there are going to be more job opportunities. Green comes in and out of popularity, but I’d say it rests more on the in side than the out side. Because I enjoy a niche that people want to read about, there’s a better chance of me finding work. You can’t control what you love, but if you love two things, say um tech and snails, choose the better niche (hint it’s not snails).
I’m happy most of the time. I actually feel passionately about my niche. It makes me happy to write about it, think about it, and pass it on to others. When I first started out blogging professionally, I wrote more often on topics I didn’t enjoy and spent less time happy while working. You may as well be in a good mood – so choose a niche you like when you can.
Bonus link: Dosh Dosh has a good post about choosing a niche – How to Choose the Right Blog Niche: A Simple Three-Step Method
What about you? Do you like the niche you’re in, do you have multiple niches, or do you hate your current niche and want to split?
My niches are gardening, raw foods, herbal medicine/holistic health…and I agree with you; I never run out of ideas! Plus it’s a joy to sit down and write when you just love something. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy writing about myriad other topics my clients ask me to write about. In one month, one website may have me write about French language and culture, organic products, charity work, and cooking. That’s fun too. But niches are so wonderful!
My niche is technology, an area small enough to gain expertise but wide enough to ward off boredom. Any niche can become so narrow to the point where you begin thinking: ‘I’ve covered this before’ or ‘I’ve talked about this company before.’ The goal then is to cover a topic from a different angle, giving you ‘fresh eyes’ for a familiar subject. I do this by maintaining multiple clients, all with slightly different needs. One day I’m writing about consumer tech, the next day about business tech, the next day about wireless tech and the next about social tech. The other solution is to take a niche ‘vacation’, writing about parenting, history, science or whatever strikes your fancy that has nothing to do with your usual area of expertise. This not only refreshes your look on writing, but provides new insight into your regular niche.
I have multiple niches and I adore them. As you saym major benefit is that you never run out of things to say. And you get to know more people in the industry, some send you very good story ideas. And then when one niche gets a bit stale in my mind, I move on to writing about another niche, and by the time I revert, I feel fresh again.
I have a niche I’ve been writing about for just over a year, but I find that I can achieve passion on many subjects. Seems every time I turn around there is a topic I dig deep into and come out feeling like the lonely chick who gets asked to the prom.