Course Creators Weekly #52 🗓 June 21st, 2021 - What the hell is a niche?

In this article, Rob Hardy argues that we lack a common definition and understanding for what a "niche" is, that we're overcomplicating it, and that leads some people to question the entire premise of it.

There are two most important takeaways—what a niche is, and what it isn't:

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  It's a focused market—a group of people with a shared problem, desire or identity
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  It's NOT a topic, a brand, a type of content, a differentiating factor, or a unique voice

A few actionable takeaways:

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  Find a group of people you love to serve and start creating—don't overcomplicate it
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  Talk about whatever topics that interest your people, in whatever format you want
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  Let your brand, your unique voice, personality and positioning evolve over time

A few example niches:

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  Blues guitarists
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  Front end developers
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  Parents of kids with special needs
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  People who enjoy Lovecraftian horror stories
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  Newsletter writers

Definitely check out Rob's article for more details and a better understanding of what a niche really is!

Wes Kao's article on a16z has been making a lot of waves this past week, and it's only fitting that I'd include it here!

Here are my key takeaways:

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  Cheap or free educational content is abundant today—people don't pay for content
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  Few people find the willpower + motivation to get results from such abundant content
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  Community-driven, active learning in real time beats passive content consumption
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  Online learning communities are scarce—in today's world, that's what people pay for

On the shortfalls of MOOCs

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  The async, self-paced nature of MOOCs results in low completion rates + poor results
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  MOOCs lack quality filters due to their low/no-cost, degrading their brand + reputation
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  MOOCs convey knowledge, but lack enough feedback loop for learning high-level skills

The case for cohort-based courses (CBCs)

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  CBCs focus on active, hands-on learning—less theory, more practice + feedback
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  Live, bi-directional learning keeps everyone accountable, including the instructors
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  The shared experience within the community challenges students + improves learning

On monetisation

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  CBCs allow creators to make a healthy living, even with a relatively small audience
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  Creators can free up their time and energy by building a reusable, productised offering

Check out the article for more details, examples of CBCs, helpful infographics, and references to other relevant information!

Nate Kadlac "accidentally" launched a design workshop by following his curiosity and asking questions. Here's his accidental process:

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  Find something you're above average at
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  Add serendipity to your life
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  Adopt a beginner mindset by creating a human
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  Offer your above-average knowledge for $$$
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  Start writing and find your community
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  Build your curriculum
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  Host a beta workshop
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  Validate if you're having fun or not
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  Launch a less imperfect workshop

Check out Nate's article for more context, so you can apply his ideas to your own life. And, to find out about his 2-day Approachable Design workshop, coming up this weekend!