{"id":459,"date":"2017-08-04T03:20:53","date_gmt":"2017-08-04T07:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/chapter\/the-big-picture-topic-voice\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T15:41:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T20:41:06","slug":"the-big-picture-topic-voice","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/chapter\/the-big-picture-topic-voice\/","title":{"raw":"4.4 The Big Picture: Topic &amp; Voice","rendered":"4.4 The Big Picture: Topic &amp; Voice"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"h1_line\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_344\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"368\"]<a href=\"http:\/\/www.breakfastwithnick.com\"><img class=\"wp-image-457 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2017\/08\/BreakfastWithNick.jpg\" alt=\"Breakfast with Nick blog\" width=\"368\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a> Several years after creating his blog Breakfast with Nick, Columbus blogger Nick Dekker now breaks 100,000 pageviews per month.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nColumbus blogger Nick Dekker started his blog Breakfast with Nick in 2007 as a hobby. He grew up loving breakfast and started the blog as a way to remember the places he\u2019d been and his experiences. Dekker now breaks 100,000 pageviews a month on his blog, has more than 11,000 followers on his related Instagram account and receives requests for sponsored content. He also published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1450799523\/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sout?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_sout-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1450799523&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2\">guidebook to breakfast<\/a> in Columbus in 2011.\r\n\r\nAn individual or a brand looking to launch a new blog should ask a few questions to hone in on a sustainable topic and voice:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What do I know?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What\u2019s my personality?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What am I passionate about?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Who is my intended audience?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>How much time do I have to devote to this?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>What skills do I have (i.e., writing, editing, photography, technology)?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nJust like other platforms, blogs should define an intended audience (or two or three, but that\u2019s about the max). For Dekker, this audience is anyone living in Columbus or traveling to Columbus. \u201cI always think of people in the city and helping them discover a new favorite spot, get to know new places that have opened or rediscover an old favorite,\u201d says Dekker, noting the trend of using food to get to know places. With that audience in mind and knowing that 75 percent of his readers live in Columbus, Dekker uses his blog to help readers discover local food and things to do. This means he also provides images, addresses, websites, dietary restrictions and other logistical information since his readers often rely on the blog to find new places to eat.\r\n\r\nIn the video below, Dekker talks about the importance of finding a niche and establishing a trusted voice in that space.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">[iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AhvuD_JDKnI?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"]<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/AhvuD_JDKnI\">Nick Dekker YouTube Interview<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"text-align: center\">Breakfast with Nick blogger Nick Dekker talks about blogging.<\/p>\r\nDekker says he follows advice he received early on from a fellow food blogger: the best thing you can do for your readers is to be honest and consistent. \u201cIf I gush about every place I go, it won\u2019t seem honest. Having a trusted voice has helped me build a readership,\u201d says Dekker. The voice in his blog \u2013 laid back, honest and passionate about food \u2013 built a niche that set Dekker apart from other resources offering formal culinary instruction or restaurant critiques.\r\n\r\nLauren Powers runs Columbus style and travel blog <a href=\"http:\/\/www.anexplorersheart.com\/\">An Explorer\u2019s Heart<\/a>. She notes that a defined target audience is also helpful if the goal is to monetize the blog because brands appreciate knowing who you\u2019re targeting with the content. Polaris Fashion Place, AMC Theatres and Modcloth are among the brands that sponsor Powers\u2019 posts because they\u2019re interested in the target audience she reaches.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_347\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"440\"]<a href=\"http:\/\/www.anexplorersheart.com\/\"><img class=\"wp-image-458 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2021\/01\/AnExplorersHeart.jpg\" alt=\"An Explorer's Heart\" width=\"440\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a> Local blogger Lauren Powers rebranded her blog into An Explorer's Heart to focus more on her key topics of style and travel.[\/caption]","rendered":"<div class=\"h1_line\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_344\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-344\" style=\"width: 368px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.breakfastwithnick.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-457 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2017\/08\/BreakfastWithNick.jpg\" alt=\"Breakfast with Nick blog\" width=\"368\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2017\/08\/BreakfastWithNick.jpg 368w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2017\/08\/BreakfastWithNick-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2017\/08\/BreakfastWithNick-65x53.