One question that I get from a lot of new bloggers is this:
I'm interested in lots of topics. Should I have just one blog or several different blogs?
The quick answer: it's best to focus on one blog, and that blog should have a clear focus.
I'll explain a bit more about why that is, and how you can do that.
Let's say Jane Blogger is keen to write about travel, food, self-improvement, blogging, and music. He might start a blog that covers all of these topics … but it's going to be tricky to attract a readership that's interested in all of them.
You might think, then, that the best solution is for Jane to have five different blogs – one on travel, one on food, and so on. But building just one blog takes a lot of time and energy, and splitting your efforts across five different ones is a fast-track to burnout.
Here's what I recommend:
Look for Related Topics in Your Interests
Chances are, some of your interests will have an overlap. For instance, Jane might decide to write about different foods from around the world (combining travel and food), or you might write a blog aimed at entrepreneurial types (combining self-improvement and blogging).
This can often be a good way to find a niche, without narrowing your focus too much. It gives you the scope to write about both topics, and with just one blog, you'll have plenty of time to post regularly and to promote your posts.
Guest Post on Other Topics
I'm not suggesting you give up on all your other interests: you can still write about them! The best way to do this is by guest posting on other blogs – that way, you don't have to run a whole blog on, say, "music" in order to write about it.
Ideally, you'll want to tie your guest posts into your own blog's topics in some way (e.g. if Jane's main blog was about self-improvement and blogging, she might do a guest post on "Surprising Self-Improvement Tips from Ten Top Musicians").
Why ONE Blog is Enough … to Begin With
You might still be unconvinced that sticking with just one blog is the best idea. Perhaps you think you'll have more chance of success if you start two or three blogs and see which is most popular.
The thing is, it's really tough to grow more than one blog at a time. If you have three blogs, you'll need:
- Separate Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, etc for each one.
- Regular posts on each … often meaning a drop in quality as you struggle to write that many.
- Time to promote each blog. Getting your first 1,000 subscribers is probably the hardest part, and you'll be going through that three times over.
- Ideas for each blog – easy to begin with, but you may find yourself quickly running out of topics you want to write about.
The majority of big-name bloggers have one blog that they run – not several. (There are some exceptions, of course: Darren Rowse has both ProBlogger and Digital Photography School, and Daniel owns a bunch of blogs other than DailyWritingTips.)
I can't think of a single big blogger, though, who runs two or more blogs without relying a lot on guest posters and paid writers/editors … and unless you're in a position to do that, I definitely suggest you stick with one blog for now.
If your first blog goes brilliantly, attracts a huge audience, and gets loads of high-quality guest post submissions from bloggers keen to be featured there, then of course you can get to work launching your next big success!
Do you have one blog or several – and do you agree or disagree with me on this issue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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