Why it is Difficult to Blog About Blogging.

I began this blog last March, it was initially a blog about writing. But, there seemed a natural connection to blog about blogging. Therefore, I spent quite a lot of time blogging about latest trends in blogging, commenting on other blogs, getting links e.t.c. I did everything a good blogger should do. But, for the effort it seemed to give little reward in terms of traffic and earnings. Therefore, I decided to reorient the blog towards a more specific blog of writing / productivity and internet marketing.

These are some of the reasons Blogging about Blogging is not so easy.

Perhaps the most competitive Niche on the Internet.

I think the blog about blogging is one of the most common types of blogs. It is natural that bloggers should want to blog about what they do, but the result is that there are many blogs saying quite similar things. Therefore, there is competition for traffic, readers and advertising.

Low Click Through Rates

In my experience there is little money to be made from Blogging about blogging, especially if you rely on popular programmes like Google Adsense. Of course people like John Chow show that it is possible to do very well; but, his blog is unique and distinctive. Personally, I have found a much better return from blogging on other subjects like Economics, Cycling, Self Improvement and Mortgages. These blogs are related to products so advertisers are willing to pay more. Also, there is less competition from other bloggers, it seems easier to break into the niche. In terms of hourly pay blogging about blogging is by far the worst. Interesting Problogger, Darren Rowse suggests that his earnings are higher from blogs about digital photography rather than Problogger.

What’s the Point in Being Average to Good?

Because I was more motivated to blog about writing, cycling and economics I was always a half hearted blogger about blogging. This meant that there wasn’t much reason for readers to read this blog for blogging advice. Why not go to a blog that gets updated more frequently?
On the internet you want to either do a blog very well or not at all. Doing something half hearted doesn’t work. Either stand out from the Crowd or sink in the mass of blogs.

What Value can You add to your niche?

With blogging there was little I could add that other people haven’t already said. True, I can give the perspective of blogging on 5 different topics. But, generally blogging is not my speciality. I can offer more value by blogging about writing, self improvement and economics.

Having said all that, I may start offering the odd post about blogging. But, I will try to focus on a particular aspect that is not covered so much by other blogs.

Increasing RSS Readers

I started one blog on self improvement where I only posted twice a week, this proved to be the easiest blog to increase RSS readership, in 4 months it has increased from 0 to 240. This shows that when it comes to increasing RSS readers, quality is more important than quantity.

What does this mean for Other Bloggers?

1. Whatever your blog is about the key is to really believe in it. Any niche can be made a success, so long as you believe in it and work hard.
2. There is no harm in experimenting between different types of blogs, you may find that some do much better than others. My most successful 2 blogs were not the first 2 I set up. One was the 13th attempt. Many blogs have been started only to fade away. But, I learnt alot in that process.