Issue #22: What Came First: The Niche or the Service/Product/Business?

Fucking start with a good reason

To niche or not to niche, that is the question: 

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The cheap competition and A.I.s of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of idiots

And by opposing end them. 

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.

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Thus speaketh Hamlet. 

Not THE Hamlet, but A Hamlet, namely my sister’s dog… Hamlet. Now, I know not why she hath chosen to name an 11 pounds Shih Tzu – Hamlet. Probably because “Ham” is the Romanian equivalent of “Woof”. 

Either way, it’s of little import. Both Hamlets know that there is certainly something rotten in the state of Business Owning if people are up and niching without a second thought. 

If you’re courting the idea of starting a business, and “niche” is one of the first words to roll off your tongue, pray… stop. Consider the following lines, and then make your final decision. 

Start with a good reason

So what DID come first? The business, the product, the service or the niche? Well, like in the case of the chicken and the egg, we don’t really know. OK, the well learned and scientific types among us claim one or the other, but I like to believe it was a chicken-egg or an egg-chicken. In our own particular case, my point is quite simple. It really doesn’t matter what came first, it matters that it should make sense. 

In my case, the business/product/service definitely came first. The niche followed, but maybe after 6 months to a year. I’m not saying this is the right way (if you’ve been reading my B00ls for a while now, you know I advocate for no such thing), but it was my way. 

I’m simply asking you to take your time. And to not buy into this whole nonsense that you MUST niche right out the gate. You don’t. Chill. 

My advice to you is to start with the… with the… damn, it’s such a cliché… OK, here goes, bleah:

Start with the WHY. 

For example, if you’re a blossoming writer (sounds cool, no idea what that is… maybe you’re sprouting something in your unmentionables) maybe you should not be in the business to make money. 

There, I said it. 

You should maybe start with a passion for writing. This is a cruel game. The competition is fierce. A.I. is biting at our heels. If you start freelance writing because you want to make money… good luck :)) 

Point being, if you start any business with the sole purpose of making money, and without any passion or interest behind it… I think you’re going to have a rough time. Founders and entrepreneurs are the people who work the most. 

While most employees clock out at 6 P.M. sharp (or so they should), my mind goes around in circles until the very, very late hours of the night. I’ve had ideas for posts and marketing strategies interrupt intimate moments… Sorry, honey. 

What’s niching?

In simple terms, niching means specializing. We can also liken it to positioning: I only do this, for people like that. Take writers. Some are medical writers, some are culinary writers, some are gambling writers, some are SaaS writers and so on. Some, like myself, are generalists. 

When you niche, you basically focus on one need you want to serve and that’s it, at least for the moment. You can always un-niche. But too much back-and-forth, and you’ll confuse people. That’s why I’m very careful when it comes to niching — mess with people’s perception one too many times, and they’ll associate the mess with who you are. Bad look. Worse business. 

Think before you niche

The single most important piece of advice I can give you: think. Why?

You know what happens when you zoom in on your objective? You miss a lot of the things happening out of the corner of your eye. Sure, you’re seeing the prize, but you’re also definitely missing the bigger picture. So, if you niche too fast or too deep or too quick, you’re leaving… no, I can’t use that phrase. You’re leaving opportunities on the table. I can’t bring myself to write “money”. 

Say you only want to write about food. Is it because you love writing about food, and you’re an expert? Go for it. 

Is it because somebody on the internet told you food bloggers earn more than regular writers? Maybe not so fast. 

Is niching for professionals/products/services in any way different?

Nope. The principle stands, no matter the magnitude. You should only niche into a business/product/service when it makes sense. Not only when it feels right, but when the data actually proves it’s a great move. Sure, follow your gut and your passion, but don’t bury your head in the sand.

I would love to write about comic book characters. I’d dissect Batman’s potential erectile dysfunctions every day. But… people want advice about writing and marketing. It just so happens that I’m smart enough to throw Batman’s dick into the mix and people still enjoy reading my stuff. 

Niche when:

1. You’re good at what you’re doing and want to do more of it.

2. You actually learned that people want more of the service/product you're offering.

There’s also a number 3. Maybe people haven’t come up to you and said as much (I want that service) but you can smell it in the air (or in the feedback forms). A marketer always has to trust his gut and if you risk it enough times, you’ll eventually get it right. 

But, you know, don’t risk it every couple of months. 

What could go wrong? 

Ho, ho, ho my God… what couldn’t go wrong? Let’s investigate a case of premature nichaculation for writers: 

1. You get bored. You realize you don’t want to write about toilet paper for the rest of your life. But it brings you money, and you have to pay the rent. You have to pay the bank. So you keep at it, writing about toilet paper. Until one day when you’ve had it, and you commit career suicide — writing about wet wipes. 

Niche like you mean it. 

2. You picked the wrong market. Like crypto, maybe. Or A.I. It all goes down in flames, and you have to change your LinkedIn headline. Again. Again, not a very dignified look.

Niche with forethought. 

