How I Found My Niche After 4 Months
4 months wrong audiences. Then one question changed everything.
Four months of turning in circles.
That’s how long it took me to figure out my niche. September through December, changing names, rewriting descriptions, watching the wrong people show up.
And the whole time, I thought I was having an identity crisis.
Like, why can’t I figure this out? Everyone else seems to nail their niche on the first try. What’s wrong with me?
Nothing was wrong with me. And if you’re stuck right now, nothing’s wrong with you either.
I tried two completely different niches before I found one that worked. The first one attracted retirees when I wanted ambitious entrepreneurs. The second one sounded smart but confused everyone—including Google.
Each failure taught me something crucial. And once I understood the pattern? Everything clicked.
I’m going to show you exactly what those mistakes were and the framework I used to fix them.
Let’s address this now.
Why Broad Problems Make Bad Niches
My first attempt was called ”Early Retired Club.”
The idea? Help people start newsletter businesses before they hit retirement age. AI eliminating jobs, mass layoffs left and right, people living longer but retirement funds not keeping up, and the demographic pyramid is flipping upside down—the pension crisis is a threat. I wanted to help people build something of their own while they still had time.
I loved the concept. The problem is real.
But here’s what happened: retirees started subscribing. Actual retired people. Not the ambitious 30-somethings I was writing for.
Why? Because I was solving a macro problem, but individuals don’t Google ”pension crisis solutions.” They Google ”make money online” or ”start a side business.”
Like you should know. People don’t buy preventatives. They only act when they already have pain.
I was positioning around ”avoid this bad future”—but the people searching for that content were already living it. The middle-age who’re fine right now? They’re not looking for retirement solutions.
Your niche can’t be about what people should care about. It has to be about what they’re actively trying to solve right now.
Big mistake. But it taught me something crucial.
When Clarity Beats Philosophy
So I tried again. This time: ”Via Libera.”
It’s Latin for ”the free path.” The philosophy was solid—own your work, control your means of production, build real independence. I believed in it. Still do.
But nobody could tell what I wrote about just from the name.
Worse? My publication name didn’t match my URL. The image looked weird in search results. And when people tried to refer me? They couldn’t explain what I did.
I was using Substack like a blog but naming it like a philosophy journal.
Clever doesn’t equal clear. Especially not for search engines.
I thought I was being sophisticated. What I was actually doing? Making it impossible for people to find me.
Google can’t rank philosophy. Potential clients can’t refer you if they can’t explain what you do in one sentence.
I loved Via Libera. But love doesn’t generate traffic.
That was failure number two. And it taught me something even more important.
The Question That Changed Everything
I was burned out from the confusion.
And I asked myself a different question: ”What’s the common thread in all my paid work?”
I run an AI agency. I consult on marketing for an ecom brand. I work with digital creators. Soon adding another project I’m excited about.
What connects all of them? What am I actually getting paid to do?
Written marketing.
I help people use writing to generate business: Email sequences. Landing pages. Content strategies. Sales copy. All of it—marketing through writing.
That’s it. That’s what I do. That’s what people pay me for.
I literally ran to Namecheap. Typed in ”writtenmarketing.com.”
Available. $10 a year.
Credit card out. Done.
writtenmarketing.com
Here’s what I learned: your niche is already there. It’s hiding in the work clients keep asking you to do again and again.
Stop inventing. Start looking at what you’re already getting paid for.
That’s your proof. That’s your niche.
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
The 3 Tests That Told Me This Was Right
But I didn’t just pick the name and move on.
I needed to know it would actually work. So I ran it through three tests.
Test 1: The 5-Word Explanation Test
Here I want to mention Anfernee who keeps posting Notes asking: ”If you had to describe your business in 5 words or less, what would you say?”
That question bugged me for months. Because I couldn’t answer it. And when you can’t answer it? That’s a symptom something’s broken.
Early Retired Club? ”Uh... retirement stuff? For young people?”
Via Libera? ”Freedom? Independence? Something philosophical?”
Written Marketing? ”Marketing through writing.”
Clear. Immediate. No confusion.
Test 2: The Search Intent Test
Would someone searching for your topic actually find you?
Early Retired Club and Via Libera had zero keywords. Abstract concepts don’t rank.
Written Marketing? Exactly what people search for. ”How to use writing for marketing.” ”Written marketing strategies.” ”Marketing copywriting.”
Google can work with that.
Test 3: The Professional Coherence Test
Does everything align? Name, URL, expertise, content, actual client work?
Via Libera was a mess. Mismatched name and URL. Philosophy that didn’t match what I actually did.
Written Marketing? My domain. My expertise. My client work. My content.
Everything points the same direction.
Three tests. All green lights.
That’s when I knew I had it.
Now here’s what you need to do.
What’s the Step-by-Step Framework to Find Your Niche?
If you’re stuck finding your niche, here’s your framework:
Step 1: Look at your paid work. What do clients actually pay you for? Not what you wish they paid you for—what shows up on your invoices. That’s your proof of value.
Step 2: Run the 5-word test. If a stranger can’t explain what you do after seeing your name, it’s too clever. Make it simpler.
Step 3: Check search visibility. Does your name have keywords people actually search for? If not, you’re invisible to Google and invisible to new clients.
Step 4: Audit the alignment. Does your name match your URL match your expertise match your content? If any piece is off, fix it.
The timeline reality? Four months of circling isn’t failure. It’s normal. Most people need 2-3 attempts to get it right.
Each iteration teaches you what doesn’t work. And once you find that intersection between what you actually do and what people actually need?
Everything gets easier.
Final Thoughts
Four months felt like forever when I was in it.
But here’s what I know now: those failures weren’t wasted time. They were the price of finding something that actually works.
Written Marketing checks all three boxes.
It’s useful: people need this skill.
It’s clear: you know exactly what you’re getting.
It’s practical: directly tied to what I do and what generates income.
If you’re in month two or three of your own confusion right now? Keep going. Run the three tests. Look at your invoices. Find the patterns.
Your niche is closer than you think.
Start by asking: what are people already paying me to do?
The answer is right there.
Reading this will bring clarity to any writer caught in the fog of finding and defining their niche. Nicely done!