Flagship Blogging - Topic Selection
February 6th, 2008 by CourtChoosing a topic for a flagship blog is anything but simple. Most people will start by reading a bunch of ‘make money online’ or ‘internet marketing‘ blogs and then decide that they want to create their own version of those sites. For this reason there are about a bazillion blogs about internet marketing - most of which never turn a profit.
Don’t get me wrong - copying a profitable business model IS the way to go in most cases. The problem with ‘make money online’ as a topic is that the competition is ferocious. Since the competition is very extreme, many people struggle to find a way to stand out in the crowd. Choosing a topic that doesn’t have that level of competition can make your life a lot easier.
On the other side of the discussion, many of you are trying to think of ideas that have never been done before. While this is still possible, it will be a lot easier and effective for most people to use adaptive creativity, building on someone else’s ideas instead of creating brand new ones on your own. There is no reason to take more than a couple weeks to choose your topic.
The Beginnings of Topic Selection
In order to start brainstorming for a topic for your flagship blog, you will want to start directly within your own background. What is your area of expertise? If you are really good at something, you may have already found your topic.
For most of my adult life I have messed around with computers. I build them, fix them, hack them, and mod them. When my friends and family members have a question about their computers, who do they call? Me! Could I start a flagship blog about computers? Absolutely. I also have a lot of expertise when it comes to search engine optimization and internet marketing in general. When friends and family take their businesses to the internet, who do they come to? Me. Can I run a flagship blog about this topic? Yes I can.
On the other hand, I know very little about thousands of other industries. I have a buddy who knows about 1000 times more about finance than I do. Compared to him, I’m pretty much brain dead when it comes to stocks, bonds, options, and annuities, etc. Could I start a flagship blog about finance? I sure could, if I wanted to invest like three years to learn! Could my friend start a flagship blog about finance now? Absolutely.
The biggest mistake most people make when they are starting a flagship blog is that they choose a topic they know nothing about. While it is possible to make money on the internet with a topic you know little about, you don’t want to make it a flagship blog. Instead, you will want to set it up as a niche site or blog.
Now what happens if you don’t have expertise in a specific field? Well, then I would ask yourself what your hobbies are. What do you do with your time? Do you read books, watch t.v., play on the internet all day? If you read a lot of books you could probably create a brilliant flagship blog about books. You could do the same with t.v., in fact you could do the same with pretty much any hobby, as long as there are a lot of other people that share that interest with you. If your hobby is staring at the wall, you may have a problem. 
I would start by choosing something that you are good at or interested in, and then proceed by testing the market of that particular topic.
Testing The Market
The easiest way to find out whether your skill or interest can turn into a profitable blog topic is by trying to find successful sites that are already established in that industry. If there aren’t any successful sites in the industry you’re looking at, there may not be a market for that topic. I personally would try to find a site in your prospective industry that has at least 50,000 RSS subscribers. This isn’t an absolute necessity but it helps you to see that there is a big enough market to shoot your sights on.
Some of you are probably wondering why I have a flagship type blog in an industry that doesn’t have a site with 50,000+ subscribers. The truth is that I wish that this market was A LOT bigger and this industry is sitting right around the minimum size I would consider building a flagship blog around. If I didn’t believe that I could gather a readership of at least 50,000 in the next few years, I would never have chosen this topic.
Before nailing down your decision on a topic, I would take a look at Wordtracker or Wordze to see if people are searching for keywords relating to your topic. You want to find a topic that has a good amount of keyword searches, since SEO will be part of the marketing strategy for your flagship blog.
Flagship Blogging Is About The Passion
I have received emails and have talked to more than a handful of people that tell me that their online ventures are all about the money. I personally don’t think that there is anything wrong with this, but I don’t know if flagship blogging is the way to go if this is your only motivation. Generally with a flagship blog, the money takes quite a while to come.
Why would a person want to start a flagship blog at all, if the money takes a while to come? The answer is pretty simple - once the money comes, it really starts to come. This will of course vary wildly across different industries, but for the most part each RSS subscriber will be worth at least $1 per month to the flagship blog owner. That means that 2,000 RSS subscribers will translate into $2,000+ per month to the flagship blogger. 5,000 RSS subscribers will equal $5,000+ per month and 50,000 RSS subs will equal $50,000+ per month of income. These numbers, of course, are very rough but I can tell you that people that think outside the box are able to make upwards of $10 per RSS subscriber so thinking that $1 is possible is within reason.
What takes a person from $0 per month and very little influence to a huge subscriber base and an enormous income? Without question it’s passion for the topic. A blogger that loves his/her topic will often continue to pay the price, even when the money isn’t there.
Before I started Court’s Internet Marketing School, I knew without a doubt that I would keep fighting until I made the site work. I don’t want to get all preachy with anyone, but I can tell you that I have never stopped believing that I could make this site work. I knew from day one that I would always be interested in internet marketing, plus I already had the skill I needed to help a lot of people to learn how to make money with the internet.
