Dan Koe and Nicolas Cole are leaders in digital writing.
Both encourage readers to write online but differ on niching down.
Who’s right?
“You are the niche.” — Dan Koe
Koe believes niching down is outdated.
Your personality, interests, experiences, skills, and values are your niche.
Identify your end goal and solve your problems along the way.
Others with similar issues will resonate with your journey.
People buy from you, not search engines, because of your unique story.
“You are the niche. Your story is the brand. Your path is the product.” — Dan Koe
“You are not the niche.” — Nicolas Cole
Cole argues for solving one specific problem, for one specific person, in one specific way.
Your reader is the main character, not you.
Your niche is the problem you solve.
Your interests matter only if they relate to the reader’s problem.
Ryan Holiday is famous for modernizing the niche category of Stoicism, not his lifestyle content.
“Category first, brand second.” — Nicolas Cole
My Takeaway: Create a Niche of One
Most big creators start with a specific niche and then branch out.
Dan Koe began with web development before moving to solopreneurship.
I aim to be THE writer for someone who shares my vision.
My plan is to niche down initially and expand over time.
My niche will evolve as I do, introducing new problems to solve.
The path is to consume and curate content before creating a “niche of one.”
“Become the best in the world at what you do. Keep redefining what you do until this is true.” — Naval Ravikant.