A few days ago I stumbled upon a thread of tweets in my feed where someone had posted a question which went like this, “How can one be a fashion, travel, lifestyle, food blogger at the same time? I find these multiple hashtags amusing.” The person who had posted the question had also tweeted earlier that they found it insulting to be called a blogger because a lot of bloggers had started blogging on multiple categories these days. The thread culminated into a string of snide remarks from other bloggers which sounded rather condescending to me. People actually mocked the bloggers in question and suggested that people who write on a variety of subjects are basically Jack of all trades and master of none. Some called their blog an equivalent to Cosmopolitan magazine (wow!). Someone even implied that these bloggers enjoy flaunting the exotic places they’ve traveled to, the fabulous clothes they wore, the yummy food they ate, then they blog about all of that and become ‘Khichdi (a one-pot meal with multiple ingredients), bloggers!’
Incidentally, for the whole of this October, I had been blogging and chronicling my travel experiences in Canada after I returned home the previous month. Ironically, the tweet and the corresponding comments were made by seasoned bloggers from a few blogger support communities that I belong to and were pretty much familiar with my blog. It seemed obvious that I was one of the bloggers they were hinting at. So I responded to the query by elaborating that everything that falls into the category of a person’s lifestyle, be it food, fashion, travel or any other interest that is specific to the blogger can be written about by a lifestyle blogger. Also adding to that, anyone who knows how hashtags work will know the reason behind the usage of multiple hashtags which is to attract the right traffic or audience to your post. If only people could get their facts right before passing a judgment on someone’s work!
That brings me to the topic in question. What is a lifestyle blog? Who is a lifestyle blogger? According to mediakix.com:
A lifestyle blog is best defined as a digital content representation of its author’s everyday life and interests. A lifestyle blogger creates content inspired and curated from their personal interests and daily activities. As such, lifestyle blogs are oftentimes highly personalized to the author’s location, life stage, and experience. For instance, a former food magazine editor, married, in her mid-30s with a 1-yr old child residing in Nantucket will blog on vastly different categories than a single, 24-yr old lifestyle blogger living in San Diego, who designs bikinis for work. Both are considered lifestyle bloggers, but there will be little if no overlay in their lifestyle blog content.
Lifestyle bloggers share a broad variety of content centered around and inspired by their personal lives — most notably family, home, travel, beauty, food, recipes, fashion, makeup, design, and decor. This style of broad content sharing inspired directly from their lives differs drastically from fashion blogs, mom blogs, and other more segmented, niched blogs in that they tend to always share a wide mix of content across other blog categories.
Because of their audience reach, lifestyle bloggers are prodigious social influencers as well, commanding large influencer outreach across social influence channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other emerging social media channels.
Says Ashley on her blog honeyandpine.co:
“I’m quite sick of hearing that a lifestyle blog is not a “niche” and that you have to “niche down” in order to be successful. It’s a lie that needs to stop being perpetuated. So long as you own your lifestyle you are going to be absolutely fine as a lifestyle blogger. In fact, there are quite a lot of very successful lifestyle bloggers and there’s no reason why you can’t be one of them.”
Sure, there are advantages of having a niche blog but that definitely doesn’t indicate that writing about multiple categories is disadvantageous or off the limits. It is absolutely a matter of individual choices and aspirations. If you feel that a niche subject would keep you focused and consistent in your approach towards writing you might as well stick to it. You don’t need to be a fashion designer/stylist to be a fashion blogger, a chef to be a food blogger, a travel guide to be a travel blogger or an author to do book reviews on your blog. A lot of brands seek a generic review if you have an eye for detail and strong opinions that you can express eloquently.
If you are a blogger or wish to be one and are unable to figure out the niche that you should pursue because you have more than one interest that you wish to write about, I’d suggest that you consider writing a lifestyle blog. The following tips might help you in getting started.
- Jot down your top five interests – the ones you’d like to write about. For me, it is Fashion, Food, Travel, Parenting and Creative Writing (fiction and poetry). Yours could be different according to your own lifestyle. These could be broad categories that can further be broken down into sub-categories, but overall the crux of your content remains consistent.
- Decide on the tone of your content. For example, do you want it to sound formal, informative, friendly, casual or simply reflective? It could be one of these or a balanced blend of some of these. However, I’d advise picking a certain style to keep it consistent and focused. The voice of your content is vital in developing a connection with your readers.
- Read a few successful lifestyle blogs and study the ones that you connect instantly with. It helps you identify and shape your own distinct style. I personally love cupofjo.com for its elegant fashion, finger-licking food, and traveling experiences. I also like the simplicity of wishwishwish.net which is about food and fashion from all over the world. The blogger writes about her personal style and her lifestyle in London. I like the direct manner in which these bloggers engage the readers as though they are having a real conversation.
