Every Blog Niche Is Created Equal

I, for one, believe that sports blogs are just as relevant to daily life as the next niche. Tech blogs, writing blogs, sports blogs, dust bunny blogs? All relevant and useful. The thing that sports blogs have to guard against is the perception that all they have to say is something like, "Dude, the Patriots were wicked awesome last night." That may be the case for some sports blogs. If so, it may be what its readers are searching for.

If you have readers, your blog means something to someone. Judging from the number of sports blogs, they mean a great deal to lots of people. Just as in the Great Depression (today's economy doesn't quite get us there, yet), sports, movies, music, all served as an escape from the pain and toil of daily life. You're blog may be doing just fine talking about the Wicked Awesome Patriots. That may be what brings in your target audience and keeps them around.

You may have lots of fans and readers, but keep in mind that you are filling a need. Listening to what they want is critical to maintaining your readership and relevance.

If your blog is struggling, losing readers and subscribers, or failing to gain a foothold, try some new things. Expand from box scores and game recaps, after all, readers can get that from ESPN or other well-known outlets. They may want something more from you; something on which they can agree, something with which they disagree, something controversial. It's your job to find what that "something" is.

You may have a blog for your own personal gratification, but if you have readers, you have a responsibility to them. When times are tough for many, like today, a sports blog, tech blog, dust bunny blog, or whatever niche your blog serves, becomes more important to its readers. Unless, of course, you have no interest in how many people see your blog.

Fill the needs with wicked awesome content and your blog will begin to thrive.