IM niche still worth pursuing?

by bostjan33 Banned
54 replies
Hey all,

Just a quick question about IM niche; do you think it's getting over-saturated, or is it still worth to put in a little effort and make some money? Are those days gone, when we now have hi-end bloggers like JC, Zac Johnson, Problogger, etc. and others, where is little room for competition? And don't let me even think about all those squeeze pages and LP's, floating out there

I'm not doing this niche at the moment, but I'd like to know your input, so pls share.

Thanks!
#blogging #make money #niche #pursuing #worth
  • Profile picture of the author Myheavens
    If You know What you are doing then There will always be the Opportunity.

    Find People Problems and give them the solution.
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    • Profile picture of the author VinnyBock
      Originally Posted by Myheavens View Post

      If You know What you are doing then There will always be the Opportunity.

      Find People Problems and give them the solution.
      I agree ^^^

      Competition will be an issue in most niches, but where there's a lot of comp, there's a lot of money being spent...
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      • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
        Originally Posted by VinnyBock View Post

        I agree ^^^

        Competition will be an issue in most niches, but where there's a lot of comp, there's a lot of money being spent...
        And a lot of money being made too

        The more competition the better.
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        • Profile picture of the author lucidzfl
          Originally Posted by jasondinner View Post

          And a lot of money being made too

          The more competition the better.

          Do you have a link to one of your top ranked sites just to look at and see what kind of things you did and what market you went into?
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          • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
            Originally Posted by lucidzfl View Post

            Do you have a link to one of your top ranked sites just to look at and see what kind of things you did and what market you went into?
            Sure I could show you, but then I'd have to kill you...
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            • Profile picture of the author lucidzfl
              Originally Posted by jasondinner View Post

              Sure I could show you, but then I'd have to kill you...
              I dont understand the reluctance to share sites that have accomplished all the stuff people talk about on here.

              What are people scared of?
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              • Profile picture of the author Eric Lovelace
                Hellzzz Yeahh the IM niche is worth pursuing.

                As long as you can find a need or problem that you can also find the answer too, in IM or any niche, than it will always be worth pursuing.

                Considering that no two person's view on a problem are rarely ever the same. There will always be multiple ways to solve that one problem.

                Eric
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              • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
                Originally Posted by lucidzfl View Post

                I dont understand the reluctance to share sites that have accomplished all the stuff people talk about on here.

                What are people scared of?
                I'm not afraid of anything.

                I'm also not stupid.

                People in open forums such as this tend to like to "emulate" other people or just flat out rip them off.

                And being that I don't make my money selling how I made money selling how to make money online products, I would prefer not to create any more competition for myself than I already have.

                It's nothing personal. Just business.
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                • Profile picture of the author lucidzfl
                  I don't take it personally. The old saying is work smarter not harder, but with the lack of actual knowledge here, and the constant chanting to work harder, it appears smarter is right out of the question.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    IM and health are my 2 biggest niches and yes, IM is worth pursuing.
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  • Profile picture of the author surffab
    I agree, there will always be oppotunities... people leave and people join this niche all the time... so I don't think this will be saturated....
    And there will always be new techniques and tools to promote...
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  • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
    There's competition in any and every niche.

    If you actually know a thing or two about IM that few others do, then pursue it. Otherwise, there's little point.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Sanderson
    There's no such thing as saturation. Just competition, the more the better for me.

    I love competition, so when i beat the competitors i know i'm doing something right.

    Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
      Originally Posted by Alex Sanderson View Post

      There's no such thing as saturation. Just competition, the more the better for me.

      I love competition, so when i beat the competitors i know i'm doing something right.

      Alex
      There is such a thing as saturation.

      The IM/MMO spaces are cluttered with nonsense and absolute junk.

      But that's to anyone's benefit who has something legit to pimp out.

      You can always beat the top controls - with the right product, traffic, branding (or BIG idea/hook) and set the new standard in ANY market or niche.

      The whole question that started this thread is the epitome of defeatist thinking.

      Anyway...

      Mark
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    • Profile picture of the author Clyde Dennis
      Originally Posted by Alex Sanderson View Post

      There's no such thing as saturation. Just competition...
      Alex has nailed it. If you're going to succeed you must grow beyond the concept that just because something is hard to do that must mean it's not doable. What you view as saturation those who succeed view as opportunity.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Tandan
    May be the most evergreen niche there is. As long as there is an internet there will be people looking to pay for products and services to teach them how to make money from it. A lot of them visit this forum, whether or not they even become members.
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  • Profile picture of the author RogueOne
    do you think it's getting over-saturated,
    Yes and no.

