As I have said before in a previous post, blogging isn’t dead, but it is difficult to make money, and it IS a grind that requires effort.
Anyone saying otherwise is lying, and has a course to sell you.
The first most important thing you need to decide is what niche you are going to try and make money blogging from.
Go too broad and you’re get demolished by authority sites already dominating.
Go too vague and you won’t get enough traffic to make any money.
Here are some of my tips.
Niches Are Not About Your Passion – They’re About Demand and Competition
I’m all for loving what you do, but if you pick a niche just because you like it, but nobody’s searching for it or buying in it, you are going to go nowhere fast.
Conversely, as mentioned, just because a niche is profitable doesn’t mean you’ll succeed in it, especially if it’s saturated with 100s of better-established sites.
Real niche strategy = Find a spot where there’s enough search volume to be worth your time, but not so much competition that you get crushed.
That means cold, hard research – conducting keyword data and competitor analysis.
Not a “feels right” gut check.
Micro Niches Are Your Best Friend – But Not All Micro Niches Are Equal
Micro niches get a bad rep because people confuse “small” with “no potential.”
That’s wrong.
Micro niches let you laser-focus your content and dominate a tiny corner of the internet, which is obviously way easier than fighting giants head-on in broad, fat niches.
But a micro niche has to have:
- Enough interested people searching (not just a handful)
- Room for content depth and expansion
- Monetization paths (affiliate products, info products, ads, whatever)
If your micro niche is so tiny that you can write everything in a weekend, you’ll be running out of gas fast.
I make my money from micro niche blogging, but too many people pick the wrong niche that’s too vague.
And I speak from experience with that, too.
Keyword Research Isn’t Optional
You want a niche? You better have a data-driven keyword research process.
This means:
- Finding keywords with decent search volume
- Low-to-moderate competition (especially from authoritative sites)
- Buyer intent (people actually looking to spend money, not just read)
If you’re picking a niche without this, you’re flying blind.
There’s no “easy money” niche hiding somewhere.
If it’s easy and profitable, it’s saturated.
You’ve got to find the balance.
Look Beyond Google Search
You shouldn’t just look at Google search numbers when researching.
Remember, people hang out in forums, Reddit, Facebook groups, YouTube, TikTok, and those platforms can often reveal niche demand that search volume alone misses.
Understand where your audience actually spends time and how they talk about the niche.
This gives you angles to create content, products, and marketing strategies, instead of just chasing search traffic.
Monetization Comes Before Obsession
If your goal is to make money, which it should be if you want a sustainable blog or business, think monetization first.
What products or services fit your niche?
- Affiliate offers?
- Your own digital products?
- Ads?
- Services?
No monetization path = no business.
Simple as that.
If you pick a niche with zero clear monetization options, you’ll be banging your head against the wall when the time comes to cash in.
Avoid “Shiny Object” Niches and Trends
Every day there’s some new “hot” niche that fake blogging gurus hype up.
Crypto, NFTs, AI, keto, fitness gadgets, survival gear – rinse and repeat.
Don’t jump in just because it’s trending.
If you jump on trends late, you’ll get crushed by people who started years ago and already own that space.
Plus, trends die. Fast.
What’s hot today might be dead tomorrow.
Build a niche with staying power, or plan to pivot quickly if you ride a trend.
Niches Need Depth and Room to Grow
If your niche is so narrow you run out of content ideas after 10 posts, you’re going to hit a wall.
You need to pick a niche that has multiple angles, subtopics, and adjacent opportunities.
Yes, it’s harder than it sounds. You need to write blog posts that will bring in traffic, not just what you want to write.
Don’t Forget the “Why” Behind the Niche
Every niche has an emotional trigger.
Why do people care?
What problem are they trying to solve?
What are their hopes, fears, or frustrations?
If you don’t understand the “why,” your content will be dry and your audience won’t stick around.
Niches Are NOT Set in Stone
Most people pick a niche and treat it like a sacred cow, and that’s a mistake.
Your niche should evolve as you learn more, get feedback, and spot new opportunities.
Don’t be afraid to broaden, narrow, or even completely pivot if data and results tell you to.
The Real Secret? Execution Beats Everything
You can pick the “perfect” niche and still fail if you don’t execute.
Content quality, SEO, promotion, community building all matter far more than the niche itself.
A decent niche with relentless execution beats a perfect niche with zero follow-through every time.
Niches are the foundation, but they’re just the start.
If you want to win online, stop chasing hype, stop guessing, and start doing the hard work.
Pick a focused, profitable niche backed by data, understand your audience inside-out, plan monetization from day one, and outwork everyone else.
That’s how you build a business that lasts.
Want easy?
Go watch the “gurus” sell you some hot niche that’s “guaranteed” to make money overnight and quit blogging 6 months later when it doesn’t happen.
Want real?
Do the work, be mentally ready to blog, pick your niche smart, and grind it out.
No shortcuts.
No fluff.
Just results.
