Make money blogging in South Africa

As I’ve written previously, it really is easy to start a blog. But that means there are also tons of bloggers out there - around 54 million and counting!

If your blog is going to get a decent amount of traffic, and make some money (more on that later), you need to specialise. Think about that in the real world. When a doctor specialises, they without a doubt, make more money than a standard GP. They also normally have more work to do, as there are fewer doctors that do exactly the same as they do, so they are more in demand. This example somewhat applies to the blogosphere. If you have a specialized blog I.E. a niche blog, and your blog has some decent unique content, you too should get more traffic, which monetized correctly, could earn you some decent cash.

Characteristics of a Niche Blog

A niche blog is a blog that is “specialized” in 1 topic. The topic can be slightly broad, but not broad enough that whoever reads it, will know exactly what the blog is about.

A niche blog should be able to adapt to the changing environment of the niche it is in. So if your blog is about fishing in South Africa, and the tides change, and there is no more fishing to write about, the blogger should change direction slightly, and maybe start blogging about fishing equipment etc.

The person writing a niche blog does not have to be an expert in that field, but they must be able to find all the information pertaining to the niche easily. Also, you must have some sort of interest in the topic, else why would you be blogging!

Choosing a niche blogging topic

As I said earlier, you don’t have to be an expert in the field you are blogging about, but must at least know where to get the information. Research something you have been wanting to learn about or look for blogs and websites that have information regarding your field of interest. Then add your own flavour to that topic and start blogging about it! Once you have started, look for slight alternatives to your topic, for example if you blogging about restaurants in Cape Town, maybe go speak to a couple of restaurant owners, and even get an interview from them for your blog. Maybe add a couple of favourite recipes to the blog. As you can see from this example, branching off your original topic can be a good thing to get other readers to visit your blog and to expand the depth of your blog, but always stick your original idea.

If you still haven’t got a clue on what to start blogging about, visit a couple of blog networks. They will have tons of niche blogging sites that will get your creative juices flowing.

Here are a couple of blog networks:

• 9rules
• B5Media
• Weblogs inc
• Shiny Media

As long as you enjoy blogging, have an interest in the topic you are blogging about, and are passionate about it, the rewards you are looking for will fall into place. Whether it is more traffic, more RSS readers or to make money, show that passion you have through your blog, and the rest will follow. It really isn’t rocket science!

Heres to your niche blogging success.
Jason Bagley