    If you are one of the newbies who listen to people who suggest they should start with IM, then yes.

    If you are experienced, then the more the better.

    The 98% of people who get in and fail, feed the 2% who know what they are doing.
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  • Profile picture of the author RevenueGal
    I think the IM is very heavily populated and competitive, but I find that it still sells very well compared to other niches I have tried. New comers can still get in, but they will probably have to work twice as hard now as when I first started years ago. The best way would be to choose an IM sub-niche and branding yourself as an expert in that area. For instant, YouTube marketing, Video Marketing or Social Media Marketing, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author sahi
    IM is worth pursuing, and it's a good niche to start with if you don't know where to start. Don't worry about the saturation stuff, it's not that bad as people want you to believe it.
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    • Profile picture of the author affinities
      It all depends.

      If IM is your first Niche, you are sure to fail.

      People only want to read about your IM skills if you are very successful. Take Spencer Haws with NichePursuits.com, Pat Flynn with SmartPassiveIncome.com and Darren Rowse with ProBlogger.net YOU KNOW THESE GUYS ARE AWESOME.

      They made it huge with their own blogs and are sharing what got them into the big time. I would never read Pat Flynn's blog if I couldn't instantly search "Security Guard Training" and see his site #1 which he makes $2,000 from every month... Same with Darren and his photography blog which is a raving success.

      People want to see results. If you can't get result on another niche first and show it, you'll probably fail in the IM niche.

      Spencer Haws recently did a Niche Site Project where he took a completely new person and taught him everything about Niche sites and he built one. In a few months he made $500 in one month off the site and it is now kicking off. The site is not a IM Niche site. The niche topic is on shaving and razor blades.

      You can use the tool Long Tail Pro to find Niches that are right for you. You can also start an IM site if you want, but realize that you need experience and success before you can preach to other about how to do it right. You may do two sites at once and document your growth of your other niche site on your IM site.

      There is so much to write about in this world and IM is only one. There are things that people will read about and want to know about, such as the immoral drugging of the US military leading to the highest military suicide rate since the beginning of time...:
      Find something you are passionate about and then use Long Tail Pro or Market Samurai and see if it isn't too competitive, if it isn't then give it a try.
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      • Profile picture of the author charbrown
        Originally Posted by affinities View Post

        It all depends.

        If IM is your first Niche, you are sure to fail.
        As others have said, you can't saturate this niche, but you can attempt to deliver poor quality. So in a sense, it is saturated with poor quality products.

        But if you learn in an other niche, then you can apply your skills, hard-earned education, and even your mistakes in the IM niche.

        But this is like the weight loss niche, the health and wellness niche, or the broader make money niche. It will always be evergreen ... if you deliver quality information.
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      • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
        Originally Posted by affinities View Post

        Take Spencer Haws with NichePursuits.com, Pat Flynn with SmartPassiveIncome.com and Darren Rowse with ProBlogger.net YOU KNOW THESE GUYS ARE AWESOME.
        Is that a fact or is your perception of them all by design?
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        • Profile picture of the author gluckspilz
          Originally Posted by DubDubDubDot View Post

          Is that a fact or is your perception of them all by design?
          That is obviously an opinion.
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          I'm going to come at this from another angle because I've been on both sides
          of the pond.

          When I first started in the IM "how to make money" niche, I had already made
          some money doing other things. That gave me some credibility. So when I
          created my first IM product in 2006 "The Honest Income Program" I was able to
          show proof that I had made money doing what was, at the time, early article
          writing for pay. One PayPal payment I got was for over $1,200. I think I still
          have the screen print of that payment somewhere.

          Point is, had I not had credibility, my first product would not have sold 200
          copies a month for several months. I rode that product to a good 6 years of
          success out of my 10 years in IM.

          But, here is where the story gets ugly. I didn't keep up with the times. I kept
          doing the same things because they were working. Then Google put the
          hammer down on article directories and my income literally dried up almost
          overnight.

          Last year I made $5654.78.

          I didn't adapt and I couldn't figure out how to get the traffic back that I lost
          because my articles no longer brought visitors.

          So I got out of IM because I had no business trying to teach people how to
          make money when I couldn't make any myself.

