Want to learn more about human behavior? Read my take on The Psychology of Color.

Sparring Mind

About

Writing

50 Successful Blogs in Every Topic

Imaginable
One misconception that forever bothers me is the belief that blogging doesnt work unless its
meta.
People dont believe blogs can be successful unless they are about blogging, marketing, or social
media.
What they dont understand is that its only the marketing blogs that publish things like income
reports and the like.
Regular blogs in traditional topics dont do this, yet they are still out there killing it.
Today Im going to bring you 50 successful blogs, often built solely through publishing great
content + guest blogging, that span a huge variety of topics, to prove once and for all that
blogging can be used to build an audience in nearly every topic imaginable.

What Are The Guidelines?

Any blog featured here cannot have any of the following characteristics:
1. Focus on blogging/marketing/social media
2. The blog cannot be tied to another popular site
3. Must have an involved community
4. No mega blogs or magazines
Ive included data on the approximate (~) subscriber count (when available) and what the major
income source seems to be (when applicable).

For sites that have no subscriber count available, I used the Google Reader browse feature,
which shows the number of Google subscribers only, so keep in mind that those RSS counts are
likely much higher.
Enjoy!
Note: WP Engine, a neat tool I use to self-host my WordPress blogs, is celebrating 50,000
customers for the rest of the month. Theres never been a better time to start a blog with the
most reliable WordPress host around. Im using my referral link here because Im a happy
customer. If you have any questions about hosting your blog, send them my way!

1.) Help Scout blog [Customer Support]

URL: http://www.helpscout.net/blog/
Approx. Subscribers: 65,000+
Main income source: Software
The blog Im responsible for! Help Scout is support software that is trusted by thousands of
small businesses. We run the gamut over on the Help Scout blog, but our bread-and-butter will
always be customer support.

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

15 Customer Service Skills that Every Employee Needs

The Complete Guide to Customer Service Training

15 Practical Customer Service Tips

9 Phrases to Improve Every Support Interaction

How to Successfully Handle Customer Complaints

We also use a large selection of resources to grow our traffic and subscriber base.

2.) Digital Photography School [Digital Photography]

URL: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 846,000+
Main income source: Advertisements, affiliate links, e-Book sales
Run by the Problogger himself, Darren Rowse, this blog is actually his real money maker,
not Problogger.net.
This thing is an absolute monster, a huge blog in a very profitable niche. Lots of people buy
cameras, and theyre expensive.
All of the tips that Darren writes about on Problogger are put into action here, so if you want to
watch the Problogger at work, follow the strategies that this blog utilizes, rather than reading the
next Problogger post.

3.) Freshome [Interior Design/Architecture]

URL: http://freshome.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 64,000+
Main income source: Advertisements, affiliate links?
Let me first say that I love the design of this blog, and its a good thing to, as it focuses on
design, but not the type you see on the web.
No, Freshome is an absolutely astounding architecture and interior design blog.
One of the writers, Ronique Gibson, revealed on Problogger that she has posted over 773 posts
(and that was in 2011!), showing how a curation style blog, combined with lengthier posts, can
create a real winner if its on a focused topic (and the content is top notch).

4.) PsyBlog [Social Psychology]

URL: http://www.spring.org.uk/
Approx. Subscribers: 53,000+
Main income source: e-Book sales, advertisements
You can probably guess that this is one of my personal favorites, but its easy to see why any
reader can enjoy this blog.
The author takes psychology studies that they come across (they happen to be a psychological
researcher), and relates them to real world issues and in laymens terms, so that anyone can gain
the information that they have to offer.
Thats the big emphasis Id like to make on this blog: you should always be mindful of
beginners, its not that you have to appeal only to beginners, but taking more complex
information and boiling it down into something interesting that anyone can read is a formula for
a winner, as long as the audience is there.