- Once you’ve started, write with conviction without getting influenced by negative comments and opinions of people who themselves are confused or insecure. Of course, the feedback of your audience matters but learn to identify genuine feedback as opposed to toxic ones that are aimed to pull you down. Don’t forget, it is a competitive world out there.
This blog started as a personal blog and will remain so. The topics I choose to blog about are connected closely with my lifestyle. Therefore I’ve always considered myself to be a lifestyle blogger who takes the liberty of indulging in creative writing as well. I love writing on a variety of topics. I enjoy writing short stories, poems, and experiences inspired by day-to-day instances in my life. I attribute it to my Gemini characteristics that I tend to delve into so many things at a time. By the merit of my academic qualifications, professional experience, and personal background there is a wide array of topics that I can put my two cents on, namely Fashion, Retail, Art, Design, Travel, Parenting, and Food. I could easily make any of these subjects my niche genre. But the thing is that I prefer not to let any one facet of my lifestyle rule my life. I detest monotony. I have multifarious interests, a truckload of opinions and enough passion to write about each of them. And guess what? On good days I get paid well to write some of these posts! I am a published author and although the volume is small my works have been received well.
I’ve taken the liberty of being a narcissist here coz there are times when one needs to be their own cheerleader. I know I still have miles to go and I’m raring to go that extra mile to reach there. Interestingly, I’ve followed the same route throughout my corporate journey as well and it has helped me reach places I had never imagined I’d ever go. I’m the Jack who did end up mastering a few trades along the way! So there, I’m sure I’m doing something right.
How about you? Are you a blogger or simply someone who loves reading blogs. What are your thoughts on lifestyle blogging and blog niches? Do leave me your thoughts in the comments section below.
I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge at Write Tribe.
I’ll give you this Vinodini, you’ve opened Pandora’s box. I agree with you that one’s talents and interests need not be restricted by slotting oneself into a particular niche. In my case, my author bio says, Jill of all trades and master if a few. I think a lifestyle blogger is the most versatile one. He/she can competently blog about any topic. Also agree with you that the attitude prevalent in blogging communities is that, it doesn’t approve of anything done differently. Be slotted into a niche and stay there. Their sorting hat is flawed as it doesn’t consider the wearer’s choices! Well, you have certainly sparked a fresh perspective on the aspect of who is a lifestyle blogger.
I’m glad you relate to my perspective, Kala. I find the whole idea of getting slotted in a niche quite suffocating. Lifestyle blogging is definitely more challenging since you need to engage with a broad spectrum of audience. You need to write compelling content to hold their attention. I really never gave a second thought about the topics I wrote on or about slotting them till the time I stumbled upon these tweets.
Very interesting. I just blog about anything I feel passionately about like the garbage piling up in our society compound, the way a certain animal lover got an aggressive stray to eat out of her hands, loneliness, happiness . So what kind of blog is mine?
I guess you’re always the best person to label the category in which your blog falls in. To me, it’s perfectly okay if you do not label it at all. However, now that you ask me, going by the example of topics that you’ve given it seems you’re passionate about social causes and human relations. Sounds like a personal blog with a tilt towards lifestyle topics. 🙂
I began as a personal blogger, but moved to a lifestyle blog as I wanted some change in life! But, before creating my new lifestyle blog, I did a lot of research and read just what you have explained here.
I so agree with you, V…in fact, I loved this post you wrote expressing your feelings about how bloggers are perceived as!Esp, lifestyle bloggers. One ought to write what interests one, what is one’s passion. And, that is that…What others have to say ought not to matter! That’s what I believe in.
It’s great to know that you had the focus to shift your blog from a personal blog to a lifestyle blog. We, writers/bloggers, do get affected by the public perception of our work especially when it comes from people whose opinion matter to us. However, that shouldn’t stop us from doing what we love, right?
I sail in the same boat, Vinodini…My interests are also the same as yours. Not having a niche always worried me, but then I felt my blog is my space…I didn’t create it to please anyone. If I do not express all that I feel in my blog, where else am I supposed to do it? Lifestyle blogger looks like a good term to describe the likes of us!! 🙂 🙂
Exactly, it’s your space and your thoughts that you’re expressing on it. How does it matter to anybody else? Also, there are times when I write these posts in collaboration with brands. When the brands have faith in my ability to deliver and what I write appeals to their target audience that speaks for itself.
Loved your response to the hate mongers and I know what you are talking about. The snideful few try to stir up trouble and even create mob attacks on folks who seem to be writing well but dont go to them for tips/advise. I have been there and I think I know the few you are tlaking about though I did nt see these tweets. I have walked out of one blogging community thanks to this sort of shit and also given up on a set of bloggers who move in these cirles.
