You don’t need a niche (at least not like this)
People often misunderstand the phrase: find your niche...
Some phrases are used so many times that one may think, “Well, this advice should work if so many people talk about it.”
One of these phrases is:
Find your niche.
It seems logical. When you start a Substack, you have to know who you are writing for.
This has to be a specific group, because: everything for everyone is nothing for no one.
But the definition of ‘niche’ is often misunderstood.
Last week I read a book about this. It showed me three important things.
A niche IS NOT a demographic description
A niche IS a group of people with a shared interest
Need > target group
A niche IS NOT a demographic description
I asked Google to give me a definition of a niche. It said that a niche is “a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service.”
And that is what most people think of. They think a niche is something like:
Christian mothers
Husbands around 40
Men in their 20s
The idea is that the more specific you are, the better.
However…
Look at the following image:
These men have overlapping demographic characteristics, but they represent completely different target groups.
Even when you combine demographics, the problem remains.
A niche IS NOT a demographic description.
Does that mean demographics are not important?
They are important, but they’re not enough.
A niche IS a group of people with a shared interest
You need to combine demographics with a shared interest or need.
The need for a solution
The need for purpose
The need for change
For example:
Christian mothers → who want to live like Biblical women
Husbands around 40 → who want to become better fathers
Men in their 20s → who want to start writing
Why is this important? Because needs triggers emotions: something we desire or want to avoid.
Your blog provides answers to that need.
Need > target group
The need or interest matters more than the target group.
Let’s take this example: “Men in their 20s who want to start writing.”
Your blog needs to be easy to understand and affordable.
Why?
Because you are writing for beginners.
But here’s the question:
Why focus only on “men in their 20s”? It’s a logical target if you want to reach new bloggers.
But are young men the only ones who want to start blogging?
Probably not.
There are also women who want to start blogging.
And there are also many men in their 40s who want to do so.
That is why you should focus on the need rather than the target group.
Need
Target group
Remember:
A niche IS NOT a demographic description
A niche IS a group of people with a shared interest
Need > target group