5.) NerdFitness [Exercise/Physical Fitness]

URL: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/
Approx. Subscribers: 50,000+
Main income source: Product sales
Steve Kamb is a guy well known in the marketing niche, but he doesnt write about marketing.
Thats because his blog has served as a great example of how to build a successful site full of an
endearing personality, outside of the blogging/marketing niche of course.
This is one of the great advantages of being someone knowledgeable in content marketing: you
can offer up your success story to all sorts of marketing blogs if you create a popular site in a
atypical topic.
Marketing blogs absolutely love case studies of this kind, and youll get attention and links just
by telling your story. Its a method Steve has used multiple times to appear on sites like
Lifehacker and ThinkTraffic.

6.) 1stWebDesigner [Web Design]

URL: http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 49,594)
Main income source: Affiliate links, advertisements
There are a huge number of web design blogs out there, and yet some still find ways to be
successful
Somebody should ask Dainis how he did it, because 1stWebDesigner manages to stay a top web
design blog and appears to be growing still.
I can tell you that 1stWebDesigner at least does everything in its industry the right way, while
setting a few innovations (industry examples being stuff like free PSD files and the like).
Thats the big takeaway for this site: find out what works for the big players in your niche, pull
some ideas that you like, and innovate on the rest.

7.) TinyCartridge [Portable + Retro Gaming]

URL: http://tinycartridge.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 2,303)
Main income source: Affiliate links, advertisements
TinyCartridge is simply a perfect example of how to start a blog in a the incredibly
overcrowded gaming niche.
Did the founder decide to doom their site to an early death by just focusing on gaming?
Heck no!
TinyCartridge has become THE place to learn about mobile gaming news and updates, it niched
down into a way less competitive market, and took it over.
Thats a HUGE takeaway from this post, one of the most important: dominant a small niche, and
move onto broader things down the road.

8.) What I Wore [Personal Style]

URL: http://whatiwore.tumblr.com/ (No custom domain? For shame!)

Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 10,849)
Main income source: Advertisements, affiliate links?
Since Im not into fashion blogs all that much, what I can tell you most about this site is that the
authors personality dominates.
Its a personal fashion blog, so that makes sense, but the general principle here is that her
personality is inserted without pause.
Every post is flooded with the author, and it makes the case that a strong personality (and taste)
can make for a great unique selling proposition, even in a crowded niche like this.

9.) Nature Moms Blog [Natural Living + Family Life]

URL: http://naturemoms.com/blog/
Approx. Subscribers: 5,000+
Main income source: Advertisements
Mommy bloggers is a term I hate, but if youre taking your content and your site seriously, I
can definitely love the work youre doing.
Thats the case with this blog, from design to content, Tiffany is delivering the goods.
I like the two-niche combo going on here, something to learn from most definitely.
Instead of going the health or mommy blogger route, the author did both, taking two typical
ingredients and making a very unique recipe.

10.) AutoBlog [Automobiles]

URL: http://www.autoblog.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 1,766) [Likely much higher]
Main income source: Advertisements
What guy doesnt love a sweet looking ride?
Autoblog fills a big need for a big audience of automobile fanatics.
I see so many bloggers who are against news sites, and while Im also in favor of creating
evergreen content, when you are dominating a specific niche well, your blog is certainly
capable of breaking news, even if those posts wont generate lifetime traffic.

11.) Art Of Manliness [Mens Lifestyle]

URL: http://artofmanliness.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 150,000+
Main income source: Affiliate links, advertisements, product sales
A mens lifestyle blog that as absolutely nailed the concept of a strong and memorable unique
selling proposition.
In addition, this blog is the opposite of the autoblog above it (not in audience, those are similar!).
What I mean is, Brett focuses on almost entirely evergreen content, writing very long and indepth articles that address topics that matter to men, and that wont be changing anytime soon.
This kind of content ensures that people can find old articles and still be wowed by the
information there, and it is a strategy that has paid off very well for Brett, as AoM is now a
whole different beast with hundreds of thousands of readers.

