Top 5 Money-Making Blog Niches for 2016

Last year, I shared the top 5 money-making blog niches of 2015, and it continues to be one of our top posts to this day. Blogs about health, blogging, technology, money, and personality development topped the list last year–shall we see how they measure up in 2016?

To come up with an updated list, I did some intensive study of multiple resources, including:

• What Google AdSense says were the most profitable niches in 2015,
• Jeff’s predictions, based on internet marketing tactics and available resources to develop niche websites for 2016,
• Quora forum posts, with user-generated lists based on advertising dollars, affiliate marketing, sponsorship dollars, infoproduct development, etc., which led to
• Guide Cave’s 2016 list, and
• these two lists.

Here’s what I came up with after weighing everyone’s stats and opinions.

The Blogger Babes Top Money Making Niches for 2016 + Some Must Read Blogs

1. Make Money Online

Jumping from number 4 on our list last year, the number one blogging niche for 2016 is making money online. This includes blogs about:

• how to blog
• social media
• SEO
• product development
• affiliate marketing
• advertising
• email marketing
• writing and freelancing

So, basically everything we discuss here on Blogger Babes.

Must Read Money Making Blogs

• Smart Passive Income – Because every blogger needs to build smart passive income streams now! Pat Flynn is the master of Monthly Income and Traffic Reports.
• Neil Patel – Simply explore Neil’s website and blog to get a feel for why he’s on this list.
• ProBlogger – No aspiring blogger eager to make it big should go without reading ProBlogger.
• Entrepreneurs Journey – My personal blog coach from way back in 2006, Yaro is someone everyone should read.

• Daily Blog Tips – While Daniel doesn’t write as often, this has been a non-stop read of mine since 2004.

• The Nectar Collective – A newcomer in 2013, Melyssa just shared her largest monthly income and traffic report last month. At ~ $55K, she made as much in one month as she did her entire first year blogging just 3 short years ago—so kudos to her, and yes to girl power! (Melyssa also shared a secret in her email list a couple weeks ago—that her traffic and income started a big upward turn once she focused on growing and utilizing her email list—well, duh! ;-)).

• Our Blogger Babes Blog – Okay, call me biased… because I am. We take all the above and so much more—and from a woman’s perspective. Unlike other blogger networks and influencer organizations, we’re dedicated not only to giving our members paid opportunities (which is only extra cash, as sponsored content is not the way to build a profitable blog), but to teaching you how to create an information product empire—like our Learning Library. We teach you how to start a blog, using our favorite tools, all while sharing every single thing we find profitable. We even share our members’ success stories with you, so you know we’re good at teaching others to replicate our success.

2. Health/Fitness/Wellness & Healthy Food

We’ve had a self-improvement category on this site since Heidi first launched, but now we’re specifying “self-improvement” to include health, fitness, wellness, and food blogs that focus on more natural ingredients (such as vegan, vegetarian, particular healthy diets due to health restrictions, more natural organic living, and living a healthy and fit lifestyle that is practical and obtainable).

Beware: when it comes to this niche, either look for credentials (professional experience and education) and/or follow those who are speaking from personal experience—the kinds of women who have been-there-done-that-and-then-blogged-it-too.

Must Read Health, Fitness, and Wellness Blogs

1. NerdFitness – Because if you’re a blogger, there’s got to be a little bit of nerd in you—am I wrong?! No, really, this site is a gem of an inspirational read with practical tips worth trying. If you believe there’s a superheroine inside of you, you’ll appreciate this site.
   
2. Simply Living 
3. WellnessMama
4. Healthy Happy Life – Two-time author Kathy Patalsky is one of the first Blogger Babes and a dear friend! She teaches you why the vegan lifestyle is worth trying even if only a single meal a single day. In her friendly, practical style, she even convinced my family of carnivores to try some of her delicious vegan recipes. And you’ll just salivate at the professional images she takes herself!

3. Technology

Gadgets, electronics, apps, software, platforms, etc. It’s no surprise that this niche for tech news sites is on the rise. Whenever you read something on one of these sites, you’re more than inclined to see what its competitor is saying.

