When you think of celebrity gossip, the first name that usually comes to mind is Perez Hilton.
Mr. Hilton has built an empire on sharing who the latest winner of The Bachelor was seen dining with last night or what that hot new Rapper was caught doing at the Grammys.
While anyone can (and does) share celebrity gossip, Perez Hilton not only has his finger on the pulse of what is happening, but also has a unique connection with his audience -- plus he got his start as a blogger.
If you are trying to take over a niche yourself, it cannot hurt to look at what lessons you can learn from Perez.
Find a Topic Where Popularity Meets Passion
If you want to succeed in dominating a niche, it must be a niche that has a following, of course. However, there is more to it than that.
You need to be passionate about the topic that you will be working with every day. After all, if it is not something you feel that passion about, how will you manage to give it your all every day?
Perez loves following the celebrities, and plenty of people out there are eager for the latest celebrity dish, so it was a natural fit for him.
Be Consistent
More important than how often you blog or update your page is how consistent you are in doing so. Do not promise more than you can offer.
Let your audience be pleasantly surprised when you post a new piece each time you are scheduled to do so. Perez updates us every day (multiple times, in fact), but he does have an entire staff who helps him. Pick a schedule you can stick to -- and stick to it.
Put a Unique Spin on an Old Topic
Few new topics or niches out there do not already have someone covering them. That means that if you want to stand out from the crowd, you must put a unique spin on that same old topic.
Hilton did this by giving a new millennium feel to the old gossip column. He was a fresh voice for the people and unlike anything that had been seen before.
Just Be Yourself
Do not work too hard trying to duplicate what someone else is doing. Being yourself is the most important thing you can do. After all, while you may be able to pull of imitating someone else for a while, you will not be able to stick with it.
However, if you are being yourself, you will find it is natural to maintain that consistent voice.
Do not Be Afraid to Provoke Emotion
Perez is not afraid to write or state something provocative about one of the big celebrities. He is also capable of writing a tearjerker about a recently deceased celeb.
Provoking emotion is one of the keys to connecting with your readers and making a big impact -- no matter what your particular niche.
Experiment
If you are not getting the results you desire, do not be afraid to make a change. This may mean experimenting with new platforms, layouts, topics or advertising plans.
Everything is changeable and until you figure out what works, you shouldn't feel bad about making those changes.
Perez did not come out of the gates as the big, powerful blogger that he is. His first attempts at connecting with an audience did not achieve much. He kept at it, made changes and eventually figured out the best way to succeed.
Expand Your Brand
Do not feel like a blog is as far as you can go, or a webpage is the biggest goal you could hope to achieve. Expand your brand far beyond the original scope of your blog or page.
Make guest posts, cross over into other platforms and see where else you can connect to people who may be the key to helping you achieve success -- both today, and into the future.
Each of these things is something that Perez has done, nearly from day one. If you want to take over a niche, following the path of Perez Hilton cannot possibly hurt. However, while looking at his basic blueprint for success is a good way to achieve success, make sure you do not go overboard.
Do not lose track of YOUR mission and YOUR goals. Your topic is likely different than his, so you may need to do something a little different to achieve the best results as you move to dominate your own niche.