Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing Your First Blog Niche

My first blog was about “lifestyle.”

I know. I cringe too.

I wrote about productivity one week, recipes the next, then travel tips, then book reviews. I had no focus, no clear audience, and after six months of sporadic posting, I had exactly 47 monthly visitors—most of whom were probably my mom.

My second blog was about “personal finance for millennials.” Better, but still too broad. I was competing with NerdWallet, The Penny Hoarder, and a thousand other established sites. I published 30 solid articles and barely cracked 500 monthly visitors after a year.

My third blog? “Credit card rewards strategies for frequent business travelers.”

Narrow. Specific. Slightly weird. And it worked.

Within six months, I was getting 5,000 monthly visitors. Within a year, I was making $2,000/month in affiliate commissions. That blog is still running today, mostly on autopilot, generating consistent income.

The difference wasn’t my writing quality (if anything, my early posts were better written). The difference was niche selection.

Here’s everything I’ve learned about choosing a blog niche that actually has a chance of success.

The Biggest Niche Selection Mistake (And Why Everyone Makes It)

Most new bloggers choose their niche based on one of two flawed approaches:

Approach #1: “I’ll write about what I’m passionate about!”

This sounds great in theory. Follow your passion, right? The problem is that passion alone doesn’t create an audience.

I’m passionate about obscure 1990s indie rock bands. Should I start a blog about that? Probably not, because the potential audience is tiny, monetization options are limited, and I’d be competing with established music journalism sites.

Approach #2: “I’ll write about whatever makes the most money!”

This is the opposite mistake. You research “most profitable blog niches,” see that finance and health top the list, and decide to write about credit cards or weight loss despite having zero genuine interest in either topic.

I tried this with a health blog in 2020. I researched keywords, found gaps in the market, and started writing about gut health and inflammation. The content was well-researched and SEO-optimized.

I quit after four months because I was bored out of my mind. Turns out, writing 2,000-word articles about probiotics when you don’t actually care about probiotics is soul-crushing.

The right approach: Find the overlap between what you know/care about, what people are searching for, and what you can monetize.

It’s a Venn diagram, and your perfect niche lives in the center where all three circles intersect.

The Three-Circle Framework for Niche Selection

Here’s the framework I now use for every blog I launch:

Circle #1: Your Knowledge and Interest

Make a list of topics where you have either:

• Professional experience (you’ve worked in this field)
• Personal experience (you’ve solved a problem in this area)
• Genuine curiosity (you’d read about this topic for fun)

Don’t overthink this. Just brain-dump for 10 minutes.

My list when I was starting:

• Credit card rewards (I’d optimized my own strategy)
• Freelance writing (I’d been doing it for 3 years)
• Productivity for ADHD (personal experience)
• Small business marketing (professional experience)
• Travel hacking (hobby interest)

Notice these aren’t just “finance” or “travel”—they’re specific angles based on my actual experience.

Circle #2: Market Demand

Now you need to validate that people are actually searching for content in these areas.

Use these free tools:

Google Autocomplete Type your topic into Google and see what autocompletes. This shows you what people are actually searching for.

Example: Type “credit card rewards for…” and Google suggests:

• credit card rewards for beginners
• credit card rewards for business
• credit card rewards for travel
• credit card rewards for cash back

Each of these is a potential sub-niche.

AnswerThePublic Enter your topic and get hundreds of questions people are asking. This is gold for content ideas.

Google Trends Check if interest in your topic is growing, stable, or declining. You want stable or growing.

Reddit and Quora Search for your topic and see:

• How many followers/members in related communities
• How active the discussions are
• What specific questions keep coming up

My validation process for “credit card rewards for business travelers”:

• Google Trends: Stable search volume
• Reddit: r/churning had 500K+ members, very active
• AnswerThePublic: 200+ questions about business travel rewards
• Quora: Dozens of questions with hundreds of followers each

This told me there was real demand.

Circle #3: Monetization Potential

A blog with traffic but no monetization options is a hobby, not a business. (Which is fine if that’s your goal! But be honest about it.)

Research these monetization options for your potential niche:

Affiliate programs

• Are there products/services you could recommend?
• What are the commission rates?
• Are there reputable affiliate programs, or just sketchy ones?

