Is your niche *the one*?

Adapted from Ch 1 of our DIY startup school framework

So we wrote an eBook — The Success Secret: How the Top Startups Start Up (and You Can, too). Then we built out the 5-step system as a Notion workbook.

My marketer was telling me she wanted to use some of the early activities to think more critically about her writing.

Here's the adapted version of our process you can use to develop, narrow down, or highlight your niche:

Make a list of what you care about, from problems to values

Be as pointed or as broad as you want.

You're brainstorming, not trying to land on the right answer.

Consider things that really bother you, that return often to your mind, that color or inspire your actions.

Identify what you could talk about at length (or that you'd be more than happy to research for hours)

I care a hell of a lot about taxes, and yet not enough to subject myself to a deep dive into America's tax structures and laws. I don't even wanna hear about them unless I have to.

You'll find there are plenty of problems you just want to complain about. Or values you strive toward that don't actually reflect your lived experience.

Focus in on what actually interests you.

Bonus step: How come? Explore your beliefs (including self-beliefs!) and motivations. Look for patterns. Tie what you find back to what you care about

Figure out who else cares about the same things, and how much

There's niche and then there's niche. Your writing needs readers. Your areas of expertise need verticals to match.

If you can't make that jump with an idea, it's time to leave it behind and pursue something with a longer tail.

Another note: if you're finding you don't particularly like these other people, well...

Ideally, don't choose to devote your energies to them.

Investigate this niche in the wild; collect details until you can pinpoint who it matters to, why it's important to them, who else caters to it, and the ways you want to cover it

Specificity is king at this point. The more you know, the more clarity you'll have moving forward.

While you might not want to niche all the way down like this, you should end up with a great idea of what you really want to write and who you really want to write for.