How to pic a niche for yourself

20 replies
So you are worrying about what niche to pick for yourself? What are the best keywords, best strategies etc...

Just pick a problem YOU have and SOLVE IT for yourself! There you have it! That's your niche. You know the problem, you can relate to your future clients now because you have been there, done that. You can be an expert! You can help others solve the same problem.

Is that so hard??

Of course it's easier to just copy what others are doing and go to Internet marketing niche or weight loss niche where you have no knowledge completely or a new "HOT" niche... Yeah that might be where the trend is going but so do will most of your competitors will!

Stop being a sheep, you think that you go away from the 9-5 so you will no longer be sheep, you will, you still listen to what is the new hot trend and just follow it blindly..
#niche #pic
  • Profile picture of the author Trixxie12
    Less aggression please.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878501].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
      Originally Posted by Trixxie12 View Post

      Less aggression please.
      Can't take criticism?

      If someone is offended that means it's pretty likely you are one of the people I talk about.. No one wants to offend anyone here, just being blunt...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878507].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
    Originally Posted by AfteraDream View Post

    So you are worrying about what niche to pick for yourself? What are the best keywords, best strategies etc...

    Just pick a problem YOU have and SOLVE IT for yourself! There you have it! That's your niche. You know the problem, you can relate to your future clients now because you have been there, done that. You can be an expert! You can help others solve the same problem.

    Is that so hard??

    Of course it's easier to just copy what others are doing and go to Internet marketing niche or weight loss niche where you have no knowledge completely or a new "HOT" niche... Yeah that might be where the trend is going but so do will most of your competitors will!

    Stop being a sheep, you think that you go away from the 9-5 so you will no longer be sheep, you will, you still listen to what is the new hot trend and just follow it blindly..
    If you're saying to only go after niches that aren't hot and that you are knowledgeable in, then you are sadly mistaken.
    Signature
    Curtis Ng (blog) - Product Launch Manager
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878515].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
      Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

      If you're saying to only go after niches that aren't hot and that you are knowledgeable in, then you are sadly mistaken.
      I'm saying solve a problem.. there a millions of problems, you yourself have tons of them, solve some of them and to solve the problem you will have to learn more about it. If you want to succeed at something, prepare to learn ALWAYS, non-stop... And if you solve a problem for yourself, you can solve it for others and there are plenty of people with similar/same problems you had.

      A problem solution might be anything, some good software needed that is simple an elegant, a lessons for learning guitar, whatever... so many of them that we don't see it even..
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878535].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Adrian Cooper
        Originally Posted by AfteraDream View Post

        I'm saying solve a problem.. there a millions of problems, you yourself have tons of them, solve some of them and to solve the problem you will have to learn more about it. If you want to succeed at something, prepare to learn ALWAYS, non-stop... And if you solve a problem for yourself, you can solve it for others and there are plenty of people with similar/same problems you had.

        A problem solution might be anything, some good software needed that is simple an elegant, a lessons for learning guitar, whatever... so many of them that we don't see it even..
        The question you should ask yourself is what makes you qualified to solve problems for people?

        These are real people with real problems and issues - not walking credit cards.

        If their issues were that easy to solve they would have done so by now.

        Also you can never, ever succeed long-term in a niche you do not at least care about.

        All of the most successful, multi-million dollar IM businesses that I am aware of, without exception, share one factor in common:

        They are passionate about the niche - at least to some extent.

        There are numerous reasons for this but it does not matter.

        If you want to start an IM business ask yourself what you are passionate about or at least most interested in, and create a business around that - a business that will provide real value and service to people.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878678].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
          Originally Posted by apc01 View Post

          The question you should ask yourself is what makes you qualified to solve problems for people?

          These are real people with real problems and issues - not walking credit cards.

          If their issues were that easy to solve they would have done so by now.

          Also you can never, ever succeed long-term in a niche you do not at least care about.

          All of the most successful, multi-million dollar IM businesses that I am aware of, without exception, share one factor in common:

          They are passionate about the niche - at least to some extent.

          There are numerous reasons for this but it does not matter.

          If you want to start an IM business ask yourself what you are passionate about or at least most interested in, and create a business around that - a business that will provide real value and service to people.
          The thing that I have solved the problem, I've been here done that and that I take interest in the problem's solution makes me allows me to be an adviser. You have to represent your own product, BE the proof that solution works..

          I didn't want to use word passion because some people just go "oh.some more self-improvement stuff here..". But your last paragraph is really what I agree with and partly what I've been trying to communicate...
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878730].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author ragnartm
          Originally Posted by apc01 View Post

          The question you should ask yourself is what makes you qualified to solve problems for people?

