It's difficult to write when you don't know what to write about.
This is why having a niche is so powerful.
Here are niche formulas of top creators on X (with follower count):
Justin Welsh (492.3 K): "The most compelling creators online are "a niche of one.""
Skills + Interest = Idea (ie, financial analysis + wine = high-end wine projections)
One single idea can be reproduced 1000x (package same idea many ways)
Distribute your ideas regularly to attract audience (one social media platform initially, blog or newsletter, slack channels, Facebook groups, industry sites, etc)
Ask the audience what they want (this is how you find your product)
Dan Koe (451.1 K): "You create a niche by creating a story worth telling."
Know yourself (brand): Turn yourself into your customer avatar (list your interests, goals, problems, and share exactly how you overcame the problem to achieve the goal)
Write to yourself (content): Write about your beliefs, opinions, and experiences to yourself (teach your interests, how to overcome your problems and reach your goals)
Build for yourself (product): Solve your own problem and sell the solution (build a better version of a product you've used, a product you want but doesn't exist)
Sell to yourself (persuasion): Show readers where you were and where they can be (frame through your story of pains, struggle, emotions, benefits, successes, potential)
Ali Abdaal (351.2 K): "There are two ways people eventually find their niche: using the architect approach (find niche then create), or the archeologist approach (find niche while creating)."
Niche = Interest + Audience + Value
Interest: What content do you enjoy? Who do you want to help? What do you want to be known for? What's your unfair advantage?
Audience: Who is your audience avatar (age, location)? What do they want? Why can't they get it? What are they afraid of? What are their top 3 frustrations?
Value: How can you help viewers solve a problem? What value do you want viewers to get? Why should they care? What about your channel will keep them coming back?
Kieren Drew (211 K): "One of the worst pieces of online writing advice: You should ‘find your niche’. The truth is you don’t find it. You create it."
Niche = Skill + Story + Personality
Master one skill: The fastest way to gain attention is to get good. Explore your curiosity until you find a skill that looks like work to others but feels like play to you.
Share your story: People love stories. Anything you learn today is content for tomorrow. Speak about your hopes, doubts, goals, fears, and mistakes.
Write with personality: Carve your niche by delving deep into a subject. What do you believe that most don’t? What annoys you? What makes you different than others?
After writing this piece, I realized my niche is closely tied to being a physician: making better decisions. This may change in the future, but it's a starting point.
Which niche formula resonates with you? How are you discovering your niche?