Blogging: Finding your Niche by Tori Watson

By: Tori Watson of Marvelous Things Photography

I used to hate blogging. Not because I didn’t like writing things, or sharing images or parts of my life with the world, but simply because it was a HUGE ordeal before I got a Prophoto blog and Blogstomp (don’t ask me why it took so long for either of those) and it would suck hours of my time away, just to post one wedding. Well, when the wonderfully genius Jennifer Olmstead (of Deleted Space Creative) updated my branding and we launched my new website and blog back in January 2012, a whole new world was opened up to me! Suddenly my blogging space felt like home and I couldn’t wait to invite others in and have fun and pretty things to show them! And with smart software, it now took a fraction of the time it took before to accomplish that. So, through these last few months, there are a couple things about blogging that I discovered that have really helped me, and I wanted to share them with those of you who may not enjoy blogging right now, for one reason or another. It’s so vital to this industry to have a blogging presence, but it can feel really discouraging when you dread it and haven’t found a way to make it fun (I know, because I’ve been there). So, here are a few things to consider:

1) Your blog should make you happy.

When I was just using Blogger, though it was a great option initially, I had a generic blog that I stuck my logo on and added a little bio to. Nothing about it screamed Tori or Marvelous Things Photography. It was just a mostly-white, general-templated blog. It did nothing to make me want  to fill its pages with thoughts and photos. So, the first big step in making me excited about blogging was getting a custom-designed blog that was totally ME. A space that made me happy to log into, and excited to have others see. This is just another part of the general branding process, and how important it is to KNOW what image and feel you want to present. But all I can say is, when you find out what that is….it makes a WORLD of difference. Suddenly you really feel like your blog is an extension of YOU, and not just another random space on the interwebs.

2) It doesn’t matter how others do it. Find what works for YOU.

We all get caught up in the comparison game far more than we’d care to admit, and the blogging world is no exception. I spent years following tons of other photographer’s blogs, and was always going back and forth with what the “right” or “best” method of blogging was. Do I post paragraphs of deep, heartfelt thoughts, and a few images to highlight that? Do I post one sentence, and tons of images? Do I post tons of everything, or hardly anything at all? Every photographer has a different method or preference, and will tell you why it makes sense to them. But here’s the thing….it has to make sense to YOU, for it to work. So, I started going to blogs and asking myself, “How do I respond to the experience of this blog? Do I want to see more or less writing? Would I prefer to see more or less imagery?” And from there, I realized the way that I generally wanted to operate on my blog. I would encourage you to do that! If you find yourself always quickly scrolling past images to read every word written, maybe you identify with writing and want to make that the primary method on your blog. Likewise, if you find yourself skimming the writing to take in every single image….then maybe you’re less of a writer and prefer image-heavy posts. Or maybe you want to do lots of BOTH. Any method is perfectly acceptable, but once you figure out what you like most, you’ll find yourself feeling the freedom to do what makes YOU happy, and therefore you’ll be motivated to actually post instead of feeling overwhelmed and never doing it. Or I should say, that’s how it worked for ME, at least.

3) Think of a weekly or monthly post series that will showcase more of your interests, or draw an audience that might not otherwise come to your blog.

Almost every blogger I know has done or continually does one or more weekly blogging series. Some like to do instructional series (like Zach & Jody’s “Tuesday Tips & Tricks” posts) or a series aimed at brides (like Katelyn’s “Wedding Wednesdays”) and those are always wildly successful weekly posts, because they’re aimed at a target audience and they’re helpful. For me, I realized I wanted to start a series that showcased a part of my personality that wasn’t photography-related, but would help blog readers and potential clients get to know ME better, but also be fun and helpful in some way. Out of that thought process, Wardrobe Wednesdays were born. Style is a big part of my interest in life, and I decided to spin it in a way that would encourage readers to see their CURRENT wardrobes in new ways (thus being “helpful” in a way). And once I started the series and saw the response to it, it made me want to keep posting and think of MORE ideas that I could get others excited about. So, whatever that type of series is for you…whether it’s similar to the ones I mentioned, or totally different, find one that makes you excited and go for it! Giving your readers some sort of theme to count on, or a specific area to connect with you in, at least once a week keeps them wanting more and checking back in each week (and then, of course, looking at the other posts in between). And just because you start a series, doesn’t mean you have to keep it up forever! Start out just committing to a month or two, and see how it goes! Remember, there are no “rules”. Do what works for you.

This list is obviously not all-encompassing, and in so many ways those 3 things are super basic and not revolutionary. But, for me, it took me actually realizing and processing them to find the joy in blogging. I needed to feel the freedom to find my OWN niche, regardless of how anyone else was doing it. So, in summary, OWN your blogging space! If it becomes a place that makes YOU happy, then you’ll post often, and the more you post and put yourself out there, the more people have the chance to stumble across your work and get to know you. :)