To niche or not to niche?
Whether you pronounce it neesh or nitch, being niche is kind of like parenting—everyone has an opinion about it.
Some argue it’s a good thing because it differentiates you from your competition, while others argue it’s a bad thing because it limits your business potential.
I’m very bullish on being niche. The general rule in marketing is that “when you’re for everybody, you’re for nobody.” This is a marketing (niche topic) newsletter for therapists (niche audience).
Being niche as a therapist means specializing by audience (premarital couples), issue (affair recovery), or modality (Gottman Method).
If you’re not sure how to niche, first consider the demand for your services. Are there already five therapists in your area who specialize in premarital couples? If so, it probably makes sense to identify a more underserved audience.
Second, consider your personal interests. You’re going to be doing it every day, so it should be something you’re passionate about.
It’s possible to be too niche. You may love working with a very specific population, but if there isn’t enough demand, then you’re likely going to struggle to get clients.
Bob Iger, the longtime CEO of Disney, often returned to advice he received from his mentor Dan Burke:
Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil. You may become the greatest trombone-oil manufacturer in the world, but in the end, the world only consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year!"
Here are a few examples of niche therapists.
Taylor Moss, LMFT specializes in pre-marital couples. She’s developed a reputation as the “pre-marital therapist” in Seattle.
Dr. Robert Navarra specializes in couples impacted by addiction. He’s developed a reputation as the “addiction therapist” and gets invited all over the world to speak.
Dr. Joy Harden Bradford specializes in working with Black women. She is the founder of Therapy for Black Girls and host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast.