How to Find Your Niche Within Your Field

Choosing a niche can help you build credibility, advance your career, and help you contribute more effectively to your industry. In this post, we delve into how to select a niche, why it is important to do so, and what steps to take to pick one.

By Brandi Fowler

A niche is a specialized area of focus within a profession.?

If you are a journalist, your niche might be fashion journalism. You can specify that further or “niche down” by choosing a niche within fashion journalism.

It helps to choose a niche no matter your profession. According to Forbes, selecting one can help you “refine your offerings and build the expertise that gives you the legs to withstand the test of time.”?

“I think it's important to choose a niche [because] it helps you define where you have expertise, knowledge, and insight, and where you can contribute to your industry [in an impactful way],” ?said Better Work Labs founder and talent development researcher Al Dea.

Dea also pointed out other benefits, adding that choosing your niche can help tailor how you think about your career growth and where you want to advance next.?

Certified professional career coach Natascha Saunders, CFP, echoed those sentiments and suggested letting go of the fear that choosing a niche will limit you.??

“You actually don't [limit yourself] because you come off as an expert,” Saunders said. “You have this area that you focus on, but it can be branched off. Showing the level of expertise comes with credibility and that's what you want…credibility, reputation and demonstrating a level of expertise is important.”

I talked to Dea, Saunders, and executive recruiter and executive career strategist Bernadette Pawlik about the best ways to choose a niche and why it is essential for career growth.?

How to Choose a Niche Within Your Field

Take a few steps to begin identifying your niche. Start by thinking about the type of expertise others would seek out from you.?

“The ultimate litmus test on that is if a colleague were to pick up the phone and call you, think about why they would want to come to you for advice,” Dea said.?

Saunders also suggested thinking about perceptions of you as a first step.?

“People are attracted to you,” Saunders said. “Not even just for your niche. It is for what you demonstrate around your expertise. Pay attention to what people are asking for you to talk about or to do.”?

Next, Saunders said, “Respect your passion.” She recommended honing in on what you are passionate about to find your niche, and also what problem you can solve.?

“There could be a problem, something that really irks you, like, ‘I really want to solve the fact that we don't have a street sign on this corner,’” Saunders said. “What is the problem that irks you that could lead you to your niche?”

Lastly, Saunders said to take time to assess your skills and strengths like public speaking or data analysis.?

Pawlik, meanwhile, suggested doing an “annual state of my career review” to help choose your niche. She suggested asking yourself, “What was interesting? Where did I excel? What did I loathe? In what role can I do more of what fulfills me professionally?”

“Continue this process throughout your career so that you are developing a niche which allows you to enjoy your professional life,” Pawlik said.??

Dea described finding your niche as a “process of exploration.” He added that it is OK if you can’t immediately identify it.

“For a lot of people, one or two things can happen,” Dea said. “One, that you don't necessarily find your niche overnight. And then two, for people who have been successful, their niche may change over time. So, the best place to start is right where you are.?

“The key thing with finding your niche is that some of it is going to be driven in terms of what gives you energy, what excites you, and what you're interested in, and then the other side of that is what kinds of things do people think you are good at, that people think are problems that you solve?”

How Finding Your Niche Can Benefit You

You can work toward becoming an expert in your niche after identifying it. That can lead to better work opportunities, speaking engagements, press opportunities, etc.

Saunders suggested asking yourself “Who, what, when, where, how and why” to help flesh out how your niche best benefits you.?

“Who do you want to use that niche for? Where do you want to be [while you are building out your niche]? How do you want to use it, and whom do you wanna use it for?” Saunders said.?

Ask yourself if there is a particular demographic you are interested in, like the elderly or young people, and if being in a specific location will help you as you build your niche.?

“Then, you can build out the strategy for making money with your niche,” Saunders said. “You almost have to reverse engineer it, but do the basics.”?

How to Promote Your Niche in Your Field

Use it to promote yourself on social media once you have found your niche and are building your career around it.?

Be authentic and choose a platform that aligns with your values, Saunders said. Also, determine which social media network reaches your audience and how you feel when on it.

“You can be on LinkedIn,” Saunders said. “You could be on Instagram. You could be on Facebook. You could be on TikTok. You could be on YouTube and you could have your own website. All of that comes with a feeling…if you feel content that is a good place for you to test the waters.”?

Pawlik noted that how you promote yourself will help attract your audience and to let your passion for your niche shine.

“Those who enjoy what they do are most often the ones who look for opportunities to be even more engaged outside of working hours,” Pawlik said. “They do presentations, they form professional groups, they network organically, rather than manipulative…they rise to the visibility of a thought leader.

“If you find fulfillment in what you do you want to share your interests with others, you want to expand your knowledge.”

Choosing your niche takes some time and effort, but is worth it. Take a moment to self-assess, think about what fuels you, and the expertise others would seek out from you to jumpstart your process.?

Top Takeaways

How to Find Your Niche Within Your Field

• Start by thinking about your passions and the expertise people would seek from you.?
• Think about where your strengths and skills are, and what problem you can solve.?
• Choosing a niche can give you credibility and attract more work opportunities (and clients, if applicable).?
• You can better promote yourself once you have a niche by using the right social media network for you and your target audience.?