Bravo to you for sticking you for sticking to your guns and telling it as it is. At the end of the day, its your blog and you decide what you want to write on it.
Pssst: I had a blogger tell me my writing sucks and people laugh behind my back for the shit that I write on my blog!! It hurt like hell, but I got over it!!!!
The audacity of some of these bloggers is ridiculous! How dare they tell you that your writing sucks?! I think you write marvelously, Shalz. Blogging communities are meant to support and uplift their fellow bloggers which do not seem to reflect in these kinds of actions. Anyway, the fact that we still continue to write boldly and with conviction is quite something.
I recall reading that comment on twitter and I was amused as well, though I dint read all the responses, I felt it wasn’t in good taste. I am not much of a traveller and when I started my blogging journey 2 years ago, I wrote about parenting- my struggles as a new mum. Then I went back to work and there was a lot to write about working moms and women at the workplace. I then started dabbing in fiction, relationships, self improvement and as I am travelling, I love sharing a slice of my life on the blog which is an extension of myself. I do not like to restrict myself to one thing but feel when there is such a wide array of topics- why not write on them. Someone told me – you are a CA you should think about writing on Finance- That kind of irritated me – I do enough of finance in office and I want to use this space to write everything other than what I do 10 hours a day. People can be really weird
Honestly, I love what you write. Your travel tales were quite entertaining. It’s interesting to note how we evolve in our writing over a period of time. And hey, I’m glad you don’t write about finance! 😉
I saw that tweet too and I was like damn that’s so meeee 😊My blog is a total khichdi of everything… I still don’t know which category it belongs to. Whether it’s a personal or lifetsyle. Given by the definition you provided, it sounds like a lifestyle blog. I guess it’s a classic Geminian trait. We dabble with everything 😊 But then it’s blogging… One is supposed to enjoy it… Love it and feel relaxed.
I love and read all kinds of blogs. Niche is something I don’t worry about much.
I have read your travel posts and they are excellently written. And in the end in my opinion that’s all matters. Good writing wins hands down.
You too, Raj? I wonder how many of us assumed that the tweet was for them. For me, it was pretty recent that I was writing about all of it, travel, food, and exotic places, so it felt like it was for me. However, whoever it was meant for, the comments that followed were quite judgmental. Your posts actually reflect how much you enjoy writing them and in return, your readers enjoy reading them too. I’m glad you liked my travel posts. I’m in awe of your yoga and photography posts. So, here’s to mutual encouragement! Hugs. 🙂
What others say specially on social media, should always be taken with a pinch of salt because you never know where they are coming from. You know I write a lot about parenting and there are hordes of people out there who feel that’s boring, that they cannot stand to read about each cough and sneeze of someone’s child. I’ve had people tell me that to my face. And I have to be okay with that. I think each of us has our own set of readers who love and appreciate what we write. One has to depend on honest self-evaluation to figure out one’s strengths and if we feel we’re doing fine that should be enough.
I agree, what people say on social media should be taken with a pinch of salt. We see that every day these days when people troll celebrities, don’t we? It’s only when you notice someone whose opinion matters to you commenting on the thread that sets you thinking. As for the person who told you that your parenting posts are boring to them, tell them you don’t write for them. If they are looking for entertainment they should actually be reading Ms.Malini. Your audience is different. You write for like-minded parents who would like to read about genuine challenges of parenting. Knowing our strengths and self-evaluation works splendidly, but sometimes you need to answer people who take the liberty of putting people down and trust me this is not only about me. It is about labeling a certain section of wonderful bloggers as incompetent that did not go down well with me.
I am aware of the thread that you wrote about. Maybe it was an idle thought or question? Personally I write in a variety of niches but over the years I have moved in to separate cooking and travel blogs. The main blog is still personal where I wrote about parenting, relationships and so on. Personally, I don’t worry about what others think. I do what suits me. If you are comfortable writing in multiple niches, by all means go for it.
I’d have thought it was a genuine question or an idle thought had I not seen the thread of offensive comments that followed from other bloggers. If you read the comments from other bloggers here on this post you realize how a lot of us assumed that the tweet was for them but did not voice it. We belong to blogger support communities so that we can inspire and encourage each other rather than pull each other down. I don’t worry about what others think either, I’d still write my heart out. As long as my readers enjoy what I write and the brands that I collaborate with have faith in my writing how does it matter anyway.
This was such a comprehensive and useful post. Categorizing can be jarring at times but in the blogging world it is helpful I must say.
Thank you, Meha. Categorizing could help, but if you do not wish to, be comfortable the way you enjoy it.