3. You get a bad reputation. You niched into a segment you know nothing about (hello, wannabe ghostwriters) and you make a mess of things, because you’re not actually interested in ghostwriting, and you don’t know how to do it. Congratulations, you’re now an idiot with a fancy title. You’re hurting yourself and other professionals. 

Niche into stuff you actually master. 

But, of course, this goes for every other business under the sun. Let’s say you’re selling carpets. Beautiful carpets for the whole family. You notice people in your neighborhood start buying cats and dogs because COVID is happening, and they can’t leave the house or be alone. So you jump on the opportunity (you savvy businessman) and start selling pet friendly carpets. It goes BANANAS. The carpets aren’t very nice, but they don’t get easily stained and they smell nice… OK, nice enough. You’re so happy with how things are going, you decide to niche into pet carpets and get rid of your whole stock of regular carpets. You change your logo, the name of the business, redesign the website, the works. You’re now Pet Carpet King. 

The pandemic eventually blows over and people who didn’t want pets in the first place start giving them away or abandoning them on the street (cunts, really, but… anyway). And, because they can’t stand the shame of what they’ve done, they also throw the pet carpets away. It might also be the smell… 

Nobody buys pet carpets anymore, not even from the Pet Carpet King. 

You niched into oblivion. 

So… when you see content of elephantine proportions of idiocy, like this: 

Don’t walk. RUN.

This is an intergalactic level of asshattery. Sure, Nic’s an absolute cunt, but he’s also a smart cunt: 

• He manipulates you into thinking there’s something wrong with you

• He bullshits you with totally made up assumptions

• He asks you to change your title, without taking into account the HUMONGOUS amount of work that goes into specializing

• And, of course, he offers up to mentor you, while subsequently selling his service

Unethical marketing at its finest. But sure, freedom of speech and all that. 

Whenever you see this pattern, this “try this and profit for the rest of your life” adage, you should open your eyes and perk up your ears. You, my friend, are being taken for a ride. 

Somebody is trying to peddle their old, raggedy, smelly and stainy pet carpet. Do not become its new owner. 

But VLAD! You’re just writing this because you’re a ghostwriter and you don’t want any competition. Sure, that’s why I offer a full MasterClass on it, free of charge here. 

I’m actually doing it because I want a better class of competitor. 

So, please, don’t niche into the shiny new thing, just yet. It’s fool’s gold. 

1 problem, 1 person, 1 solution? Ehh… 

I’ve had a really interesting (no, I’m not going to replace “really interesting” with “fascinating”, because it wasn’t fascinating, thank you G-Docs, but fuck off) discussion a while back with another writer, on the topic of niching in order to find your ideal client. While it’s not bad advice per se, I don’t necessarily like it. 

The saying goes like this: serve 1 problem, 1 person with 1 solution. In theory, yes. In practice… I don’t think so. I think it’s wildly bad strategy to niche because you think that action will allow you to home in on a better class of client. 

Remember that “ICP” or “Client Avatar” thing? Useful, yes. The response to your marketing woes? Hardly. 

While ICPs and avatars can help you hone your approach, they are not foolproof. They start getting traction when you combine them with a jobs-to-be-done approach. 

As in, what does my client want to achieve, and how does my product/service factor into it. When you figure that out, you should be in the money. 

But here comes the third layer: the ICP and the avatar WILL NEVER overlap with the jobs-to-be-done thingie. Not completely, anyway. 

In my own experience, clients are very similar in terms of needs, but they DO NOT resemble each-other in the slightest. Except for one single trait: 

MENTALITY

The people who purchase my services have a mentality in common. They are willing to pay higher prices than average, for higher quality than average services, done for them content, crafted and personalized approach. 

So, instead of tickling their Features and Benefits bone, my content talks about values. Ways of thinking about things. Ideals. Stuff like that. 

When I put two and two together, I figured out that my ideal client is not:

• A position (I work with CEOs, but also employees)

• A salary range (wildly different)

• A way of living (again, wildly different)

• Some type of content (some want blogs, some want websites, some want posts)

My ideal client is a person who wants the best of the best content, handled with care and attention. Hopefully ethical, or I eject them. 

In even simpler terms, they want someone who resonates with them. 

It’s a life’s journey finding these clients. But, when you do find such clients, Wonka’s golden ticket is yours. 

If you do have to niche…

I’m almost done with the advice, I promise. So, if you do have to niche, I’m partial to Jay Acunzo’s approach: niche into the explorer. Niche into the person who wants to know how things work and why. 

When you do that… you’ll find the rabbit hole goes much deeper than you’ve expected. Once you reach the bottom…

You’ll know what to do ;)

How I niched and why

BOOOO!!!

- My readers when I don’t give them any examples. Fair game, I can only lead from the front. I recently changed my headline because: 

Well, I just slightly edited it and added something. Big deal for me because it’s the first time in one year and ten months. So, for the search engines, but mainly for the people, you can also consider me an Ethical Ghostwriter for domestic and international brands/founders. 

Quite the mouthful (or eyeful) yeah? 

WHY? 

