How Vocal Remedies "Niche Fatigue" for Bloggers

This month marks my third year as a semi-professional fitness blogger.

I love everything about blogging. I love learning and implementing everything I can about SEO, affiliate marketing, WordPress, and - of course - writing compelling content.

But as most seasoned bloggers know, you end up pigeonholing yourself into a specific niche in order to create optimal content for your target audience.

And while I love writing about all things fitness, it does start to feel a bit restrictive at times. After all, I’m a human being with diverse passions and interests.

I call it, “niche fatigue” and I am betting I’m not the only blogger who has succumbed to it.

But I have just discovered the remedy: Vocal.

I have only been a Vocal member for a short time but as a blogger, I am already obsessed.

Here’s why:

1. It’s an Outlet for Creative Freedom

I’m going to be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve been this creatively fired up.

I’ve been faithfully plugging away at adding fitness-related posts to my blog and I still love doing it. But I’d be lying if I said that being so niched hasn’t put a damper on how creative I can be with my content.

On Vocal, not only I can write just about anything I want, but my creativity is sparked to actually do so.

The Challenges in particular have really kicked my creativity into high gear, and I find myself coming up with all sorts of new ideas for content that I wouldn’t normally write about.

Just last week, I published my first piece of short fiction for Vocal’s Little Black Book Challenge and had a blast doing it.

The best part about this is your content has the potential to be seen by a large audience.

For example, Vocal may pick your submission as a “Top Story” which gets featured on their homepage.

From an SEO standpoint, you can also harness the platform’s great Domain Authority to rank on Google for topics you otherwise might not be able to rank for on your own blog.

2. It’s Insanely Easy to Use

If any WordPress users are reading this, I know you feel me here.

When first entering the WordPress world of blogging, you must navigate the elaborate world of web hosts, themes, plugins, and overcome what feels like a million other hurdles before you can publish your first blog post.

Now, we bloggers learn to love WordPress because of the control it lends to how we publish our content. The point I'm trying to make is, we’re used to there being a steep learning curve when publishing on a new platform.

But publishing on Vocal is ridiculously easy. It’s arguably the most polished and self-explanatory editor I’ve ever used, which makes the writing process all the more enjoyable.

And because the integration of Unsplash’s free library of royalty-free stock photos, even finding images for your stories is a snap.

3. If Offers New Potential for Monetization

Many (if not most) serious bloggers may love what they do, but they’re ultimately doing it to make money. I’m no exception to this.

One of the coolest things about blogging for income is that there is a myriad of ways to earn passive income, whether it be through affiliate marketing, ads, sponsored posts, or digital products.

In the past, I’ve wanted to publish on other platforms but never did because I’m compelled to direct my energy into things that will give me a return on my investment of time.

But on Vocal, bloggers can now write about topics outside of their niche while simultaneously diversifying their earning potential in several ways.

These monetization methods include:

Paid Reads

Vocal is the only platform I’m aware of that pays its creators just from people reading their work. Free members earn $3.80 per 1000 reads while Vocal+ members earn $6.00 per 1000 reads.

Tipping

Readers can easily engage with stories via the floating bar at the bottom of the page and like the post by clicking the heart. But if they really love the content, they can also send a tip to the author in an amount of their own choosing.

Vocal Bonuses

Recently, Vocal introduced a bonus system to offer yet another monetization method to creators. You now get rewarded with bonuses for reaching certain milestones or being selected as a Top Story.

You can even earn bonuses by supporting other creators by liking and sharing their content!

Challenges

The Challenges are arguably the biggest draw of this platform. Every week, you’ll find new writing challenges that offer impressive grand prizes to the top submissions.

Some of them award thousands of dollars for first place!

One thing I really like about the Challenges is that they are always about different topics and push you to think outside the box.

For example, right now I’m working on an article about photo-editing for a Challenge. Trust me when I say I am not a professional photographer, and before now I never dreamt of writing about this topic.

But the Challenges get those creative juices flowing and suddenly I’m coming up with new ideas and having fun writing about these different topics!

4. There’s a Strong Community Element

Lastly, Vocal is a breath of fresh air for niche bloggers like me because it’s a brand new community of other content creators.

You can join some great Facebook groups for Vocal writers like Vocal Media Creators Hub to take part in the community. It’s a great place to share and get feedback on your work or find words of encouragement when you’re struggling with a piece.

I also love that Vocal encourages this sense of community by offering bonuses to those who like and share other creators’ work.

Summary: Vocal has Single-Handedly Rejuvenated My Creativity and Motivation to Write

I have never written so much in such a short time. I literally can’t stop coming up with new ideas and unleashing them onto the page.

It’s also made working on my niche blog easier as I can turn back to my fitness-related blogging endeavors feeling refreshed and motivated.

If you’re a niche blogger (or really anyone) who could use a boost of creativity, chances are you will love Vocal!

If you enjoyed this article or found it helpful, please hit the Like button and consider sending a small tip - every little bit is deeply appreciated and helps me create even more content for you!