Why You Should Dig Deep to Create Your Niche
When the world hit pause, wellness practitioners had to adapt or be left behind.
Every studio suddenly found themselves thrust into the online realm during the pandemic, where the traditional business rules no longer applied. Creators found ways to make things work online even without a specific focus.
But the truth is, many of them succeeded because they brought their existing clients along for the ride. When people couldn't go out to spend money, they turned to the internet for everything they needed.
Now, in 2024, things have shifted again.
While some creators can still do well without a niche, if you want to make a living, you have to get super specific about who you target and what results you’re getting them.
If you're in the wellness space, you have the chance to leverage your skills and creativity to make a meaningful impact. But with an increasing number of people online, standing out will only get harder.
Today, we're here to explain why finding your niche is a must, how to choose your niche and show you what happens to your business when you do. Let's get started!
What Is A Niche?
So, what exactly do we mean by niche?
For example, imagine you're a yoga teacher who wants to share your classes with your local community. Naturally, you aim to create an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome and cared for.
But here’s the catch.
When you work online, you’re not just serving your local community. You’re putting yourself out into a world where billions are connected to the internet—and nobody knows how to distinguish you from anyone else.
That's where finding your niche comes in.
It's about zeroing in on a specialized segment of the market for your products or services. Instead of offering yoga classes to everyone, you might focus on teaching yoga to elementary school kids. Or perhaps you'd tailor Pilates classes specifically for postpartum moms.
The key is getting specific on who you're serving and what they need. Not only does your target audience need to be specific, but your products or services also must be hyper-specific to fit their needs.
Now, having a niche doesn’t mean excluding others. Even if someone doesn’t perfectly fit your niche, you can still teach anyone who wants to learn—and you’ll discover that people who might not be an exact fit for your niche will still find you!
It’s all about how you communicate your message--and market your products or services to them.
Why is Finding Your Niche Important?
The truth is, 15 years ago, you could get away with offering general yoga, fitness, or Pilates classes online.
But times have changed.
Let’s say your target audience is yoga students. Well, YouTube has you covered for a quick yoga session—you can just hop over to well-known teachers like Yoga With Adrienne.
However, if you're aiming to build a thriving business, you need to get laser-focused.
In the early days, being a yoga teacher online meant you could attract a sizable audience because options were limited. Being a creator was a niche in itself—there just weren't many offering movement-based content online in 2010.
Today, the online world is saturated with endless content and creators to choose from.
That's why you need to position yourself as the go-to expert in your niche. When people search for what resonates with them, you want to be the obvious choice shining brightly among the crowd. You're not just a jack-of-all-trades.
Finding your niche lets you cut through the noise and show up as the perfect match for your ideal client.
So, when you're addressing the needs of a group, make sure that group is crystal clear. And it might seem counterintuitive to narrow your audience or shrink your market size by being more specific.
But it’s the key to charging more money and growing faster.
How to Find Your Perfect Niche
Start with what you already know.
Choosing your niche begins with identifying the group of people you're passionate about serving—let's call them your Quintessential Clients.
Picture it like a Venn diagram:
Your passion or interest in a topic.
Some level of expertise in that subject.
The specific group of people who would benefit from your offering.
Once you’ve got those nailed down, you’ve found the magic opportunity to make an impact while earning a lot of money.
Essentially, you have to figure out how to solve an important problem for a specific group of people.
So, how do you find out what those problems are?
Simply listen to someone talk about their pain points. Then, dig deeper and deeper to get to a level of specificity. But what if you don't have direct access to your target group?
That’s when you turn to sleuthing. Head to places like Reddit, YouTube comments, and social media. See what conversations people are having about their problems and the solutions they wish existed.
The Power of Going Deep in Your Niche
Imagine you're a yoga teacher, teaching a bit of everything. Now, ask yourself:
→ What do you love teaching the most?
→ Where do you see your students making real progress?
Maybe you notice a lot of your students are into knitting, just like you. And after class, the conversations often circle back to knitting.
So, you decide to target your yoga classes specifically for women over 50 who love knitting.
Are you teaching them how to knit? Nope, you're focusing on a movement-based practice to strengthen their wrists and ease those aches and pains from sitting too long.
That's getting super specific.
And when you get deep with your niche like this example, it makes marketing so much easier. You could build a great marketing strategy where you collaborate with craft stores—and attract clients as a yoga teacher from this interesting angle that no one else is doing.
Sure, yoga is yoga, and you could teach anyone. But by honing in, you can build a brand around a specific group and their needs.
Let's say you're a fitness instructor who wants to leverage data to help your clients get the most out of their training. You might target people in their 30s who want to integrate wearables to track wellness metrics like sleep and heart rate variability.
Who knows? Down the line, there might even be the potential to collaborate with wearable companies and land brand deals in this niche.
Why Finding Your Niche Lets You Charge Premium Prices
Aside from instantly connecting with your ideal clients through your specialized product or service, there's another big benefit to narrowing your focus:
You can charge more.
The more tailored your offer, the easier it is to charge a premium price for it. Why? Because you've got no competition. When you're the go-to in your niche, you set the standard—and the price.
It’s not about making more money for the sake of making money either. After all, we enter the wellness industry to make a difference, not just money.
Charging a premium for your products or services might even make you feel uneasy.
But the truth is that charging a higher rate lets you serve your clients better. Because when you can charge more money, you need fewer clients to meet your revenue goals, meaning you can dedicate more time and energy to every student.
Can You Change Your Niche?
Choosing a niche can be daunting. It feels like a big, permanent decision. But here's the truth:
You can always change it!
You're not locked into one niche forever. It's just another decision you get to make as a business owner.
Niching down early on is better for your business growth. If you find a niche and it’s not working—or you’re not enjoying it—that’s okay. You can pivot later on if you need to.
And just because you have a niche, you don’t necessarily have to teach only one topic in your program. Niching deep down is about attracting your ideal clients by speaking specifically to them directly and sharing and how you can help solve their problems.
Your niche will evolve over time as you serve your clients and learn what works and what doesn’t. It’s about experimenting and iterating. Like every part of your business, niching is a living, breathing entity that will change over time.
You're not stuck serving one tiny segment of the market for life. So, don't stress about finding your niche. Just go out there and explore until you do!
