Blog Niches That Make Money (And The Best Ways To Make Money From Them)

Starting a blog is both exciting and a little scary.

Exciting because it’s a brand new project filled with endless possibilities. Most of us start a blog in hopes of turning it into a career so we can make our own schedule and free ourselves of the corporate world. We dream about success and a happy life away from an office building.

A little scary because there are many steps to take in order to start a blog. This can be confusing. What if you make a huge mistake right out of the gate?

Don’t worry, it’s not that hard. I mean it’s not that hard to get started. Full disclosure though: blogging is actually quite difficult!

But I’ll show you exactly how to do it. Today you are going to take the first step: pick a niche and learn about the ones that make the most money.

What is a blog niche?

A blog niche is a topic that you choose to write about for a specific group of people. Say you choose to write about food in general. That would be considered a broad topic. On the other hand, choosing something within the topic of food – such as vegan recipes – would be considered a niche.

The reason it’s best to choose a niche instead of a broad topic is because the internet is saturated with blogs and websites. The competition is fierce. And, most of the time, broad topic sites are owned by big companies with even bigger advertising budgets. Obviously, those guys are hard to beat on all levels. To give you an example: my food blog must compete with massive websites such as The Food Network, Martha Stewart and Serious Eats.

Could I ever beat those guys and become no.1 in the food blogging world?

Never.

And that’s because I can realistically only produce two original long-form pieces of content per week. By comparison, they have a staff of writers publishing dozens of posts every day. I also cannot afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertisement – which means I can’t get as much exposure as they do.

Narrowing down your niche will help you attract an audience that is looking to solve a specific problem. For vegans it could be finding tasty vegan recipes – while for single moms it could be something like balancing work and life at home.

By narrowing it down you have a better chance at beating the big guys. Minimalist Baker, which is a plant based blog, does this very well. They constantly show up as the number 1 result in Google searches.

You also get readers who tend to be more loyal than broad topic readers. They come back to your site again and again because you have provided something of value to them: information that is relevant to their lives. Their loyalty (and your pinpointed message) will be good for you down the road when you decide to sell your own product.

Can You Make Money Regardless Of The Niche You Pick?

Of course!

I believe anyone can make money as long as they focus on solving problems.

And the good news is you don’t need a lot money to get started, there are plenty of good and affordable hosting company such as Bluehost, which offers hosting and a free domain name for as little as $2.95/month (this offer is only available to readers of my blog, the discount is automatically applied through the link). You can check out this post I’ve written about setting up a WordPress blog for more information.

If you write about random things that may be interesting to you, but aren’t helpful to people, well… You just won’t make any money in the long run. It’s a harsh pill to swallow. But the truth is that no one truly cares about you aside from your friends and family. What you need to be successful is to focus on the needs of others and forget about yourself.

Do that consistently and I promise you will do well. People are always looking to become better versions of themselves.

You don’t need hundreds of thousands of visitors to your site to make a good living either. There are plenty of small niche blogs that make a lot money because the problems they solve are super unique and targeted. And because there’s so little competition in their field, they quickly become an authority on the subject.

So my advice is this: if there is something you LOVE to do, pick that! Then find a way to solve people’s problems within that niche.

Even if it’s something as obscure as popping pimples. I bet Dr. Pimple Popper didn’t expect to become so big that she would score a show on TLC!

Still not convinced that small niches can make money?

Then look at these three blogs:

Sharpologist is a blog about shaving that makes roughly $6k per month. Cruelty Free Kitty, a blog about cruelty free products, brings in closer to $10k per month. Pixie Faire is an e-commerce site started by Cinnamon and Jason, who noticed their daughter’s obsession for dolls and doll outfits. In 2009 they started selling downloadable doll clothing patterns and online sewing classes. They now make between $50k-$60k per month!

I’m going to say it one more time: remember that people want to be better versions of themselves. So it’s important to pick a niche where you know you can help them and make a difference in their lives.

Be passionate about your niche

This is so important!

Don’t pick a niche simply because you see dollar signs. Unfortunately, this almost guarantees failure. Most bloggers don’t make it past the initial 3-4 months because they saw blogging as an easy way to make money. Hit the publish button and the money will just roll in, right!?

But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Blogging is time consuming and requires patience and discipline. So you want to make sure you pick a niche that you love since you will be stuck with it in the same way you’d be stuck with a 9 to 5 job.

Take me for example. I know I could be making a lot more money if I wrote about personal finance. But here’s the thing… I’m not an expert in finance. And the reason for that is that I’m not interested in this field of work. Writing about it would be very difficult since I would need to do hours upon hours of research for every single post. And I wouldn’t be contributing anything new to the field. Essentially, I’d be regurgitating the information that was already out there. Plus, I’d have to learn finance speak to really resonate with readers.

