Picking a Niche - Interest Based - NOT PRODUCT!
Picking a niche was the biggest task I faced in my first 3 months of joining WA!
The technical keyword searches, getting a domain set up & developing your first site seemed pretty easy with the step-by-step guides available on the WA training. A lot of perseverance will get you quite with the technical aspects.
But having to USE MY OWN BRAIN to come up with an idea all of my own seemed impossible. People just can't teach you how to do that. It really isn't a one fits all process.
I went through all the scenarios and had all the thoughts that most new members seems to have: What will I sell? How can I help people? Will I get bored with writing? Will I run out of ideas?
I followed the training and looked through Amazon's product lists, which is just about the only way to actually give any universal guidance on where to start with picking a niche. But nothing jumped out at me.
So, a couple of months in and I've picked my first niche, set up my first website and since then I've come up with a couple more idea. Each new niche idea came to me when I was writing content for my first website.
That's when I realised that my obsession with focusing on a product in my first couple of weeks really stalled my natural thinking. Essentially you have to write A LOT about your niche so it really is easier if you already think about things within that niche.
Obsessing about a product might lead you into an area that is a real task for you to write about.
So have a think about:
What kind of things do you talk to your friends about?
- Weight
- Fashion
- Food
- Sports
- Relationships
- Traveling
- Beauty
- Money
These days everyone googles EVERYTHING! So have a think about what you might google about the particular things you already talk about?
- Why do I get fat from eating carbs but my friends don't?
- What's the best sports bra?
- What food is best for digestive problems?
- Who might win the Premier League this year?
- How do I find a girlfriend in a small town?
- What's the number one thing to see in New York?
- How do I get smoother skin?
- How is the best way to sell my old things on the internet?
If you can drill down to a particular topic of an area you're already interested in then you're on your way. For example:
- Maybe you've previously done the 5:2 diet with success - Weight: the 5:2 diet
- You like fashion and running - Fashion: Sportswear
- You love food but struggle to find vegan recipes - Food: Vegan Diet
- You love a particular sports team - Sports: Arsenal FC
- You're single and have some advice for fellow singledoms - Relationships: Single females under 30
- You love travel, in particular one destination - Traveling: All things New York
- You love make up but hate animal testing - Beauty: Cruelty Free Make up
- You've had some success selling stuff online - Money:a guide of where to buy and sell
So what will you sell?
- Maybe you've previously done the 5:2 diet with success - Weight: the 5:2 diet
- Diet Plans
- Blenders
- Groceries
- Healthy eating out
- You like fashion and running - Fashion: Sportswear
- Sports bras
- Yoga pants
- Running trainers
- Winter running clothes
- You love food but struggle to find vegan recipes - Food: Vegan Diet
- Diet plans
- Food
- Cookware
- You love a particular sports team - Sports: Arsenal FC
- Posters
- Tour tickets
- Merchendise
- Football shirts
- You're single and have some advice for fellow singledoms - Relationships: Single females under 30
- Membership to dating sites
- Ideas for solo days out
- You love travel, in particular one destination - Traveling: All things New York
- Flights
- Hotels
- Attraction Tickets
- Travel clothes
- You love make up but hate animal testing - Beauty: Cruelty Free Make up
- Make up
- Brushes
- Other animal friendly products
- You've had some success selling stuff online - Money:a guide of where to buy and sell
- WA memberships
- Books to buying and selling
- Online guides to making money
Writing this with hindsight obviously makes the world of difference but I really wish I'd spent more time just paying attention to my daily life and picked some recurring themes as a way to start thinking about a niche!
So put the products down for now and just let your mind wonder!
Good luck :)
Recent Comments
3
This is my current struggle. Thanks for posting this. Gives me a fresh way to look at niche selection.
-Daniel
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the comment. I really feel your pain. I had no idea where to start. I knew what I liked to spend my money on so I focused on that but it really wasn't the way to go.
I changed my approach and started paying attention to what I talk/moan/think about and the ideas started flowing
:)
See more comments
Just found your post - thanks, that helps with my thinking. Settling on a niche really is the hardest part!