How to find your niche | "What kind of content should I make?"
Hi :) How are you doing today?
Last week, I’ve been pondering about how to find your niche.
My conclusion was “Just get started. Your audience will tell you.”
I was talking to my friend from school, who was feeling stuck in a job. He wanted to start a blog or Youtube to escape from the job he didn’t enjoy.
But the problem was he didn’t know what kind of content he should make. He said he didn’t have any niche.
When you see “how to start Youtube” or “how to start a blog” kind of videos or articles, often the first step is to find your niche. But many people find it the hardest step of all. I was one of those people - I had no idea what my niche was and spent weeks trying to figure it out.
But I couldn’t. After a few weeks, I still had the foggiest idea about what kind of content I should make. So I said I had enough and just got started anyway.
I started making videos about completely random things. My first video was about iPad Pro. The next one was about me making a matcha green tea. And the next one was about journaling. I was just making content about things I liked or caught my eyes. There was no consistency in topic whatsoever.
But slowly, it became clear what my niche was.
What I realised is that you don’t have to find your niche on your own. Let your audience tell you what your niche is.
As you publish content online, you’ll start getting feedback from people. Some content will get no views or site visits. But some content will get comments, shares and messages from people.
This is a good sign that’s the area where you can provide the most value for people.
For example, in the first 4 months of starting Youtube, my videos had almost zero views. But when I posted about note-taking and Roam, I got more engagement. That’s how I knew maybe note-taking could be my niche!
The point is, you can’t know what you niche is at the beginning (for most people). You just have to explore as many topics as possible until your audience tell you what they liked about your content.
So, the advice I gave to my friend was this: Start making content about any topic you like. It doesn’t matter if you get no views or engagement. But if you do this consistently for a few months, people will tell you what your niche is.
Of course, there are other ways to think about how to find your niche. This is just how I did it. If you have a strong passion for something, you should definitely make content about it. But most people, including myself, don’t really know what their passion is in the first place.
Ideas don’t come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them.
This is something Mark Zuckerberg said that resonated with me.
No one knows anything when they begin. He had no idea what Facebook would become when he started the company. It was just a tool to connect people at Harvard.
I think this applies to starting your blog, Youtube, newsletter or podcast too. No one really knows how their blog or channel will turn out at the beginning. But ideas become clear as you work on them. So, you just need a start.
Why You Should Learn in Public
Somewhat related to finding your niche, this week’s video focuses on learning in public and how it helps you learn quicker, meet interesting people, and build an audience online. Learning in Public is also a great way to find your niche.
Why You Should Learn in Public
My Evergreen Notes + Literature Notes Collection
I decided to make a mind garden where I upload almost all of my notes and book highlights in the spirit of learning in public. However, because I just quit my job, I need some kind of income. Therefore, I had to put a price on it. Maybe it’s greedy? But if you buy this to support me as a creator, I will be eternally grateful.
Here’s the link to my mind garden page: https://gum.co/nTIej
Personal Update
My 4 months old puppy is growing bigger every day. Part of me doesn’t want him to grow up, but it also makes my heart warm to see how he’s getting mature and learns new tricks.
Have a fantastic week!
Shu :)