Table of contents
If you feel you’re spread too thin with your content creation and writing for too many platforms or niches, maybe it’s time to reevaluate who you write for.
It’s never too late to switch things up, so here are the key factors I evaluate before I make that switch:
Fun factor
Metric-driven growth left and right, AI-enhanced writing, personas, clicks, profile visits, metrics - none of that matters if you’re not having fun.
The Fun factor will dictate two things about whatever you’re writing about:
the frequency at which you’re putting stuff out
the quality of that stuff
Consistently showing up and creating content is hard, even if you like it. Imagine having to do so if you don’t like what you’re writing about.
In 2019 I read several books about investing and technical analysis. Some of these books included performance comparisons in the form of charts and raw numbers from companies like steel mills to companies manufacturing house appliances.
Now as I think back to this, it was super boring.
Nonetheless, I devoured those books because I was curious to learn as much as possible about investing. This curiosity fueled my research, and as a result, I did an extensive one. (And yes, I keep investing to this day)
Potential
This is where things become less personal, and if you’re genuinely enjoying what you’re doing, feel free to keep at it.
The potential is highly related to the fun factor. If you have fun doing something, you’ll probably do it more often and do it better.
But if you still have doubts, here are a few questions to ask yourself.
Do you see yourself writing to this audience in a year or two? Your audience involves with you, so it’s hard to tell these things, but your niche - to me, writing, not exclusive to tech - stays, and this is what people will remember about you.
Can you turn your niche into a business? Did you get any new clients from what you’re writing about recently? If you’re relatively new to the niche and don’t have authority, can you see your writing becoming a new income stream or enhancing an existing one?
Broadly speaking, there are three major categories where people would potentially care about what you have to say:
Health - your writing improves their health - mental or physical
Wealth - what you write about helps them earn more money
Love - mixes well with the above two. This can be about mindfulness, relationship, dating, children, family whatever you can associate with love
You can take it to the next level if you write in any of these niches.
I’m in the Wealth category. I write about tech or principles that, if you learn, can multiply your salary, help you get new jobs and clients, or build a new business.
Recently I have written more and more about writing. It’s a much broader topic, but what it offers doesn’t apply only to software or tech - so why restrict who I can help?
Revenue
This takes some time to build up. Depending on what and how long you’re writing about, monetizing your content has different forms.
If you’re just starting, you might not be making any money from your niche right now, so this is a less useful metric.
However, if you’re already writing in your niche - different niches or platforms for some time - compare which one brings you the most revenue.
To me, both of my series were profitable:
I usually include them at the bottom of a proposal I’m sending through Upwork, but a CTA at the end of your blog will do just fine. In March, a company contacted me and wanted to build a browser plugin with me because they liked my writing about it.
Maintenance
Some niche contents require maintenance others don’t.
Timeless writing advice is plenty, but it never gets outdated.
Tech advice is more likely so.
Today, I discovered that a guide I created in 2022 about building plugins is no longer accurate, so I need to update it. Generally, the more your topics are tech-focused, the more likely they’ll become outdated.
Conclusion
All these factors build on each other.
If you’re not having fun writing about something, you’re less likely to use it to its full potential, let alone monetize it.
Be honest and think about these things because it’s never too late to switch.
Switching to something you genuinely enjoy spending your time on will always be a better investment than inching with something you somewhat like.
Also, remember that all niches have ups and downs. Don’t switch niches because you hit a low point while writing for a specific group. Hitting plateaus is part of the game.
Keep writing.
Akos