12.) StudyHacks [School & Career Success]

URL: http://calnewport.com/blog/
Approx. Subscribers: 26,000+
Main income source: Book sales
I am actually a consistent reader of Cal Newports blog (known as StudyHacks), although
recently he has moved on to career hacks in that he addresses career and job advice over
studying in college.
One thing I love about Cals blog is that is isnt afraid to speak out against the status quo, yet
only does so when he has data and a strong argument to present.
He doesnt stir up controversy just to do so, yet many of his posts are controversial because he
cites evidence that goes against a lot of beliefs that we often hold. (For instance, he doesnt
believe in Following your passion, that definitely threw me for a loop!)

13.) FarmVille Freak [FarmVille]

URL: http://farmvillefreak.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 770) [Focus is on the Facebook page, which sits at
425,000+]
Main income source: Product sales
Ugh it pains me to write about this one, but Ill try to remain unbiased.
This is one of those examples about becoming a hub for something extremely popular, in this
case, FarmVille.
Being a source of FarmVille news and tips worked out well for this site, as it has for many in the
past.
One word of caution: you have to take into consideration how long certain topics will remain in
popularity.
If FarmVille is forgotten, this site will lose its purpose, not so with evergreen content.
Still, blogs that become a big part of a fanbases enjoyment for popular topics can live a long
time, look at things like Pokemon (the kids game) or Madden NFL (another video game) which
have been around for years and show no signs of slowing down.

14.) Cute Overload [Baby Animals & Pets]

URL: http://cuteoverload.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 462,270) [Woah!]
Main income source: Advertisements
Ah, cute animals, overlords of the internet.
CuteOverload, one of the originators of the cute animal blogs, obviously understood the appeal
of tumblogs far before the trend set in.
Thats the point Id like to make here: tumblogs (blogs that focus on short updates and are
generally media rich) can be extremely effective if they niche down and dominate a popular
topic.
Music blogs, photoblogs, and video blogs are all of this variety, as their short updates usually
come daily and focus on media over lengthy articles.
They are harder to get initial traffic to (as guest blogging sometimes isnt as effective), but when
they take off, they can become BIG.

15.) Supersonic Electronic [Art & Art Culture]

URL: http://supersonicelectronic.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 2,582)
Main income source: Product sales
Another blog I randomly check from time to time, the art featured here can be pretty amazing
(Warning: it is sometimes Not Safe For Work).
As an art blog, this site initially made its name with top quality selections and acted as a great
promotion method for new artists.
Later, with an established name, people now submit their art in hopes of being featured.
I found this to be the exact case with my electronic music blog, as when I grew in popularity,
people messaged ME about getting featured, rather than the other way around.

16.) Stereogum [Indie & Alternative Music]

URL: http://stereogum.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 57,076)
Main income source: Paid promotion, affiliate links, advertisements
This ones a biggie!
The big breakthrough for this site was being early in the scene, and breaking a lot of big artists
first (Arcade Fire and the like).
this site also knows their audience really well, and manages to always please despite the difficult
task of selecting music that their audience will like.

17.) WPBeginner [WordPress Tutorials]

URL: http://www.wpbeginner.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 210) [Focus on social media pages, which are
quite popular]
Main income source: Affiliate links, advertisements, WP services
A pretty popular site for WordPress newbies.
The big point to be made here is that creating a site for beginners is always a good idea if its
done well, because there will always be new beginners, so your audience can only grow (as long
as your topic stays popular, which WordPress has).

18.) Skepchick [Atheism + Secularism]

URL: http://skepchick.org/
Approx. Subscribers: 11,000+
Main income source: Advertisements
One trend I noticed in the WordPress community is that Christianity seems to be a popular topic,
and many pastors seem to get involved in blogging and web development.
I dont really have a comment, just something I noticed.
This blog takes the opposite approach and is all about atheism, and creates post on atheist news
and issues.

19.) DeSmogBlog [Environment & Pollution]

URL: http://www.desmogblog.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 407) [Focus is on the newsletter]
Main income source: Book sales
Featured on Times Best Blogs of 2011, it got a lot of press for stirring up a very heated issue.
Great way to gain notoriety for a blog: pick a hot topic and stir up some debate, while still
maintaining integrity by not being overly aggressive or indigent.