How did I keep working day after day when the money wasn’t there? I had passion for my topic and refused to stop believing.
What To Do If Your Passion Is ‘Internet Marketing’
Some of you love to read all day long about internet marketing or blogging techniques, and for this reason have established flagship-type blogs in this industry. I can tell you that the road in this industry is long and hard. That said, I have never listened to anyone that said that it couldn’t be done. If that is your passion, you should follow that passion. I can tell you, however, that you need to be smart and have another way to provide for yourself for at least a year or two. Don’t be naive enough to think you can make an impact from day one if you don’t yet know what you’re doing. Learn as you go, and over time you will develop your own voice and audience. If you are a noob, plan on spending at least two years to develop this type of a site.
What To Do If Your Passion Is Anything Else
Follow that passion and never, ever quit.
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February 6th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I am highly encouraged by your post. I have recently launched a flagship blog, although I didn’t know that term, or in fact very much at all about blogging - still don’t. I never did the kind of market research you recommend but it’s too late now. I am in love with my subject, however, and have a day job.
February 7th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Glad to hear it Clark! I think you would be wise to keep that job so that you have money to invest in this - that way you will be able to do it while keeping some of the pressure off.
February 6th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Just want to say thank you for the site, a great resource and good to see people who can make it without becoming another 9 to 5 drone.
I just want to add another point about online marketing niche. You have to pick a niche within that segment.
Also, how do you feel about launching a flagship blog to build audience for a ebook release, or should you approach it the other way around?
February 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I think it would be wise to launch a flagship blog to build an audience for an ebook. I definitely wouldn’t do it the other way around. You need to building credibility with the blog BEFORE you try to release the ebook!
February 6th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I just would like to say that I agree about starting a flagship blog with something you are knowledable about and also passionate about. On the contrary, I am dabbling in the IM world and blogging about it. Although that is not my first passion, I still love learning and blogging of my IM experiences. I was also given advice to head a blog in my interest and from that, I look forward to blogging everyday!
February 6th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
frankly Court I don’t think any idea will work long term without a passion burning inside. My girl freind is actually the one who discovered and revealed my passion to me. Sounds odd I know, but I know a lot of things about a lot of things, thats about how the idea was born to help others discover their own passions, I am really enjoying this series, I will confess to you that I have another flagship type of site in mind but as you stated owning one is lots of work
February 7th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Hi Courts, I have a topic that I am passionate about and I really would like to start a flagship blog. I just bought myself a nice domain name the other day.
But one question that I have is that, I know branding is important, but are there any good resources that you have used to get professional looking templates ?
I think one of the factors of having a successful flagship blog will be the branding of the blog and thus the templates and the logos and everything. What do you think ?
February 7th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hey Alvin! I’ll talk about this in future lessons on flagship blogging. However, I can tell you that a good flagship blog SHOULD invest in a proprietary, professional theme.
Most people are so uptight about money they ruin their chances for developing a solid brand.
February 7th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Great series Court. This is the type of focus the “blogging about blogging” crowd could use to narrow their niches down to manageable levels and find a corner to call their own. If a person has the passion and knowledge there is really no niche that they can’t rise to the top in but as you said - it won’t happen overnight.When it does it sure makes the struggle worthwhile though. It doesn’t seem to matter what you write about Court, you always leave the reader motivated - a real gift.
February 7th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I agree with that 100% Griz. People really could create a successful blog in any niche if they had enough patience and persistence.
Thank you for the compliments Griz, coming from you it truly means a lot.
February 7th, 2008 at 6:19 am
This is my second attempt at a flaship blog, having sold the first one out of necessity. I agree that you had better have passion and knowledge about your subject as that is the only way you will drive yourself to post in the wee hours of the morning, at night and on weekends. The knowledge is needed so that you are not spewing what everybody else in writing. You have to be original, write authoritative, and be consistent in your post schedule.
Regards
February 7th, 2008 at 7:29 am
This answers my query raised yesterday. Thanks.
February 7th, 2008 at 10:34 am
To be honest, your website helped inspire me to start one that I had brewing around in my head for a little while. I found the inspiration for the content in my site by just looking around my daily life.
In my case, my girlfriend (a fellow nerd) had recently moved in with me. I realized that there aren’t really many websites out there that provide advice to nerds living together (or, heaven forbid, a nerd living with a non-nerd). Thus, I found my niche and made a website out of it.
If you are having trouble looking for inspiration, just look in your own life. We are all unique, and yet we share the same types of experiences. Find what is unique in your life that you want to share with others, and you will do just fine:-)
Thank you for this amazing site. I read every entry you make:-)
http://www.livingwithanerd.com
February 7th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I am blogging on blogging tips and worse still, with my own name which branding is vital.
I know it would be silly for me to claim that I am passionate about blogging as everyone, when asked why they blog in such a competitive niche will say that they are passionate about it. Anyway, I will try to make my writings say the words.
I guess some people out there tap a saturated niche just because they see Internet as a medium to make money without the need of time, effort and thinking. They might be thinking that a few short articles and ads splashed around will make them money.
