If you’re want to start blogging but you’re not sure what to blog about, consider charting a journey towards a goal. It could be any type of goal, for example, financial (make $XXX dollars by 2010), health (lose 20 pounds in 6 months) or creative (get article published in Inc. magazine).

pfblog One excellent example of such a type of blog is the personal finance blog or pfblog where the author chronicles his journey towards achieving $1 million dollars in net worth. The blog is very popular and has over 35,000 readers subscribing to its feed. It has also been mentioned a few times in the popular media (i.e. magazines, newspapers).

The blog is monetized by Google AdSense, affiliate products and also text link advertising. But if you’re starting out, don’t worry about monetizing it at first. Concentrate on the main message you’re trying to convey and focus on building readership.

Why does the PFblog work?

1. There is a progress update in the header of the blog. This keeps readers interested. They will come back again and again to check on the progress. This means repeat traffic which is a good thing.

personal finance goal

2. The is a clear background statement (the “About” page) where the aim of the author is clearly stated.

3. Related posts are listed (he uses “Best of PFBlog”) where new readers can catch up to the current progress.

4. Simple layout and uniform color scheme.

What I don’t like about it is that it is a bit crowded with too many things on the page and a LOT of advertising. There are two blocks of Google AdSense ads right below the header. You can see how he is aiming to get at the $1 million net worth.

If you want to take this idea and run with it, brainstorm about some unique goal that you think will attract readers. The more outrageous the goal, the better. I’ve heard of one guy who wanted to visit 1000 bars in one year. For example, your goal could be to meet Paris Hilton in person and have dinner with her. You can chronicle how you would go about achieving that goal. Think people will want to read about it? You bet!

You can get more ideas by asking people what they want to achieve in life.

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Popularity: 17% [?]