Because half of my writing happens in a ghostwriting capacity, and I’ve grown to enjoy it even more than I expected. It’s also a morbidly underserved market, both in Romania and abroad. I see people running away from social media left, right and center, and my approach is so balanced that I won’t have to contend with burnout anytime soon (sorry Amy). And, if I look even closer to my previous exploits and projects, the couple websites I penned are also written in ghostwriting fashion, even if my copyright is up there. 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Well, I think it’s pretty clear from my “About” section, but let’s give it the old college try… again:

- No FOMO

- No fake scarcity

- No pain point massacre

- As part of my ethical approach, I don’t comment or send DMs in your place. That’s impersonation, not ghostwriting. Big no-no in my book. You’d think I don’t offer a complete service because I don’t provide community management and interaction? Not so. I coach you on how to approach all comments and DMs so you can authentically and purposefully engage your followers and connections. 

With me, what your followers and connections see is what they actually get. I won’t prop you up with bullshit, I won’t dazzle or drizzle any sparklers on your shoulders. And when people actually meet you… they will recognize you for YOU. 

WHY NOW? 

Because I believe in niching down naturally. Due to my acting background, ghostwriting has always been closer to my heart, but I didn’t think this was the main service my followers and connections required. Well, LinkedIn proved me wrong, and I’m a sucker for pleasing the client (when the client is not mental, of course). The Universe spoke to me on a couple of occasions and I listened.

What do people think about my SEO blog Ghostwritten articles? Have at it: 

Niche like your life depends on it. Cause it does

I’m overly dramatic here, but the point stands. Just replace “life” with “brand”. I’m going to stretch the definition of niching here, but the point is important, do unclench your bumhole:

You can use the niche, once you’ve chosen it wisely, as a sort of filter. For example, let’s refer to my new niche - ethical ghostwriting. By all accounts, ethical comes with a heightened sense of responsibility. I’ve had the “ethical” up on my banner for a while now. But I niched into ethical content because I’m an ethical person. Or, at the very least, I like to believe so. I’m not always ethical, but I strive to be.

So, when an opportunity to appear in another professional’s newsletter pops up, I’m very, very weary about it. Yes, I would like to be more popular. Yes, I would like to reach more people. But, in doing so, I run the risk of diluting my brand. 

Recently, another professional did invite me to appear on her newsletter. While not really my bag, it would have been a great opportunity to reach a new audience. I was almost on the cusp of replying “Da, sigur” - as in “for sure”, but she let slip that another copywriter, associated with an entity I do not like, would feature on the same newsletter, albeit in a different issue. 

Now… I’m going to grandstand a bit, but the point stands. Most people who only have a surface understanding of ethics, brand, positioning and niche would not see any issue with appearing on that newsletter. Different issues, so what’s the problem?

The problem is, I actually have a conscience. I can’t say shit about some company, declare them hypocrites, and then just show up in the same media as them. 

I simply can not. If I don’t like you online, you can sure as shit bet I’m not going to like you live. If I absolutely despise you, I’m not going to appear on a podcast with you. 

No matter how profitable that may prove. 

So, in business owner terms: if your business is selling naturally farmed food with no additives or supplements, maybe don’t appear in the same publications as McDonald's. 

Niching means you let go of some opportunities in order to authentically serve your audience. 

Unless you’re willing to cope with the short-term loss, in favor of the long-term bigger goals, I say stay away from niching. 

So I thanked her for the opportunity, but declined appearing in a newsletter that features people who stand for the exact opposite of what I stand for. 

Going forward

This one was rather shorter because my own mother told me I write too much. NAAAAT!

I showed her my above 50% open rate going strong since May, the likes, the comments and the click-through rate and she piped down. Ha, take that, mommy!

Anyway… 

If you loved this issue, you might be interested in:

Previously, on B00ls: Issue #21: There’s No Deadline Like the Self Deadline

The horrid case of issue 19 and my mental health

Next time, join MadVlad as he takes on…

Issue #23: Free Work Versus Paid Work

Know when to fold them and when to hold them

You can get access to the full archive here if you missed any other issue. 

In the meantime

If you liked my stuff, this is how we can work together: 

1. I write for you, so you can think about niching better. Check out the Experience section on my LinkedIn.

2. I consult marketers and founders. I can show you how to niche like the best of them.

3. I consult writers. I can show you how to avoid niching when the rando idiot calls you poor…

Are you a writer/marketer/founder who wants to niche better? 

Reply to this e-mail if you’re interested in the above. 

Know somebody who’d also like that? Share my newsletter and point them in my direction. I’ll give you a beer/coffee (gotta keep that gut slim, na?) if you’re ever in Brașov*. 

*Next week I’m in Bucharest, and I’m paying for the drinks (limited time offer - read your newsletter on time, people). I’m also bringing my dog along — not Hamlet. 

Offer 1 is detailed up on LinkedIn.

Offers 2 and 3 are detailed up on LinkedIn. But you can also find them here: 

I’m still very open for consultancy services. Just reply to this e-mail if you’re interested. 

Cheers

If this was the first, but also last time we meet: Thank you. 

I write for myself, but you reading my writing gives it additional meaning. I literally could not resonate without you.