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How to Choose a Blog Name in 2021

September 17, 2020 Leave a Comment

It can feel daunting to choose a blog name, especially in the crowded digital landscape of 2021, but this brainstorming guide will help you find a title that’s just right for you and your audience.

How to choose a blog name in 2021

So you want to start a blog. Chances are you’re eager to jump into purchasing a domain, setting up a site, and publishing posts. But before you do, you’ll need to think carefully about the title of your website. You’ll want to be sure your blog title accurately represents you as a blogger, appeals to your intended audience, and encapsulates the purpose and goals of your site. That’s a tall order!

Next week we’ll be talking about choosing and setting up a domain name, but for now I hope you’ll answer the following questions, which are sure to help you choose a blog name that’s right for you.

Grab some three sheets of paper and a pencil or pen, because it’s time to brainstorm! Turn a sheet of paper sideways, and divide it into five columns. Your second sheet will be used for question six.

Now, let’s begin!

Five questions to ask yourself as you choose a blog name

1. What topics will your blog cover?

Hopefully you’ve already narrowed this down using last week’s post on choosing a primary topic for your blog, and now you’re going to play with words a bit. What words, phrases, images, and concepts do you associate with your blog topic? Pull up a thesaurus to find related words (but make sure you understand what the synonyms really mean).

In the first column of your paper, create a list of as many relevant words as you can. Don’t edit yourself as these words come to you. Write down anything that pops into your head.

2. Who is your ideal reader?

Though it might sound repetitive, since this is something we covered in last’s weeks post, this question bears repeating. You can expect me to ask it in some form in almost every blogging advice post.

So, who are you writing for? Given their age, income level, family status, stage of living, and interests, what titles would and would not appeal to them?

What words relate to who your target reader is? Add these words in a second column of your list.

3. What problem are you solving for your ideal reader?

This is another repeat question from my post about choosing a blog topic, but it’s just as important as the last one. Readers will invest their time and eventually their money into your blog, products, and services only if you can convince them you’re solving a problem in their life.

With that in mind, what’s the primary obstacle your reader faces that you’re trying to solve with your blog? Is there a way to state that in the title of the blog itself?

Are there words that express what problems they’re facing? Even more important, what words relate to the solutions you’re offering? Add these to the third column in your word bank.

This question factored directly into my chosen blog title. The Apartment Homestead makes it clear who I’m writing for (apartment dwellers) and what I’m helping them do (homestead even though they live in apartments).

4.What end result do you want for your ideal reader?

Picture your ideal reader having overcome their obstacles with the help of your blog. How would their life look different than it does currently? How would they ultimately be able describe themselves in ways they can’t yet?

List out some words of what that looks like in a fourth column.

5. What is your writing tone like?

What kind of writer are you? Are you business-like? Heartfelt? Informative? Warm? Snarky? Goofy? You’ll want your blog title to reflect (or at least not be at odds with) your overall tone.

Now expand to include what you want the general feel of your blog to be. What aesthetic or ambience do you want the blog to have? Does is match with your natural writing tone?

Cross off any words in your word bank that don’t fit well with your writing tone. Circle any that seem like a particularly good fit.

How to choose a blog name: Narrowing it down

Consider your ultimate blog and brand goals

Now it’s time for a second sheet of paper. On that sheet, make a bullet point list of every product, service, or content you dream of developing as a result of your blog. It’s okay to reach for the moon here.

An example list

My list would include the following practical and pie in the sky items:

  • Weekly blog posts on apartment homesteading topics (homestyle recipes, container gardening, and old-fashioned living).
  • Weekly blog posts on starting and maintaining a successful blog.
  • A at-a-glance chart on caring for herbs in containers.
  • An ebook on container herb gardening.
  • A digital course on growing food in containers.
  • An ebook or course on how to save up for and purchase a homesteading property.
  • One-on-one blogging mentorships.
  • Group blogging mentorships.
  • Selling fresh-cut flowers, produce, or homemade goods from my own homestead.
  • Offering paid photography time in my flower fields
  • Renting out an Airbnb cottage on my homestead property.
  • Holding weddings and events in a rental barn on my property.

