Transitioning from a food blogger to a lifestyle blogger

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The Best in Blogging series gives you proven strategies from top industry experts.

We’ve talked about niche possibilities a lot this year. By choosing a unique slant for your blog — heart health, vegan, et al., you can target a focused and very loyal audience. Finding a particular niche isn’t necessary to be successful, but it can help you stand out from generalists and demonstrate your unparalleled expertise in a particular food field.

Lifestyle is one way to niche-ify your food blog. You’ll find some ideas to guide you here, here, and here. (Didn’t I tell you we’ve talked about niche a lot this year?) But what if you discover there’s more to your niche than what’s in the kitchen? What if you realize that your chosen lifestyle comes with a lot of interesting angles and stories that other people might enjoy?

Then, my friend, you’re blowing up your status as food blogger and joining the ranks of lifestyle blogger.

What’s a lifestyle blog anyway?

We couldn’t fault you if you came to the conclusion that a lifestyle blog is a blog about makeup and fashion. Some of the most popular lifestyle blogs were created by women for women, and they do cover those topics because that’s part of the lifestyle of a lot of — you got it — women. The Blonde Salad, A Cup of Jo, and Lauren Conrad are all examples of women’s lifestyle blogs, but they don’t represent the full spectrum of lifestyle blog options.

Global Grasshopper is a lifestyle blog for those of us with wanderlust. The Boat Galley offers lifestyle tips for sailors. Awkward Geeks gives pointers to the nerdy.

A lifestyle blog is a blog designed to help a particular group of people live a fuller life. Often, lifestyle bloggers use their blog’s Categories to divide the site into lifestyle areas: Food, Style, Travel, Relationships, etc. Within each of these sections, the blogger provides advice, insights, and guidance to help their readers take full advantage of their circumstances.

Should I become a lifestyle blogger?

That depends.

Are there other people living the same lifestyle that you’re living?
Do you believe you’ve got some valuable insights into how they could get the most out of it?
Would you like to inspire people to try out a new way of life?

If you answered yes to those three questions, think about expanding your food blog and offering your perspective in other areas of the lifestyle you’re living.

How do I get started?

Define your lifestyle.

The first step is defining your lifestyle so that your audience will know what your blog is all about. Are you a Southern gal? A biker babe? A digital nomad?

Choose lifestyle categories.

The sections you include on your lifestyle blog may vary, but some might be Food, Travel, Style, and Health. You could ease into lifestyle blogging by adding one extra category to your food blog to start. Award-winning blogger Yvette of Muy Bueno added a Travel section to her blog to share her experiences on the road and offer recommendations for other travelers. That’s a safe way to get started that adds interest and variety right away.

Identify major hang-ups in those areas.

What parts of the lifestyle get you tangled up? What parts have you only just begun to appreciate? Ask around and find out what trouble others who share your interests have and what their goals are.

Start writing.

This last part you’ve already got down to a science, right? Just imagine that you’re writing recipes for living a better life. Your readers are going to eat it up!