My niche is DIY, Home Decor/Furniture. Classic furnishings Restyled for Your Home. Many before & afters!
I love your series!

It took me over a year to find my niche. I first wanted to start a blog about home decor/DIY because we had just bought our first home, so I was super excited and was all up in the home decor blogs business. But then after months past I realized that there was more to me then just that. I wanted to basically log onto my blog and just write or even just to post photos. Of course I still add in home stuff but I add in other stuff as well and now I think it's safe to say I found my niche. I guess now I am a house-y/crafty/photography/lifestyle blog? {lol}.

Great post, agreed with everything you said!

We are a DIY blog, but definitely not a "design" blog...more like a, is this idea going to sink or swim sort of thing. I'll sometimes wander off to photos and general life updates too, and every so often I get inspired to make a craft.

I'm excited about your bloggin' series!

It IS fun being in charge!!! Looking forward to more posts in this series in whaterver order you decide to post them in! haha.
-Diana

My niche is saving money and decorating! As my husband finishes his MBA and starts to job hunt, it's impossible not to throw a little bit of our real life struggles into the mix, too.

It's fun to find other mid-20's bloggers who are renting and also working to make their rental houses, home!

Thanks for this series! Love it.

Great post! I completely agree with everything you said. And I like your phrase "baby bloggers". Very nice.

My niche is 20-30 somethings (mainly females), DIY/craft projects, home decor, and recipes. Sometimes I'll throw in tips on blogging and photography or a couple free holiday printables.

Great series!!!! My niche is a bit broad but probably falls into the home making blogs. I love to decorate, cook, and talk about our life. I am pg right now with our second baby so I certainly want to document the pregnancy and my daughters life along the way too for memories sake.

Looking forward to more posts on this series! :)

I guess my niche is my family..ha ha ha! My blog is mainly a mommy blog about my kids and photography...with a few decor related posts thrown in. I don't really promote my blog and simply comment on blogs I like (hence this comment), posts I can relate to, or linky parties that mean something to me.

I like the word "niche" too. :-) I think our niche is home/fashion, probably leaning more towards home. With a plethora of things mixed in. You are right though, it takes time to figure out! And oh we so LOVE our new blog friends that we are finding!

Great series, can't wait to see what is next!

Thank you again for this series. I'm really liking it so far. I'm still so new to this.

The whole niche thing is hard for me still. My favorite blogs to read are DIY, design, sewing, and mommy blogs...and I originally thought that's what I'd want to write about. But, even though I love fixing up my house, I feel like the most fun projects I've already done in the last 4 years. And, even though I love to sew and be crafty, I don't think I'd enjoy documenting each step. That sounds like work to me. Before and After posts I could handle, and I may still do an occasional one...but in general, I think I'd like to keep those hobbies separate.

What has surprised me so far is that I've posted about cooking (and I hate cooking) and posted about fitness and find myself wanting to post more about both. But, I'm no cooking expert by any means. And, I'm not really a fitness buff... I'm a 215 pound on-again-off-again gym rat that has a desire to be more and get my pre-baby body back.

I want to write more about mommyhood, too, but a 4mo old doesn't give me much material, yet.

I'm hoping that things will become more clear as I post more...

I am definitely a baby blogger. I like that :) ha. I love your blog for your projects, design, and of course IKE! :)
I'd say that my blog is a lifestyle blog based on the life of young newlyweds & their pup :) I still try to post DIY projects and a few recipes that work out well. Right now a couple of us are doing a 30 Day Challenge to share more about ourselves. All are welcome to join in!

I'm not even sure I've truly found my niche yet. I certainly have a small group of blog friends on Twitter, and that seems to slowly increase my readers/commenters. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "design focused, dog lovers, witty".

Our blog is a little bit of everything. Mostly decor/DIY and life, but every once and a while we talk about other things, too.