          These are real people with real problems and issues - not walking credit cards.

          If their issues were that easy to solve they would have done so by now.

          Also you can never, ever succeed long-term in a niche you do not at least care about.

          All of the most successful, multi-million dollar IM businesses that I am aware of, without exception, share one factor in common:

          They are passionate about the niche - at least to some extent.

          There are numerous reasons for this but it does not matter.

          If you want to start an IM business ask yourself what you are passionate about or at least most interested in, and create a business around that - a business that will provide real value and service to people.
          Took me over a year to understand that, now I'm finally going somewhere in this business.
          Signature

          Ragnar.

          Quality over quantity. Hire me to write highly shareable, user focused blog posts or articles.

          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878777].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author michael_nguyen
          Originally Posted by apc01 View Post

          If you want to start an IM business ask yourself what you are passionate about or at least most interested in, and create a business around that - a business that will provide real value and service to people.
          Although this is valid to some extent it's not always the best advice. Some people don't even have a passion. What if your interest is cloud watching or train spotting? Im not sure if you can make money out of that niche (maybe with adsense or cloud books if any).

          Everyone, when people say pick a niche, I think most new IM'ers tend to think of info products from clickbank from health crap to make money online.
          This is ok but theres a bigger market out there for internet marketing. Why not try this instead. Instead of selling info products by doing affiliate marketing why not create a site around a physical product and get an affiliate link for that?

          I've been doing affiliate marketing and I'm targeting physical products (using google keywordtool) There are millions of physical products names which you can attack.

          Lets make things quick here.
          Whatever people buy is what you want to be selling and if you can find a low competition keyword for a physical product........then bam thats your niche.

          Forget the passionate talk, sell what people buy! You'll make more money this way.
          Signature
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878801].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
            Originally Posted by michael_nguyen View Post

            Although this is valid to some extent it's not always the best advice. Some people don't even have a passion. What if your interest is cloud watching or train spotting? Im not sure if you can make money out of that niche (maybe with adsense or cloud books if any).

            Everyone has a passion, some just haven't found it yet and there for MUST find it, or else they just waste their life...

            And to your last paragraph, people by the solution to their problems (value).. combine that with being passionate about it (some call it charizma) and you have a bomb!
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878821].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
    If you know for sure that more people have a certain problem (e.g. being fat, sucking at golf) than another problem (e.g. not being able to weave a basket underwater), then why wouldn't you opt to solve the more common problems?

    What is wrong with going with the hot markets if you know that there are more people ready to buy? You're absolutely leaving money on the table if you choose not to take advantage of these popular niches. And no, they aren't too competitive or saturated. When you venture out into the long tail, the possibilities for affiliates and product creators is virtually limitless (i.e. you will never be able to conquer them all).
    Signature
    Curtis Ng (blog) - Product Launch Manager
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878554].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
      Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

      If you know for sure that more people have a certain problem (e.g. being fat, sucking at golf) than another problem (e.g. not being able to weave a basket underwater), then why wouldn't you opt to solve the more common problems?

      What is wrong with going with the hot markets if you know that there are more people ready to buy? You're absolutely leaving money on the table if you choose not to take advantage of these popular niches. And no, they aren't too competitive or saturated. When you venture out into the long tail, the possibilities for affiliates and product creators is virtually limitless (i.e. you will never be able to conquer them all).
      You can't take all the money that are on the table too so you will leave some either way... Doesn't mean you take a dead trend and go after it.. it just means not going to IM niche, when you are completely new to IM yourself, get your feet wet in a smaller niche, succeed there then maybe go into IM. Hell, Frank Kern made six figures from dog training... you wouldn't see anyone jumping on dog training cuz it is not a hot trend, but it still is a problem for almost every person with a dog...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878570].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author OSContent
    I agree that focusing only on topics you understand well won't necessarily result in your selecting a highly-profitable niche, but I still think that this suggestion is sound advice for a lot of people who have never succeeded in Internet business. Even if the suggestion doesn't work, the opportunity cost won't typically be high. If you're making $0 each month with one technique--and you try another that makes you $0, you haven't foregone anything at all.

    Even if the topic you select doesn't make you rich, it might help you break out of the pattern that newcomers typically find themselves in: doing keyword research, creating a product of dubious value, getting some inbound links, creating a newsletter, employing the latest social networking ploy, pondering why they aren't rich yet, and then moving on to the next opportunity.

