If I asked you, "What's the one thing you want more of when it comes to YouTube?"

You'd more than likely give me one answer.

"Views!"

And I don't blame you.

Views = cash

Views = impact

Views = approval

At least that's what you're taught to believe.

There have been tonnes of people on YouTube who have generated ginormous amounts of revenue just by niching down.

Some notable mentions are:

• Ali Abdaal

Old Niche: Medical Student Vlogs/Med School Admissions

Old ARR*: $50,000/yr

New niche: Productivity, Study, Online Business, Passive Income

New ARR: $10,000,000/yr (200x his previous salary)

• Pete & Pedro (Aaron Marino)

Old Niche: General Men's Style Advice

Old ARR: $30,000

New niche: Men's Haircare & Grooming Products

New ARR: $9,000,000/yr

• Annmarie Skin Care (Kevin Gianni)

Old Niche: General Vlogging/YouTubers

Old ARR: $3/hr

New niche: Natural & Organic Skincare Products

New ARR: $12,000,000/yr

• The Budget Mom

Old Niche: General Personal Finance

Old ARR: $30,000/yr (was also facing $78,000 in high-interest debt)

New niche: Family Budgeting & Debt Management

New ARR: Disclosed (but employees of The Budget Mom earn around $90,955/yr)

*Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

Once each of these Educational YouTubers decided to niche down, their ARR increased massively & continues to grow each year.

First of all, why niche down?

With millions of creators demanding attention, a broad content approach can dilute reach & have minimal impact, which makes it difficult to capture & keep bringing a dedicated audience back to your channel.

It's normal for people to think it leads to less views.

But you've got to think of niching down like a reverse hockey stick.

At first, you generate a buzz within a very focused community; maybe that's 10, 100 or even 1,000 people.

Then that buzz spreads, and increases through word of mouth.

Think of Airbnb.

Airbnb's founders, Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky, initially targeted attendees of design conferences in San Francisco who couldn't find hotel rooms.

They offered air mattresses in their living room, along with breakfast.

This was a hyper-specific solution to an immediate problem (addressing the pain point of hotel scarcity, providing a unique, more affordable, and personal alternative).

They then grew through word of mouth.

In fact, this is how most startup businesses grow:

Identify problem ➔ Provide specific solution ➔ Interest grows ➔ Market expands ➔ Revenue expands

So why do most people start on YouTube trying to reach as many people as possible?

I fell for that trap.

But now I've realised the power of niching down (at least to begin with).

How to find a niche successfully

One book I've read countless times is "$100M Offers" by Alex Hormozi.

Alex perfectly boils down how to find a niche that will bring long-term success.

This is how he defines it.

A niche has to be:

1. Growing

E.g:

• AI is at the start of its growth
• COVID is no longer a growing niche

2. In absolute pain

The active community within the niche must be in pain & in need of a solution.

E.g.

• 70+ year-olds with back pain (physical pain)
• Beginner woodworkers (lacking clarity/skill)

The pain point must be so high that your content & offer are the only solution to their problem:

• You help 70+ year-olds with effective methods to fix back pain (exercise, stretching)
• You help beginner woodworkers learn how to use the correct tools & get a high-quality finish in the early stages (coaching/courses)

3. Have Purchasing Power

The people you're helping in that niche must have money to pay for your offer, otherwise you won't make profit.

4. Easy to Target

Your target market must be easy to find, whether online or in-person.

Fortunately with YouTube, finding an audience is very easy.

The tricky part is learning how to retain them.

My first year on YouTube was about learning how to make YouTube videos.

I experimented with wildly different niches to learn what worked - and what didn’t.

My second year was about finding the niche I felt called to.

Now, I'm reaching my third year.

Helping one specific group solve a specific problem.

This is where I should see real impact happen.

P.S.

The waitlist for our new private Discord Community, The Breakroom, is still open (thank you to everyone who's shown their interest!). I'm currently only opening 15 spaces - once they're gone, they're gone. Then I'll open spaces back up later this year. For only $29/mo (the price of a couple of McDonald's), you'll get feedback on your thumbnails, titles, hooks & videos. You'll also get 1:1 input from myself & other Educational YouTubers who are on the same path as you. To signup to The Breakroom, a community of Educational YouTubers wanting to quit their 9-5 & go full-time on YouTube, you can sign up to secure your spot today.