This topic is so overlooked. It's what makes blogging enjoyable for me which is the reason that I'm still blogging after a year (ad haven't gotten bored & moved on by now). I have found people with the same passion & inerests as me through commenting, reading, and sharing ideas. Blogging is it's own community, so you kind of have to find your clique ;)

I agree with checking out your favorite blogs' blogrollsto figure out what your niche is.

How many times did I just say blog? LOL!


******This comment was written before morning coffee*******

I like this post! I'm still finding my niche. Honestly I started my blog to just cover our home building for our family to read the updates. plus, there are no other blogs about house building. (I mean seriously, we are not the only young couple building a home pleaseeeeee)

But, then I discovered all you other sweet house bloggers and realized it's ok to include other real life stuff too!

Our blog is mostly first time home building posts, pictures of a bratty dog, and simple DIY!

I hope to add more cooking posts since I'm trying to be domestic this year.

I love that you're doing this series. I started the blog to talk about our "new" (really old) house, but at first I kind of included everything and then learned I should narrow it down a little. We're definitely on the renovation side of house blogging, because clearly I'm not a crafty person. We also talk about our dogs a lot, because they're adorable. But maybe I'm a little biased. Ha! The part I struggle with is how much of the "other" to include. Like, do people care that we ran a race/went on vacation/tried out an awesome restaurant? I don't know. I love it when other people post about that stuff, though, so maybe people don't mind if I do. Still trying to figure that one out.

Great series! It's really nice to read tips from someone that's about a year in to blogging vs several years and many sponsors.

My niche is decor and crafts mostly. I sometimes throw in personal life stuff and of course my dog gets some face time too.

I'm a previous "career mom" who, through a series of life events, turned into an "@ home" mom. My focus is finding contentment in every stage of life despite the circumstances. I share DIY projects I tackle, frugal ideas I implement, sprinkled with a few posts about mommyhood, as well as a bit about property management/rental properties that I own. Basically things about the home and things that are important to me, hence the name Heart and Haven.

I love being a baby blogger :) My niche is 20 - 50s DIY/crafters. Animal lovers have a special spot in my heart too. I try and comment here and there when I have something valuable to add for the big bloggers but for the most part, I think focusing my energy on people like me is more valuable and to be honest, more rewarding. I'd rather make bloggy friends with baby bloggers.

Great series. Off to check out your blog roll to see if I'm missing anyone.

Great post - and so true! A lot of the bloggers who comment on my blog have been around for a long while and have been very encouraging of me :)

My blog started as a wedding planning blog, at least until Joe and I got married in October 2011. It then quickly shifted to being a newlywed and domestic life (DIY projects, decor, sewing, recipes) and trying to make our apartment feel like a home.

Can I call my niche my posse? Because I want to have a posse.

Hi! I came over from Buffalo Roam, and I'm not in your niche, but I wanted to say I enjoyed this post! And your "About Us" picture is super cute. My blog is all about DIY and home projects. We have a 1960s rancher and we're having a blast fixing 'er up!

My niche is what I like to call nesting. That means to me cooking, decorting and designing. I blog about things I do to my house, things that inspire me, mix in some recipes and the everyday stuff (like cute pictures of my dog or recent trips). I DIY when I can and always do things on a budget (love me some Home Goods, Target and Ikea).

I don't think I ever wanna be a grown-up blogger. Is there a way to avoid the teen years? Hmm...

My niche is 20-30 something, diy, recipe, design, workout/healthy living, genuine, and humorous. Kinda my criteria for real-life friends too.

This post makes me feel like such a slacker. I've been so busy with stuff since early fall that I've let commenting on others go by the wayside. I try to comment on a few blogs daily but I do miss days and I should comment on more blogs than I do :( Oh well. If I'm honest I didn't blog to be big and have lots of followers, I just wanted somewhere to show family and friends our home updates... which they don't care about now. Sensory overload ;)

I'd say my niche is 20 somethings and home related. I like humor too :)

I am not a DIY or decorating blogger. I blog about knitting and other crafts I make.

I just started so I hope I can find a niche like you did. Thanks for the tips.

