Niche development can be a roundabout thing. I've had many writers contact me asking for some direction in developing a niche- asking what's going to be the next big thing, (as if I knew), or what niche will help them get rich quick (again, let me know!). I usually do two things for these writers. First, I can give some resources and direction for researching developing niches. Second, I usually relate the story of my own niche, which might help your own backstory to develop.
If you do use the below research directions to develop your niche, keep in mind two things: one, that certain niches may happen only in certain mediums. So, if your niche is, let's say SEO writing, don't count on publishing much in print, right? So if your heart is set on a certain medium, keep that in mind as you develop your niche.
Second, your niche is likely to change, develop and roll with you. At least I hope it is. For example, my niche currently includes material which targets Latino audiences. Based on that niche, I developed a sub-specialty in immigration politics and writing about immigration. Well, those nice little credits got me noticed by other political non-profits and I now find myself something of a political writer (sometimes) which is something I'd never billed myself as before. Let your niche develop!
On to your research/development!Purposeful Niche Development
First, there is no magic "content bullet" that holds riches for your future. But there are ways to see what people want to read about, what people care about, and maybe extrapolate from there what fields you may want to develop a niche in. (ok, grammar people: "in which you want to develop a niche"- sorry).
- Bureau of Labor Statistics- You can use the awesome information at the Bureau of Labor Stats to see what career fields are growing. Those fields are full of potential niches to look into and consider.
- Census Numbers- If the Census shows growth in a particular ethnic group or living arrangement, it may be logical to assume that group will want to see some content that relates to them on the net and in print.
- Google Trending Topics- On a smaller scale, Google Analytics has a neat little tool that shows you what searches are "trending" (that is, growing). Want an even smaller scale of trending topics? Check the Twitter trending list.
- Join Associations- If you know the overarching topic you want to write about, but need to nail it down a bit, consider joining an association (here is a list of writers associations LINK) or attending a conference, and seeing what the buzz is about.
- Follow the News- The news always tells you what's new. For example if you're coming up on an election year, it's quite likely that political writing will be in demand (ps, speaking of political writing, have you ever considered speechwriting (link) as your niche?
- Look in the Past- Something about the past repeating itself, right? What was huge but faded, and is now in line to make a comeback?
- Check out 100 Lists- Lists like the 100 most popular college majors or etc. might give you insight into the current zeitgeist, or what's around the corner.
- Read, Read, Read- If you know your overall preferred field, and are just trying to narrow it down, read magazines and (especially) academic journals in your field.
Best of luck in finding and developing your niche! It's worth it.
