Welcome to Part 1 of a new series on 
How to Get Followers
In this series, we will be exploring how to build our blogs to get lots of loyal readers.
We are starting with Finding a Niche.
Photo from Flickr.com Creative Commons use by Wahlander

What is a Niche? And why should you care?

A niche is simply a section of the audience or market. Why would you want to target your blog to a section of the market? Shouldn’t you be trying to get a larger part of the market?
NO!
And here’s why. If you’re a person who likes romantic comedy movies and hates horror films, will you really listen to someone trying to get you to buy a ticket to the bloodiest horror film of all time? I didn’t think so. The romantic comedy niche is a section of the film market. If you wanted to sell tickets to one of these movies, you’d have your best chance selling to people who already love seeing them.
That’s all a niche is in blogging. Targeting your blog to people who already have an interest in what you have to say. They are the ones who are going to keep coming back. And they are the ones who are going to become your loyal followers.
Finding your niche in blogging isn’t as easy as saying I want to talk about romantic comedies. To draw people back to your blog as loyal followers, you need to have an area of expertise to define your niche. If the subjects of your posts are a little bit of this and a little of that, you’re selling horror film tickets to romantic comedy fans.
Without a well-defined niche you are just one more blog in a sea of blogs. What makes your blog different?
So how do you find your niche and area of expertise?
Discovering your niche or area of expertise is hard. We woman are all programmed to downplay our own value and what we have to offer. We’re taught to be modest and think “I’m not an expert at anything.”
You’re wrong! You ARE an expert.
And together, we’re going to explore and find your area of expertise.
Let’s start by figuring out what you already know and what makes you shine.
Truthfully answer the following four questions.

  1. What is the subject that you know so well that if anyone asked you a question, you could give them a full ten-minute answer without having to stop and think?
  2. What is the thing you do that your friends and family ask you to do or ask for your advice on how to do?
  3. If money or life didn’t get in your way, what would you spend your time doing?
  4. What is it you do that makes you really happy?
Be honest here and don’t make any value judgments about your answers.
These answers are a starting point and there is no wrong or bad answer.
Write these answers down. If you really believe you want a large readership or you want to find a way to make money online and you just need help figuring it all out, then write your answers in the comments below this post.
Yes, that right. Put your truthful answers in the comments of this post.
Why? Because together we can help each other see things that we may not be able to see about ourselves. Remember how at the beginning of this post I said:
We woman are all programmed to downplay our own value 
and what we have to offer.
By honestly posting your answers here, you are letting us see the value in you that you have trouble seeing. Or you can send me your answers in an email at Ann <at> creativeboomer<dot>com. Either way, you’re committing to yourself that you want this.
In the next post of this series we will be building off your answers as we continue our exploration toward finding your niche and your expertise.
Let’s begin this journey together!
Take the first step toward getting more loyal followers. Write down the answers to the post questions.

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{ 3 comments }

Miranda June 21, 2011 at 3:38 pm

Great post! So many bloggers have trouble figuring out their niche.
Visiting from SITS 31DBBB

Ann @CreativeBoomer June 21, 2011 at 4:00 pm

Miranda, thanks for stopping by.

Jessica June 27, 2011 at 2:56 pm

I think in the blogging world finding your niche is very important.

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