Also, some mainstream medias and Internet users might be exaggerating the superiority of bloggers making money online, making readers think that if everything is copied from a person enjoying success, he/she will be on the same path as well.
February 7th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
My blog is of the ‘flahship’ variety. It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding.
I didn’t say profitable; I’m not making any income no matter the combination of ads/widgets that I use. But the joy of blogging is worth the hosting fee every month, and the hope of making an income from it at some point is valuable to me as well.
February 7th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Is there a difference between an authority site and a flagship blog?
February 7th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Well FaireMaid there are a lot of different types of authority sites and a flagship blog is only one of them. BloggingZoom is becoming an authority site, but it really isn’t a blog at all.
As part of your marketing strategy, you will want to turn your flagship blog into an authority site though.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hi Courtney, Thank you for this great article that is honest but at the same time encouraging as well. I am no expert in internet marketing but am looking for ways to make my second source of income from the internet and have started a blog to document my journey. Glad to have found your blog.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Hmmm…I guess I share a new flagship blog with my boyfriend. We are both passionate about it and although when we started we don’t know a lot about cooking, we continue to learn about food and improve every day.
Court, I have a question — We are thinking of having a website for a fundraiser for three women who are doing the cancer 3-day walk. I just bought a new domain name for them. Should I start it now as a keyword-sniping blog months before the fundraiser begins? [Sorry if this sounds really stupid, still trying to figure all these stuff.] Thanks so much.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Well Joy a keyword-sniping blog only works if it is set up to target specific keywords that people are searching for. What keywords would you be targeting in this case?
February 8th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Court,
Nice post, I the 50,000 subscriber rule. That is a pretty good idea. However, do you really need that many subscribers to make a great living online with a blog or in some fields can you get away with a lot less subscribers?
February 8th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Hey George!
You know, I guess that depends on what your definition of ‘a great living online’. As a simple rule, you can plan on making around $1 for each subscriber so I guess you could use that figure to determine how many subscribers you would need.
Some people don’t need that much money, and there are industries where you can get a lot more than $1 per, so that number is a very rough estimation!
Like anything else, the estimate I made has a lot to do with perspective.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Court,
Ok, I see what you are saying.
So is the 1$ per subscriber per month, week, year, or lifetime?
PS. Hope all is going well. I noticed recently the keywords you are targeting for the main page… great Job!
February 8th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
The $1 per subscriber is actually monthly. There are sites that make more and less but it’s a pretty good rule to estimate the income potential of a site.
February 9th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Nice article; it actually gives me hope. I’m not in the “making money on the internet” vibe, but if I was passionate about it I could be.
What I am passionate about is creating, setting, tracking and achieving goals. There’s a crowd in that space, but it’s my intention to win that battle over the next 3 years.
Just watch.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
That’s what I thought, just making sure.
Thanks for clarifying.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I know it would be silly for me to claim that I am passionate about blogging as everyone, when asked why they blog in such a competitive niche will say that they are passionate about it. Anyway, I will try to make my writings say the words.
February 8th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
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February 8th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
This is a great post, and should help anybody who is getting into blogging or looking to test a market. I’m glad to see that you are willing to share your vast knowledge on the topic.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Thank you for good information.
I will come back to read more articles.
February 9th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Thank you for your tips and practical information. Logical indeed. Great work! Thanks again
February 9th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Courtney, I am starting to enjoy your posts, they are very well written! I blog about what I am passionate about and that is money, more money, fast cars and girls…so to be branded with a good name I picked GangsterVideos…thats how I roll!
February 10th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Imitation without creativity is a tragic attempt to go with the flow. There are other subjects today that need attention other than getting rich. Money may not be the reward for making a blog about AIDS research or child prostitution in Asia, but the blogger will leave a lasting legacy long after he or she dies.
February 11th, 2008 at 3:34 am
It is always good to stick to something that one is knowledgable about. You should be able to talk accurately about a particular subject and have indepth knowledge about it.
February 11th, 2008 at 3:35 am
If you are also passionate about your given subject, that is a great plus
February 11th, 2008 at 8:44 am
When you are passionate about something it is easy. The problem here is to find something that I am passionate about which at the same time will give me a successful niche. The choices are so limited!
February 11th, 2008 at 9:04 am
This is a great post. I shall be reading the rest of the series. Passion is what it is all about - a lot of people just dont realise they are passionate.
February 11th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
[…] The flagship blog’s topic […]
February 12th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Court, this clarifies a great deal of gray areas for me. I have got a site all ready except that I have not got my ideas right about what to do with the blog. This clarified quite a bit and hopefully, my blog should be up and alive in a week’s time or so. Thank you.
August 27th, 2009 at 11:30 am
How-do-you-do. I’m just wondering if you cats know anything about the acai berry free trials out there. Are they actually scams or not? I found a site that indicates to me it’s most likely not a scam, but I’m not certain.
Any of you cats have experience with the acai berry free trials? Here’s the site if you’re interested : Premium Acai Burn Review