Unless you have as many connections as Arianna Huffington of Huffington Post, going the niche blog route will probably bring you the most success.

Keeping your blog niche can help you attract loyal readers, become an expert, and even make money. Here’s why staying niche is important.

Become the Expert

Who are you going to trust more when you need an answer to a very specific question? A blog that is dedicated specifically answering your question or a blog that has one or two posts on that topic?

By blogging about a specific topic, you become the expert on that topic – no previous experience required, just passion! Here are a few cool niche blogs with experts on some really random topics:

• FarmvilleFreak – expert on Zynga’s popular game Farmville
• BlenderGuru – expert on using Blender, a suite of tools for 3D design
• HealthyBlogSnack – expert on healthy snacks
• KiddiesCornerDeals – expert on best deals for kids clothing and toys
• TRoundUp – expert on t-shirts

This list of 20 niche blogs is worth checking out — it may even help you get ideas for your next blog. 

Make Money

As Blog Traffic Exchange points out, “Niche blogging is where the real money is right now.” By having a very targeted audience coming to your blog every day, you can sell very targeted things and actually make millions of dollars blogging if you do it right. Here is how some popular niche blogs monetize:

• InsideFacebook – sell targeted ads, sell conferences, sell expensive research reports with Facebook data, sell access to Facebook analytics tools
• CopyBlogger – sell WordPress themes, sell SEO optimization tools, sell books about blogging
• Mixergy – sell access to premium content, including interviews and courses on entrepreneurship

Attract Loyal Readers

If your readers know exactly what type of content to expect from you, they will keep coming back, ProBlogger points out. It’s like going to the same restaurant and ordering the same food every time – if you like it, why order something else? With blogging, if your readers get used to how a specific topic is discussed on your blog, they’ll keep coming back for more.

Get Started Already!

What are you waiting for? Start building your brand and making money from doing what you love right away. Just choose a niche topic to blog about right now, and keep blogging consistently to build up your high-value audience!

Image courtesy of Flickr, Thomas Hawk

A loyal fan – someone who comments, tweets, and follows your blog religiously – will ultimately help make your brand a success.

Here are a few tips for growing and keeping an insanely loyal reader-base for your blog:

1. Know Your Objectives

Before you start blogging, sit back and think about why you’re blogging. Is it because you’re trying to sell something? Or do you just want to be popular? What topic do you plan to blog about?

As successful blogger Nick O’Neill writes:

“Blogging can dramatically improve your life but before you start plugging away at new posts, you need to know why you’re blogging in the first place! Write down your blog objectives, hang them on your wall or put them in a place where you can see them every day.”

Having clear blogging objectives will keep your blog and audience focused on your end-goal.

2. Be Consistent

Blogging often and at predictable times builds trust with your audience. 

Your audience needs to know that whenever they come to your blog, they will find new and interesting things to read about. 

Make blogging a habit. Best-selling author and blogger Seth Godin emphasizes this point. ”If people view it as a habit, they will visit,” he says.

3. Promote Others

Make others into celebrities on your blog, and you will become a celebrity. Everyone loves being a celebrity, especially if they haven’t already had their 15 minutes of fame.

Plus, people like to brag. When you post about someone or their work, make sure they know about it. Send them a link and let them know you find their work to be of interest. Better yet, interview the people you find most relevant to your content strategy.

If the person is the sharing type or rarely gets featured, you can pretty much count on them promoting the post to their family, friends, and social network.

In the end, you’ve earned yourself a little bit of celebrity as well. As ProBlogger puts it:

“This does two things: first, it lets your followers know you’re not selfish, and you’re out to educate them (which builds trust). Second, people feel flattered you thought their work relevant enough to share, and they’ll most likely return the favor.”

You have the advantage of stepping back and creating the most followed blog in your area of expertise. Just know your objectives, be consistent, and promote others.

Happy blogging!

Image courtesy of Flickr, Artful Magpie

Here are a few cool tools to get your creative juices flowing with minimal work on your part (we know you’re busy!).

1. Percolate

The Percolate Daily Brew sends you an email every morning with the most relavent news on topics you’re interested in. Check this email on your iPad or mobile phone when you wake up and have a blog post idea before even getting out of bed!

2. Google Keyword Tool

If you’re looking to write something on a very specific topic, it’s always a great idea to check out the Google Keyword Tool. Just type in the topic you’re writing about, and you’ll immediately get a list of keywords people search for in relation to that topic. In addition to writing about something people are definitely interested in, you have a chance to get some inbound google search traffic from these keywords.

3. Skillshare

Find out what people are willing to pay for to learn by browsing Skillshare. Simply select the topic you’re interested in writing about on the left hand side or browse through the existing classes. The site has everything from technology to entrepreneurship to culinary arts. Or, if you have a more specific topic in mind, try out the search functionality.

Finally, if you’re interested in covering a class, contact the host and ask for a complimentary press pass! Most Skillshare teachers would be happy to get a little press for their classes.

4. Brainy Quote

What better way of coming up with great topic ideas than looking at what famous people said? Check out Brainy Quote to find great quotes on pretty much any topic. 

5. Alltop

Find out what all of your competitors are writing about on Alltop. Simply search for the topic area your blog is about, and check out what the top news stories in that arena are. 

It’s completely appropriate to write a blog post about one of the popular articles you find on Alltop, as long as you’re adding value through your own perspective and linking back to the original.

6. EurekAlert

Want to know about the latest research studies conducted in the topic of your choice? Make sure to subscribe to EurekAlert to get press releases from the world’s top universities on the latest scientific breakthroughs. 

Your Thoughts

This is a list of only a few ways to generate ideas for your blog. If you’re still stuck, make sure to check out this post for many more tips.

What tools do you use to generate ideas for your blog?

Image courtesy of Flickr, vlad