Finding the perfect blog topic is difficult when you’re starting a blog from scratch.
How can you make sure you choose a blog niche and topic that will keep you motivated and help you make money blogging?
Well, as it turns out, you can use a few nifty tips and tricks to find the perfect blog topic quicker than you might expect.
You can save heaps of time and money in the long run if you choose the right blog niche and topic right from the get-go.
In this post I’ll walk you through a few easy steps to find the perfect blog topic to write about.
Trust me, you want to make use of these tips before you start writing your first blog posts.
When you know your blog niche and topic are on point, you can lean back and focus on creating awesome content for your readers, promoting your blog and ultimately making money blogging.
Keep reading!
Here are a couple of related posts you might want to read:
- How to Start a Successful Blog? 6 Steps for Blogging Beginners
- How to Choose the Perfect Blog Name in 20 Minutes
Step 1: Figure out your “why” for blogging
A few years ago, I was at a crossroad in my career feeling like I was stuck and not really that happy with my job at all.
I wasn’t feeling much motivation or enthusiasm for what I was doing.
Even though the job was great I just felt like coming back home after each holiday was getting more and more difficult.
So, by pure coincidence, I started teaching myself web design and programming. Before long, everyone told me I was like a whole different person. There was a spark in my eyes they had never seen before. And yep, I was feeling the same way.
A few months later, I decided it was time to give back to the community that had helped me learn coding so fast.
I started a niche blog about programming from scratch and turned it into a nice little money machine.
It’s not making me $10,000 bucks a month, but it’s made my life a whole lot easier. I can start my day when I wish to, work from anywhere I am, and travel whenever I wanted to!
That was my “why” for starting the blog in the first place.
And the best part is: blogging is what I love doing. I get such a mental relief from writing and helping others.
Related: 7 Things You MUST Do Before You Launch Your Blog
That said, before you start blogging and thinking about what to blog about, ask yourself this:
Why do I want to start a blog?
It could be anything! I’ve heard people start blogs because they want to:
1: Achieve freedom and independence
If you’re not a fan of the 9-to-5 world, becoming a successful blogger gives you total freedom in life.
You can choose when and where you work and when you’ll take time off. Spend more time with people you actually care about: friends, family, and your kids. And hey, if you really love your colleagues and your boss, it’s more fun to meet up with them outside the office.
Having the freedom to decide what to do with my time was definitely my “why” for blogging.
I felt like life is just too short to give away my time to a corporation that doesn’t appreciate it one bit. Sounds harsh, but that’s how I felt!
2: Work from home
Stay in your pyjamas, write your work emails in your backyard, or cuddle up with the blanket on your sofa.
Have a break and take a walk whenever the sun is shining!
With the perfect blog topic to write about, you can create yourself a new daily routine your way.
3: Dedicate time to dreams
Some bloggers have an idea for a product or service they want to sell.
To make it happen, most of them prefer working on their idea full-time.
If you can turn your idea into a blog, you can already generate awareness for it before you even launch.
Do it right and your product will already have an audience when you’re done!
4: Become an author
If writing is your thing, why not write a series of blog posts and turn them into a book in the future.
Self-publishing is easier than ever these days. Write blog posts about how you can help your readers and release the full story as a book later.
Your why could be anything! It’s so important to know it when you start a blog.
Related: How to Stay Motivated When You Start Blogging
Step 2: Be genuinely interested in your topic
Being genuinely interested about your blog topic means you love to discuss it with others.
If you want to build a profitable blogging business, you have to create a two-way discussion with your readers.
Also, you will spend a lot of time researching your topic and creating content around it. It only makes sense to pick something you enjoy working with, right?
To help you find a topic you are interested in, here are a few helpful questions:
- What is your favorite topic to talk about with your friends or family?
- What do you enjoy doing the most in life?
- When you have the feeling that time is just flying by, what are you doing?
- What was your favorite subject at school?
- Which extracurricular activities did you participate in school?
- What do you do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
- What topics do you know a lot about?
- What do you enjoy learning about the most?
Don’t get too hung up on finding the perfect topic you feel passionate about. You simply need a topic you truly enjoy discussing with your readers.
So, here’s one more question:
- What’s the one thing you just can’t shut up about?
I think I’ve made my point here.
Step 3: Think about your target audience
Even though starting your own blog is always a very personal experience, you’re still doing it for your readers in your target audience.
If you want to succeed with you blog, you need to let your readers always come first.
So yes, on one hand it’s you who’s coming up with all the ideas and producing the content. But on the other hand, your readers have the power to determine whether you succeed or not.
Therefore, when you’re choosing your blog topic, keep your readers in mind.
What is going to bring them back to your blog over and over again?
There’s a simple answer to this question: you have to provide value to them.
Just think about it:
Why do people read blogs in the first place?
Because they are looking for solutions and answers to their problems and questions, right?
In short: whatever you choose to write about in your blog, make sure your posts can help your readers.
Fill your posts with valuable information and useful solutions. Teach your readers everything you know about your topic and give it your all!
Which brings me to my next point…
Step 4: Choose a narrow, specific niche
What’s a blog niche? Why do I need to find one?
