Every blogger reaches that moment when they need to figure out how to make their content stand out from the pack. Blogging has become such a worldwide phenomenon that you can find thousands of blogs on pretty much any topic under the sun.
So, even if you have the ability to provide a great blog for a niche audience, sometimes that isn’t even enough anymore. Before you continue with your blogging ideas as they are, take the time to figure out what will make you blog unique within its own niche.
1. Investigate your niche like a user.
The first thing to do before any initial step toward differentiating your blog is to thoroughly investigate your niche and see what’s out there. You can’t do this from your own perspective, however. There are too many ways to write off other bloggers content or miss important facets of why others’ blogs have been successful.
Instead, pretend you are looking for information as a search user. Check out which blogs pop up first in searches. What are you immediately drawn to as a user, and why? What information is provided in droves and what information do you have trouble finding? Figuring out how users will view and find your blog in comparison to others is the first step toward understanding your niche as a whole.
2. Find an angle only you can provide.
There are millions of different angles to any story and millions of methods to present information in new and exciting ways. That is not what’s important here. The most important thing is to figure out what your angle is. What types of unique information or perspectives can you provide that no one else can? Are you an art history buff who also loves hip hop? Include that fresh perspective in your art blog. The key is to find out what you can pull from to create a perspective that is uniquely fresh and all your own.
3. Include outside perspectives.
One way to stand out from the pack in many niches is to be the first to include perspectives that others’ haven’t seen. If you can connect with experts on particular topics and get interviews or features that other bloggers won’t have access to, bloggers will have to go to your content to get the information. Inviting other bloggers to do guest posts on your blog or connecting with experts in fields that other bloggers may not think to include can do wonders to increase traffic and help your blog stand out.
4. Make original images and video.
The best way to intrigue your current users and attract new ones is to provide the best possible images and videos on your blog. Most bloggers simply source images from sources published elsewhere on the web. However, if you can find a way to create truly original images, you will not have to depend on outside sources to make your blog look great. Also, if other bloggers want to use your images, they will have to give you credit, driving even more traffic to your blog.
Even if your blog centers on images of items that simply can’t be accessed first-hand, such as photos of runway fashion looks, you can still make your own unique collages or do your own editing so each image or video you post will be unique to your blog.
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1 Comment
Really nice post, thanks for that one