    By focusing on something you know about, you'll at least understand why no one wants to buy your product (because you know you wouldn't buy it either). You also might be willing to stick around a little longer to add more content to your site and to continuously improve your product, since the topic is something you know and care about.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878612].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
      Originally Posted by OSContent View Post

      I agree that focusing only on topics you understand well won't necessarily result in your selecting a highly-profitable niche, but I still think that this suggestion is sound advice for a lot of people who have never succeeded in Internet business. Even if the suggestion doesn't work, the opportunity cost won't typically be high. If you're making $0 each month with one technique--and you try another that makes you $0, you haven't foregone anything at all.

      Even if the topic you select doesn't make you rich, it might help you break out of the pattern that newcomers typically find themselves in: doing keyword research, creating a product of dubious value, getting some inbound links, creating a newsletter, employing the latest social networking ploy, pondering why they aren't rich yet, and then moving on to the next opportunity.

      By focusing on something you know about, you'll at least understand why no one wants to buy your product (because you know you wouldn't buy it either). You also might be willing to stick around a little longer to add more content to your site and to continuously improve your product, since the topic is something you know and care about.
      It is better to dominate a not that high-profitable niche then to be last one in the biggest niche..

      Anyway, great post, you expressed some thoughts better then I can about this!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878656].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Jackbgd
        AfteraDream - Good post and good advice - I got into a niche that I know a lot about and where I can actually help my customers - the more value you can offer the better. I'm thinking of getting into a new niche in a few months - once I finish with this one first - and exactly this idea came to my mind which you've said. There are certain thing in my life I wanted to change/improve - and I did it with great success - so it is actually a good idea to go back into that and share the knowledge. It's all about finding a problem and creating a great solution to it.

        By the way I really like the design of your blog/website 36pounds, did you make it yourself?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878667].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
          Originally Posted by Jackbgd View Post

          AfteraDream - Good post and good advice - I got into a niche that I know a lot about and where I can actually help my customers - the more value you can offer the better. I'm thinking of getting into a new niche in a few months - once I finish with this one first - and exactly this idea came to my mind which you've said. There are certain thing in my life I wanted to change/improve - and I did it with great success - so it is actually a good idea to go back into that and share the knowledge. It's all about finding a problem and creating a great solution to it.

          By the way I really like the design of your blog/website 36pounds, did you make it yourself?

          Glad this post resonated with you I hope it will with more people too.
          As for blog design, NO! It's a free theme PM me if you want a link!
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878713].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Franklin
    If you're on the fence regarding niche selection then make a list of all of the hot selling items on Clickbank....Do that for all of the categories....Go through the list and I guarantee you that you will find products whose niches you will have at least somewhat of an interest. There's your starting point.

    Furthermore, don't just start with one! Put the odds on your side and start with three. You might get lucky and have two or all three take off, but you should have at least one money maker that you will be able to run with and grow.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878641].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
      Originally Posted by Michael Franklin View Post

      If you're on the fence regarding niche selection then make a list of all of the hot selling items on Clickbank....Do that for all of the categories....Go through the list and I guarantee you that you will find products whose niches you will have at least somewhat of an interest. There's your starting point.

      Furthermore, don't just start with one! Put the odds on your side and start with three. You might get lucky and have two or all three take off, but you should have at least one money maker that you will be able to run with and grow.
      Wouldn't that be too much info and spreading yourself too thin for a newbie. More doesn't necessarily equals better. That's what I try to communicate - FOCUS on one nice, on product (preferably your OWN product) and stick with it.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878659].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ragnartm
    Like he says, it's not always easier to go after what's "hot". Dominating a huge niche where 1 website can have you set for life will take at least months of continuous effort and probably not much results until the very end. In that sense it can be much easier to find less popular niches, set up a site that dominates that small side niche, and then move on to the next one. After a few of these pages are up you should start seeing some substantial income.
    Signature

    Ragnar.

    Quality over quantity. Hire me to write highly shareable, user focused blog posts or articles.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878672].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author barbdear
    Things that make you go hmmmm ... OP advises others to shy away from popular markets yet OP is promoting a fitness product ....
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878673].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AfteraDream
      Originally Posted by barbdear View Post

      Things that make you go hmmmm ... OP advises others to shy away from popular markets yet OP is promoting a fitness product ....
      I am promoting a fitness product for a SMALL niche that I feel has not enough attention and a my visitors share a problem I HAVE/HAD myself!!! No hmmm here...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[878717].message }}

Trending Topics