You don’t need to be an expert on a subject to start a blog about it. However, if you want to keep blogging, attract readers and sustain their attention, you’ll need to “own” your topic
1. Read as much as you can. Learn as much about the subject as you can. Compile a list of the most important books about it and work your way through it one by one. You don’t need to read every piece of writing about a particular industry, but having read as much of the seminal material as possible will ensure that you have enough of a base knowledge to work from.
2. Treat it like a reporter’s beat. Reporters have beats and work it like they’re the appointed watchdogs (well, they are). You’ll want to have the same attitude about your niche.
3. Subscribe to all related news outlets. Sign up to all news outlets that publish breaking information about your subject. Subscribing to general ones, like AP and Reuters, may even be worthwhile, provided you add appropriate filters in whatever software you’re using.
4. Know all the key players. Who are the key people in your industry? Work at getting to know them by familiarizing yourself with their work and establishing some form of contact. If you can pull it off, try interviewing them or having them do guest posts on your blog.
5. Write the way your audience likes. How do you know what your audience likes, apart from clean, clear writing with the help of a writing composition software? There are a few clues you can look at. Check out the biggest blogs in your industry and note how they write. Read the comments and note how the readers compose their messages. Listen to reader feedback right on your blog.
Tags: blogger, blogging, blogging tips, blogging topic