Display ads

• What’s the typical RPM (revenue per 1,000 visitors) in this niche?
• Finance and tech: $15-40 RPM
• Lifestyle and entertainment: $5-15 RPM
• This matters because you need 10,000 monthly visitors to make $50-400/month

Digital products

• Could you create courses, ebooks, or templates?
• Are people in this niche willing to pay for information?

Sponsored content

• Are there brands that would pay for sponsored posts?
• What do they typically pay? ($100-500 for small blogs, $1,000+ for established ones)

My monetization research for business travel rewards:

• Affiliate programs: Credit card offers (high commissions, $50-200 per approval)
• Display ads: Finance niche, high RPM ($25-35)
• Digital products: Could create travel hacking guides
• Sponsored content: Travel brands and credit card companies actively seek partnerships

This niche had multiple monetization paths. That’s what you want.

The Goldilocks Principle: Not Too Broad, Not Too Narrow

Here’s how to find the right level of specificity:

Too broad: “Health and wellness”

• You’re competing with WebMD, Healthline, and Mayo Clinic
• Audience is too diverse (someone interested in marathon training has different needs than someone managing diabetes)
• Impossible to become known as an expert in everything

Too narrow: “Keto recipes for people with celiac disease who are also training for ultramarathons”

• Audience is too small to sustain a blog
• You’ll run out of content ideas quickly
• Monetization options are limited

Just right: “Keto meal prep for busy professionals”

• Specific enough to have a clear audience
• Broad enough to create 100+ posts
• Clear monetization paths (meal prep containers, cookbooks, affiliate links to keto products)

The 50-post test: Can you brainstorm 50 unique article ideas in your niche in 30 minutes? If yes, it’s probably broad enough. If you struggle to hit 20, it might be too narrow.

My Niche Research Process (Step-by-Step)

Here’s exactly what I do when evaluating a potential niche:

Step 1: Brainstorm 20 Article Ideas (10 minutes)

If I can’t quickly come up with 20 ideas, the niche is either too narrow or I don’t know enough about it.

Step 2: Check Search Volume (15 minutes)

I take my top 10 article ideas and check search volume using Ubersuggest (free) or Google Keyword Planner.

I’m looking for:

• At least 500-1,000 monthly searches per keyword
• A mix of high-volume and low-volume keywords
• Questions people are asking (these make great content)

Step 3: Analyze the Competition (20 minutes)

I Google my top 5 article ideas and look at who’s ranking on page one:

Red flags:

• All results are from sites with Domain Authority 70+ (Forbes, Healthline, etc.)
• No independent blogs ranking
• Results are all from 2015 or older (declining interest)

Green flags:

• Mix of big sites and smaller blogs
• Blogs with DA 20-40 ranking on page one
• Recent content (published in last 1-2 years)
• Mediocre content ranking (means you can do better)

Step 4: Validate Monetization (15 minutes)

I search for:

• “[Niche] affiliate programs”
• “[Niche] sponsored posts”
• Existing blogs in the niche and how they monetize (check their sidebar, footer, and disclosure pages)

Step 5: Check My Gut (5 minutes)

Honestly ask yourself:

• Would I still be interested in this topic in 6 months?
• Can I write about this without extensive research for every single post?
• Do I have a unique angle or perspective?

If the answer to any of these is “no,” reconsider.

Real Examples: Good Niches vs. Bad Niches

Let me show you the difference with real examples:

Bad Niche: “Making Money Online”

Why it fails:

• Extremely competitive (everyone and their cousin has a “make money online” blog)
• Audience is skeptical (too many scams in this space)
• Hard to build trust
• Most monetization is selling courses about making money online (meta and often scammy)

Good Niche: “Freelance Writing for Healthcare Professionals”

Why it works:

• Specific audience (doctors, nurses, healthcare workers who want to freelance)
• Less competitive than general freelance writing
• Clear monetization (courses on medical writing, affiliate links to writing tools)
• You can build authority if you have healthcare background

Bad Niche: “Productivity Tips”

Why it fails:

• Too broad (productivity for who? Students? Executives? Parents?)
• Dominated by huge sites (Lifehacker, Fast Company, etc.)
• Hard to differentiate

Good Niche: “Productivity Systems for ADHD Entrepreneurs”

Why it works:

• Specific audience with specific needs
• Less competition
• Strong community (ADHD entrepreneurs actively seek resources)
• Clear monetization (planners, courses, coaching)

See the pattern? The good niches are specific enough to have a clear audience but broad enough to create lots of content.