That’s a lot, isn’t it! Fortunately, most of it all relates back to my target audience of apartment homesteaders, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first glance. If I achieve my goals someday and buy a homesteading property, which would allow me to accomplish the final four bullet points, it doesn’t invalidate the blog title. In fact, it could act as inspiration for apartment homesteaders with the same dream!

Now, my guides to blogging might seem even less obviously related to homesteading, but I’m okay with that. Given how expensive land is, I know a lot of apartment homesteaders in my target demographic are interested in developing websites, side hustles, and multiple income streams. I want to help them achieve that side of their homesteading ambitions too.

What to do with your list of dreams

Once you’ve made your list, consider each bullet point in relation to your word bank on the first page. Are there words that are especially good umbrellas for all you dream of your blog and brand becoming? Cross out any words that feel like a bad fit with these goals.

Next, you’ll want to take the words you like best and write them out on your third sheet of paper. Set the first two pages aside.

Finally, use the fourth page to play around with the words, placing them in various configurations with each other. Are potential titles coming forward? Circle any that you like.

Practical considerations when you choose a blog name

At this point, you should have at least a handful of potential blog titles you like pretty well. They should appeal to your reader, offer them solutions, express your style and writing tone, and give readers an idea of what your content and brand are all about.

First, write out the titles as a single word

ie. theapartmenthomestead. Eliminate any title from your list that:

  • Could be misread as something else
  • Is hard to pronounce
  • Is hard to spell
  • Might be hard to remember

Second, check which titles are available for purchase as domain names.

Don’t despair if it doesn’t immediately seem available. Try different forms of the words you’ve chosen. Turn nouns into verbs or vice versa. Use abbreviations. Try adding an article like “the.” I don’t recommend, however, using anything other than a .com domain.

Third, check if the title is already owned by another brand.

Fortunately, the government has a handy (if clunky) website where you can search if a brand name has been trademarked. This step can save you serious heartache and money down the line. The last thing you want would be ending up in a legal battle over your blog name and brand.

Fourth, see if social media handles that match the titles are available on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and Twitter.

Try to avoid using underscores, dots, or other symbols in your social media handles if possible. @yourblogname looks most professional, authoritative, and trustworthy.

How to choose a blog name in 2021 - 5 questions to ask before you start.

After all that, I hope you’ve chosen a blog name that feels good to you. I’d love to hear what you’ve come up with, so please share a bit about your blog in the comments below.

And be sure to check out next week’s post too, where we’ll be talking through all the logistics of buying a domain.

Tagged With: Blogging, Blogging Tips, Starting a Blog

How to Choose a Blog Topic in 2021

September 10, 2020 Leave a Comment

How to choose a blog topic in 2021: 15 questions to answer before you start.

Not sure how to choose a topic for your blog in 2021? Ask yourself these 15 questions to know what blogging niche is right for you and right for this year‘s consumers.

So, you want to start a blog. Maybe you’ve always enjoyed writing, and blogging seems like a great way to bring in a side income. You’re not wrong! Blogging can be a fun and relatively easy way to express yourself, share your story, and make some extra cash along the way.

But in 2021, it’s not enough to choose a cutesy title and share your random musings with the world. We all remember 2009, when suddenly your sister-in-law, your mom, and all of your friends had blogspot pages, spruced up with scrapbook-style templates from The Cutest Blog on the Block. And some major early bloggers did make it big with general slice of life content! But as the internet grows more crowded and more sophisticated, you’ll need to want to put more thought and planning into your blog topic and title before you get started.

Why? Because the right niche will help connect your blog with readers and will help those readers become customers!

So how do you choose a blog topic?

And that’s why I’m here to help. Spend a little time reading through and carefully answering the following questions, and you’ll go a long way toward understanding how to choose a blog topic that’s right for you.

Choose a blog topic you’re passionate about

How to choose a blog topic: choose a topic you're passionate about

If you had a whole day to yourself with all of your responsibilities fulfilled, what would you do with your time?

The laundry is done, meals for the week are prepped, the house is clean, the dog is walked, you’re all caught up at work, and you’ve already exercised and showered. What would you do with the rest of that mythical day?

One of the ways that I knew homesteading was the right blogging niche for me was that I was always searching for free time to garden and experiment with old-fashioned cooking techniques.