Must Read Technology Blogs

1. CNET
2. TechCrunch
3. Engadget
4. Gizmodo
5. The Next Web
6. The Verge
7. CarleyK – Because I love Carly and she knows it! I’ve known her for years, watched her get her gig on HGTV, loved and miss her #digitwirls… she’s just a peach, and we need this tech-savvy digital woman on this prestigious list.

4. Fashion

My biggest pet peeve, which I shared once on IFB, continues to this today: writing a blog strictly for ads, ad networks, and fashion links. It’s such hard work! This kind of blogging needs to have a massive traffic load every. Single. Day. to succeed, which is not the ideal for which you should strive. You’d need a team to maintain and grow; a consistently loyal following and massive traffic to maintain; tons of research to stay on trends or predict trends so people keep clicking on your links and making purchases… And pay-per-action, rather than pay-per-click, is extremely difficult to convert, too.

That’s why I believe (as all the Make Money bloggers listed in Category #1 promote) that diversified passive income revenue streams—meaning an email list, information products, and/or affiliate marketing—are the best internet marketing principles for sustainable businesses that will actually start making you money shortly after you launch a new site.

Fashion bloggers, pleeease do try that out in 2016!

Must Read Fashion Blogs

1. Zanita Studio – A photographer at heart, Zanita offers online photography and photoshop online courses to better your fashion blog.
2. Cupcakes and Cashmere – Diversifies her revenue streams, authored two books, has a clothing line, and keeps it real by talking about the changes in digital advertising… but I’m also completely biased, because she’s one of the very few fashion and lifestyle bloggers to maintain an email list and write regular, awesome personalized newsletters at that!
3. TheAmbitionista – For many biased reasons, as she’s our CEO, but also because she had an email list and infoproduct lineup before I came on board! Truth is, I’m privy to some awesome stuff about to happen to the TA brand in 2016, so you best stay tuned!
4. Damsel in Dior – Because she tells a good story with her images and content, always experiments with the cleanest and sleekest of blog designs, and knows how to maintain her shop—keeping it current is hard work, but she seems to have created a habit worth mimicking!

5. Crafts/DIY/Home Decor

Finally, the Number 5 top niche of 2016! I attribute this to the rise of the Maker Movement with sites like Etsy and Craftsy. If you’re a craft, DIY, or home decor blogger, now is your time!

Must Read Crafts/DIY/Home Decor Blogs

1. A Beautiful Mess – The sisters! Who doesn’t follow them? They do a bit of everything—infoproducts, products, subscription boxes, courses, livestreams—making them two smart sisters worth reading over and over again!
2. A House that Lars Built – If you’ve never heard of this blog, just hop on over now.
3. The Wonder Forest – A smart blogger, gorgeous designer, and just a darling to read.
4. Studio DIY – Beware—very colorful, very fun, very lively! …End of warning!
5. Just a Girl and Her Blog – Just a sweet gal, you’ll enjoy smiling alongside her friendly posts

Now that you know the top money making blog niches, what’s next?

Create Your Sub-Niche Blog and Be An Authority Blogger in That Niche

If you aren’t already blogging for one of the money-makers this year, the best way to corner the market is by adding on a sub-niche. How do you think Heidi and I are competing with the big guys in the make money online/blog tips markets? Well—we aren’t guys!

We’re gals! And our followers love our feminine voice, female experiences, and easier-to-understand non-tech talk, tone, and language. Sure, Melyssa of the Nectar Collective is doing the same as us and there a dozen or so others popping up, but the same number popping up also die out.

Identifying Your Target Audience

One of the best ways to zone in on a sub-niche is to define your target market by creating your target audience persona. Do this by sketching out one ideal person to whom you address every blog post you create, every sales copy you write, and every free gift you share.

In Section 4 of our Blogging Binder, you’ll find a “Target Audience Persona” worksheet among other content planning and publicity sheets. Time to whip ’em out and get planning, yes?

So, where does your blog lie with my predictions for 2016? Do you need a sub-niche? Let’s chat in the comments.

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