The Niches I’d Start Today (If I Were Beginning)

Based on current trends and my research, here are niches I’d consider if I were launching a new blog in 2026:

1. “AI Tools for [Specific Profession]” Example: “AI Tools for Real Estate Agents”

• Growing interest in AI
• Professionals want practical applications
• High monetization potential (software affiliate programs)

2. “Sustainable Living for [Specific Group]” Example: “Zero-Waste Living for Apartment Dwellers”

• Growing trend
• Specific pain points
• Good affiliate opportunities (eco-friendly products)

3. “Side Hustles for [Specific Profession]” Example: “Side Hustles for Teachers”

• People want extra income
• Specific audience = specific solutions
• Multiple monetization paths

4. “Budget Travel to [Specific Region]” Example: “Budget Travel in Southeast Asia for Solo Women”

• Travel is evergreen
• Specific angle reduces competition
• Affiliate programs for hotels, tours, travel gear

5. “Home Workouts for [Specific Goal/Limitation]” Example: “Home Workouts for People with Chronic Pain”

• Fitness is always popular
• Specific audience has underserved needs
• Affiliate programs for equipment, apps, courses

Notice all of these follow the formula: [Broad Topic] for [Specific Audience]

Red Flags: Niches to Avoid

Some niches are tempting but problematic:

YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) Niches Google scrutinizes these heavily: medical advice, legal advice, financial advice.

You can still blog in these areas, but you need:

• Actual credentials (MD, JD, CFP, etc.)
• Extremely high-quality, well-researched content
• Citations to authoritative sources

If you’re not a credentialed expert, you’ll struggle to rank.

Declining Interest Niches Check Google Trends. If search volume has been declining for 3+ years, avoid it.

Overly Saturated Niches If the first three pages of Google are all major publications with no independent blogs, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

Niches You Don’t Care About I can’t stress this enough. If you’re only choosing a niche because it’s profitable, you’ll quit before you succeed.

What If You Choose Wrong?

Here’s the truth: you might choose wrong. I did. Twice.

But here’s what I learned: it’s better to start with an imperfect niche than to spend six months in analysis paralysis.

You can always pivot. You can always start a second blog. You can always narrow or broaden your focus.

What you can’t do is succeed without starting.

Give yourself one week to do niche research. Then pick something and commit to it for at least 6 months and 50 posts. That’s enough time to see if it has potential.

My Final Niche Selection Checklist

Before you commit, make sure you can answer “yes” to these questions:

• Can I brainstorm 50+ article ideas without struggling?
• Are people actively searching for content in this niche? (Verified with keyword research)
• Are there independent blogs successfully ranking in this niche?
• Are there at least 2-3 clear monetization options?
• Would I still be interested in this topic 6 months from now?
• Do I have knowledge, experience, or genuine curiosity in this area?
• Is the niche specific enough to have a clear audience?
• Is the niche broad enough to create 100+ posts?

If you answered “yes” to at least 7 of these 8 questions, you’ve probably found a viable niche.

Start Before You’re Ready

I’ve mentored dozens of new bloggers, and the most common mistake isn’t choosing the wrong niche—it’s never choosing at all.

They research for months, make spreadsheets comparing niches, join Facebook groups asking “which niche is best,” and never actually start.

Here’s my advice: give yourself one week to do the research I’ve outlined in this post. Then pick the niche that scores highest on your checklist and start creating content.

You’ll learn more from publishing 10 posts in your chosen niche than from spending another month researching.

And if you realize six months in that you chose wrong? You’ll have learned valuable skills (writing, SEO, WordPress) that transfer to your next blog. Nothing is wasted.

The perfect niche doesn’t exist. But a good-enough niche that you actually start working in? That’s how every successful blog begins.

Now stop researching and go choose your niche.

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About the author: Jennifer Lee is an affiliate marketing expert and growth consultant who has launched and monetized 8 blogs across various niches since 2017. Three of her blogs generate over $5,000/month in combined revenue. She specializes in helping new bloggers choose profitable niches and develop sustainable content strategies.