Does it matter if I can't find my niche?

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   Karandaposted 14 years ago

   Writing has always been my way of talking when no-one is listening so finding HubPages is as good as picking up the phone and knowing there is someone on the other end of the line.
   
   My problem is that I have so much to write about I don't know what my niche is or if I even want one. What do you think about writing on a lot of different topics?

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      WryLiltposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I don't really have a niche - sure I might write three or four hubs on one topic but I have so many different interests I write about them all.
      
      I think it's good to diversify - if all your hubs are on one topic, if that topic loses interest you'll lose all your traffic.
      
      That said, if you ever find a subject that brings you lots of immediate traffic, it might be an idea to write a few more hubs on that topic!

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         Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         But you do have quite a few on babies, actually I thought that was your niche, I'll have to go back to your profile and read some of the others!

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            WryLiltposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Hmmm true, although I don't think I've got more than 30 on babies and probably about 20 on gaming - the rest are widely varied.

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               Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I've been reading your other hubs and surprised that there were so many more that weren't in that baby niche. So I guess I'm okay with what I'm doing after all. Thanks for your input.

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                  schoolgirlforrealposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  I agree, I'm just a little peeved on those who said you HAD to have one. I have about 2 niches: Christianity and Mental Health and then it completely goes...

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         David 470posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I agree, you should be diverse, but stick to a niche relatively well. For example, if something highly interests you, and it gets good traffic, then write more on that. Just don't keep writing on the same topic, unless you had your own website. Hubpages is a personal website though, so be diverse, but be tackle topics you know well good.

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      Neil Ashworthposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Write across as many niches as you like - one thing that will help though will be to use the groups function to interlink your niche articles together and also try to link a set of articles together using associated keywords as anchor text. This helps your articles in terms of seo a little.

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      daybreakposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I see many writers struggle with this issue as I have also. I feel strongly that writers should not rush into developing their style.
      
      For many of us, we need to ask a difficult question: "Are we going to write for enjoyment or income?"
      
      In some cases we can do both, but often we must make a choice.
      
      If we are basing our success on traffic and income, then SEO is pretty much necessary. That can have a huge impact on our style. We can choose to ignore it, but we often pay a heavy toll in traffic.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think it's a great idea!  In fact, it's one of the great things about HubPages. 
      
      If you have your own blog or website and you want it to do well in the search engines, you really have to pick one niche and stick to it.   But there are so many people writing about so many different subjects on HP that, no matter what topic you pick, it's unlikely your Hub will be an orphan - it will end up in a big tag group with other like-minded Hubs. 
      
      I also think that writing about a diverse range of subjects is good to begin with.  If you don't know how to identify a good niche, you can waste a lot of time writing about the wrong subject.  Whereas if you write about a lot of topics, you can watch and see which ones do best, and write more of them.  Just bear in mind it can take several months for a Hub to show its true colors!

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      FloBeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I don't really fit only in one niche but as I started writing I started to notice that I naturally gravitated to a couple more than others...so I think it will naturally happen as you write about what you love. When you start grouping them together you'll see a pattern start to emerge. I decided that instead of trying to fit myself into a box I would write on whatever inspires me and i enjoy. I do allow my thinking to be challenged who write things I might not even know how to at this point and as I learn more will be added I'm sure.

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      dutchman1951posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      just keep writing, sometimes thats a great way to discover that niche.

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      thisisoliposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You don't particularly have to write in a particular niche.  If however you want to monetise hubs and get large amounts of traffic you really need to do some research.

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      tiffany deliteposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      i'm glad you asked this question because i am new to hubpages and i am trying to figure out what is what. i have such a wide variety of interests that i seem to be having trouble getting started writing anything at all!! i have been seeing some things about a "30 hubs in 30 days" challenge, and i have been considering just pounding out some hubs and then going back to tweak on them a little bit after i see what they initially do! blessings!