20.) Listverse [Random Top 10 Lists]

URL: http://listverse.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 7,654) [Focus on social media]
Main income source: Advertisements
If there was ever a site that showcases the power of List Posts, here it is!
One thing even I dont get is that this site gets authors to guest post, but doesnt even give them
a link
Apparently getting your opinion in front of a big audience is the only reward, something to
consider when crowdsourcing for your own site.

21.) Smitten Kitchen [Personal Cooking]

URL: http://smittenkitchen.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 205,082) [Yowza!]
Main income source: Book sales
Smitten Kitchen is one of those blogs that might have actually greatly benefitted from Pinterest
(whereas most dont), because not only does Deb throw down some delicious recipes, her
personal photos are well done and made to be shared.
This blog has gotten a lot of press, and one main thing the authors tout is their tiny kitchen.
This selling point related to a lot of folks: you can make great meals even in a small kitchen.

It made this blog more real than those cooking shows with giant kitchens and pre-chopped
ingredients.

22.) Canvas of Light [Travel + Photography]

URL: http://www.canvas-of-light.com/category/blog/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 424) [Focus on social media]
Main income source: e-Book sales, photography services
Photo travel blogs are a dime a dozen, and Canvas of Light made the cut here because the photos
are amazing.
Nothing much I can add here, other than the author goes all out and has a lot of talent.
Great example of taking an excellent skill and making a truly memorable blog out of it.

23.) Yoga Dork [Yoga]

URL: http://www.yogadork.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 1,740)
Main income source: Advertisements, affiliate links
Yoga was (and still is) one of those absolute prime topics for somebody to take over with great
content and smart marketing know-how.
YogaDork does a great job, but this is one I still feel there is big room for.
This site creates excellent how-to as well as news related posts (whos doing yoga, new products,
etc.)
Just an overall great example of tapping into a topic of growing popularity and keeping things
entertaining.

24.) Eat, Sleep, Draw [Drawing]

URL: http://eatsleepdraw.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 675) [Tumblr blog, focuses on followers over
RSS reader]
Main income source: Advertisements/paid promotion
I suck at drawing. Luckily, my brother was blessed with the ability, so Ive been able to enjoy
watching someone talented draw for most of my life, which Ive enjoyed because I love
traditional drawn art.
Eat, Sleep, Draw caters to people like me, and unsurprisingly, to actual artists as well.
Showcasing a clean, simple format, ESD focuses on reader submissions, another great example
of using your platform to get exposure for others, and using their submissions as a crowdsource
method for your content.

25.) Fluent In 3 Months [Language Learning]

URL: http://www.fluentin3months.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 2,083)
Main income source: Book sales, affiliate links
Proof positive that if you tackle a tough topic with relentless consistency, youre guaranteed to
find success.
There are some topics out there that I think are just prime for blogs to take over, but theyve been
vacant for so long because nobody with the right skills has stepped up to the plate.
Hobbies & skills that require (imagine that) actual skills have a way higher barrier to entry.
The thing is, if you do get into them (and have something to offer), youll face limited
competition, and if you know your marketing, you will flourish.

26.) Make [DIY Projects]

URL: http://blog.makezine.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 981) [Likely much higher]
Main income source: Advertisements, sales on site
Probably one of the leading sites in DIY examples, Im not too familiar in this space so I cant be
sure.
I know Makezine is pretty popular, so it would stand to reason that their blog would be too.
DIYers, this is definitely one to take notes from (notice the curation + article content here as
well).

27.) Ray Wenderlich [iOS & iPhone Development]

URL: http://www.raywenderlich.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 5,948)
Main income source: Store
This is one of those you need to be an expert topics that I was talking about above.
Not surprisingly, Ray Wenderlich is and expert and is blog is very popular for people in the field.
Hes taking his knowledge in a growing topic, displayed his expertise, and uses good blogging
practices.
How can he fail?
If you can do the same thing in another topic, how can you fail?

