Estimated read time: 4 mins

Did you know there’s a whole niche devoted to being anti-niche?

(Psst… It is pronounced NEESH, all you nitch people need to learn French 🗼🥖)

Do you even need a niche? 

Is it enough to just be you, do what you want, and hope it’ll make sense? 

OR… 

Is a solid clear niche the thing that will make all the difference? 

Will you find freedom from constraint? 

There’s evidence that points to YES for all of the above.

It could be argued that YOU are the niche if you’re building a personal brand. 

It could also be argued that at first, nobody cares and a clear niche will help you capture a space in someone’s mind associating with YOUR BRAND. 

Truth is “I haven’t found my niche yet” is a crazy common block to progress. 

And it makes sense. 

Fear of commitment and all that comes with it. Of choosing the wrong niche (because it feels like you only get one shot). Of competing against others in a niche that are more established. 

It’s a lot of pressure! 

But I don’t think you should let it stop you.

What you’ll learn in this article:

🍵💲 Heaps of examples of niching from broad to narrow, narrow to broad — hyper-niche to niche-free and thriving

🍵💲 The different between vertical and horizontal niches

🍵💲 A case for niche offers and a broad brand (specificity sells — complexity connects)

The tea: A nuanced approach to niching

Have you heard of horizontal vs. vertical niching? Let’s nerd out for a moment if not… 

VERTICAL NICHE = Industry specific. You’re catering to the unique needs, problems, and preferences of a particular vertical or industry.

Think Amazon circa 1994 when Jeffy *only* sold BOOKS.

HORIZONTAL NICHE = Industry agnostic. You’re focused on a specific type of product or service that can be used across multiple industries.

Today, Amazon is no longer simply the world’s biggest online marketplace for books, it’s a marketplace for everything. It’s gone horizontal. 

Why does this matter? 

Because often that “boxed in”, ‘aromatherapy for cats with OCD level specificity’ (yes, real example), is born out of thinking you NEED to have a vertical niche. You don’t. 

In fact, there is no perfect niche prescription you need to abide by. 

Let’s look at a few examples of successful online business owners ranging from niche-free to hyper-niche, horizontal, vertical, and totally upside down: 

1️⃣ NO NICHE: Even the nicheless likely have some manner of niche. 

I really like Michelle of the Secret O.W.L Society as an example here. Girl does what she wants — selling everything from planner templates to a course on how to shed what no longer serves you. 

Her niche is online business BUT her unique spin is that your entrepreneurial efforts are a tool to grow as a person. 

2️⃣ VERTICAL NICHE: 

The most specific vertical niche example I’ve come across lately is this guy Simon Dingeman. He’s not just a fitness influencer, he’s a glute growing specialist and his content is hilari-ass. 

A vertical niche that’s THIS specific is great for quickly getting traction. 

^^The thing about having such a hyper-specific niche? I don’t know how sustainable it is for one human, who’s also the face of the whole brand, to create booty growing content for the next 5-10 years 🤷‍♀️

3️⃣ HORIZONTAL NICHE: 

My friend Prerna Malik is a copywriter for course creators. That leaves a LOT of room for her to work with people in all different industries while still having a specialized skill set. 

One day she might be writing a sales page for a garden specialist. The next day she might be designing a launch strategy for Dr. Glutes. 

Horizontal niches are great if you love variety but not so great for being known as the brand or person for . 

Which is where a super specific OFFER comes into play… 

Gala Darling is an “author, speaker, and professional optimist” her content is about everything from manifestation to living a happier life — but her core offers are centered around TAPPING. ⇐ That’s where she creates differentiation from every other manifestation coach. 

If you’re afraid of going too “narrow” with your niche, there’s ample evidence that you’re allowed to change 👇

Jenna Kutcher started out teaching photographers business skills and today she’s an expander for all types of entrepreneurial women. 

Glo Atanmo went from blogging and graphic design to lifestyle, spirituality, and much broader online business skills. 

When Gary Vee got started his thing was WINE. 

Kate Northrup’s first book was about money and her next was about doing less and learning how to honor your cycle. 

Justin Welsh focused on LinkedIn before expanding to generally support solopreneurs in building businesses around their lives. 

The list goes on. For the most part, it’s much easier to start narrow and go more broad with time. 

Sometimes I’ll see someone who starts broad and narrows with time like my client Brenda who went from business coach to business coach for midlife women. 

A seemingly small positioning shift like that can make a BIG difference. 

So what’s the verdict? 

• Horizontal niches offer you more freedom and variety. 
• Hyper-specific vertical niches offer fast growth and less competition. 
• It’s easier to start narrow and get more broad with time. 
• If you have a broad niche right now, that’s cool and you might find that narrowing can help you elevate your positioning and stand out with a smidge more ease. 

One thing is for 1000% sure… 

If you’re talking to everybody, you’re talking to NOBODY.

If you’re building a personal brand, your content should reflect who you are in all of your grand complexity. 
But your offers should still be hyper-specific — what I mean by that is there should be no question as to who they’re for and the solutions they’re designed to solve.

Sip on this…  

🧋This laptop life really is the stuff dreams are made of ✨

🧋Dan Koe goes DEEP on why “anti-niche” is the way of the future in this letter.

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