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   gamergirlposted 14 years ago

   I am kind of that way - I have written a lot about games, but I've also written quite a bit about a wide range of other topics.
   
   I think it's fine if you write well to write about whatever you want.  I write better about topics that really interest me, and that list of topics is looooooong.

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      So far it seems all I've done is answer questions till I find my way but then I read the top hubbers tips and the learning centre that it is better to have a niche...can I have 12 niches?

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         Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Checked out your profile gamergirl and notice you had 999 followers, had to join the queue and be the 1000. Congratulations, that is quite an achievement. I'll get back to you and read some of your hubs a bit later.

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         Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         You can have a hundred niches, though I think you'd be worn out. Most people settle into a much tighter set of subjects.
         
         I have a website that started out in one specific niche.  Over time, it spread into other areas.  That's one of the reasons I eventually came here: to have a place for the things that really don't fit at my main site.
         
         I don't think you should fret over this.  Just do your thing - if you settle into some area, fine. If not, so what?

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            Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks for this Pcunix, I really am quite happy writing about lots of different things and I do try to link hubs together where I can. Maybe after a year or two I'll settle in to an area as you say.

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      mythbusterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hey gamergirl,
      
      Just sayin' "HI" - nice to see a post from you again after a long while.
      
      

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   timonwellerposted 14 years ago

   What I do is when looking at a niche just focus on what you enjoy writing about the most, not so much about how much stuff you can write. Another good way of summing it up is whatever you can talk about for hours and enjoy talking about and keep rambling.
   
   This works for me and so I hope it helps others.

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That sounds like an open invitation to dribble. I had really hoped that was going to be the response, because I love my ramblings once I get started. Too bad about the reader? Well maybe it still needs to be written for the reader or no-one is going to click on anything.

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   Tarinposted 14 years ago

   Writing about a topic is the best way to learn that topic.  You identify what you're missing and then you go back to read more on individual aspects of a topic.  If you don't write on a lot of different topics then you're missing the learning potential that writing provides!

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Good advice Tarin, the more I write on different topics the more I learn. Isn't it wonderful?

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   Wendy Krickposted 14 years ago

   In the beginning I got hung up on finding a niche and couldn't come up with anything to write about. Now I just write about anything. It's more fun that way.

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You and me both, it's the fun thing more than anything else. I just love to write.

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   manicmusicfanposted 14 years ago

   If your goal is to get $$ from your articles, then the most important thing is to be producing content.
   
   Writing along a single niche can be very helpful, but if it is causing writers block (therefor keeping you from producing content) then it is detrimental to your progress.

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I keep seeing this in comments, on the forum and of course in the learning centre. It is all about content isn't it? Thanks for the reminder.

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   logic,commonsenseposted 14 years ago

   Where was the last place you put it? 

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh how I wish I could do all those laughing faces, the only one I remember is the smiley one. Thanks for the belly laugh.

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   mythbusterposted 14 years ago

   Karanda,
   
   If you feel you'd like to try a more structured approach, you can sit down with a paper notepad and do a bit of brainstorming, mind-mapping stuff... just to see if what you "know" actually can be broken up into niches after all.
   
   I'm lucky 'cos I love the topics I write about and since these are mostly quirky spook tales, urban legends and such, they end up falling into some rather tidy niches (as well as some controversial ones that most people won't touch lol). Thank goodness I know almost NOTHING about "making money" "small home biz" and things from extremely competitive niches/markets because I don't have to write on those topics and compete with a huge crowd of marketers! lol
   
   I do, however, sit down and brainstorm from time to time - every 3 months or so - to figure out if what I'm currently interested in researching can be broken into "series" bits. That helps me to get a handle on some of the chaos that comes with having many interests.
   
   Just thought I'd mention a few of these things.

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Fantastic advice mythbuster, I feel like a right ninny now that I didn't think of using the brainstorming technique myself. I've run workshops for goodness sake and have always been amazed at what comes from mind mapping. Thanks heaps!

