The Language Niche

I have zero experience, but I do have an opinion (don't we all?)

This seems to be a niche where once you've sold a language course, where do you go next?

Let's assume you just sold me a Japanese Language Course... there's no guarantee that you'd know enough to be able to sell me something else I want, knowing only that I wish to Nihongo wakarimasu.

Only a crystal ball would clue you in to what else I might buy after I purchased a language course.

But many other niches are not like that at all... sell me a weight loss plan, and when I fail to lose enough weight, sell me another one... I'll buy it. Or switch over to an 'Easy Exercise' plan...

It seems to me that a niche needs to be focused, so you know how to sell it, but wide enough so that your net can catch all sorts of buyers.

I don't think language courses fit that bill.

Now, it might well be a good sub-niche for the topic of "Japan"... sell me Japanese cookbooks, sell me Japanese antiques... Samurai Swords... and oh, by the way, here's a course to improve your Japanese.

But as the main niche... I say, good luck!

It is a hard niche to be in and to find oto, giveaways etc to go with your main product.

My two cents:

I've spent 20+ years buying and using information about a particular foreign language. In fact I bought information when I wasn't even really studying for years just because I was interested in it.

I still buy them today and in fact, I'm preparing to start learning an offshoot language. It is related in some ways while being different enough to require a whole new set of materials and learning.

In addition to the language stuff, I've also bought a lot of stuff about history, politics, culture, etc.

I also visit websites, take part in forums (that have ads and AdSense), check out links, download software, have books written in that language, watch native movies, and listen to native music all as part of my journey.

I know many, many people who want to learn this language and struggle with it. I know many people who are absolute fanatics about learning and will do anything and everything to get a little edge.

I think this is a passionate niche but it may not be a desperate niche in the sense that they MUST buy something now.

There is no limit to what I may buy because, for me, learning this language and using it well is vital to my daily life and it will be a long time before I am totally satisfied with my level.

Mark

Hi!

I'm wondering as to what languages do you speak.

If you sold me a book on a particular language, all I can see myself buying afterwards is another book, possibly a translated mystery, love story, crime book writen in my new language.

I now read French, Spanish and about to undertake learning "Esperanto". But I have to source to continue reading Esperanto.

Years ago, I thought I would learn the Italian language but gave up when I found that my library of Italian books were not of interest to me. So I switched to Spanish, a language that's often translated for me on CNN, La Opinion, etc.

It's a wonderful language. And I was brought up in the French language, a great help in learning Spanish.

It will be hard to monetize a language site, I believe.