28.) Arseblog [Arsenal Soccer]

URL: http://arseblog.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 1,382) [Focus on Facebook at 20k+]
Main income source: Book sales, advertisements
Great way to tackle a popular topic, without biting off more than you can chew.
If your a new blogger and thinking to yourself, Ill start a soccer blog!, I hate to be the dream
killer, but it doesnt work that way.
Focus is a fundamental key to blog success, being the king of your sub-niche and moving on to
broader topics (or even whole new sites) down the line.

29.) ThreadBanger [Knitting + DIY Fashion]

URL: http://www.threadbanger.com/blog
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 1,697)
Main income source: Advertisements
All of you DIY fashionistas are probably already familiar with this one (wait do any fashion
forward people read my marketing blog?)
This may seem well, I dunno how it seems, but let me just say that I think women (and
womens topics) are the future in blogging.
Topics that have been stereotyped as for geeky males have been covered to death and are very
competitive: that group of people have always known how to set up and run websites.
Thats why blogs about gaming & tech are so saturated.

30.) The Brothers Brick [Lego & Lego Creations]

URL: http://www.brothers-brick.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 8,839)
Main income source: Advertisements
A blog on Lego! (Note: not legos, Lego aficionados will drill you for that on ;))
Wow, if this doesnt prove that you can literally start a blog on any popular topic, I dont know
what does.
As your newly minted social media blog flounders among a million others, this Lego blog is
showing you how to cater to an audience of Lego fans who have been looking for a hub to see
new creations and products.

31.) Nomadic Matt [Frugal Traveling Tips]

URL: http://www.nomadicmatt.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 13,000+
Main income source: Affiliate links, store, advertisements
Combining frugal + travel tips was a great way for Matt to stand out in the travel niche, and its
worked really for him.
Another topic + sub-topic blog thats used smart marketing knowledge to get traffic and build
an email list in a niche that has a ton of competition.
Notice the clean and simple blog design, proof positive that you neednt go overboard with
cluttered design in order to build something successful.

32.) The Style Blogger [Mens Fashion]

URL: http://www.thestyleblogger.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 3,168)
Main income source: Advertisements, store, affiliate links
Another area that I feel could really be taken over with the right blogger, mens fashion is a hot
topic that has lots of things to sell.
Ive heard a ton of criticism about this guys fashion sense, but it doesnt matter: he has a large
audience that does enjoy his fashion tips and photographs.
A great example of appealing to those who actually enjoy your content, and ignoring the haters.

33.) Phil Galfond [Poker]

URL: http://www.philgalfond.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 424) [Focus on his Twitter]
Main income source: None (personal blog, Poker could use another blog!)
As an avid poker player myself, this is another area I would love to see a home grown blog
take over in, all you get in the poker results now are ways to play online.
If youve ever dreamed of writing a poker book, what better way than to build an audience with
poker articles?
Phil is more personal with his site, not looking to monetize in any way (yet), but still building
a very active audience of poker fans.

34.) Lil Wanye HQ [Lil Wayne]

URL: http://www.lilwaynehq.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 867) [Focus on Facebook page at 100k+]
Main income source: Advertisements
Yes, you read that correctly.
With a Facebook page of 100,000+, it seems as though there are enough Lil Wayne fans as to
warrant a site that updates on nothing but him!
I cant hate, this site does a lot of things right in terms of appealing to a very specific audience,
but that doesnt mean I have to like his music!

35.) Expert Enough [Skill Acquisition]

URL: http://expertenough.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 2,000+
Main income source: Product sales, affiliate links
The recent pet project of Corbett & Caleb of ThinkTraffic, this blog showcases two very unique
learning points.
The first is that launching a blog can be a process in and of itself. Corbett & Caleb took the
launch very seriously, promoting it heavily with a big guest post on ZenHabits and a huge first
post featuring a ton of folks (whom then shared the post they were featured in).
The other lesson is to listen to your audience, as initially they were going to start a new blog on
Blog Design, but fans responded that another blog design blog was going to be boring.
The team listened, and came up with a much better concept (IMO).

