(This is a guest author article.)

I recently concluded an experiment in niche blogging (dedicating a blog to a particular topic) and decided that it was not for me. (For details, see my recent post on "Back Foot Drive" is now closed).

The experiment was a failure, but along the way I found out a few reasons why niche blogging is really tough to sustain over a long period of time.

Rather than be negative about it, here are some of my tips if you do plan to start niche blogging in a particular area:

• You need tons of passion and quite a bit of expertise on the topic you're writing about. If you have neither, the idea will just fritter away. Even if you think you know a lot about a topic, take the time to write down a few subject lines and see if you have enough to go on with.
• Be aware that you, as an independent, unaffiliated individual, will be in direct competition with other, already established writers in that field (and maybe even paid professional writers). If you need to attract an audience for a niche topic, you need to work about thrice as hard than if you needed an audience for a general website/weblog.
• Research the competition — see what they offer and try to offer a different perspective on the same topics.
• Find out ways to network with similar websites in the same subject. If you cannot find enough people to read what you write, your levels of interest will plummet unless you're exceptionally motivated.
• Don't let it become too impersonal. I know niche blogging is about a subject and not about you, but still, colour commentary is a very attractive way to generate interest. You need to put forward your opinions on the different issues you raise.
• The niche area should be sufficiently focussed. For instance, writing generally about history is not a niche area. Writing specifically about Roman history or WW II history is.
• Finally avoid tech-stuff as a niche area — you know, computers, electronics, video games and general technology — the field has been over-saturated for a long time now and you'll have a hell of a time being creative enough to be different.

I think it's not worth starting a niche blog unless you plan to make it pay for you in some form or the other.