The 'Algorithm' wants everyone to niche down, but maybe your personality is your niche.
Why "niche-ing" down on your content might work against you.
There’s one question that any online creator seems to have to deal with in the current content creation game.
“What’s your niche?”
I totally understand the idea of needing to have a ‘niche’ when creating something online. The algorithm wants to serve your content up to a specific audience, the more you can serve that audience, the better.
Maybe you’re the AFL Guy, or the Fortnite Guy, or the Tech Guy. It doesn’t really matter. It’s clear that the Algorithm favours you staying in one lane.
This creates an ongoing cycle of making content about the same thing, being rewarded by it, and growing slightly each time.
Honestly, I don’t have a huge problem with this, and I understand why it works.
The main hang up I do have, is that I feel like I’m eclectic in my interests. There are lots of things that I want to talk about, and I don’t want to limit myself into being ‘one’ thing.
That can make it tricky when everyone online tells you to “pick a lane.” But I’m starting to realise that maybe the lane is just whatever feels most natural.
Broadly, I think I have a few key areas of content that I like to make.
Over on YouTube, I make content about nerdy pop culture — with a particular focus on 90s and 00s pop culture news and discussions. It seems to work. I could definitely niche in further, but what I’m doing at the moment grows daily, and I’m happy with it.
On Instagram, the content I make can vary, and I’m a little more experimental. I make content about running my own business, the media industry, pop culture, nerdy stuff, and just general life stuff. It seems to work, and I could probably niche down further… but I don’t want to.
And honestly, that freedom to switch gears and follow curiosity is part of what keeps creating fun and inspiring.
This blog is also an interesting example. I write once a week, usually on a Saturday morning or afternoon, to release on a Sunday morning. Sometimes I write reflections on my life and my business, sometimes I write about pop culture and nerdy stuff. It can really depend.
In a weird way, my content feels like a bit of a time capsule, capturing the inside of my mind each week.
I put out some feelers to my Instagram followers about this, and I wanted to share some of their thoughts. I asked them whether they wanted me to keep particular strands of content (niches?) separate, or if they didn’t really care. 83% of responded with “Don’t care,” which is promising.
When I asked for more direct feedback about this, I also found this interesting.
One follower said the following:
“IMO you’re a brand, people tune in because they like you, so I think you could go broad.”
Another said this:
“I follow for people, not content.”
This is interesting to me. It makes me feel like maybe niche-ing down doesn’t have to be the only way to grow online. Making content, generally speaking, and being a relatable person, also has merit.
It’s a reminder that sometimes, personality is the niche. People want to follow curiosity, honesty, and passion — not just topics.
A friend of mine, Kyle Dundas (who also designed the fantastic logo for my business) added a comment on Instagram too, which really spoke to me.
“Write what you feel inspired to write.”
This hit me really hard. The Algorithm wants everybody to be one thing. So much so, that I think it can limit creativity.
Constantly I find myself wanting to write or talk about certain things, but I second guess myself.
“Will this work for my audience?”
“Will the algorithm like this?”
Questions like this feel self-limiting when it comes to creativity. And Kyle’s comment really brought me back to reality.
Creativity is about self-expression. It’s not about trying to squeeze yourself into a framework you didn’t create. It’s not about trying to please a computer.
Maybe that’s the point. The more you chase what feels true to you, the more it connects with others anyway.
So I guess that’s where I’ve landed on this whole “niche” thing. I’m just going to keep making what feels right, because if the algorithm wants me to be one thing, maybe that one thing is just me.
Mike Liberale
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Huge thanks to
from who let me write about video games in his latest piece, a compilation of writers talking about their favourite video game villains of all time.
So into “write what you feel inspired to write”. For multi-hyphenates, being told to niche down can feel so hard. And I also follow people rather than content. If I connect with the creator, I will follow along!
I love this! I think being media adjacent (I have previously worked in radio and now video for news corp) means that you see the strategies for success and you can apply that to yourself, but without “niching down” or being “hyper local” it all gets lost. I struggle with this feeling all the time and with consistency because I get excited about something for 2-3 months and then move on! At the end of the day I remember I’m just a human and just to follow what makes me happy. Keep it up, watching your journey is inspiring and maybe one day I’ll quit the rat race and join ya in the world of freelance 👏🏼