Do you find yourself dreaming about writing posts that aren’t quite the right fit for your current blog?
The dilemma: you have a successful blog with a specific style and you want to depart from it and express yourself in a new way – but without confusing your readers. You can run two (or twenty) blogs in different niches; but there’s another option, as well. Why not start another blog in the same niche, but to suit different tastes and share your thoughts in a different way?
I run two very successful health blogs. They’re in the same niche – health – but the audiences are worlds apart and the purposes are totally different. Though running two popular blogs takes a lot of work, by doing both this year, I’ve also happily been able to invest more of my day in doing what I love – writing – and cut back on some of the drier pay-the-rent work. So, I want to encourage you to think about the possibilities of a second blog – but in your current blog’s niche. Overlap? Over-extension? Run out of material? Not necessarily! Drawing from my personal experience thus far, here’s why you might want to give the same-niche double-blogging a shot:
Experimentation and Learning
There’s no reason you can’t experiment with a new tone or style of post at your existing blog, but if you’ve already established a certain brand and community, it’s risky to serve up a novel post. A few misfires may not be a big deal, and that’s how you learn. But if you’re consistently finding that you have additional post ideas you’re passionate about that you know won’t really suit your existing blog, maybe a second blog in your niche is just the ticket. You can always let your readers know about your second blog, of course, and ask for feedback. The reason I think a second blog might be better in some cases than experimenting on your existing blog is because passion just works. Why reign it in cautiously on your current blog or test it out only occasionally when you could let loose with your spirit? If you’re going to experiment to learn, why not really experiment?
Expression
The more we learn and read and blog, the more the ideas flow, right? Blogging takes the mind in new directions and expands both the depth and breadth of your interests. And sometimes a first good project serves to lay the groundwork for your best work of all. How will you know if you don’t try? At any rate, it’s my opinion that your current blog will improve as a result of doing a second, namely because running two projects helps you to detach a bit and see the bigger picture – you might work a bit less on each, but on the positive side, you’ll make more objective decisions and focus on what’s important. There’s also the good possibility that your second blog may take off unexpectedly now that you’ve got a comfortable grip on blogging. Maybe it’s time to express yourself in a new way and see just how far you can go.
Income
Why not earn more from sharing what you already know and care about? Now that you’ve got the know-how, and the network, and the community, extend your experience and try something new. You might just make some extra cash much more quickly than the first time around. You’ve already sunk all that energy into your first blog; why not get a further return on the investment of your personal equity? There’s nothing wrong with promoting yourself on multiple platforms if you’re investing yourself authentically and providing useful or entertaining content.
Productivity
Running two blogs (or more) forces you to think about what is really important (do I really need to check stats for the tenth time?). Although you might think two blogs in your niche would be harder than one, in my experience, it improves efficiency, focus, and productivity. If you go for a second blog, plan your posting frequency, type, and length before you start, then stick to it as best you can.
Downsides
There are several downsides, as mentioned. One of the so-called “immutable laws” of marketing is not to over-extend (e.g how many new types of Coke do we really need?). But I prefer to think of working on multiple blogs in a similar category as a sensible way to invest your energy: it’s diversification! You have the opportunity to really maximize the value of testing this way (translation: faster learning, better traffic). You will work more, but you’ll learn more, connect more (especially nice if you work from home), and probably earn more income doing what you already like, too. That’s just my experience – but maybe it could work for you, too!
Sara Ost writes and runs www.healthbolt.net (the #1 health blog on the web (as per MedGadget) and edits and contributes to www.marksdailyapple.com (#38 of the top 100 health blogs).