It is funny reading through these comments that I already follow several of you, and will be checking out the rest! I agree with the comments comment, LOL, the comments in my opinion really give me the motivation to keep going with the blog.

I guess I have a multi niche kinda blog. I am dog crazy, our 2 are our furry kids. We are also renovating our 50s era ranch style home, and I chronicle that. And then, much like in real life, I talk about randoms, life, goofy things, musings.

Thanks again for doing this series!

Love this series!

I my blog is about a plethora of stuff (probably why I don't have a niche yet!) but I just love so much!
I love to decorate. I love fashion. I love reading. I love my puppies. So I post about all of that - plus some things in my life - which is why I named my blog 'Books, Pups, and Throw Pillows'.

:)

Thanks for the advice Michelle! I post about a variety of things from our home, DIY, favourite purchases, coastal life (we live near the beach!) interior design inspiration, everyday life, fashion, recipes, photography and of course my furry babies! It's mostly a lifestyle blog set by the sea and my readers range from 20 years old upwards with most around the 20-40 category. It's great to be at the point of making some real friendships with my readers and commentors make blogging so worthwhile :) xo Kirsty

I haven't been commenting much on this series due to everlasting sickness, but I have been reading in G-reader! I love that you give your advice in a straight forward "I'm not a pro, but this is how it worked for me/this is what I think" way, it's honest & sincere which I think can sometimes be lost in translation when larger blogs address this particular issue.

I started our blog as a way to keep in touch with friends & family mostly, since we moved a gazillion miles away & had just bought our 1st house; but the internet is a scary place so I've purposely kept the blog house/DIY/gardening focused rather than straying into the lifestyle/mommy blogger niche.

Another reason I started the blog was for motivation, to keep a running record of what we've accomplished and learned because first and foremost our home is an investment property, it's not our forever home
(If we had been in the market for a forever home I wouldn't have touched this place with a 10ft pole).

Eventually I hope our blog will grow with us as we flip our house, purchase our next property and eventually build our off-grid forever home.

Niche niche niche. It IS a fun word. Must find a way to work that into my next conversation, preferably with a student who will have no idea what I am talking about. I agree that one of the best parts of blogging is the bloggy friends that encourage. Honestly, it would have ended a looong time ago for me otherwise--who else can hold you accountable/motivate you to post?

What a great post! I'm a newbie blogger and these types of posts really help me figure things out and find my "niche" too. I mainly blog about decorating and updating our new home. I also love to share cool products/items from my fav stores and even my Etsy shop updates ( I try to keep that to a minimum since I have a tab specifically for Etsy). I guess I'm still trying to really find my style. I'm with you though, being honest & genuine is something that is extremely important to me.

P.S. We have choco lab that we adore to pieces! I'll be looking for some new blog friends through the comments today =)

My blog is my journey as an espiring interior decorator. It is a place where I hope ppl can be inspired to make their house a home.

Growing my blog has been a learning process, but I really wish I had the insight that your series is providing when I first started. Thanks for being my blogger buddy and a part of my niche :)

I appreciate your suggestion about writing comments on the baby blogs. I find that I can relate to them since we're in the same boat. When I go to a big blogger with thousands of comments I feel that my comment is just going to get lost in the crowd. I'm still trying to figure out my niche, but I tend to follow interior design blogs and DIY blogs. I follow your blog mostly because of your writing style (you make me laugh). I don't usually get into other people's animals, but Ike has won me over. :)

Thanks for continuing this great series! Perfect timing for a "baby blogger" like myself. My (very new) blog is a mix of home decor/design, crafts, recipes and life as a mom - or at least that's how I envision it :-) I'm looking forward to checking out these other bloggers that commented.

My wife actually had the idea of starting a blog. Once I got involved I sorta took over and bought a URL and went crazy. We started out 50/50, but now it's more like 80/20 with most of the posts written by me. I don't know if we've found a niche quite yet as we've only been around for 6 months or so. I can definitely tell we're evolving and improving, but it's subtle. I like to mainly focus on home improvement projects that most people would rather have a contractor do or just spend the money and buy the product. I def. enjoy taking time with Lisa though to goof off and try to write some funny posts! Keeps it light!

