Answer The Million Dollar Question: What’s My Writing Niche?

Squeezing five decades of experiences on a writer’s blog is no piece of cake. But no harm trying!

I have been thinking about this topic long and hard. Literally for months. Today, we are going to witness the end of this long marathon. It will be a new chapter in my writing career — maybe in yours too!

Let’s hit it without further ado…

What’s “MY” niche

Taking a lead from my bio, I consider the following options. I will evaluate each one of them honestly and critically.

1. Travel: I have lived in four countries and traveled to over twenty. Living in different parts of the world and working for the corporate sector for almost two decades has helped me achieve this. Now, living in Europe allows me to explore much more. So, this is a great subject for writing as I will never run out of stock.
2. Food: This is something that I can talk about for hours without having a single yawn. I love mouth-watering international cuisines and the list can never be exhaustive. I love trying new, classic, and exotic recipes. My first two stories on Medium were also about food. I think this will be a great niche for me. I can talk about tasty treats and food fusions 24/7. This is definitely something for me. I am all in.
3. Education: Even writing an intro about something I did 30 years ago seems so boring. I think it will not be worth it. An attempt to get a good readership will be a long shot. A futile attempt. I know it because a lot is being constantly developed. Plus, everything is available online. It is a no-no for me.
4. Life, family, and friends: My life revolves around my family and friends. So, I can write a lot. But it is way too personal. Plus, readers want to have a value proposition. Any kind of benefit or useful information is good for them and it sells. Maybe once in a while, I can write about an incident or my relationship with someone close, but I cannot expect a lot of readers flocking in if I publish such stories frequently.
5. Moving abroad: In reality, it is a nightmare. Personally, I have experienced this grill thrice in the last 13 years and have already written a few articles on this subject. I don’t want to take it much further. I have to keep thinking and researching for new immigration opportunities worldwide which I don’t mind, but it is not too exciting or relevant as per my profile. I leave it for the specialists. It is not my cup of tea.
6. Writing: Frankly, this is something that I never expected and is just starting on its own. I never thought about it. Neither have I done any kind of research on the related topics. But this is already my second article and I am loving it. I would like to try if it really works for me. It seems promising but can’t say for sure. I will give it my best shot.
7. Business and finance: If having two master’s degrees in business and working for 18+ years in this field cannot convince me enough to keep writing about it, I bet nothing can. I will definitely go for it. But I will create a niche within a niche. Meaning, I will think of something out of the ordinary within this field.

Here are the results

After an honest evaluation of my life’s best experiences, this is what I think:

• Travel (Yes)
• Food (Yes)
• Education (No)
• Life, family, friends (Occasionally)
• Moving abroad (No)
• Writing (Yes, at least for the moment)
• Business and finance (Yes)

What’s “YOUR” niche

You have evidenced the process that I have been through. Now, you need to identify your specialty areas by answering the following questions:

• What are your skill sets?
• Do you want to learn anything new?
• Do you have any unique experience or exposure?
• Do you have any special interests?

In order to address the above questions, think about your education, career, likes, dislikes, family background, places you have been to, life’s unusual experiences that you have had… etc. You may also want to revisit your strong point, your weaknesses, your passions, and so on.

The above is not a foolproof/exhaustive checklist, but only a direction and something for you to ponder. By doing so, you may get a hint about your niche. Try it out, it may work!

If you don’t have it, then create it

If you are not sure about your niche, this is what could do instead:

Read as much as possible. Articles, books, newspapers, magazines, whatever you get your hands on but relevant to your interest or to buildup your knowledge base on topics that you want to write about. If there is a subject that intrigues you, then find out more about it. See if it is something that you would like to share your thoughts and connect with the readers.

Be honest in your writing. Write about something that is worth it. Find a subject that excites you and your potential readers. If nothing strikes you, then simply don’t go for any random topic. It will be a waste of time for all. You will lose on all fronts. So, better be late than sorry.

Don’t follow a trend, create one. Everything has an audience and readership. So, when you engage in a writing project, do it from your heart. Your story should speak for itself. It ought to show that you really care about the subject and evidence your personality through it. Don’t follow something because similar stories of other writers are getting a good viewership. It will not reflect the true personality of a writer within you. Be patient and keep working hard in the right direction. Your time will come soon.

Concluding thoughts

The key is to pick a niche that you truly love and show your admiration for the subject to your readers. Present the facts and share your ideas and opinions wisely. Keep your ambitions and aspirations alive to make your own footprint as a professional writer.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. Will appreciate your remarks to make my stories more worthy in the future. See you soon!