Whether you’re posting on Instagram, TikTok, or any other platform, you will need to define your niche. Your niche on social media is essentially what theme your content is qualified as. Are you a mommy blogger? Are you a travel enthusiast? Do you give people the best money saving tips? Are you a Disney adult? Everyone says that you need to have a niche. That you need to be specific with your content. “You need to pick one thing and one thing only.” And I agree – to a point.

How to identify your social media niche

As an exercise, sit down and write out in a sentence or two what your content is about. Do you give advice on fun activities for parents and kids? Do you help people style their clothing? Are you the go-to expert on how to plan the perfect Disney day?

Every person who posts on social media needs to understand their content for themself. If you have a tough time explaining to yourself what you post on social media, odds are you’re confusing your audience too.

But if you find that you post a variety of different topics, you may be a lifestyle creator. If that’s the case, then what will be important for you is HOW you post your content. Trends are fun, but the most consumed content on social media is ORIGINAL pieces. So if you are a lifestyle creator, what makes you different? Do you make funny skits? Or are you sharing about your personal life? There has to be something that separates you from anyone else online that is doing the same trends and the same audios.

Again, trends are fun. But trends always start as original pieces of content first.

Is a social media niche important?

Social media niches are important – to a point. I consider myself a lifestyle creator and blogger. Being labeled a lifestyle creator gives me the freedom to post about a wide range of topics.

Unfortunately, lifestyle bloggers get a bad reputation for not being niched-down. They aren’t specifically one thing and that infuriates some marketeers. But there’s a stark difference between “posting whatever” and “posting with purpose”. And that is where some niches can find a little wiggle room. Because how you post is probably just as important as what you are posting. Lifestyle creators are usually known for how they create.

The best marketeers post with purpose

Think about some of the top influencers right now. My favorites are Becca Bastos, Tucker Reynolds, and Alexandra Madison. I will always stop scrolling to watch their content. And odds are that you have too.

But if you were to label their content, they wouldn’t fit a traditional niched category. They make humorous videos with the intent to entertain. And they do a fantastic job of keeping that same amusing spirit in their brand partnerships.

So let’s call them what they are – the Entertainer. That is their social media niche. Entertainers have a unique space on social media. And are more often than not the people you are consuming the most amount of content from. And more often than not, they don’t post trends. They are posting original content that they scripted themselves.

Each one of the influencers I mentioned above (and so many others) have a distinct way of making their content. Whenever you tune in, they have a certain style or cadence to their content. Even though they talk about a multitude of topics, the way they deliver that content is relatively the same. Which is what makes them successful in their field.

Does this mean I can post about anything?

Everyone has a limit on what they will or won’t post. And that is 1000% needed!

You won’t see me posting about adult intimacy toys. You won’t learn all the secrets to cooking with me. You won’t see me posting peach pictures. That’s not who I am and that’s not what my page is about.

And to become a great marketeer yourself, you will also need to define your own lines. In other words, to define your social media niche. Yes, lifestyle creators have posting freedom. But that doesn’t mean they post about everything.

That being said, one day a brand may offer you a deal that isn’t in line with your normal content but they offer you a monetary value that seems amazing. Trust me, I have been there. You think to yourself “well for that amount of money, I could make that content!”

And you probably could make that content. But would it seem out of place on your page if you did? Always ask yourself that question before accepting a tempting brand partnership! If you decide against the partnership, then please know that there will ALWAYS be another opportunity. Hopefully with a brand that you really admire.

So what social media niche should I be posting then?

It’s a loaded question. And there’s no one right answer, which will be a running theme throughout this series.

It’s true that travel bloggers and foodie bloggers produce some of the most consumable social media content. People love seeing videos of far away places and delicious foods. But I am a firm believer in that you should be posting what you are passionate about. If that ends up being travel or foodie content, then do it! But if you would rather talk about makeup, home, garden, or bird content, then do that! Don’t choose a topic based on what’s popular.

Choose content based on what makes you happy. This will ensure that you don’t get burnt out. In this way, you’ll know that you are always be excited and willing to make new videos.

I love my niche but I still don’t see success. What’s wrong?

For whatever topic that you choose, it will be up to the tips in the rest of this series to guide your content-making. You can be successful in any social media niche for whatever content you want to post. It’s just about how you go about it that will be the determining factor of success. So don’t blame your niche entirely on why you aren’t seeing numbers.

Over-saturated or under-saturated topics will be more difficult to break out of the noise. But it’s doable! You just have to maintain YOUR individuality in it. Become someone that someone else wants to watch. Because if you’re not being original, then odds are you won’t have anything new to offer to someone’s feed.

So should I stick to trends since they’re popular?

If your content is solely based on trends or trending audios, then again, it will be hard to break out. And that’s because you will essentially just be making content that everyone else is making. Originality is rewarded! You can be original with trending audios. But you will also need to show that you are someone worth following as an original creator. Again, think of those top influencers. They may do a few trends here and there, but the reason you follow them is for their original content.

And even if you have a few thousand followers, you can still influence people. I promise you, brands look for people that have a strong relationship with their followers. Someone with 2,000 followers and consistently gets 10,000 views on their content is much more valuable than someone with 20,000 and only gets 3,000 views.

Lastly, just remember that success will look different on everyone. If you are the leading expert on underwater basket weaving, you may not have as much engagement as the Disney influencer. But you would still be the person a fellow fan or even brand turns to when they need that expert.