What subjects do you speak enthusiastically and at least somewhat knowledgeably about?

Before you get too intimidated here, know that I’m NOT asking what you’re an expert in. One of the most effective blogging techniques is to present yourself as an enthusiast who is sharing what they learn along the way.

If there’s a topic you can’t help but bring up in conversations, you’ll probably enjoy blogging about it too.

What subjects do your friends come to you with questions about?

Again, you don’t need to be an expert! But if your friends always ask you for money advice, maybe you could blog on personal finance. If they’re always using your recipes, maybe food blogging is for you. Are you the one who always knows about the best local hikes or festivals or restaurants, maybe you’ve found your niche!

Even if you don’t feel especially confident, friends perceiving you as a source of information on a specific topic is a pretty good sign that you’re knowledgeable enough to blog about it.

What topics do you research often?

Look at your recent google search history and Pinterest search history to get an idea of what you often have questions about. What books have you purchased or checked out from the library in the past year? Which podcasts do you listen to? What websites and blogs do you frequent?

Pay attention to themes in what you’re always learning more about.

What types of products do you buy more often than the average person?

Now this is where your Amazon purchase and search histories can come in handy. Take a look at types of items you buy that the average person might not. If you can define your buying niche, chances are that a focused blog will bring in buyers in that same niche.

Since I’m always buying organic pest control products, kitchen appliances and utensils, and do-it-yourself gear, homesteading’s a good blogging fit for me!

Once you find a niche, make sure you mean it

Commit to your blogging niche

Is this a topic or activity I’m consistently interested in and committed to?

Be brutally honest with yourself here. Choose a blog topic that has consistently held your interest for a long time. And if it’s hobby, activity, or lifestyle related, make sure it’s already well-integrated in your life.

Why? Because it’s hard to upend your life AND start a blog at the same time. Some bloggers can do it, but I’m not one of them.

When I first started blogging, I planned to write about clean eating and overhauling my health. Now, those are topics I care about, but I struggled to keep momentum with blogging and overhauling my diet and lifestyle at the same time. I also struggled with creating recipes, because it was a whole new way of cooking for me.

When I switched my focus to homesteading broadly, it was an enormous relief, because old-fashioned skills, homestyle cooking, and gardening were already a major part of my life.

What makes my take on this topic unique?

As I mentioned before, it’s harder to get eyes on your blog in 2021 than it was in 2009. No matter your niche, you’ll be competing with other blogs and websites for attention, so it’s important to find a way to set yourself apart.

And sometimes the thing that sets you apart can be a specific obstacle that you’re overcoming in relation to that niche.

For years, I thought that homesteading was a distant dream because I lived in an apartment. It was a real aha moment when I realized that other people had the same problem and wanted to overcome it (see more on this below). There are a lot of homesteading blogs out there, and there are quite a few urban homesteading blogs. I’m unique in writing specifically to apartment homesteaders, though, and that focus provides clarity in how I structure my blog.

Can I come up with 52 blog posts within this specific niche?

Now, grab a piece of paper, and brainstorm! Write down as many blog post ideas as you can think of.

If you struggle to come up with posts, ask yourself what you’d like to learn about your topic. Make a bullet point list of the answers you come up with, and consider each point a potential post.

If you can come up with 52 posts, you’ve got an entire year’s worth of content – 2021 planned out in one step!

Consider your target audience

Focus on your target blogging audience. Who is your ideal blog reader and customer?

Who is your ideal reader and customer?

This might seem like an odd or limiting question – after all, why would you want to limit your audience? But the truth is that your blog can’t be for everyone, and it inevitably won’t be. You’ll have a much easier time writing posts and developing products if you know precisely who you’re writing for.

So, as you choose a blog topic, get specific about who you’re writing to. What is your ideal readers’ age, gender, family status, income level, and housing situation?

Don’t be surprised if your target reader looks a lot like you.

My ideal reader is a 20-30 something single woman with no children. She’s probably college educated and makes $25000-$50000/year, but she can’t afford a house with a yard right now. She either rents an apartment or owns a condo, but she dreams of owning land big enough for chickens, bees, an orchard, and a huge vegetable garden. She might have roommates. My ideal reader is basically myself.

What are your ideal readers’ problems?