36.) Money Saving Mom [Budgeting + Personal Finance]

URL: http://moneysavingmom.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 10,360)
Main income source: Affiliate links, advertisements
Ah, I had to add a personal finance blog to the list, but I wanted to stray from the making
money types as they resemble MMO too much in some instances.
MoneySavingMom fit the bill, because it is a very focused personal finance site, with a huge
emphasis on saving dough on day-to-day things.
Their narrow mindedness has been more rewarding than limiting, as the blog is super popular
and puts out fresh content continuously.

37.) PSD Tuts+ [Photoshop Tutorials]

URL: http://psd.tutsplus.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 165,000+
Main income source: Premium access, affiliate links, ads, Envato marketplace
When you have a popular program as expansive as Photoshop, its only right that there should be
a blog that uncovers awesome tricks of the trade to using it properly.
With over 165,000 RSS readers, it seems the PSD Tuts+ audience agrees with me.
The Envato team are a super smart group of folks, definitely follow along with what theyre up
to, they know how to run a business.
Their content marketing efforts like this (which aims to get people to subscribe to a premium
membership and buy things from their GraphicRiver design marketplace) are really effective and
have helped them grow sales tremendously.

38.) Audio Tuts+ [Audio Production Tutorials]

URL: http://audio.tutsplus.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 12,000+
Main income source: Premium access, affiliate links, ads, Envato marketplace
For the sake of originality, I was hesitant to include another Tuts+ blog, but the smart content
marketing/blogging examples they serve are just too good.
In order to help with the launch of another marketplace (AudioJungle, for royalty free music),
the team launched AudioTuts+.
This content has sent a lot of interested readers back to the AudioJungle site and definitely
helped in creating a lot of first time and repeat customers (such as myself!)

39.) Cats Who Code [Code + Web Development]

URL: http://www.catswhocode.com/blog/
Approx. Subscribers: 17,000+
Main income source: Advertisements
There are a couple of web development blogs to choose from, but who doesnt like cats who
can code.
This quirky twist on a standard topic and some simply excellent content has made Cats Who
Code a go to site for web devs.
Nothing fancy here, just a funny twist, simple design, and content that delivers.

40.) Garfield Minus Garfield [Humor]

URL: http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 17,123)
Main income source: Book sales
I had to add at least one totally strange blog up here!
Garfield Minus Garfield is the epitome of humor blogs in my opinion, because it creates nothing
original, it actually just takes Garfield out of his own strip, revealing what seems to be a very
delusion and nihilistic Jon Arbuckle!
This strange humor has to be seen to be believed, and if thats not enough, Jim Davis has allowed
the site to publish and sell a book of the comics! (Im sure he gets a piece, but still, thats just
funny in itself)

41.) Universe Today [Space & Astronomy]

URL: http://www.universetoday.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 69,000+
Main income source: Advertisements
Who doesnt love space?!
I was so glad to find this blog, this is another topic where people seem to just avoid blogging
about it, despite space & astronomy being immensely popular.
You cant get more basic than this either, this blog consists of an unedited Thesis theme with a
basic logo and thats it.

42.) Pretty Much Amazing [Independent & Trendsetting

Music]

URL: http://prettymuchamazing.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 1,688) [Likely much higher, focus on social
media)
Main income source: Affiliate links, advertisements
Lofty topic title, but appropriate.
Pretty Much amazing focuses on breaking music, and its site features are a huge draw, which is
the main takeaway from this site.
It includes a radio + shuffle feature thats fairly unique for a site of this style.
The point: a unique feature can make a site stand out even if its content can be found elsewhere.
Presentation matters as much as the meat does, keep that in mind.

43.) Ecoki [Green Lifestyle / Eco-Lifestyle]

URL: http://ecoki.com/
Approx. Subscribers: 2,000+
Main income source: Shop
The green living space is big right now, and definitley growing.
I chose a startup blog over some bigger options because lets face it, a list of giant blogs would
be boring.
I love how the design of Ecoki speaks to its content AND to its audience, remember what
people are reading about when creating the look of your site.

