Thinking about starting a fitness blog/site. Opinions?

Your website will be number 114243215021594 in the fitness niche, so I recommend doing something original and unique or let it be.

Hey, great question and thanks for asking it.
You're absolutely right, there is huge competition in this niche (really it's an entire market) but that doesn't have to hold you back.

You've got passion and direct knowledge of the subject, so you'll have no problems coming up with original content. But with the sheer amount of competition, I wouldn't rely to heavily on SEO and organic traffic, but look to drive traffic via social media and other outlets.

Lastly I'd suggest reaching out to private companies that sell products in your niche - not necessarily those found on huge affiliate network sites, and ask about an affiliate program. In my experience these companies can help you with great banners, solid commission rates, and excellent promotional tools.

Hope this helps!

I tend to agree with Online Addict. Fitness blogs are everywhere. You must dig down deep into the niche and differentiate what you're doing so you can position your business in a space where the competition is not so overwhelming.

If your motivation level drops fast when you don't see immediate results you are in for big disappointments in your Internet marketing. Patience is a virtue, especially in the early lean years of new businesses. Unless you have staying power and the tenacity to keep going with little payback, almost any business you start online is going to crash and burn.

I know that sounds negative and I'm really not trying to talk you out of your new career, but I'm afraid I've seen too many flameouts over my career in small business development of 35 years.

I wish you well,

Steve

Thanks for the replies, I'll have to rethink this

Just look at the guys who made the most money in the fitness niche, everyone of them was the first doing something new. Either new workouts, new diets(not "Cosmopolitan" diets, but real scientific proven diets that makes sense and can be done long-term), or whatever other new views on the subject. If you are unique and 1st, nobody can get to #1 in your expertise anymore, unless you get lazy and stop improving, because you will be always the #1 source everyone will refer to. Starting something unique is always worth the time, even if you have months with no visible results.

Focus on YOUR personal story and you might succeed. Don't just copy someone else's template. Weight loss can be VERY VERY PERSONAL. Own it. Come up with a very compelling narrative and get the word out.

If you're passionate about fitness and blogging about it, there will be NO obstacle bigger than you're drive and determination to make a difference in that niche. The biggest obstacle will be yourself. Are you willing to do what it takes to stand out? Are you passionate enough about fitness? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to succeed?

Everyone has their own story/background. Use that, be proud of it and you will always come up with something of value and original. Find successful people in that niche, see what they do, learn from it and emulate it in your life as well.

In my opinion, stop thinking, just take action now! Make it happen! :-)

You'll need to be more specific than 'fitness' and you probably wouldn't want to blog about everything fitness related. Ends up being too generic and vague trying to cover too many different topics instead of nailing something more specific.

Niche down into the fitness market and find something ultra specific you can focus on.

I.e.

Fitness > fitness for men > fitness for men aged 18-30 > fitness for men aged 18-30 who want a six pack.

I read about how the owner of NerdFitness started off a generic fitness blog and got no where. No visitors. Then he re-created it as 'Nerd' fitness and focused it around geeky and nerdy types who wanted to get fit and saw the site take off near instantly, now it's huge!

Find your angle. Be unique. You don't have to re-invent the wheel but you do have to be somewhat original and not just another blog re-hashing the same information that's available everywhere else.

You have the number one requirement for a successful blog and that is the personal passion for your subject. Are there a million other fitness or nutrition related blogs out there? Maybe so. But you can't look at that number. You have to focus on your own personal interest in the subject. Turn inward for your motivation to blog, not outward looking at what others have already done. Ask yourself, what do I know about this topic that other generic fitness/bodybuilding blogs aren't already talking about? Use the fitness/bodybuilding forums to find inspiration for your blog posts. What questions are people asking again and again? If these questions are coming up over and over, then that's something a huge audience would be interested in knowing answers to. And, that means, those questions are not being answered on the many other fitness/bodybuilding blogs out there. An additional idea, would be to chronicle your own fitness/bodybuilding journey on your blog. This adds a personal element that other generic fitness blogs won't have and lets your reader identify with you. Focus on the good content first, going beyond basics, appealing to the intermediate or advanced fitness/body building enthusiast and you will surpass all the other 'just getting into fitness' blogs out there.

Big thanks for the AMAZING replies. I think what Ill do is choose some sub-niche of fitness and create a blog around that. Once again, thank you everyone for the input!

Cheers