Does your blog have a niche?

[Diane Estrella]

I have been struggling with in what direction to take my blog site. I don't seem to fit into one easy niche and so my readers are all over the place. I have even written an article on this subject but can't seem to lock in a niche for myself. http://dianeestrella.com/finding-your-blogs-niche/

Does your site have a niche? Do you think this is important to keep readers coming back?

[Kathryn C. Lang]

I think of my niche like a target. There are those that are the very center of the target and people that I see when I write the post or think about talking to a group. There are also rings out from that target that may appreciate at the information.

I have also looked at it like the ripples in a pond with the center ring being the tightest and most loyal and each ring out being larger but spread out and more difficult to pin down.

To grow your blog you need loyal readers that will return and bring others, but you also need to touch into those outer rings to bring in new readers.

Hope that helps some.

[Diane Estrella]

Great way of looking at it Kathryn. I do have my core group of followers, but it seems like there are so many blogs out there now that's it's hard to keep new people coming back.  :O)

[Shayna Gier]

My "niche" isn't real specific. I just want to provide book reviews and promotions in a way that is easily accessible. I try to provide the best services I can to both authors and reader

[Diane Estrella]

I have a feeling that's the way my site is heading Shayna. Thanks for the comment!  :O)

[Shayna Gier]

I have found that if you really focus on it and set it up right, then you should be fine without a "true niche" I've only just completed my 3rd month as a book reviewer and such and without any blog tours or whatever I have very close to 700 visitors, and near 1500 page views in the last 30 days. And now I've got blog tours so that's going to be even higher... just don' have any clue how many that is. 

[Kathryn C. Lang]

I felt that way at first, but the more I thought about my blog and who I saw when I was writing the more I realized there is a niche involved. I write to more than the core, but there is a core. Understanding that helped me begin to market better.

[DrDLN]

I would call mine about self-help and spiritual books.

Here's my blog: http://drdhillon.blogspot.com/

Thanks.

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"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly": http://amzn.to/dMBLWW

[Kathryn]

To be honest, I just blog about the books and things that are interesting to me, and then advertise them in the places that I think will bring in the most traffic. It does not bother me if readers are more interested in one post than another. I'm more interested in writing a well-researched article on a subject that I am passionate about and having the chance to communicated with like-minded people than pleasing the masses, but that's just me :-)

[Patricia Gligor]

My blog states at the top that it is "for readers and writers of fiction, especially mystery/suspense novels." (That's what I read and that's what I write.)

I interview one mystery writer each month. I post the title of my blog topic each week on various sites, including Face Book and Twitter. If I were to assign one word to describe the message I want my blog to tell, it would be "hope." In other words, I write upbeat, encouraging posts. (The background is a blue sky, green grass and flowers!)

I don't know if this helped you; I hope so.

[Bob Milne]

I think it's important to have a niche, since that's what predominantly defines your blog and attracts new followers. There are so many book blogs out there, most people don't want to follow a catch-all kind of blog that might only review a book or two each month that appeals to them - they want the most bang (or books) for their buck, with blogs that they feel cater to their interests.

Having said that, I don't think there's anything wrong with periodically posting outside that niche. For instance, I tend to focus on fantasy/sci-fi/horror titles, but I'll toss in a techno-thriller or even a non-fiction work from time-to-time, if that's what I've been reading.

[Grace]

Even though I review many different types of books, lately I've found my blog has fallen into a sci-fi/fantasy niche.  Most of the people who come back to my blog enjoy those particular genres, and I've gotten into reading a lot more of them based on suggestions from other bloggers and commenters.

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Books Without Any Pictures

[Elle Green]

My blog's theme is historical fiction and vintage book, even though I do stray from those genres to add some spice.

Elle

http://ellesfadedparchment.blogspot.com/