Why 95% Of Blogs Fail (And How I Found The Way Out)

Ninety-five percent of people starting niche blogging get this wrong. Picking a blogging niche even leaves a determined person spinning in circles. I know—because I’ve been there. I watched other bloggers find their stride while I kept flipping between ideas, trying to force something that “sounded good.”

For me, Setting Points was the one place where the niche felt right. Helping people discover niche blogging to supplement their retirement income was a natural fit, not a random topic. This blog is my journey: proof that any niche can be profitable with the right forethought, not just “hot topic” lists or wishes.

This is what I see too often: people launching blogs without guidance, none of them stick, and everyone feels like a gamble they could never afford to lose.

The Blind Squirrel Moment

There was a moment when one of those “luck favors the prepared” moments happened. Working diligently, the seas parted into what I now call the path to the 5% Club. I felt like a blind squirrel who finally found the acorn. It wasn’t perfect at first, but the door opened, and I recognized: this was something worth mapping out for others.

That led me to create The Amazing Niche Master Process. Not because I had all the answers right away, but because I realized I could chart the wrong turns I made so others wouldn’t repeat them. In doing so, I saw the same traps over and over in the blogging world, and I was determined to help you avoid them.

So yes, half of the insight I write now comes from what failed in my earlier tries when I lacked clarity, wandered into broad niches, or chased trendy but shallow topics. The other half is from refining what worked.

The Hard Truth: You Want Money, We All Do!

Let me drop a shocker: you want money. That’s okay. Be honest about it. But here’s the catch: you can’t chase money directly in blogging and expect it to last.

Money is a result. It’s proportionate to the number of people you truly help. Help no one, earn nothing. That’s not a feel-good quote; it’s the brutal arithmetic of niche blogging.

When people talk about blogging as an easy side hustle, they gloss over the work. This game demands willpower, consistency, and often decades of small incremental gains. It’s not glamorous.

Here is a little insight into what it takes to Walk This Road.

This is on my Wealthy Affiliate Blog Roll, where I am an Ambassador to over 1100 followers. Within these walls, some of the greatest bloggers reside. We are all helping people succeed in niche blogging and affiliate marketing.

Think about it: with over six trillion dollars in online revenue, there’s room for many players, if you’re willing to outwork, outperform, and outlast the distractions. But if you’re in it for the easy, inconsistent, or unfocused, you’ll just bleed effort and get nothing in return.

Some people are dedicated business builders. Others are people desperate for a quick fix. I’ve met both. The difference? One builds steadily. The other burns out.

The Core Lesson: It’s Not Effort, It’s Your Niche

For the decades that I have been blogging, I’ve seen tremendous effort still fail. The root cause wasn’t laziness. It was their niche.

Most folks make one of these three fatal mistakes early on:

1. Too Broad – Topics like “healthy living” or “making money online” cover every kind of content. You become a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, and your readers don’t know why to stay. You are here to Master Niche Blogging
2. Too Forced – Choosing something you don’t really care about, just because it was on a “profitable” Top 10 List somewhere, created this dead-end. You’ll run out of passion when the traffic is low and you’re exhausted.
3. Too Disconnected – Picking a niche with no tie to your life, your experience, or your voice. You don’t have stories, insight, or trust to offer, so readers drift away.

When you make one of these mistakes, you risk burnout, inconsistency, and a silent audience. You will quit and simply shake your head. You feel like you’re shouting into a void. And that’s exactly how 95% of blogs die. But what if there was a better way?

When you pair my niche selection process with any of the online blogging platforms, you will succeed. This is exactly what was missing when you first discovered niche blogging. Every site I have researched lures you in with the money that can be earned. They have you select a niche, set up your website, and tell you to use this template to create posts.

This seems easy enough, and you get started. Sound familiar?

I’ve got you. I provide a quick review of your blogging efforts and will issue an informal report with my recommendations for clarity. This is a free service that comes with a recommendation to “Read the Manual,” which is my book!

I learned that mastery is never “done.” It’s a long discipline. But it is sustainable when you are tied to the right niche. That niche is something that balances your experience, your interests, and genuine demand in the world. That’s how you join the 5%.

The 5% Club are those who pick a niche smartly, build steadily, ignore fleeting trends, and aren’t distracted by every shiny idea. They survive the droughts and ride the growth.

The 5% Club’s Secret

Every member of the 5% Club shares one trait: clarity.

It’s not more talent. It’s not working 20 hours a day. It’s not finding a magical niche no one else has thought of. It’s clarity.

Clarity means they know exactly who they’re writing for, what problem they’re solving, and how their blog delivers value in a way that stands out. They don’t waste years on guesswork, second-guessing, or chasing shiny lists of “profitable niches.”

That’s the real difference between the 95% who spin out and the 5% who stick around long enough to build something lasting.

Failure is Not Inevitable

Joining the 5% Club requires more than effort. It requires clarity.

👉 In my next post, I’ll reveal the 10 hidden dead ends that keep most bloggers stuck—and how clarity pulls you out of every single one.