I have had a lot of people ask me which type of blog is better broad or niche blog. I often I tell them it depends on what you are looking for. It depends on what type of audience you are trying to reach.  What type of topic you are willing to discuss?

When I first started blogging I was told to niche down. So I started a blog about healthy living. To be honest, that was one of the hardest blog to write because I wanted to write about other things. I did not because I want to stick with my niche but I felt so boxed in.

I stopped blogging and then change by blogging platform from niche to broad. Which was not a bad thing but my blogging topic was all over place. My blog was not focus and it was not reaching my audience.

What type of blog is best?

Well, it depend who you are trying to reach. For example there are some blog sites that talk about couponing and discounts. That type of niche work for them because they have two things on their blog that is about couponing and finding discounts. Their are niche within two categories that is a popular topic.

Then there are other blogs that are so Niche down that finding a topic or keeping the blog engaging can be difficult. I love the example that Carly give on Mommy of Purpose on her blog post: “How narrow does your niche have to be to have a successful blog?”. She gave the example of a stamp collector. The stamp collector can be an expert in the field but email list will grow very slowly.

Sometimes having a Niche blog can cause you to lose out on potential readers. When niche(ing) down on a blog you are stuck with that certain niche and to be honest it is hard trying to write about the same thing over and over again.

Writing a broad blog gives you the opportunity to write to multiple audiences. You are not defining to one category type. For example mom blogs has become very popular. That may seem too broad but the topic on a mom blog is endless. On a mom blog you can blog about saving money, child rearing and marriage, which reach a multiple group of people. With a niche blog you are reaching out to a small group of people who have same interest.

The purpose of a blog is to reach people.

That is why I caution about choosing one specific niche because you may not reach a lot of people. When it comes to gaining sponsors or affiliates the first question a sponsor asks is, “what is your niche?”  That does not mean you have to give a niche down version of your blog but a general area of who your blog reach. There are some blog that has a broad feel but have a niche market which can help can gain sponsors and affiliate.

Another thing to think about with a niche blog is “who is your market?”

In my case, my market is for working moms, age range 30+, who is trying to save money.  If you can get an idea on who you are trying to reach, your market is you niche. Let’s go back to the stamp collector. Her market is simply for stamp collector over the age of 40. That is a smaller market. Now if we look at someone who market is for stamp collector, over the age of 40,   and how to sell on eBay or Amazon that gives the blogger a bigger market.

The way I look at a niche is based on the market I am trying to reach. When looking at a niche base your niche off of you market not your blog type. When you can base you niche off of your market you can expand your blog to more readers. If you blog is about lifestyle you can market to different ages, gender, income etc. for your blog. Your brand is your umbrella and your market is the individual small niches or market you are reaching.

Remember when trying to get a niche base your niche off of your market. That will give you a broader topic to write about and give you a bigger audience.

Well Until Then My Friend

Tootle Lou

Cookie

Guidelines For Link Parties.

I love link parties. It is a great way to get exposure to your blog plus it offers you the chance to meet other bloggers and network.  Link parties are a great way to grow your blog.  When posting to a link parties there are some etiquette guidelines everyone should follow.   Here is a list of 6 link parties etiquette everyone should follow.

Etiquette #1  Don’t submit duplicate content.

Link parties is a great way to showcase your blog. Try to use a different blog post to show off your work.  Pick out your best blog post or a blog post your are trying to get reviews on. Your goal should be to grow your blog. Don’t use the same blog post on every link parties. Mix up  your blog post to give you reader a view of your quality work.

Etiquette  #2 Go with the Link Theme

This is a pet peeve of mines. If the party theme is about home DIY don’t post a theme about inspirational moments. That is like wearing shorts in a snow storm.  Follow the link party theme.

Etiquette  # 3 Visit other links.

Do not be one of those bloggers who use link parties as a drive by post hook up. Visit other links. Read them and comment on other links. Believe it or not they are trying to grow their blog too.

Etiquette  # 4 Link Back To the host.

There are some party host  that ask for a link back  to their blog. There are some link parties host that may not. As a courtesy do it. It take a lot of time and effort to host a party. You can do a link back several ways

•          The host URL
•          Put the button link in your post
•          Put the host button link on your sidebar
•          Or do as I do and have a Linky Party Page.

It is just polite to give credit where credit is due in helping you gets exposure to your blog.

Etiquette # 5 Follow the host(s)

It’s just polite to follow the host. Some host often time make it a requirement to follow the host(s). Follow them on Google+, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or whatever requirement they have.

Etiquette # 6 Thank The Host.

Always thank the host for hosting the party. It take a lot of work to host a party and giving a quick comment of thanks is much appreciated.

Hopefully this link parties etiquette can help you with the next link party you go to. If you want to know how to increase your blog traffic check out Sincerely Jean to get more information.

Thanks so much for reading.

Shandra

This post does contain affiliate links. Pleas read my Disclaimer for more information.

Being a returning blogger I want to grow my blog.  I have read a lot of articles about how Pinterest has grown other bloggers blog and I just could not wait to dive in. The problem is there are so many bloggers that say manual pinning is better to grow their blog. Others swear by scheduling pinning. Well I am going to test both. For one month I am going to manual pin only and another month I am going to use a scheduling pinning site Tailwind. There are some things I am going to look for the next two months.

Growth.

I want to see which type of pinning will offer me the most growth on my Pinterest account as well as on my blog. In addition, compare which methods has cause my blog to have more viewers.

Flexibility

With me I need flexibility when scheduling my post. I going to see if manual pinning or scheduling pinning offer me flexibility.

To help with my manual pinning I purchase Carly Campbell book Pinteresting Strategies. I am going to document everything that I am doing in her book. Also  I will give updates on how her book have help or hurt the growth of my blog.

I will give weekly updates on blog growth using manual and scheduling pinning. I let you guys know which method has help me in my blog growth.

At the end of the two month study I will give a full review on which method is better and which method I recommend.

I am so excited and can’t wait to give my results. Tell me which methods you prefer when it comes to posting on Pinterest. Comment down below.

Thanks for reading

Shandra

Picture courtesy of: photo credit: ThoroughlyReviewed Pinterest iPhone Smartphone via photopin (license)