Step #1 Become an expert

Connecting with your audience is the first rule of blogging.

But in a crowded marketplace, how do you cut through cyberspace? One way is to specialise.

Specialising creates a unique position of trust with those you are communicating with. Particularly if your specialism is useful, and packed with:

• Tutorials
• Videos
• Tip lists
• Insider info
• Free advice and goodie giveaways

Each of these adds value and credibility to your site. And here’s the good bit; your core fans may feel compelled to share your work with like-minded friends, casting your net even further.

How to rock the niche market:

#Bling Watches

watchitallabout.com

Embrace the detail. Web designer Joshua Clare-Flagg says he loves fancy watches, but can’t afford the big brands like Breitling or Omega. So his blog (www.watchitallabout.com) features high quality time-pieces up to the value of £500. He began with a few simple reviews and detailed snaps of watches he owned, which attracted the attention of like-minded fans. His fan base grew when he added videos and stunning up-close photography and fans value his knowledge. It can’t hurt his own web/SEO business either. Win-win.

#Man Stuff 

theartofmanliness.com

Be unique. http://www.artofmanliness.com/ is dedicated to male grooming, bespoke style and ‘manly’ skills like How To Board Your House Up Before a Hurricane. It is highly stylized, ironically funny, and entertains as well as informs. After all, what self-respecting office worker doesn’t want to know ‘How to Quit Mindlessly Surfing the Internet and Actually Get Stuff Done’ or ‘How to Rock Khakis like Steve McQueen?’ Just brilliant.

#Fab Foodies

budgetbytes.com

The web is crammed with gourmet blogs, so how do you tempt fellow foodies to your site rather than anyone else’s? Narrow your focus. Take Beth at Budget Bytes’ modern approach – http://www.budgetbytes.com/. Using healthy food on a budget as her selling point, her site is communicated in a personal way and packed with delicious dishes that are cheap to recreate, with enticing photography and crisp white styling.

#Tech geeks

theverge.com

Science, technology, gaming, cars – all your usual bloke stuff is covered under one handy umbrella at theverge.com. Their niche? Their tone of voice. Flippant, ironic and sometimes just darn childish (in a good way), their light info-tainment stories (circuit breakers) feature things like how a paralysed man was able to feel again by using a robotic arm; a kinda ‘Which?’ guide to the latest fitness trackers; and…yep…a dog jumping on a trampoline.

#Travel divas

To cut through the noise in the travel world, you need a great concept. One way to find a fresh angle is to combine your interests to create a niche. Luckily for https://vickyflipfloptravels.com, there aren’t many people who can afford to follow the world festival circuit. Covering the biggest, best and quirkiest festivals on the social calendar, Vicky’s site is full of festival tip lists and insider info, like how to bag coveted Glastonbury tickets before anyone else.