Why “Niching Down” Is Awful Advice for Creative Entrepreneurs
In 2019, there was a surge in demand for YouTube channels that taught others how to grow their YouTube channel.
These YouTubers talked about:
- Algorithm hacks
- Keyword research
- Thumbnail design
And much more.
The channels that were discussing YouTube growth hacks blew up!
Everything was going well.
The sky was the limit.
Fast forward to the year 2023.
Nowadays, a few of those channels are still around.
From the few that remained, they expanded.
Rather than just talking about YouTube, they have been talking about content creation as a whole.
- Content calendars
- Brainstorming techniques
- Networking with other creators
- Plus, YouTube growth hacks
A few of those who were thriving in 2019 had mental breakdowns in 2023.
This isn’t speculation from my end.
They said:
‘I’m taking a break for mental health reasons.’
The mental health reasons can easily be explained.
These guys were being rewarded for a certain strategy.
They built their identity on YouTube growth hacks.
This identity is fine as long as they are constantly growing on YouTube.
But that’s not what always happens.
Eventually, their growth stabilizes.
You can talk about YouTube growth hacks for so long.
How many different ways can you hack the algorithm?
Eventually, old content material is repeated.
The creative entrepreneur is no longer creating art.
They are doing a job.
A job that they hate.
Why Niches Are Good for Catalogs But Not for Creators
In 2016, there was a rise in affiliate marketing websites.
Someone would create a blog that was recommending the top TVs.
‘Top 10 TVs in the market.’
- The blog would be filled with affiliate links.
- The blog would rank for a popular targeted keyword.
- Then the creator would collect passive income.
This is a great example of a niche site.
If the blog covered TVs, radios, and mouses…then it’d lose steam.
The niche of TVs ensured the site’s laser precision.
Why is this niche strategy not a great strategy for a content creator?
Because a creator doesn’t just create once & call it that.
They must continuously create.
Nowadays, YouTube has policies in place where even if your channel is monetized…
They reserve the right to demonetize the channel if you haven’t posted in a while.
They are trying to actively weed out dead channels.
Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, had a simple strategy for running a content company:
Why Themes Beat Niches
When I first started ArmaniTalks, I was just a public speaking account.
That was my niche.
I talked about Toastmasters, creating speeches, making proper eye contact with the audience, etc.
After 2 years of talking about public speaking, I began to develop a distaste for the topic.
It became a chore to discuss the niche.
One day, I began to view public speaking from a different angle.
One public speaking concept is the 3-person rule.
As a beginner speaker, you only need to look at 3 people from the audience.
- 1 person from the left, 1 person from the middle & 1 person from the right.
Those sitting around the chosen 3 will also think you’re looking at them.
1 stone, multiple birds.
This rule helped me understand that public speaking wasn’t only about speaking to a crowd…
It was about speaking to individuals.
When I made this realization, I naturally stumbled into talking about social skills.
- Have conversations rather than speak to an audience.
I began to create content on how to be more charming in 1-on-1 interactions.
The word ‘charm’ is a word that deals with emotions.
After talking about social skills, I stumbled into the language of emotions.
Rather than relying on raw logic…
Learn to use humor, drama & enthusiasm in your talk.
Emotional intelligence.
Slowly, I started to collect new topics.
The topics can be boiled down to:
- Concentration, EQ, creativity, storytelling, public speaking & social skills.
Initially, I started in the niche of public speaking.
But over time, I evolved into the theme of communication skills.
Let me share how you can make an evolution as well.
Niches -> Themes (Hopefully)
You may be in the niche stage right now.
Which is fine.
In the beginning, you should be in a niche.
For many creators, staying in the niche stage is okay too.
If the niche is leading to ongoing enthusiasm, then that’s a green flag.
No need to fix what’s not broken.
But if you are like me, and are like:
‘Talking about this niche is becoming a chore. Is there anything else?’
Then try looking at that niche from a new angle.
I looked at public speaking from a different angle.
Rather than seeing an audience, I saw individuals.
Seeing individuals allowed me to hop from public speaking to social skills.
Once I stumbled into the new niche of social skills, I tried to see how I could connect it to the niche of public speaking.
- By interconnecting 2 different niches, you are on the path toward building a theme.
The more you work on the new niche, the more you organically stumble into another niche.
Once you have atleast 3 niches that you are competent in, that’s when the mind looks to put words on your evolution.
Once I saw the ArmaniTalks brand creating content on public speaking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and such…
My mind generated:
- Communication skills
This general definition is what allowed me to evolve into theme status.
Creating a Mantra
I believe a mantra solidifies a brand.
Amazon has, customer obsession.
Nike has, just do it.
Apple has, be different.
For most creators, creating a mantra seems like a waste of time.
But for long-term brand builders, mantras are high ROI.
My mantra is:
- Confidence thru Communication
It’s simple.
It serves as a reminder of what the brand is about.
Once you find the mantra that symbolizes your brand, you’ll know.
This will not be an intellectual exercise, more so a spiritual one.
The right mantra is felt by the body.
This mantra properly represents your brand.
Lock into it.
Keep graduating from niche -> niches -> theme.
For more practical insights into brand building, be sure to check out the Armanitalks Free Daily Newsletter
– ArmaniTalks 