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2017\/08\/BreakfastWithNick-225x183.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2017\/08\/BreakfastWithNick-350x285.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 368px) 100vw, 368px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-344\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Several years after creating his blog Breakfast with Nick, Columbus blogger Nick Dekker now breaks 100,000 pageviews per month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Columbus blogger Nick Dekker started his blog Breakfast with Nick in 2007 as a hobby. He grew up loving breakfast and started the blog as a way to remember the places he\u2019d been and his experiences. Dekker now breaks 100,000 pageviews a month on his blog, has more than 11,000 followers on his related Instagram account and receives requests for sponsored content. He also published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1450799523\/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sout?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_sout-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1450799523&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2\">guidebook to breakfast<\/a> in Columbus in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>An individual or a brand looking to launch a new blog should ask a few questions to hone in on a sustainable topic and voice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What do I know?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s my personality?<\/li>\n<li>What am I passionate about?<\/li>\n<li>Who is my intended audience?<\/li>\n<li>How much time do I have to devote to this?<\/li>\n<li>What skills do I have (i.e., writing, editing, photography, technology)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just like other platforms, blogs should define an intended audience (or two or three, but that\u2019s about the max). For Dekker, this audience is anyone living in Columbus or traveling to Columbus. \u201cI always think of people in the city and helping them discover a new favorite spot, get to know new places that have opened or rediscover an old favorite,\u201d says Dekker, noting the trend of using food to get to know places. With that audience in mind and knowing that 75 percent of his readers live in Columbus, Dekker uses his blog to help readers discover local food and things to do. This means he also provides images, addresses, websites, dietary restrictions and other logistical information since his readers often rely on the blog to find new places to eat.<\/p>\n<p>In the video below, Dekker talks about the importance of finding a niche and establishing a trusted voice in that space.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">[iframe src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AhvuD_JDKnI?rel=0&#8243; width=&#8221;560&#8243; height=&#8221;315&#8243; allowfullscreen=&#8221;allowfullscreen&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/AhvuD_JDKnI\">Nick Dekker YouTube Interview<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"text-align: center\">Breakfast with Nick blogger Nick Dekker talks about blogging.<\/p>\n<p>Dekker says he follows advice he received early on from a fellow food blogger: the best thing you can do for your readers is to be honest and consistent. \u201cIf I gush about every place I go, it won\u2019t seem honest. Having a trusted voice has helped me build a readership,\u201d says Dekker. The voice in his blog \u2013 laid back, honest and passionate about food \u2013 built a niche that set Dekker apart from other resources offering formal culinary instruction or restaurant critiques.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren Powers runs Columbus style and travel blog <a href=\"http:\/\/www.anexplorersheart.com\/\">An Explorer\u2019s Heart<\/a>. She notes that a defined target audience is also helpful if the goal is to monetize the blog because brands appreciate knowing who you\u2019re targeting with the content. Polaris Fashion Place, AMC Theatres and Modcloth are among the brands that sponsor Powers\u2019 posts because they\u2019re interested in the target audience she reaches.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_347\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-347\" style=\"width: 440px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.anexplorersheart.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-458 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2021\/01\/AnExplorersHeart.jpg\" alt=\"An Explorer's Heart\" width=\"440\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2021\/01\/AnExplorersHeart.jpg 440w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2021\/01\/AnExplorersHeart-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2021\/01\/AnExplorersHeart-65x44.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2021\/01\/AnExplorersHeart-225x153.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1233\/2021\/01\/AnExplorersHeart-350x239.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 440px) 100vw, 440px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-347\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Local blogger Lauren Powers rebranded her blog into An Explorer&#8217;s Heart to focus more on her key topics of style and travel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["mary-sterenberg"],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[62],"license":[55],"class_list":["post-459","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-mary-sterenberg","license-cc-by-nc"],"part":330,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/459\/revisions\/482"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/330"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/459\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=459"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=459"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/writingforpublicrelations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}