You Are Not A Niche
It’s common advice that I see reiterated everywhere, from our favorite Twitter personalities to anons on Reddit.
“Find a niche and build an audience around it”
But is this the right advice?
Yes, if you are looking to quickly build an audience this might be the right approach for you. Sure, if you become the “WordPress SEO” guy, then you will have an easier time gaining followers. It’ll make your content predictable and give people reasons to follow you.
But don’t overlook the fact that this approach also locks you in.
When your interests change or you get tired of tweeting about the same topic, your engagement will disappear. Likes will plummet and your skyrocketing follower count will slow. People who followed you for your marketing advice will simply replace you with that other marketer who is posting on about the latest hacks.
This is because people care more about the niche than the messenger!
Instead, post content that is uniquely your own! Instead of creating a fake social media persona built around expertise in a niche, be yourself.
Your online growth will certainly be slower, but it will be more fruitful. Share the things that you are fascinated about, build in public, and feel free to post what comes to mind.
In the long run, sticking to content you enjoy is a much better recipe for success than sliding into a niche because of its clout, customers, or opportunities.
If you are an interesting person IRL and are exploring new ideas and areas of thought, then like-minded people WILL discover you. Don’t focus on the metrics, instead focus on yourself and the relationships you are building.