Want to make money as a blogger? Solve a problem for your reader.

Spend some extra time on this question, because it’s the crux of what you’ll be writing about. People spend money when they think spending will solve their problems. So what obstacles are your readers facing in relation to your niche topic? How can your blog posts, products and services solve their problems? Figuring this out should be your number one priority.

Want to make money as a blogger? Solve a problem for your reader.

For me, the fundamental problem that my ideal reader faces is feeling like she can’t homestead because she’s not being able to afford land. She might think she doesn’t have the kitchen space, equipment, or garden required for old-fashioned living. I solve that problem through blog posts, ebooks, and online courses that teach homesteading skills that work in an apartment setting.

Decide how you can earn money within that niche

Choosing a blog topic in 2021: Consider potential income streams

Before we jump into talking about making that $$$, here’s an essential reminder: you’ll never gain your readers’ trust if you’re only in it for the money.

And if you never gain your readers’ trust, they’re unlikely to actually give you their money anyway.

So prioritize the previous section over this one. Ask yourself again and again – who is your target audience? What problems are you solving for them? Sometimes you can help them solve their problems by selling things to them, but make sure the solutions you offer are real ones. Give them quality content and services.

What kinds of affiliate products fit in with this niche?

Affiliate programs pay you a percentage of sales whenever a person purchases an item you’ve linked to.

Once you’ve signed up for an affiliate program, you can link to a product within your posts and receive a percentage of the sales any time a reader follows the link and makes a purchase.

Above all, focus on linking to products that solve your ideal reader’s problems. If your focus is on meeting your reader’s needs, your blog content will remain natural.

What kinds of brands do I associate with this topic?

Are there brands that you love and would like to work with someday? Would their products help solve your ideal reader’s problems?

If so, carefully consider the types of posts and other content you can create that would naturally involve promoting those brands

Alternatively, many bloggers, myself included, prefer to use a more general advertising program, like Google Adsense. This program shows ads to readers based on their recent search history. Since the ads are already tailored to their interests, they’re more likely to generate a profit. Programs like Google Adsense offer you payment based on your blog’s general traffic.

Do I have an ethical multi-level marketing brand I’d like to partner with?

Some highly profitable lifestyle bloggers bring in money through multilevel marketing programs like Doterra or Beauty Counter. As you gain the trust of your readers, they’ll be more likely to buy through you. They’ll also be more likely to work under you if they decide to sell the product themselves. Keep in mind, though, that MLMs leave a bad taste in some readers’ mouths, and that many MLMs are predatory. Only participate in a multi-level program if you believe whole-heartedly in the product and feel completely comfortable with the profit structure.

If you already participate in this sort of program or are interested in joining one, consider carefully how your blog topic could relate to it. Are there ways you could incorporate the products into your posts in natural ways that don’t feel spammy?

Do I have a physical product of my own I could sell?

If you answer no to this question, no problem! Not everyone needs to sell a physical product. But if you have a physical product you love to create, your blog can be a great way to promote it.

Brainstorm some ways to naturally discuss your merchandise in blog posts. Are there blog post topics that lend themselves to product promotion? What problems does your merchandise solve for your reader?

Could I sell my expertise on this topic directly, through ebooks, courses, or mentorships?

Again, don’t be scared off by the idea of yourself as an expert! If there’s a topic you love enough to blog about it, then I guarantee you’re capable of writing short ebooks or teaching others directly through courses and one-on-one memberships.

Courses and mentorships in particular are one of the biggest money-makers in the blogging world. They involve a large amount of work up front, but can then provide a constant source of easy income going forward.

As you commit to a blogging niche, I recommend also choosing a subtopic you’d like to create an ebook, course, or mentorship within a year. That might seem premature, but you can then tailor your blogging work throughout that time to make creating your first big seller more easily. The research, photography, outlining, and writing you do for your posts can be adapted and expanded upon into a more in-depth digital product for sale.

Recap: How to choose a blog topic in 2021

Now that you know how to choose

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About The Apartment Homestead

Hello, friends! I'm Shaina, a container-gardening, small batch-canning, apartment-dwelling homesteader. I'm here to help you achieve your homesteading dreams, whether you've got the homestead or not!
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