Don't Find A Niche. Become The Niche.

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"They subscribe to your consciousness. So many “experts” will tell you to write for your reader. I think that’s BS. I write for me. And when people enjoy it, it’s a rewarding bonus. I love connecting with my readers, but I am not altering my words for them. I am not writing the things that I think will go viral or resonate with the mainstream.”

-som

Turns out, there's a stark difference between creating true fans around one narrow, rigid aspect of yourself, and creating true fans of a dynamic, evolving human. Niche strategy is great at the former, but the latter requires something else entirely.

rob hardy • The perils of niching down

But the chances of you actually surpassing that “Category King,” and being seen as “THE BEST” is highly unlikely. So, what’s a writer to do? The answer is to create a new category of your own.

Nicolas Cole • The Art and Business of Online Writing: How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention

The problem with niche strategy, in a nutshell, is that it's a reliable destroyer of the human spirit. It's built on the assumption that we can segment ourselves, and turn one static aspect of the self into an economic engine that makes the rest of our life feel how we wish it'd feel. It's a nice idea in theory, but after everything I've experience

rob hardy • The perils of niching down

I have yet to find a single writer who’s grown a serious following without some kind of niche.

That doesn’t mean boxing yourself in. It means starting with something clear enough for people to get what you’re about, and specific enough for the right readers to find you.

The first six months are for you. Experiment like crazy. Write about anything. Te... See more

rob hardy • The perils of niching down

Nicolas Cole • The Art and Business of Online Writing: How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention

rob hardy • The perils of niching down

Benjamin Antoine • The Golden era of Substack is over. Now what?