What Type of Blog is Right for You?

What type of blog is right for you? With all kinds of different types of blogs popping up almost every single day, it can be tough to decide where to start on your own.

In your travels through the vast internet, I’m sure you’ve seen all kinds of different blogs. Choosing which type of blog to make for yourself can be difficult, especially if you don’t know the difference between the blogs you’re looking at. Hopefully, you’ll be able to discern the type that is right for you after reading this. There are several different kinds of blogs out there. While some might not fit into these categorizations, most blogs fall into one of these types: personal, professional, niche, or business.

Often when creating a blog, it's very easy to get caught up trying to emulate all the different blogs you see. What is essential to do at first is to determine what your blog means to you. Are you trying to share your own life or thoughts? Do you want to try and generate a profit? Do you want to collect your favorite recipes in one place? No matter what your reason is, the important thing is staying focused on your theme. People often make the mistake of trying to be more than one thing, and all that results in is a diluted blog that won’t reach your target audience as effectively.

Personal blog

A personal blog showcases who you are more so than any other type. It is quite common for personal blogs to be named after the person writing it, and branded to very specifically reflect their personalities. A personal blog is a perfect place to showcase who you are, and what makes you unique, both of which are what will attract readers. When you present yourself this way, you’ll attract people who want to know more about you.

One of my favorite personal blogs is Sandra Sallin's Apart from my Art. Sandra is a gifted storyteller and her husband takes wonderful photos of her that accompany each one. The gorgeous header at the top of Sandra's website is her art.

Professional blog

A professional blog is similar to a personal one, but it is created with the intention of generating a profit. This manifests itself in either advertisements or often times offering various services to their readers. While it is still important to represent yourself on a professional blog, the bar is set much higher regarding what you can say. Your personal blog might be the perfect place to discuss your obsession with Friends, but a professional blog isn’t necessarily the place to discuss such things. Or maybe it is. There aren't really rules for blogs. That's the best part!

Jeff Sieh's Manly Pinterest Tips blog is another favorite. Jeff has a podcast and shares social media and Pinterest updates and tips. He doesn't post about his personal life or opinions.

Niche blog

A niche blog is one that looks to target a particular audience. That might mean its a food blog, collecting recipes and culinary tips all in one place, or a sports blog keeping track of the goings on of a particular team or teams. The key to a niche blog is staying on topic, more so than the other types. If someone only reads to find recipes they’d like to try, they might not be interested in what you did the past weekend.

Megan Sheakoski runs a wonderful blog called Coffee Cups and Crayons focused on kid's activities. Her Pinterest is amazing too!

Business blog

A business blog differs from the others, in that it isn’t made or ran by an individual, but is created to represent an entire business or brand. Even more so than a professional blog, they aim to stay on brand the whole time, which is very important when representing an entire company. These help build thought leadership for the company and they can share their products and news.

Regardless of the type or style of blog, you’re trying to create, you might be worried about how much time it will take to manage your blog. I’m not going to sugar coat it, blogging can be time-consuming. The best tool that I’ve found to get started with blogging is WordPress or you can create a simple site on Canva to get started.

Determining what type of blog is right for you is an essential first step in creating your blog, and what it can provide for its readers. Staying on focus, and keeping on a theme are both paramount. You won’t regret taking the time to define what you want your blog to be. Once you make that decision, no matter what you decide, good luck!