Rise of niche media in online publishing

A niche media publisher, at their core, focuses on a subject that is relevant. The team always consists of experts or subject enthusiasts, who come together to create content on a regular basis to satisfy the needs and demands of their target audience. With niche media versus the mainstream broad media, the difference lies in many factors but primarily the focus. A reader always knows what they’ll get from a niche publisher, a broader publishers however would give them a whole variety of content to choose from. 

The idea behind industry specialization has evolved after the expansion of publishing media after the advent of digitization to such a large scale. The content is available at a singular front - the web. The competition is high and almost anyone will give you the same content for cheaper or rather, free. How does one stand out then? Niche media publishers get an advantage here. Keeping their focus very narrow, they’re able to generate a readership who are interested and invested in the publisher’s daily updates and trust them to come up with all relevant stories around this niche. This helps eliminate some level of competition which makes a huge difference online. If you’ve taken the right topic, you stand apart from the crowd. 

A simple advantage is, when done right, mainstream media has better scope of gaining a wider audience. This is not the case for niche media. Usually you see niche media success in industries that have an existing audience who are dedicated and ready to dive into this personalized feed. However, with mainstream, the participants are simply more than niche. There’s always scope of attracting new readers - regardless of their interests. There’s something for everyone. This keeps mainstream media afloat for longer. 

However, this is not to say that niche media isn’t popular. Niche media has a more loyal readership where often the readership has a sense of community. People interested in similar subjects often promote niche media websites amongst their circles and publishers relay on this word of mouth. Since the audience has to be specific, the marketing efforts are very focus-centered and personalized. 

For mainstream, broad media publishers, the goal is to make a brand. Once this is achieved they can move onto building a sustainable subscriber base. Until then they can use advertisements of all sorts to stay afloat. 

For niche media publishers, advertisement opportunities are limited as there is a specific registry for the type of readership they can bank on. Their primary focus is on subscriptions. Genuine readers who can join communities and fund their efforts, investors who see the value of the niche media publisher, cross-funding efforts and more are made use of. The industry they’re focusing on may also come through with funds if there is a tangible impact by the niche media publishing as well. The trick here is to simply diversify one’s revenue sources to gain maximum exposure. 

Online publishing has been interesting to witness. What started as a side hustle for many print publishers, as the simply cheaper alternative where they published free content of their print editions, has evolved into a whole world of it’s own. Apps have replaced newspapers and we’re witnessing subscription fatigue. What does this mean for publishing  and online media? While much of it can’t be predicted, it can be said that niche media publishing will be on the rise. As more people tether away from general media, specific niche media houses may witness more participants. The content fatigue is real and not everyone wants to subscribe to overwhelming amounts of stories. People are more likely to invest into book clubs and influencer subscriptions today. For the media industry this might just translate into a rise in niche publishing in the online world.
From personalized experience, we might see people forming digital clusters and banding with publishers who provide them meaningful content on topics/subjects of interest and nothing more. Is this a good time to jump into niche media? Should you be considering it? Click here and get in touch with us today to learn how we can help you with your digital journey.