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May 27 / King Kaufman

Advice on starting a niche blog is good for covering a sports beat

How to Start a Blog is a terrific post on Journalists.org, the Online News Association site, that ‘s useful far beyond that headline. The advice, by reporter Kyle Stokes of NPR member station KPLU-Seattle, has the subhead “The Kick In The Pants I Wish I Had In College.”

According to the bio on the piece, Stokes “spent two-and-a-half years reporting on education for StateImpact Indiana, a collaboration of WFIU and Indiana Public Broadcasting.” He writes that before that experience, he thought of blogging as “Journalism Lite,” but having done it, “I can’t imagine a better, more relevant way for a reporter to own a beat. Nor is there any better way for an aspiring beat reporter to learn the trade—I’m looking at you, J-schoolers.”

Remember, I think we’re all students, not just J-schoolers.

Stokes is writing about how to start a niche blog, covering a narrow subject, but much of what he’s talking about carries over even if you’re doing something different, like covering a sports beat. Here are his recommendations, though you should read the post for his explanations:

  • Pick a niche
  • Figure out who cares
  • Curate & converse
  • Set your sights on a handful of big stories—and own them
  • Post and post often
  • Take great pains to explain, explain, explain

That’s a good start for separating yourself from the pack no matter what you’re covering, in what format.