I’m going to start with something bold because I need to make a point.
Remember the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan? The one on Omaha Beach? It’s intense, unforgettable, and downright brutal. That scene is forever burned into my memory.
So, why bring it up here?
Because picking the wrong niche can feel like a bloodbath for your business. It’s where most people stumble and fall before they even get started.
Let me share a quick story to drive this home.
A while back, I consulted with Chad. Chad’s a smart guy—he’s a professor at a university, he’s been dabbling in online business for years. But he was frustrated. His niche wasn’t making him a cent. He was doing everything right—at least in his eyes—but it was like squeezing water from a rock.
Five minutes into our call, the problem was crystal clear.
Chad made a classic rookie mistake. He chose a niche that he was passionate about—something close to his heart—but didn’t check if anyone else was making money in that space.
He assumed because it was popular in the news and there were a few products on ClickBank that he’d be fine.
But here’s the harsh truth:
Passion alone doesn’t pay the bills.
So, I asked Chad: “If someone was looking for the information you’re selling, what would they search for on Google?”
His answer: job interview tips and interview questions.
I ran a couple of quick validation tests.
Test #1: I plugged those terms into Google. Almost no advertisers showed up. That’s a bad sign.
Test #2: I ran the same keywords through Google’s Keyword Planner. Again, almost no competition.
At that point, it was obvious why Chad wasn’t making money. His niche was a dud. And here’s the kicker—he’d spent the last eight months writing an ebook for it.
Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible to sell in that niche. But why make things harder than they need to be?
There are so many markets out there packed with eager buyers—people who are desperate for solutions. Why fight an uphill battle when you could focus on a niche with proven demand?
Here’s my biggest tip for finding a profitable niche:
Don’t start with a product. Instead, start with an audience that already has a specific need. Find out what they’re searching for, what problems they’re trying to solve, and then give them the solution.
As marketing genius Peter Drucker once said, “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.”
So, how do you find these audiences? Think outside the box. Use phrases like:
- “Where to buy *”
- “How to stop *”
- “How to improve *”
- “How to reduce *”
These are goldmines for identifying people with specific, urgent needs.
Once you’ve identified a few potential audiences, it’s time for your quick validation tests:
- Check the competition. Are other marketers and advertisers active in this space? If yes, that’s a good sign.
- Check the demand. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to see if people are searching for these solutions.
For example, I once discovered a niche for “how to jump higher” (yes, for basketball players). A quick Google search revealed healthy competition, and digging further showed there were products in this space making serious money.
That’s demand, validated.
So to recap:
- Identify an audience with a specific need.
- Validate the demand (look for competition).
- THEN, find a product to solve that need.
It really doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
I’ll dive into this further behind the curtain.
Click here to continue… (Page 5 of 8)