It’s that word again – niche. Scary, right? Does it bring up all sorts of anxiety about saying no to clients who don’t fit in the box? You’re not the first Health Coach to be afraid of that nasty N-word.
What most new coaches don’t realize is that the success of their businesses relies on their ability to narrow their focus and speak the language of their ideal clients (aka nailing the niche).
Why You Need a Niche
Humans are wired to consider what’s in it for them, so it’s your job as a coach and business person to clarify that. Your potential clients want to know exactly how you’re going to help solve their problem.
If your message is that you help women “find balance”, you’re never going to land clients. Your message is too vague. What woman sits around thinking to herself, “I really need to pay someone to help me find balance”?
More likely, your ideal client is thinking about the sleep she didn’t get, the bloating that’s keeping her from zipping up her jeans, or the nasty breakout she’s covering with layers of foundation. Those are issues she’d pay good money to get past.
When you niche down and use language that appeals to someone’s burning problem, they will respond. They will want the solution you offer.
What most coaches worry about is excluding people who need their help. Well, if I say I only help these certain people, I’m turning away a lot of others who might want to hire me!
This kind of thinking is what keeps coaches from getting ANY clients. Would you rather have a select group flocking to you for help or a broad niche and no clients at all?
Your niche is your brand, what you’re known for, and your key to a profitable business.
Niches vs. Sub-Niches
If your niche is the trunk of a tree, the sub-niches are the leaves and branches. For example, a niche would be helping people with digestive issues. Sub-niches include digestive issues related to hormonal imbalance, weight gain, body image, anxiety, or blood sugar imbalance.
Understand that the narrower you go with your niche, the better off you may be. How do you actually do that narrowing, though?
4 Steps to Narrow Your Niche & Find Clients
1. Brainstorm
Sit down for 15 minutes per day for 7 days and journal about your ideal client. Who are they? What are they doing on a Friday night? A Sunday afternoon? A Monday morning? What do they look like? What age group do they belong to? What are the 5 biggest pain points they are struggling with?
The more specific you get with this exercise, the better off you’ll be. If you know someone who fits your ideal client avatar, talk with that person and ask them these questions.
2. Write your story
Write for 30 minutes, three times over the next week about your own journey to healing. What happened that led you to this point? What have you learned? What have you overcome? Who can you help because of the experiences you have had?
This exercise is about uncovering your WHY, your reason for becoming a Health Coach and helping others improve their lives. It’s essential to understand that not every niche is meant for you, but often the perfect one is staring at you right in the mirror.
3. Narrow it down
Spend 30 minutes to an hour writing down all the possible niches you can think of that would be a good fit for you. Once you have that list, narrow it down to your top 3 choices.
Now fill in the blanks of this statement:
I help ____(your ideal client)___ who are suffering with ___(their biggest struggle)___ to _(how you help them)__ so they can ___(how they want to benefit)___.
For example:
I help menopausal women who are suffering with constant hot flashes to get their hormones under control so they can feel cool and comfortable in every situation.
4. Test it out
Make your messaging all about the niche you’ve chosen. Intentionally speak to these particular clients in your emails, social media posts, in-person networking, and other marketing efforts.
If your message is clear and specific, your ideal clients will come to you for help. Work with some of them and see what it’s like. You’ll either love what you’ve chosen or realize that this isn’t the niche for you.
Once you’ve tested a niche, it’s absolutely fine to tweak, make changes, expand, or narrow. If need be, come back to this exercise and come up with new ideas.
The worst thing you can do for your career as a Health Coach is to wait to get started because you don’t know who you want to work with. This is about experimenting, so throw yourself into the game and become a player. Success is waiting. So are the people you’re meant to serve.
Imagine creating a niche specific business like Jes Royston [one of our success stories]!
Niche: Gut
Pillars: Green Living, Gut Health, Weight Loss, Kids Health, Alkalinity
Jes was smart. She decided to use our content instead of spending 25-50 hours creating:
- content packages for her 1-1
- Content packages for her group
- Content packages for her workshops
- Content packages for her list building
How can we help you?
Rachel Feldman is a business coach who helps health-focused entrepreneurs nail their niches, get their messages out, and build profitable wellness businesses. She’s got 10+ years in the game and has supported thousands of coaches in creating success through her 1:1 coaching and done-for-you coaching programs. Check her out here → rachelafeldman.com
