What to Blog About
A problem I find many makers, freelancers, and marketers get stuck on when it comes to blogging is thinking you need a niche before you can really start.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, I recommend starting even without a niche because it helps you work out:
What people like
What YOU like to write
How to promote your stuff
And all of those things take a long time to develop. Better to start developing them now versus when you really need them.
So to that end, here’s what I write, even without a niche, that has helped me write more consistently, attract unexpected opportunities, and connect with some really cool people.
And just to be clear - I’m not sharing this as someone who’s figured it all out. I’ve just written more posts than most people I know, and enough friends have asked me how to get started that I figured I’d write this down.
I hope it gives you a few ideas to help you start writing.
Write what you’ve done (and learned)
I learned this from
, who said you can start with writing about what you’ve done, what you’ve learned from it, and what you believe.I’ve found this to be an easy way to be naturally authentic and helpful.
When your takeaways come from firsthand experience instead of summarizing someone else’s podcast, it feels a lot more authentic.
And your own experiences tend to be more specific, which I think people naturally connect with, but also makes the takeaways more valuable because of that uniqueness. There may be more people like you than you realise.
Write about what you believe
Sometimes I’ll sit down and try to write out a take or idea I’ve been thinking about - not necessarily tied to something I’ve done. Basically you take a belief you think would help people, and argue for it.
For example:
Now in the beginning you might worry that people could poo-poo your ideas, but I’ve actually found that it sparks great responses. Some people agree and reach out, and others disagree and challenge me in helpful ways.
Either way, it sharpens my thinking.
Over time, these kinds of posts help me figure out my own point of view more clearly. I haven’t always been confident doing this, but I’ve come to really value it.
Write about your project plans
This means writing about what you want to do and how you’re going to do it. Whether it be learning something, making something or otherwise achieving something that probably at least someone else might want to try.
I know this one can seem a little risky, but it can be motivating, great for learning and gives people a way to support you.
I think people avoid sharing their plans because they’re afraid of failing publicly, or they don’t think anyone cares, or maybe they just don’t want to jinx it. But when I write a post declaring what you want to do, it creates some light pressure to follow through, but it also helps you keep track of your approach as well as give smart friends around you a way to provide support and feedback.
For example, one time I wrote about learning to code and that I really wanted to ship something to prove I’d learned something real.
That post made me feel accountable, and I ended up following it up with a part two where I actually shipped a small product.
If you’re not sure about making big public commitments, I’d suggest just writing loosely about the direction you’re exploring or what you’re thinking about trying. That can be a nice way to ease into it without putting too much pressure on yourself.
I’ve also written about a project that didn’t go as planned a direct-to-consumer brand that flopped:
Writing about that helped me reflect on the experience and work out what I had actually tried and learned learned. People seemed to really resonate with that post, too, giving some supportive feedback and comments - mostly in private.
And for my seasoned blogger friends out there, I have a question:
What topics would suggest to new people to write about to help develop their blogging skills?
Let me know in the comments.