How Niche Is Too Niche? (Here’s How To Know)

So you’re wondering about how niche is too niche, huh?

When we say a niche is “too niche,” we’re talking about targeting such a specific, narrow group that it becomes challenging to grow or even sustain a business.

Keep reading to find out the examples of going too niche, its benefits, drawbacks, and how you can decide whether your chosen niche is too broad, balanced, or too niche.

Key Takeaways:

• If a niche is so narrow that few people are interested, it’s probably too niche.
• A super narrow focus can limit your audience, make it hard to monetize, and even leave you struggling for content ideas down the road.
• On the bright side, a very specific niche can make you the go-to expert quickly. Plus, you’ll likely face less competition.
• A balanced niche is neither too broad nor too specialized. 
• Research tools like Google Trends, Ahrefs, and SEMrush can help you figure out the demand for your niche.
• Evaluate your target audience and the problem you’re solving. Plus, make sure your niche is broad enough to expand later.
• Use search volumes for your niche’s keywords to assess the demand. 

How Niche Is Too Niche?

A niche becomes “too niche” when it’s so specialized that it limits your audience size and growth potential. If your focus is so narrow that it excludes too many people or lacks sufficient market demand, you’ve likely gone too niche.

Before we dive in and understand more about the concept of “how niche is too niche,” let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what a niche is, what a sub-niche is, and why going “too niche” can be a slippery slope.

So, let’s get started with the meaning of a niche.

In simple terms, a niche is a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service. Think of it as your focus area.

For example, if you’re in the food blogging world, your niche might be “healthy recipes.” That’s what you’re all about, and that’s what people come to you for.

As we’re talking about niches, you might be thinking, ‘Is it too late to start a blog?‘ Read our guide to learn more about the topic.

What Is a Sub-Niche?

Alright, now let’s get into sub-niches. A sub-niche is an even more specialized segment within a broader niche.

So, sticking with our food blogging example, if your niche is “healthy recipes,” a sub-niche could be “gluten-free desserts.”

It’s like taking a magnifying glass to your niche and zooming in on one specific part.

So, What Does “Too Niche” Mean?

And here we are, at the concept of “how niche is too niche.” This is when you narrow down your focus so much that you end up boxing yourself in.

Imagine you’re that food blogger who specializes in “healthy recipes,” then narrows it down to “gluten-free desserts,” and then decides to focus only on “gluten-free chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour.” Yikes!

While you might be the go-to person for that super-specific treat, you’re missing out on a lot of other topics and, consequently, a lot of potential readers.

Before we jump into the depths of the niches, you might be wondering whether you should go for a blog or a vlog. Actually, both have their pros and cons, and your choice can significantly affect your niche. Want to explore the difference? Check out our post on Blog or Vlog for further information.

Drawbacks Of Going Too Niche

Let’s get real about the pitfalls of going too niche. Sure, it’s tempting to be the go-to expert for something ultra-specific, but that can come with its own set of challenges. Here’s why you might want to think twice.

First up, we’ve got the limited audience issue. When you go super-specific with your niche, you automatically shrink your pool of potential fans, customers, or readers.

You might dominate the search for a very niche topic, but the main question is how many people are actually searching for that?

Next, a smaller audience usually means fewer opportunities to monetize your content, product, or service. This is especially true if you’re thinking of earning through display ads.

Now you can think about affiliate marketing or digital products for a small niche audience. Yep, that’s a great strategy!

But, that works well only if you meet these two criteria:

• High Product Value
• A Strong Offer That Actually Converts

And if that’s not enough, it’s also essential to consider the Content creation potential.

Think you won’t run out of topics in an ultra-niche field? Think again. The more specialized you get, the fewer topics there are to cover. You’ll find yourself scraping the bottom of the content barrel sooner than you’d like.

Choosing a niche isn’t easy, but once you’ve made up your mind, there are lots of options to explore. If you need some inspiration, our list of the Best 230+ Niches for Blogging will give you plenty of ideas!

Benefits Of Going Too Niche

While it’s true that narrowing your focus can have drawbacks, there are some compelling reasons to consider it.

Firstly, being ultra-specific can make you the go-to authority faster.

And get this: Niche audience is high-valued if you choose an appropriate niche. Sure, they’re not high in volumes, but they are super engaged and committed to the core theme of the brand.

