5 Ways to Find Your Podcast Niche

If you want your podcast to succeed, you have to nail down your niche. It's the first step every new podcaster should take! Why? It's like the old saying goes, “If you talk to everyone, you aren't talking to anyone.”

A podcast niche will help you narrow down the content you'll make and who you're making it for. And that’s the secret sauce behind creating episodes that get listeners to press play!

Some people immediately know what message they want to bring to the world. But if that's not you, that's okay! It can be challenging to define a focus when several interests are competing for your attention.

The great news is that there's an audience out there waiting for someone like you to share your expertise. It's just a matter of doing the work to find niche podcast ideas that communicate with those listeners. So, how do you find the perfect niche for your podcast? 

There are some tricks of the trade for finding your podcast niche, and I'm sharing them today (along with swipeable podcast niche ideas and niche-finding formulas)!

Choosing your podcast niche wisely is important!

Whenever a celebrity or big marketing influencer starts a podcast, listeners will be knocking down the door on launch day The rest of us? We have to do a little more work to build an audience and set ourselves apart! That's where niching comes in.

 

What's a podcast niche, and how do I get one?

A niche is a well-defined topic that appeals to a specific audience. You don't want it to be too broad, or people will get confused about your central message. The clearer you make your podcast niche idea, the better! It's the key to finding your podcast's “people.” Once you've figured out a niche, you'll use it to create on-brand content that appeals to your audience. 

Crystal-clear podcast niche ideas:

• Marketing for women entrepreneurs
• Small business coaching
• How to grow your business from zero to six figures

 

How to find your podcast niche

 

Drawing a blank when it comes to niche podcast ideas? You're not alone, and I'm here to help you! These tips can help you decide.

 

Identify your interests and passions

This might be the single most important factor you should consider! Even though the ultimate goal is building an audience, choose something you're actually interested in and want to talk about.

You're going to be deep-diving into topics within your niche and talking about them more than you can imagine. Showing up for episode after episode of your own podcast should be fun! The excitement and newness of launching your pod will power you through the first few episodes, but podfade is very real. That's why about 2.5 million podcasts are available in Apple's Podcasts app, but only 18% are active. 

Work mode will eventually set in, and it's so much easier to keep showing up behind the mic when you enjoy it. 

 

How to do it

Write down all the topics you're interested in and passionate about. There are no wrong answers here – it's just a place to get your ideas out of your head and into one place!

 

Ask yourself:

• What's your “why” for starting a podcast? 
• What goals do you want listeners to achieve?
• What could you already talk for hours about without doing any research?
• What lights you up when it comes to hobbies, business, or lifestyle?
• What do people come to you for advice or help about?
• What do you already know how to do well?
• Which types of podcasts are an “immediate play” for you?
• Which topics or angles are missing from the market?

Try adding adjectives to your words – get as specific as possible! For example, “coaching” is workable, but “entrepreneur mindset coaching” is a stronger podcast niche idea.

 

Prioritize niches that highlight your unique strengths and expertise. You don't have to be the all-knowing expert; you just have to know enough to help others!

 

Research popular podcast genres: What is a good niche for a podcast?

If a genre is already performing well, there could be a place in the market to add your spin. Checking out what other people have already put into the podcast sphere can get your creative juices flowing on a niche that works within a well-established genre. 

This goes both ways – while a bit of competition is a sign that an audience is out there, some markets are pretty saturated right now (like True Crime or Comedy). Knowing what's already out there can tell you that a corner of the market is already covered and that you'll need to keep narrowing that niche.

 

How to do it

Scroll through the top podcasts of any genre and see what's performing well. (You can get a better idea of some of the most popular genres here.) Each podcast in a genre fits into a smaller niche. For example, you'll notice categories like debt-free living, investing, and early retirement under the umbrella of personal finance. 

Ask yourself: what would your take on that topic be, and what could you identify as a niche that would catch people's attention but also be fresh for listeners? 

 

Conduct audience research: What kind of podcasts are in demand?

Here's a secret about making money in podcasting: it doesn't come from doing the podcasting itself! The money you'll make will be found in your audience and the subscriptions, marketing opportunities, and offers you create to serve them. 

Some of the earliest adopters of subscription and paid podcasting models have added 7 (or more) figures of revenue from fans. But to get an audience so dedicated they'll pay a membership fee, you'll have to carve out a profitable niche.

The way to do that is with audience research. When you choose a niche with your audience in mind, you're set up for success because you're creating content for people who already want to hear what you have to say.

 

How to do it

If you've already built a following on another platform (think Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook), what's performing well? What kind of questions do people have? If you're not sure, you can do a quick poll.

Business owners can also pull from other marketing channels like client testimonials and discovery calls. A lot of the time, existing clients and potential podcast audiences have a lot in common, so it's a great place to get niche ideas.

If you're starting from the ground up, Google Trends can give you a big-picture view of what people are searching for. Facebook groups, Reddit, and or competitors' Insta comment threads can get the ball rolling with even more ideas.

Up-and-coming audiences for podcasters:

• Boomers – there is a spike on the horizon in podcast audiences, and it's coming from the Boomers (much like we saw with Facebook).
• Women – Get ready because we are making a splash! There are many (me included) who feel like women will soon overtake men as the top podcast listener demographic.
• Non-English + Non-US listeners – did you know there are AI tools that will take your English-speaking podcast and translate it without it sounding too robotic? I LOVE this.

Consider current events and trends

And I'm not talking about what's going on with world news (unless your niche is current events!) I'm talking about what's current in your area of expertise and what's on people's minds in that industry. Niching in a hot topic means your podcast will be relevant from day one. 

How to do it

Have you got your eye on a big trend? Find your niche by figuring out your one-of-a-kind angle or a segmented audience. “Money-saving tips” is a broad niche, but “money-saving tips for moms” carves out a specific space.

 

Assess the competition

Your podcast will exist in an ever-growing market, so look at what else is out there! Seeing what's already been created by people with a similar zone of genius can spark fabulous niche and content ideas that will help you launch your own can't-miss podcast. 

 

How to do it

To find the niche idea gold by scoping out the competition, try this:

• Type your genre or niche + “podcast” into Google and see what comes up
• Listen to their podcasts and read the episode descriptions
• Read through their blog and social posts
• Scroll through comments to see what listeners are talking about and what questions they're asking

Repeat the process with people you admire – even if they don't have a podcast, they might have been a guest or topic of one.

 

Finding a podcasting niche is one of the most essential steps in your journey! 

 

It will guide your overarching focus and content generation process for every episode you record, and it's the best way to serve an audience who can't wait to hear your insight and ideas. 

Five sure-fire ways to get podcast niche ideas:

• Consider your interests
• Research popular genres
• Conduct audience research
• Consider trending topics
• Assess the competition.

If you get hung up, just remember that you don't have to be tied to your niche forever – you can continually expand and grow with your audience! The most important part is that you just get started. 

Need support from a bonafide podcast ninja to get started? Making people's podcasting dreams come true is my jam! Book a strategy call with me today.