I often have people write me and ask about starting their first blog. People start blogging for many reasons.
- For an online journal
- To make PPC income
- To make some affiliate marketing income
- To spread the word of a cause
- Just because
The most recent person to contact me wanted some passive income. They had heard me speak of bloggers making $60K – $160K+ a year and they wanted a piece. They had thought about it for a while and thought they had a blog topic. Here’s where we immediately get into the pros and cons of a domain, and, more importantly, blogging on a domain.
Yes, it’s a good idea to blog about something you are passionate about. However, are you really going to love that one topic for more than a year or two? Probably not. There lies the problem. You start this awesome blog. You get tons of readers. Then, one day, you wake up and you are exhausted on that topic.
I was recently asked if it would be a good idea to blog about Scion xB’s. xB owners are very enthusiastic about their cars. The domain this person was thinking about was IlovemyxB.com. It’s catchy and could be a great domain, but for a forum… not a blog.
Things to consider when starting a blog site.
- Pick something you enjoy. Otherwise, you will get sick of it and lose interest in blogging.
- Pick something others will enjoy. The idea is to build readership. If you’re blogging about loving green shoelaces, chances are your blog isn’t going to take off, because not everyone loves green shoelaces as much as you do.
- Pick something that doesn’t have a definitive ending. At some point, Scion xB’s will stop being made, or you may sell your own, or you just may stop liking it because it breaks down all the time. Who knows. If xB’s stop being made, what good is a blog about xB’s?
My point is, blog about something you love. Also, blog about something that will last. Blog about something universal. Blog about something you can always blog about. You do not want to start a blog about something that will make you a bunch of money for 6 months and then no one cares about that topic, or you don’t care about it yourself. Make it something that won’t die. Let’s make this a gravy train. Fishing will never die. Blog about fishing. Entrepreneurship will never die. Write about ways to make money doing things you love. The bottom line is to blog about something that you can’t stop blogging about. Otherwise, what is the point?