Great post and you're right that there's not enough talk about this particular subject. I think I've made lots of great friends (like you!) through my love of diy and home projects. It definitely does take time but I did it EXACTLY the same way as you. Slow and steady!!

I'm loving your blogging basics posts! I started my blog as just a way to keep my and my husbands family updated (they are in Missouri and Minnesota) while we are living in Georgia. It's just a mix of post about our dogs or anything interesting we feel like sharing!

Niche finding takes forever it seems, but I think I just found mine! I thought about what I do differently than others. I mean, I have a style blog, not a fashion blog. I don't talk about haute couture and I don't do fashion shows or fashion news, other than talking about what trends I'm interested in or not :-) That's one thing. But that's one thing many others do, too. I may have a slightly different perspective since I live in Europe and most of my readers are American (seriously, what's up with style blogging in Germany? It seems so different, but I prefer the US blogs! Sigh.). Anyway, long story short, it finally hit me: I don't wear black. There are not many people who don't wear black, period. So that's my thing :-) I incorporated it in my new design, which will soon go online, yay! So I think you have to look for things that set you apart from others. There will always be one thing (or several), you might just not know it yet as it's so natural to yourself. I don't know if this having a niche will help anything, I'll sure notice ;-) Apart from driving away goth readers, that is ;-)

Great series Michelle! I kind of followed your strategy and started by clicking some of the blogs on the big ones that I read, and then slowly started adding more and more. I'll be honest, I'm more likely to read a blog if they read mine or I get comment response because that is how you build a blog relationship. I think I have some good baby blog friendships blooming right now and I just want to keep that up. It's nice to have blog friends :)

Oh! And my blog is a newly-wed adventures in home ownership kinda thing. I post about crafts and recipes mostly right now, and I also do a lot of mood boards. But in less than a month we'll be starting with a blank canvas and tackling some DIY projects in our first home! Doesn't that sound like some fun you want in on? ;)

I feel like I'm narrowing down what my niche really is almost every month, kinda figuring it out as I go.

I think you should make one part of your blogging basics series about networking and interacting with other bloggers. I didn't believe that commenting on other sites was what grows your blog until I actually started doing it. I've had a few friends ask for advice on growing a blog (not sure why they think *I* know what I'm doing!) but I always tell them to network and comment, and I think they still don't believe me that it's important. You do this well, and I think it deserves its own post!

I feel like my niche is whoever will listen t my incoherent ramblings and say nice things about my beginner projects =p Thanks for being part of it!! =D

Thanks for a wonderful tip for us smaller blogs. I've been aiming most of my comments at the larger sites & not 'feeling the love'.

Recently, though, I have seen a small increase through a couple of the smaller blogs so yes, that's where I should be aiming my comments. And now, even better, I'm commenting back & forth with a few others -- encouraging both of us & offering me more connection.

Thanks for a wonderful post.
dawnedesign.net

Thanks for hosting such an awesome series, I'm loving it!

I post mostly on home design and decor, DIY projects and crafts, and life in general. Oh, and our dog usually sneaks into a post or twenty :)

Niche finding skills can prove the answer to the record high employment numbers we see growing everyday in the news. People don't have the information they need to find the multitude of niche business and jobs that go screaming for attention everyday. Finding your niche is one of the most important actions you can do this new year.

Of course I clicked on your post when I saw the title... "finding your niche"... considering my blog name! I can't wait to dig further into your blog. Love your firepit... and of course your dog!

Thanks for being so generous in sharing your wisdom. I discovered your blog through the link party yesterday and I'm really enjoying your insight here.

I suppose my niche is 20-30 somethings, decorating, diy, buying their first homes, dog lovers. I'm just starting out but it's nice to hear how other bloggers began their journeys too.