If you’re solving a unique problem or providing specialized information, they’ll stick around and even become a loyal all-time follower of your brand.

Another benefit of going too niche is facing less competition. So if you can create quality content or provide quality service, it’s easier to shine and make your mark.

And here’s the best part: When people find exactly what they’ve been searching for (and nowhere else), they’re more likely to convert. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, buying a product, or sharing your content, targeted audiences tend to take action.

In addition, with a highly specific niche, you can offer tailored solutions that broader competitors can’t. That customization will allow you to charge higher prices for your niche-expertise and lead to more satisfied customers.

But wait a minute!

While all these perks sound awesome, choosing a super niche market is still a risky move.

Do it only if you’re confident about its profitability. High-ticket niches where you can truly stand out could make it worthwhile. Otherwise, it might be smarter to find a more balanced niche that offers room for growth 

Examples Of Going Too Niche

• Budgeting for Couples with Cats (Finance)
• Geometry for Preschoolers (Education)
• Vegan Smoothies for People Over 6 Feet Tall (Food)
• Fertilizers for Rare Orchids (Gardening)
• Bathroom Décor for Apartments Under 500 Sq Ft (Home Decor)

Examples Of Going Too Broad

• A General Health Blog
• All Things Finance Blog
• All Types Of Foods Brand
• A General Gaming YouTube Channel
• All Types Of Gardening Website

Examples Of Balanced Niche

• A Cat Blog
• A Home Appliance Blog
• An Indoor Gardening Blog (Learn more about gardening niche analysis)
• A Specific Gaming-Related YouTube Channel;
• Weight Loss Tips Brand
• Home Gym Brand
• A Vegan Blog
• An Agriculture Blog
• A Bathroom Decor Brand

So after seeing the examples, you can see that a “too niche” topic goes into much detail. While a broad niche topic is quite undefined. Whereas, a balanced niche topic is specific but big at the same time to allow enough growth.

How To Know If Your Niche Is Too Niche Or Broad?

Here are some key tips that can help figure out whether your chosen niche is too niche or broad:

Before diving in, see what’s already out there. Use tools like Google Trends, Ahrefs, Semrush to see how many people are looking for your specific topic.

Too few? Maybe it’s too niche. Overwhelmed with results? Might be too broad.

You can explore what all sub-topics you cover in each niche and that should give you a pretty good idea of how big that niche will be.

For instance, in terms of blogging, if a niche allows you to at least write 500 unique blog posts, that is a good indication that the niche is a balanced niche (neither too niche nor too broad).

Here’s a chart to give you an idea of how the niche type and the number of unique, detailed posts you can write correlate with each other:

Niche Type:	Max Number Of Posts:
Super Niche	50-100 Posts
Sub-Niche	200-300 Posts
Niche	500 Posts
Broad Niche	1000 Posts

Next, do niche research. Explore the niche forums, and social media sites to gather more information about your target audience. If only a small subset of people seem interested, you may be going too narrow in your nice selection.

Then, check your competitors. If there are too many players in the field, your niche might be broad. On the flip side, if you can’t find anyone doing what you’re doing, it could be too niche.

Pro-Tip: Do the actual searches like your target audience would do to find potential competitors in the niche. And then assess how many of them appear in your research. This way, you’ll get a good idea about the niche competition and scope.

Basic Questions To Ask Yourself

• Who is my target audience?
• What problem am I solving?
• Can I expand later?

For instance, if the problem you’re solving is so specific that only a handful of people face it, it’s too niche. Similarly, if you are unsure about whether or not you can expand in your niche later, that’s a sign of concern as well.

Here’s a simple table to help you perform a better assessment of your niche.

Question:	Answer
Is there a considerable search volume for my niche?	Yes/No
Are there at least 8-10 big competitors?	Yes/No
Can I expand my niche later?	Yes/No
Is there a problem that needs solving?	Yes/No
Are there lots of products I can recommend in this niche?	Yes/No
Can I create content in this niche for long without running out of content ideas?	Yes/No

If you get all the answers yes then congrats because you’ve found a good, balanced niche market.

Now, what’s the best method to gauge market demand?

Look at the search volume for your niche’s keywords. High search volumes may indicate high competition but also high demand.

For example, while assessing the maximum scope of a niche website, if you think you can get only 10,000 or 20,000 pageviews per month at the most, then that’s a good example of a super niche topic.