True Vinodini. I like to blog about what I feel like. I even started a book blog to have a niche area. But, plainly, it was too much of effort and time spent uselessly. Besides people have different interests and the same thing all the time is boring too. Be original, is my mantra.
True. Being original and enjoying what you do is the kind of blogging that is worth the effort. The mechanics of having a niche blog is quite different from writing in a non-niche blog.
I started blogging for fun. I didn’t want to blog about medicine even though I’m a surgeon. When I told people I have a blog and it’s not related to medicine, they would just be confused! I write about whatever that comes to my mind so I choose not to label my blog. It’s so discouraging when people find faults with what you label your blog rather than how good the content is! You have definitely given a fitting reply with this post.
That’s how it should be. I believe that one should blog for one’s own pleasure. And for stressful professions like medicine, it is best to keep it where it belongs and not mix it with personal interests. You’re right, it is indeed sad when people ignore the content on your blog and try to categorize it by what it is labeled as.
Absolutely thoroughly enjoyed your post .Would you believe it if I said people try to pull down those who are better than them ?That’s whats happening here too, I was a pretty niched health wellness writer.In fact, most of my blog income comes from that part.But I enjoy challenging myself to write different genres because I enjoy sharing my views too.So I am proud to say I am a Lifestyle blogger too.Great post.Ignore the rants on social media !
That’s the reality of life, Amrita. Criticism only comes to those who have something going right for them. I’m glad you chose to write other genres too.
Life is a mix of many things when we experience it all why cant we share it all. I am a lifestule blogger and completely agree to your views.
Couldn’t agree more, Manisha. There’s so much more to life and one can choose to share as many facets of one’s life as they wish.
I’ve never quite understood the focus on niche blogging. I personally find it downright boring to have to limit myself to a particular topic. I’d much rather write about all the things that interest me. Over the years, as I was finding myself, those things changed and evolved. Now, I’ve finally narrowed it down to a couple. But I still write on “non-core” topics and reserve the right to change them up or add more whenever the mood strikes! That’s the beauty of a lifestyle blog – it grows and evolves with you!
Ditto, Shinjini. I find it monotonous to be limited by a certain niche. My interests change and that reflects in my writing as well. I am glad you’ve kept yourself flexible when it comes to the subjects you write on.
Nailed this post on lifestyle, Vinodini and find it ugly for people to generalize or run down someone’s writing like that. In that case I am a master of none since I don’t belong to a niche. But, then, I realize that there are ugly politics behind everything. Comparing to Cosmopolitan sounds like a compliment, at least in my book.
Thanks, Vishal. I believe in tending to my own grass and making it greener rather than look at what others are doing, especially if it does not agree with me. These politics happen everywhere. It speaks for people who indulge in it. For the rest of us, it makes sense to find a bright spark even in that negativity and carry on with what we believe in.
Very rightly said. I have started blogging only recently and every now and then I think am I doing it right. Should I be considering just one niche and all of those dilemmas. Thank you for such a post. It really boosts confidence. 😊
Social media has become the gossip street nowadays. People just rant on without realizing what they are saying. I mean it’s okay if two friends share their views in private and discuss about it, but in social media one should stay away from such discussions. Many times I see such topics and it is uncomfortable, at least for me. We all have different preferences and some of mine you might like too, but some you don’t. That doesn’t mean that we have to be mean to each other, right? I wish that people would refrain from such discussions in public forums. You were right to feel what you felt, Vinodini, becauseanyone in your shoes would feel the same. I never bothered to think which category my blog belongs to, but after reading your post I feel mine is also a lifestyle blog as I write about parenting, my personal experiences and everything else that comes to my mind. Hugs to you. Ignore the nasty comments. I know it isn’t always easy.
I agree, Vinitha. It is okay when you discuss these things in a one to one conversation on chat, but doing so on a public forum indicates that you want those mean comments to be seen by people who they are meant for. After all, who doesn’t have opinions? If all of us start voicing the so-called musing or thoughts in passing in a seemingly innocent manner publicly on social media without giving a second thought to how people it is intended for would take it, I feel the person is tactlessly insensitive. These comments might not be aimed at any one person but they are for a category of people you belong to. Surprisingly the blogger who posted this comment was also a lifestyle blogger once upon a time! Isn’t that ironical? Someone who once was a lifestyle blogger decides to move to niche blogging and starts condemning non-niche bloggers by posing seemingly genuine questions in public about how people could blog on multiple topics (feigning complete ignorance to the concept of lifestyle blogging). For once I’ve decided that it’s best to unfollow people who spread such negativity on my feed. Hugs right back to you Vinitha! Let’s continue shining through our words in the best way possible by encouraging each other and maintaining our positive intentions.