          Today, I've started all over with my own royalty free music site, which is
          about as far removed from traditional IM as you can get. I'm not successful
          with it yet because I just put up the site in January. It's going to take time
          for the site to catch on. I need to keep uploading new music everyday. On
          top of that, there is a lot of competition out there. It won't be easy.

          But at least I don't have to convince people that I can show them how to
          make money. All I have to do is let them listen to my music and let them
          decide for themselves whether or not they think it will be good enough for
          their videos or whatever they want royalty free music for.

          I don't care what anybody says. That's a hell of a lot easier (especially if you
          have real musical talent) than trying to sell a "how to make money" book when
          you haven't made a dime yourself.

          Sure, you can lie. I'm sure many have. But I truly believe that eventually
          that's going to catch up to you and your reputation will be permanently
          trashed unless you simply change your name and start over as yet another
          anonymous identity. That's between you and your conscience.

          FWIW, unless you've actually made money doing whatever it is you want to
          teach people, I would stay as far away from this niche as possible.

          Take this advice for what it's worth to you. From somebody who used to make
          a crap ton of money and is now flat broke and struggling to start over. I sank
          $8,000 into this business so far...money I really didn't have to spend. My
          PayPal account is now at about $16.

          Ultimately, you're going to do what you want. But like I said, I've been on
          both sides of the pond.

          The side I'm on right now is not pretty.

          Good luck to you...whatever you decide.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamescanz
    Originally Posted by bostjan33 View Post

    Do you think it's getting over-saturated
    Not a snow-balls chance in hell.

    Originally Posted by bostjan33 View Post

    or is it still worth to put in a little effort and make some money?
    Well you can, in fact, put in a little effort to make some money...

    But if you have a mentality like that...

    Prepared to be crushed by those who put in a monumental amount of effort.
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  • Profile picture of the author julianaS
    go outside make money online niche. I make more money from other niches
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Yes! It's horrible here in the IM niche. My GOD, don't do it!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Romeo90
    100% there is still money in IM niche.

    I sell an eBook and course on how to earn money on eBay, and I have a blog that looks at IM and made a decent amount in the first year.

    But, if you know little about it, then it will be more difficult for you - choose something that you have both an interest in and you have knowledge in to start with.

    Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author inboxtrail
    Tons of money is made in the IM niche for people that has already met at least some success and proof.. There is always money made in any niche where you add a twist or trick.
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  • Profile picture of the author EPoltrack77
    Maybe its seems so because you are more involved with it. People learning IM will be around for ever and the more people the better. This market is so large I'm not worried about the comp. In fact I welcome it!
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  • Profile picture of the author MarketologyTeam
    Yes, but with the right approach. You'll need to get creative and think outside the box. A lot of "old" marketing techniques still work great, so don't dismiss those either, and don't just chase the next shiny thing.

    Devote yourself fully to one method for 90 days. Continually measure and tweak your approach and determine if the methodology is worth investing more time/resources into. If it is, expand by either automating tasks or outsourcing. If not, move on to the next approach until you find something that "clicks" for you. Every failure is a learning experience and there is not easy button in life or in IM : )

    Aside from that, the real money is in building brands/products/services and establishing a community in whatever niche you pursue.
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  • Profile picture of the author lucidzfl
    Yet another thread where everyone talks about how good competition is, and everyone refuses to link to any of their sites. lol
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  • Profile picture of the author dsuitor
    Its getting bigger everyday! IM is by far the highest searched and most profitable niche out there! Besides insurance lol.... Just be careful when your looking for training theres alot of crap out there !!!
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  • Profile picture of the author duplication
    There is so much room for anyone in the IM niche. Everyday people get into this niche and make money. It really is the easiest niche to make money from.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mateenyall
    There is always room for things but as long as you're providing value, you can never go wrong imo!

    I've started so many blogs before but the one I have now is the only one where I've focused on helping people instead of making a quick buck and it's slowly rising in traffic, YAY!
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  • Profile picture of the author Geni758
    IM is one of the Evergreen niches. They don't call it Evergreen for nothing. There is plenty of demand and competition; and there always will be.

    The key is finding a way to distinguish yourself from everyone else that is competing for the same market. I agree with RevenueGal, you need to drill down into the sub-niches. It will be much easier to succeed that way.
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  • it has already been said but it bares repeating...

    IM is a GREAT niche to make money in... however do NOT do it as your first niche. (unless as an affiliate, even then.. the best angle would be product reviews perhaps)
    Best chance would be to find something that really interests you, which has a lot of buyers. Then monetize that blog with a good affiliate offers (amazon is great) or good cpa stuff! Or even better create your own product!

