[FAQ]

Hi,

I’m in the early planning stages of a podcast and I’m really struggling with the niche. I’ve heard all the advice about “niching down,” but I’m worried about going too far and having no one to listen to, or not far enough and just being another generic show.

For example, I wanted to do a “Business Podcast,” but that feels way too broad. So, I thought about “A Podcast for Freelance Graphic Designers,” which feels better. But then I worried, is “A Podcast for Freelance Graphic Designers Who Use Figma and Want to Land Tech Clients” too specific?

How do you find that sweet spot? What are the warning signs that your idea is on the wrong track in either direction?

Thanks.

[Jeff Bullas]

This is the most critical strategic decision you’ll make.

Short Answer: Your niche is too broad if you can’t describe your ideal listener in one sentence, and it’s too specific if you can’t brainstorm 50 episode titles right now.

Finding this balance is the key to creating a sustainable show that can actually build a dedicated audience.

The problem with a broad text format like “a business podcast” is that it targets no one, so it’s impossible to create content that feels specific and essential. This is a listener definition problem. The test is to write a single sentence that describes your target listener, and if it includes the word “everyone” or “people,” your niche is too broad. On the other hand, a niche is too specific when it’s a content volume problem. This is where your chosen text format is so narrow that you will run out of audio content after a dozen episodes. The test here is to sit down and write fifty potential episode titles. If you can’t, you haven’t given yourself a sustainable format for long-term production. The goal is to define a specific audience format, not a specific topic format, which gives you the freedom to explore many topics through the lens of that one audience.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Author]

Posts