Niche social media accounts have the power to capture an audience and become credible experts in a topic. Many creators decide to specialize in a niche because it’s a great way to get noticed and gain an audience. Discovering your unique niche could be the key to making a splash in 2020!
What’s a niche social media account?
Creators with a niche social media account are a unique segment within the creator community. They focus on a specific topic and create content around it, rather than covering a broad range of topics. Niche accounts may choose to focus on topics such as football freestyle, plant-based cooking, or special effects makeup.
Why are niche social media accounts strategic?
Specializing in a particular topic differentiates you from other content creators. Social media platforms are crowded, and there can be a lot of noise, but niche profiles can carve a place for themselves and connect with other like-minded individuals. This can be highly rewarding because, rather than catering to a large audience, niche profiles can shape their profile to be uniquely about their passions.
Benefits of having a niche account
Become an expert
Niche profiles often have the opportunity to become an expert in their respective category. As their audience grows, their position as a leader within their niche will strengthen. These types of profiles can be invited to experiences like press trips or discussion panels because they’re a trusted resource on the subject.
Higher engagement
Niche profiles can also have high engagement (likes + comments) because their audience is interested in the topic. Their audience becomes more invested because they’re providing a place for people to connect. This will likely lead to in-depth conversations because their audience is eager to ask questions or share their own similar experiences.
Work with the brands you already love
By hyper-focusing their content, niche profiles will be able to work with brands that they already know and love. Brands are interested in pursuing collaborations and ambassadorships with creators in their industry, making niche profiles a perfect match. These partnerships are valuable because creators already focus on topics that appeal to a brand’s potential customers, allowing the brand to build a stronger connection with the niche audience.
Let’s chat with two niche profiles.
We caught up with two creators that manage niche accounts. Let’s meet them now!
BMX sports rider Marcus Brede is known for his amazing bike tricks on his Instagram account, @BMXMarcus. He creates photo and video content highlighting his sport and world travels with his friends.
Sarah Nourse is the creator of niche YouTube account, How to Switzerland. She creates video content exclusively about living and traveling in Switzerland.
What are the positives of curating a niche account? Any negatives?
Marcus: A positive of having a niche account is that you know where you stand, so at the start, it’s easier to grow your account. Over time, you may try to post about other things, but you’ll come to realize it doesn’t matter that you started with a niche – it matters that you commit to it. I chose BMX as my niche because it’s a hobby I’m passionate about. It’s a relatively small sport, so it can be hard to grow my account, and I feel that it’s growing at a slower pace than before.
Sarah: There are lots of positives of having a niche account. I have another broader YouTube account and sometimes, it can be hard to create content for videos because my audience is interested in so many things. It can be difficult to please so many different interests. I enjoy my How to Switzerland account because I have a clear direction of what kind of content I want to make.
How do you typically engage with your audience?
Marcus: My audience is interested in BMX and while I’m still focusing on it, I’m also trying to be a little more mainstream. To do that, I’m working on getting my followers to be more invested in me and what I’m working on. Because if your followers are invested in you, you can do anything.
Sarah: When it comes to engaging with my audience I like to respond to my viewer’s comments and include them in future videos. If the same question comes up, I might turn that topic into a video.
Any advice for creators wanting to develop a niche profile?
Marcus: If your account is personal, you should make it about something you’re interested in, or else it could die out. If you’re making a themed account, you should find a niche that has big potential. You can check out what the competition is doing, but be sure to do something that makes you stand out.
Sarah: My advice for niche accounts is to pick something you are interested in and can stick with. For example, if you decide to go with “Vegan Cooking,” you have cornered yourself and you may be stuck making that content for a long time. There are always opportunities to change, but it can be difficult to do later, so be sure your topic is going to maintain your interest for years to come.