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         mythbusterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Haha @ ninny... haven't heard that term in a while. I think a lot of ppl miss a lot of pragmatic, common-sense ideas they use in everyday life - just because those usually aren't done digitally or on the computer. I think the net, computers, files, etc throw people off when it comes to online publishing, Karanda. Someone else pointed the same points out that I suggested. I didn't think of 'em myself!
         
         I was too much a ninny a while back and had to be told.
         
         

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            Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah, but you've done alright. Gosh, I thought the hard copy was hard but gee the 'soft'? or is it just 'digital' copy is so much harder. Or is it just that you see your competition?

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   NConnollyHendriksposted 14 years ago

   I think that you should start with things that you are interested in,  and know something about,  and simply share that with your readers.   As time goes by,  I believe your niche will reveal itself to you.

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      Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Good advice, thanks.

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    aidenofthetowerposted 14 years ago

    I don't stick to a niche either. I write about what I want to write about. Here are a few things that I have come across over the years.
    
    -Niches can help make you known for something and can give you expert status, but at the same time a well written article can give you that as well. While some people will go, "Who are you that you would know?" most will take you at your word.
    -Niche writing lets you link things together, which can be helpful to readers and to profits, but you can write on a lot of topics and do this for each one.
    -While some niches are large, by definition you are limiting yourself if you are sticking to one niche and to make a lot of money you will need a lot of writing.
    
    I think that more important to niche writing is finding something you are comfortable with. Write what you know, at least to start with. Answering questions can be fun, but you may find that you have a lot of articles that aren't worth anything financially. If that's no concern then go for it. If it is then finding a topic you are interested in and writing a bunch can be a great idea and then moving on to a new topic.
    
    Anyway...I am not thinking it is too late to be writing this cause I feel myself moving into rambling mode. None the less, best of luck and don't worry about the niche thing!

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       Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks so much for your input aidenofthetower, not rambling at all, followed every word, hung on to every word in fact. Thanks for the wishes.

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    producertravisposted 14 years ago

    I have not stuck to a niche either, I think that has helped me though figure out what I want to write about.  It has also made me realize how many interests I actually have.
    
    I've wrote about everything from Peanut Butter Pie, to an article tonight on "How to Build a Ski Lift."
    
    Will I do well, who knows, but I am learning and I guess that is the most important thing.

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    Victoria Stephensposted 14 years ago

    I think sometimes if you can't find your niche, then it sort of comes to you.  You could write about hundreds of things and find you receive more comments and traffic on certain ones than others, that could be an indication of that’s where your niche is.
    
    I personally think its more fun to play around with several different topics.xxx

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       PurpleOneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with what you're saying here, Victoria. I haven't found my niche yet either really but I can see that as I write more, I'm starting to have a better idea what's working better for me. My numbers are still very low but I have more stats to play with than I used to and I use them as my guide.

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    onegoodwomanposted 14 years ago

    I read your work, you are a good writer with very interesting things to say.  Write more often, write about whatever strikes your fancy.  It does not always have to be the same subject matter.  It probably shouldn't be.  You don't want to be associated with only one interest or limited living experiences.
    
    As your portfolio grows your niche(s), will simply reveal themselves.  Don't attempt to force one, let it flow.
    
    Your hub on Superstitions is my person favorite.  Your personality came through in that one, you came across as a very warm person.  Your articles on Diabetes have been informative and, and you come across as being trustworthy and knowledgeable.
    Your articles on computers were good also, I just am not in the market for a new one.  When I am, if I am still on HP, I will reread them.
    
    Keep writing, that is the key!

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       HappySacrumposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Write what you love or else you will stop writing.  Happy Saturday love the HappySacrum. xoxOM.

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       Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you onegoodwoman, your confidence in my writing never ceases to amaze me. I know some of my writing is way below par and I guess the ones I write for me are the ones that shine through as Happy Sacrum suggests.

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