    Youll find hordes of information in here about setting up a blog and monetizing it.. =)
    Good Luck!

    goodluck
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  • Profile picture of the author Aniblow
    IM is some very great niche. And will continue
    to be for as long as we have the WWW. I
    seriously don't see it getting out of vogue or
    getting saturated. AS long as the internet remains,
    there'll always a demand for helpful tools.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chad Eljisr
    The IM niche is one of the most "generous" niches out there - the same as with Diet and Fitness, Self Help and Relationships... They are all hugely competitive niches, but that's just an indicator that there is demand.

    And there are 3 billion people online... Don't you think that you can find 500 people to open your email and follow your recommendations or the info that you want to share?...
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  • Profile picture of the author absolutelee
    People are fascinated with the IM niche. The thought of "making money online" seems like the goose that laid the golden egg. I don't ever think that's going to be oversaturated. Also, there are so many cool tech advances that rearrange the whole deck every year or so.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    The IM niche is as much or more about the person as the products or services you offer. You can't put out crap, but you don't have to come up with the new sliced bread, either.

    Here's what I've found to be the real secret to success: don't worry about competition.

    Instead, find a better way to express and explain what your competition is also trying to impart. Be creative. Be genuine. Give your time. Sometimes a simple reply to a subscriber's or even a total stranger's question via email makes a massive impression and starts a relationship that can benefit both parties.

    I think it's THAT mindset and willingness to go above and beyond that beats your competition in this niche. Maybe all niches.
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  • Profile picture of the author duplication
    IM is the biggest niche online. It is not dead but making millions of people online big bucks.
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  • There will always be people wanting to know how to make money online BUT at least have a track record at making money in. other niches for credibility purposes
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  • Profile picture of the author Devin X
    Banned
    LOL OP you're as green as they come. First, stay the hell out of the IM market. Second, IM is a MARKET...not a vertical/niche. Learn the difference.
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  • Profile picture of the author Samuel Adams
    If you have something new and interesting to say in the internet marketing niche, then you should blog about it. But, if you'll just be rephrasing and talking about the same rehashed techniques others have for the past ten years, then pick a new niche.
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  • Profile picture of the author Content Commando
    It's a self sustaining industry.
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    It's worth a look, but things aren't so easy these days. 12 years ago I wrote my first software product to sell online. It was a case of put the download ZIP on a website and wait for masses of traffic to arrive from Google.

    Now it's much harder to rank in Google, plus you've got loads of competition. I Googled "maze generator" last night and there were loads of software solutions.

    But back to the IM niche, most people in the niche are pretty lazy so if you put in supreme effort AND have a novel idea then you might, just might succeed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Logan
    I agree with the rest. There are tons of opportunituies still cause IM is changing constantly! Your creativity is the key...
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    • Profile picture of the author nivlek2009
      What I love about the IM niche is that it pretty much includes the whole, world. Who doesn't want money? The only differentiating factor is that there are still many people out there that aren't convinced that it IS possible to make money online. If your powers of persuasion are strong, or if you can sit them down and show them in front of their very own eyes that it IS possible to make money online, you can convert and convince just about anybody. And a rich man will always want to get richer, so he'll buy more and more and more. And it'll be a lot easier to sell to an Internet Marketer because he already knows that it is possible to make money online. You just have to convince him that YOUR method works too. But seriously, how many wives or girlfriends can a person have? Or how many times can a person lose weight? So other niches may be lucrative, but most are 1 hit wonders, in my humble opinion.
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  • Profile picture of the author adventurepaul
    I think that within the "IM niche" there is Affiliate Marketing, Product Creation, Software, Advertising Management, Web Development, Design.. and tons of industries within those areas. I loved someone's comment about "Evergreen" because it's true that trends change, algorithms, communication platforms, and so on. If you feel that a particular segment of IM niche is over-saturated, maybe it is. But I think "IM" is too big to even be considered a "niche". Semantics. That's my two cents.
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  • Profile picture of the author CondorIM
    With the world's population in the billions (and growing) it's hard to see how the IM niche can become truly saturated.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kieran Conway
    IM won't become saturated, competition, technology and innovation will create new avenues of creativity and potential profit. Find your sweet spot, knowledge and skills you possess that would benefit the rest of us...best of luck!
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