This mistake is so huge it can keep someone who should by all rights attract an audience, blog in vain –never attracting the audience he or she would like to have.

You can be a good writer, even a great writer, but if you’re making this mistake, then it doesn’t matter.

The good news is – it’s fixable!

It’s no fun to write day after day and publish what you know is you’re best work, and yet, few people seem to care.

You want the comments to come in, you want the number of readers to increase, and you want your posts to be shared on all of the social networks.

You want some hard earned attention.

But it’s not happening. Not nearly as much as you would like it to.

It could be that you are making the biggest mistake some bloggers make.

Trapped in the wrong niche!

Maybe not, but it doesn’t hurt to be aware of the trap so you can consider it and make sure your not in it.

Don’t worry, even the best of us fall into this trap, so don’t feel bad or beat yourself up about it if you are in it, because awareness can make all the difference. It is never too late.

Say what you mean and mean what you say. (Tweet This)

The above quote is the key to successful blogging. It’s that simple and that important.

I have met a number of terrific writers who blog, but are frustrated because their content isn’t spreading. This is all too common, and the answer, for many of them, is rather simple.

With that said, as simple as it may be, admitting to it and making the change can be difficult, especially if a lot of time has already been invested. I’ve been there. I know.

I’m sure you’ll discover, though, as I did, that the time isn’t wasted, even if you’re making the mistake we made you’ve at least learned the basics of blogging and have gotten used to writing for an online audience.

The Biggest Mistake

The biggest mistake some bloggers make is that they blog about something they are not absolutely into.

Instead, they fall for the trap. They pick a niche they think will attract attention, or, they think it is “more interesting”.

You must pick the right niche for you.

That’s right, for you.

You need to pick a niche that you feel very strongly about, and write exactly what you believe in every single post. You must have complete and total buy-in for the niche you select.

When your heart isn’t in what you are writing about everyone can tell and that mistake will cost you the valuable readers’ attention you’d like to have.

Allow me to give you an example:

If I wasn’t a positive person then writing about positive topics would be a shallow attempt at gaining attention and readers would feel that.

I am a naturally positive person and writing affirming messages is where my heart is at. Therefore, it comes easy to me and no matter where you read content by me, either on my blogs, other blogs, or even in comments around the web, you will find all to be similar in tone and message.

I don’t have to work at it or remember to write a certain way, because it is my natural way. That’s me.

The same holds true for any blogger writing about any topic.

Without thinking about it, answer this question:

What’s you?

It can be a catastrophic mistake to write about something you don’t believe in or your heart is not 100% into. You’ll end up spinning your wheels going nowhere, become increasingly frustrated and you may consider giving up. When it could be just a matter of picking the right niche.

What’s you?

But let me be honest with you, lots of us, including me, start out by picking a niche we believe others will want to read, but eventually, hopefully, we find our way into the niche where we truly belong.

My advice:

Write about what you love. (Tweet This)

Blog about what means so much to you that life without “it” would be unexciting.

Here’s the thing, it doesn’t matter if at first no one seems to be interested about your niche. If you care enough about your subject, and you’re a halfway decent writer, you can make it interesting for others.

And you know what? There may be a lot of people online searching for the topic you’re interested in who can’t find any good blogs about it. So start one.

Even if you do not attract a massive audience, at the very least you will enjoy writing about something that means a lot to you, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Do you?

Steps to avoid the wrong-niche trap

– Pick the niche that means the most to you.

– Have 100% buy-in.

– Always give your honest opinion. Of course, be courteous and respectful, but don’t pander to anyone.

– Be you. If you write about something that comes naturally to you, then this will be easy.

– Be consistent. Not only on your blog, but everywhere. If you’re a positive, encouraging blogger, then you shouldn’t be negative elsewhere. Right? Because if I were to do that, as a Positive Writer, then obviously I would not be in the right niche for me.

– Above all, believe in yourself.

– Be Awesome! See “Be you.”

Remember, making the mistake of choosing the wrong niche isn’t the end of the world. Far from it.

If you’re in a niche that isn’t working out for you, or your heart isn’t completely in it, the best thing you can do right now is examine why you started blogging. Was it to gain followers, to get pats on the back, for people to tell you that your writing is great, or simply to engage with others?

The best reason to start a blog

The best reason to start a blog is because you have something to say!

Contrary to popular belief it is not only to sell a book or promote a product, although those may come later. So examine the reason you started. Was it because you have something to say about something extremely important to you, something you care about so much you just had to step up to the mic, regardless if anyone would care or listen?

I bet you don’t have to think very long about what means the most to you. You already know what it is.

The real question is, are you willing to blog about it simply for the sake of blogging about it? If you are, then go for it! You may even write a book within your niche, and if you do, then you’ll have a platform where you can share it.

But whatever you do, don’t stick to a niche that is not you.

There is anther factor you may want to consider and that’s, your voice.

If you are in the niche that means the most to you, then you may need help developing your voice. That’s perfectly okay, we all need help with our voice. After all, have you ever heard of a professional singer who doesn’t have a voice coach?

It’s no different for writers, so here’s my post about why some bloggers become incredibly popular.

Answer one simple question: What’s you?

Go with that.  Now, go, be awesome!

Are you writing about what matters the most to you? Share in the comments.