Obviously, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with personal finance. I’m just a food girl. So this path makes more sense for me to pursue.

Blogging about something you don’t care about will feel like the worst job ever. So don’t go down that rabbit hole! Plus, you won’t be seen as an authority which means people won’t take you seriously. Make sure you pick a niche that you are knowledgeable in, so you’re capable of giving proper advice.

Grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down what you love doing – and what you’d consider yourself an expert at.

Blog Niches That Make Money

That being said, there are niches that are easier to make money from. Hey – that’s just a fact. Popular topics people need help with tend to do quite well. You can find a few listed below. I’m going to break them down and also tell you the best ways to make money from them. These are listed in no particular order.

1. How To Make Money Online

This niche can be extremely lucrative if you can prove that you make a lot of money online.

So does this mean that beginner bloggers cannot write about making money online?

Yes. However, you can create a blog with the intention of talking about how to make money as the end goal.

For example: in the beginning you might document your journey as a blogger and talk about how you are planning to make money. Then you can show your readers what has been working well for you and what hasn’t. These posts will establish you as a serious blogger and demonstrate your credibility. Once you make a decent amount – I would say over $5k per month – and have enough experience to call yourself an expert, you might start teaching people how to make money online.

The best way to make money from a how to make money online blog:

Offering an online class or an eBook. People will pay good money to learn how to make more money online.
Advertising (these are the ads you see on the sidebar and within posts).
Affiliate products: Tools you use to blog efficiently, digital equipment, books about blogging. I use Shareasale to find good products to promote. They are one of the biggest affiliate marketing networks out there, and anyone can join.
Sponsored posts. This is when you talk about a company or a service in a post and receive compensation for it.

Successful how to make money online blogs:

2. Personal Finance

Writing about personal finance can also be very lucrative – because you are helping people save, invest and make money. To be successful in this field you need to be good at showing that you are careful with your money and savvy with investments and purchases. If you love taking care of bills and documenting your spending, this might be a good niche to consider.

The best ways to make money from a personal finance blog:

Offer an online class or eBook. People will pay good money to learn how to manage their money or make more money.
Coaching. Offer to help one-on-one for a certain fee.
Advertising (the ads you see on the sidebar and within posts).
Affiliate products.
Sponsored posts. This is when you talk about a company or a service in a post and receive compensation for it.

Successful personal finance blogs

3. Health and Wellness

Health and wellness is an extremely popular niche – because, sadly, obesity is getting worse. In light of that, a ton of companies and single entrepreneurs are investing in weight loss programs so there is a lot of competition in this particular subject.

But the good news is health and wellness can be about a lot more than obesity and weight loss and this is what you should focus on if you want to pick this topic.

What you need to do here in order to succeed is to focus on a smaller niche. There are plenty of niches to choose from in health blogging, some of these include:

Running or other sports
Health supplements or other products that are health related
Mental health
Aromatherapy or other treatments that are health related

Focus on solving one (just one) big problem. Cover it from all angles. For example, if you pick aromatherapy, write content about the different types available, scents, how it affects moods, how it became popular, celebrities who use aromatherapy, if it can help illnesses. Once you start digging for things to write about your niche, you’ll keep on finding more and more.

The best way to make money from a health and wellness blog:

Coaching. You can get paid for being a life coach, health coach, motivational coach.
Online class or eBook. Teach people how to live healthier lives, how to loose weight, be more proactive, learn techniques to reduce stress.
E-commerce. Sell your own products – such as supplements, teas, oils.
Advertising (the ads you see on the sidebar and within posts).
Affiliate products.
Sponsored posts. This is when you talk about a company or a service in a post and receive compensation for it.

Successful health and wellness blogs

4. Travel

The travel niche seems to be growing exponentially faster than before. I have a feeling it’s because of all those Instagram success stories. You can make money with a travel blog because you can drive a lot of traffic from sources like Instagram – and, in turn, get sponsorships. But in order to do that you must know how to take great pictures. Actually, not just great… show-stopping, stunning, amazing pictures.

If you don’t feel very confident as a photographer, you could focus more on telling unique stories about the countries you visit. Top 10 lists are huge with travel blogs (10 best summer destinations on a budget, etc.). Video content tends to do very well within this niche too.

The best way to make money from a travel blog:

Advertising (the ads you see on the sidebar and within posts).
Affiliate products. Sell sporting goods, travel books, suitcases, or promote services like travel and hotel sites like Tripadvisor and Airbnb.
Sponsored posts. This is when you talk about a company or a service in a post and receive compensation for it.
Press trips. Travel for free in luxury with all expenses paid.