44.) Sirlin.net [Competitive Gaming & Game Design]

URL: http://www.sirlin.net/
Approx. Subscribers: Unknown (Multiple feeds, should be optimized better!)
Main income source: Store
There are a huge number of gaming blogs I could have picked, but this is one of the most
interesting, and a stellar example of good content marketing at work.
David Sirlin is a professional game player (and now designer) who has created numerous card
and board games, which he now sells to his audience via his site and other places.
How he got his started? Creating incredibly viral articles on game design such as the
controversial Playing To Win series (an excellent read for even non-gamers).

45.) Dread Central [Horror Movies]

URL: http://www.dreadcentral.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 1,216) [Focus on Facebook with 16k+)
Main income source: Shop, advertisements
A nice spin on the generic Movie Review blog, a site that knows how to niche down,
focusing exclusively on Horror content.
Honestly, few people are going to care about your random movie reviews on something that
came out 10 years (or even 10 minutes) ago.
But, if you are the go-to place for a specific set of movies (catering to a specific set of fans),
people will value your opinion and come back for more.

46.) Reality Tea [Reality Television Stars]

URL: http://www.realitytea.com/
Approx. Subscribers: Unknown (Received an error, Facebook page at 9k+)
Main income source: Advertisements
Ugh, I guess I had to feature at least one of these (I hate gossip blogs, as well as they seem to
do).
Not much to comment here, other than that popular topics = popular blogs, as long as they break
through that hump and having something unique to offer.
Instead of being a basic gossip blog, the focus here is on reality TV, another niching it down
example that does it right.

47.) Startup Quote [Images + Quotes]

URL: http://startupquote.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 1,303) [Tumblr blog, focus on followers over
RSS reader]
Main income source: Advertisements
Fantastic use of good design work to build a popular blog around original design content (not
just posting finds from others).
I also like the showcase of the power of images here.
Images often get shared far beyond the blog itself, and their spread on the internet is very
powerful.
StartupQuote has a great strategy with this, creating unique images that are super shareable, and
putting a subtle shout out to their own site in each one (so you know the source).

48.) ZenHabits [Minimalism + Personal Development]

URL: http://zenhabits.net/
Approx. Subscribers: 240,000+
Main income source: Book sales
If ever I should add a personal development blog (many of which I think are garbage), it would
be the grandaddy of them all, ZenHabits.
Leo has done a lot of things different (or first), from the most minimal blog design ever to
making all of his content copyright free, this site goes far beyond creating great content in
terms of standing out.

49.) GoinsWriter [Writing]

URL: http://goinswriter.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader feed: 587) [Focus on email list over RSS]
Main income source: Book sales, advertisements
There are a lot of great writing blogs, but Jeffs site is great because its apparent to anyone that
Jeff knows his marketing.
Email forms, riveting (and sometimes controversial) content, a focus on writing for the modern
reader, this site does a lot of things right.
Theres also a lot of personality here, proving that building a brand around yourself can be a
fantastic USP.

Wait, Could You Do This For Your Site?

One important thing to remember is that these examples arent far fetched lofts that are
unreachable by normal bloggers.
All of these sites (big and small) were started by someone or a small group of folks, and theres
no stopping you from doing the same if you focus on your topic and your strategy.
So, could you break down your own site in this way?

50.) This Song Is Sick [Hip-Hop & Dance Music]

URL: http://thissongissick.com/
Approx. Subscribers: (Google Reader count: 2,359) [Likely much, much higher]
Main income source: Advertisements, ticket sales, merchandise, sponsored events
Only a guy truly interested in your success would blog about the competition ;).
While this blog doesnt directly compete with Sophistefunk, it is in a similar space, and as such I
know a lot about it.
This is without a doubt one of the biggest dance/electronic music blogs out there, and often is a
sponsor to huge events like the Ultra concert among many others.
The emphasis is on song premieres, which it gets easily due to its size.
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