What I Learned From the Weather Channel

I turned on the Weather Channel when some clouds were moving in, and stumbled onto an unusual report. The discussion was about seasonal beers, which they said have recently gained popularity. They were interviewing the owner of a brewery in Georgia, getting details about his seasonal beers and asking about how the early spring had affected production. This report made me think, “Wow, they know how to expand on their niche.” Examine their programming and you’ll find they take some diverse subjects and connect them to the weather in an attempt to get everyone interested. This same concept can apply to your blog, website or business. First, find your niche, then expand on it and finally explore new angles to connect with as many people as possible.

Your niche may be broad or narrow; for example, you may center on crafts, or focus on just scrapbooking. You want to attract a large enough audience and have some room to expand, so it’s important to choose a niche that isn’t super specialized. Obviously, a broader niche has more opportunity for development, but it shouldn't be so broad that the purpose of your website or blog is unclear. Don’t try to encompass so many topics, you don’t give any of them the attention they deserve, so the quality is subpar. No matter what you choose, it should be something you’re passionate and knowledgeable about.

Expanding on your niche topic is what will make your blog interesting and provide plenty of material for the future. Consider how your subject relates to a current news event, the time of year or people’s daily lives. When you think of an idea, write it down so you don’t forget. Just don’t get too carried away and try to link your niche with everything under the sun. A post about something unrelated to your niche, such as writing about high cholesterol in your craft blog, will not win you many fans. The connection between your articles and your niche subject should be very evident.
Often creating variations on your theme will open new markets. Think back to the example of a craft blog; the audience for the blog may be mostly female, but you could get the guys involved by running a series of craft projects for dad’s to do with the kids. The mom’s will still love you, and you could reach a new group of readers. Approaching your subject from a different angle will be appealing to your readers and motivate you to write.

To reiterate, here are what your goals should be:

• Find your niche (Love your niche, and don’t make it too broad or narrow.)
• Expand on it (Relate your niche to life, times and people.)
• Explore new angles (Think outside your niche’s box and make it relate to more people.)

Who knew watching the Weather Channel could teach us something about blogging? Whoever thought of linking beer to the weather had to be a genius.