Songdo, South Korea
The world loves specialists.
The world distrusts generalists.
Pro bloggers typically cover only one niche to:
- specialize in that single niche
- gain credibility as a niche authority
- drive quality traffic
- grow a thriving blogging business
Peep the mindset component to this idea.
Where your attention and energy goes, grows.
Give attention and energy to one blogging niche and it’ll grow because you cover the niche inside-out, upside-down and through other angles unknown to anyone save the trusted specialists in that blogging niche.
Practical Example
Observe Blogging From Paradise.
Minus a few travel-themed posts published only because our readers told me to publish said travel posts, roughly 99% plus posts on BFP contain only blogging tips.
Blogging From Paradise is a blogging tips blog. I barely cover anything else besides a wide array of blogging tips geared to help you become a successful blogger.
Giving virtually all of my attention and energy to guiding bloggers with blogging tips for a while allowed me to gradually carve out a spot in the blogging tips niche.
Readers who visit BFP see only blogging tips posts. Readers who see only blogging tips posts perceive me as being a blogging tips blogger.
Visitors who see value in my blogging tips perceive me as being a leader in the blogging tips niche (Their perception; not my personal claim).
Building authority to be seen as being a leader typically depends on covering only one niche thoroughly for a sustained period of time.
Note how many blogging tips angles I cover here. I delve into mindset, practical tips for bloggers and ample topics in between to publish a rich blogging tips resource. Why? I spent years discussing blogging tips, researching blogging tips and publishing blogging tips to deliver a blogging tips resource.
Did I cover any other topics?
Minus a few travel-themed posts, nope.
For all intents and purposes, I give almost all of my attention and energy – for years – to being a blogging tips specialist.
That’s what it takes to go pro.
That’s why specializing is so important in building a granite-like foundation for a full time blogging career.
Attempting to cover 2 or more niches as a new blogger or struggling veteran confuses readers who perceive you in a less trusting, less credible light than a blogger who specializes in one niche.
You have one job to do.
You do not have 10 jobs to do.
Doing one job precedes a professional blogging career.
Doing 10 jobs precedes struggles, failure and quitting.
In a world of specialists, generalists disappear into oblivion because everyone will follow the specialists and ignore the generalists.
“Jack of All Trades” Syndrome
The English language talisman of wisdom “Jack of all trades, master of none,” paints a vivid picture of why generalists struggle and fail.
I bet you have seen floundering folks in the offline world who try something for a bit, then quit and try something else for a bit, then quit, then try something else for a bit, as the cycle continues for years or even decades.
Or someone seemingly overwhelmed tries to balance 3 jobs, going to school and having even a smidge of a social life. The individual loses the jobs, struggles in school and is about as social as a NYC sewer rat with halitosis because dividing your energies dissipates the energies.
Being a jack of all trades means that you master none.
Since where your attention and energy goes, grows, each venture grows little if at all. Meanwhile, specialists thrive through the power of concentrating their attention and energy.
My Deal
I walked this route for a while. I was a meteorology student in college. I worked an inside sales job after graduating college. I became a programming student after working the sales job. I worked a clerical job, became a database analyst, worked another clerical job then became a security guard for a few years in rapid succession after going to school for programming.
I worked many jobs but never became highly skilled, proficient and confident in one discipline; naturally, I felt unhappy and struggled to build any stability or authority in any particular discipline.
Plus, I went through various stretches where I unsuccessfully tried to balance multiple gigs. I recall working an 8-4 job in New Jersey, hopping on a train into NYC, arriving during the early evening hours and attempting to start a personal training business at a Crunch Fitness gym. A few days of returning home to NJ at midnight, only to wake at 6 AM the following day to begin the madness again, revealed my foolish attempt at being a jack of all trades.
Decide to Specialize
Deciding to blog full time 15 years ago forced me to master one trade: blogging.
I futzed around a bit by trying to generalize and struggled mightily here and there but at least I gained invaluable blogging tips experience along the way.
Gaining that experience clarified my vision. Eventually, I decided to only blog on one topic: blogging tips.
Blogging only about blogging tips for a long time established my blogging tips authority. Top bloggers like Neil Patel, John Chow and a Jon Morrow linked to Blogging From Paradise because I covered only one niche inside-out to the point of popping up on their radar screen as a blogging tips leader.
Conclusion
Top pros recognize up and coming blogging specialists.
Top pros amplify your authority, credibility and reach by mentioning you on their blog.
Do one thing.
Cover one topic.
Do it well.
Go pro.