A blog niche is simply a specific topic or area you wish to write about.
Finding the perfect blog niche will help you grow your blog and generate traffic quicker.
Remember, you’re creating your blog to help you readers. Finding the perfect blog topic means knowing what they’re struggling with and helping them with their problems.
But also, your niche needs to be something you can write about for a long time.
Therefore, you must find a niche that’s narrow enough, but you also need to be able to come up with blog post ideas for more than a few weeks or months.
So how do you find a great blog niche, then?
In short, your blog niche is something that:
- You feel passionate about
- Your potential readers need help with
- You can attract enough traffic with
When you find a topic that meets all these criteria… JACKPOT!
Related: 160+ Profitable Blog Niche Ideas That Make Money
Step 5: Have skills and experience in your topic
Although you don’t have to be an expert in your blog topic, it helps to know at least something about it.
Keep in mind that your readers will be looking for:
- Help
- Answers
- Solutions
Give them these and they will come back to read your blog posts over and over again.
Is there something you know more about than most people?
Or something you want to learn more about?
Just remember that whatever you write about, you must be confident enough to “teach” others about it.
For example, if you’re a personal trainer, why not share training tips in your blog?
In fact, fitness and health are among the most popular blog topics worldwide. The market is huge, so there’s a lot of traffic you could attract to your blog with these topics.
But what if you’re not quite an expert on your topic yet?
No problem!
Start a blog about your learning journey! You can share your experience with your readers and teach them what you’ve learned so far.
If it’s something others are learning about too, there’s always someone who knows less than you. That means they are asking the same questions you were asking a few days ago.
Recommended: 4 Powerful Blogging Strategy Tips for Beginners (To Make Money)
Step 6: Plan for the long run
Success with blogging isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s not going to be easy and you need to put in a lot of effort before you start seeing results.
Therefore, make sure you can come up with enough ideas to write about your topic.
And I mean for a long time, not just for 3 months or so.
After all, you need to produce awesome content not just until you achieve success, but also afterwards.
My advice is to make a (more or less detailed) content plan before you even start your blog. This might sound like a lot but come up with 100 ideas for blog posts to start with.
That should be your absolute minimum, so feel free to go for 200 if you like!
For some helpful tips, here’s how I find new blog post ideas quickly.
To make things easier for yourself, start by writing down 5 different post types:
- “How to” posts: Write a comprehensive guide or tutorial for your readers.
- Review posts: Write an honest review about a relevant product or service.
- List posts: Create a list of useful resources to help your readers find what they’re looking for.
- Tips and advice: Share your favorite tips and advice to solve a problem for your readers.
- Personal story: Write about a personal experience that can help your readers. Whether success or failure, share what you learned!
Of course, there are heaps of other broad categories to group your blog posts into. But start with these and aim at 100 blog post ideas.
If it feels difficult, are you sure you’ve found the right topic yet?
Step 7: Pick a topic you love researching
That’s right – not only your blog visitors should enjoy reading about your topic, but so should you!
Creating fresh and meaningful content and discussions about your topic is so much easier, if you actually love learning more about it.
So, pick a topic you enjoy reading about:
- What are you curious to read about in the news?
- Do you keep up with the latest events in a specific industry, for example?
Knowing what’s happening in your field helps you grow your blog in the future.
If you’re aware of the latest trends and hot topics, you can easily find sure-fire blog post ideas that will attract the masses!
Just think about what you see in the media:
- What are people talking about?
- What’s the latest thing on everyone’s mind?
If you like doing research like that about a specific topic, why not blog about it?
Step 8: Make it unique and personal
“Ugh, yet another lifestyle blog….”
If you’ve ever had this thought when you visited a new blog, it’s a lesson to be learned!
With a kazillion blogs out there, how are you going to stand out from the masses?
Be yourself!
It doesn’t matter if there are a 1,000 blogs about your topic out there already. As long as you can reach your target audience and show them what a great personality you have, you’re all set.
Therefore, give your readers a taste of who you are as a person with every article you write.
Once you let the true you shine through your content, you readers will love you even more.
On top of that, you’ll reach the audience who your personality resonates the best with.
Final thoughts: How to find the perfect blog topic?
Finding a blog topic can be difficult, I know. But luckily, you only have to do it once. And if you get it right, it’ll change your life completely.
If you can come up with a couple of potential topics, even better.
Weigh out their pros and cons one by one. You can even try coming up with as many blog post ideas for each one separately if you can. Whichever has a longer list of ideas, is probably the best alternative.
I know my head is like a windmill sometimes, feeling like writing about horses today and chickens tomorrow.
Building a successful blog from scratch is a long journey. So don’t make any too hasty decisions with your blog topic. The best ideas on what to blog about should come pretty naturally.
When you’ve found the perfect blog topic, it’s time to take the next step. Head over to my post on how to choose the perfect blog name. I’ll see you there!
Here are a few related posts you might want to read next:
- 10 Deadly Blogging Myths That Will Kill Your Success
- 4 Profitable Blogging Tools for Making Money Online
- How Much Does It Cost to Start a Blog?
If you enjoyed reading this post on what to blog about and how to find the perfect blog topic, drop me a line in the comments below!