Successful travel blogs

5. Food

I had to mention my niche since I know quite a few food bloggers who are making over $5k per month. As you know, I made $127k last year – so there is potential to make a comfortable living sharing recipes and talking about food. But, just like with all other niches listed in this post, this market is quite saturated. So you will need to find a small niche in order to stand out.

What’s important is that you cook or talk about the food you love. Don’t pick healthy eating just because you see dollar signs if, in reality, you love fried foods. The good thing about food is that everyone has to eat! So even if you pick a tiny niche, it will never be as small as doll patterns or pimple popping. You can also zone in on a diet such as paleo, gluten-free, vegan, etc. and produce quality content about that.

The best way to make money from a food blog:

Focus on growing your traffic since most food bloggers make 90% of their income through display ads on their pages.

Advertising (the ads you see on the sidebar and within posts).
Online cooking class or eBook. Teach people how to eat healthier, how to bake, how to make international food. You can sell your own eCookbook, eBook on losing weight, Paleo cookbook, etc.
Sponsored posts. This is when you talk about a company or a service in a post and receive compensation for it.
Affiliate products. Sell cooking ingredients, cookbooks, kitchen appliances, or promote food services like Blue Apron, Sunbasket.

Successful food blogs

6. Technology

Technology is one of those niches where people will spend big bucks if they trust your judgement. In order for you to succeed in this industry you must specialize in a specific subject like smart TVs, DSLRs or smartphones. You must be an expert here – so be knowledgeable and as thorough as you can be in the content you choose to write. Be very focused and detail oriented.

The best way to make money from a technology blog:

Reviews. Let companies know you can review their newest product for a fee.
Advertising (the ads you see on the sidebar and within posts).
Affiliate products. You could stand to make good money here since tech products can be quite pricey! The higher the product you sell costs, the bigger the commission!
Sponsored posts. This is when you talk about a company or a service in a post and receive compensation for it.

Successful technology blogs

7. Mom – Parenting

Sigh… Sometimes I wish I was a mom so I could start a mom blog.

Seriously though, there are a lot of mommy bloggers who are killing it online these days! That’s because mothers often need support navigating through the new problems and experiences motherhood can bring. Being able to go online and find other women who are experiencing the same issues is comforting and helpful.

Obviously, I only recommend going after this niche if you are a mom yourself. You can actually go a bit broad here and talk about all sorts of issues mothers are going through – from the early stages of pregnancy all the way up to dealing with teenage kids. You can also talk about personal issues such as managing postpartum depression, balancing work and kids, how to find time to be romantic, etc…

The best way to make money from a mom and parenting blog:

Advertising (the ads you see on the sidebar and within posts).
Affiliate products. Mom blogs can sell anything from baby diapers to kids clothing, breast pumps and lunch boxes.
Online class or eBook. Teach mothers how to deal with postpartum depression, how to get back in shape after giving birth, how to find time for yourself, how to deal with stress.
Sponsored posts. This is when you talk about a company or a service in a post and receive compensation for it.

Successful mom and parenting blogs

8. Lifestyle

This is another broad topic that does well as a… well, broad topic! You don’t need to focus on one thing but you do need to know what you’re talking about. The best way to do well with a lifestyle blog is to write about the things you do on a daily basis. But remember, don’t talk about yourself too much. Your blog is to help people improve their lives!

For example: I like yoga, reading, cooking, makeup and clothing. These are the topics I would feel comfortable writing about. So under yoga I could show readers how to do yoga poses and avoid injuries. I could write book reviews for my reading section. The recipes would be in the cooking section, etc.

The best way to make money from a lifestyle blog:

A little bit of all of the above! Because lifestyle encompasses so many different topics, it will depend on the subjects you choose to cover.

Successful lifestyle blogs

Now you’ve got your niche. So what’s the next step?

Now that you have decided on the type of posts you would like to write about, it’s time for you to pick a blog name. I recommend you do this as soon as possible to maximize your accomplishments with the inspiration you are feeling.

If you wait too long the moment could pass you by and you may lose that drive you’re feeling right now. Bank on that positive feeling and move forward with your plan!

I have a post written that will help you cut through unnecessary steps so you can find with a blog name in less than an hour.

Click here to read How to Come Up With a Blog Name.

Once you are done with that, I’ll show you How to Create a WordPress Blog in just 15 minutes!

Use my special discount with Bluehost (only available through my blog) and get hosting for just $2.95/month!