Change Your Affiliate Niche – Is It a Good Idea?

You may be wondering how to change your affiliate niche, or if it's ever a good time to change your niche. Maybe you're not happy with the products you're promoting, or maybe you're just ready for a change. Regardless of the reason, it's definitely possible to switch things up and start promoting different products.

Is changing your niche ever a good idea? Or do you feel it’s inevitable? I will give you some tips on how to change your affiliate niche. Let's talk about what to consider if you are considering a brand new niche, what happens to the ones you've been promoting so far, and how to make the switch without losing any momentum.

Change Your Affiliate Niche - Is It a Good Idea?

Changing a Niche May Not Be a Good Idea

Many affiliate marketers choose a niche very carefully and stick with it for the long haul. They build up a loyal following and create content that's specific to their niche. While it's possible to change your affiliate niche, it might make you work extra hard over the next few months or possibly a few years.

Here are some reasons changing your affiliate niche may not be a good idea:

1. You Could Alienate Your Existing Audience

If you've been blogging/vlogging about a particular niche for a while, your audience has come to trust you as an expert on that topic. You’ll be throwing it all away by quitting the niche and starting to promote something that they may not be interested in.

If you've built up a loyal following in one niche, they may not be interested in what you have to say if you switch to another subject matter. It will be inevitable for you to explain to your existing fans why you’ve changed your mind. But it’s essentially a goodbye.

2. You'll Have To Start From Scratch

When you change niches, you're essentially starting from scratch in terms of building an audience and creating content. It can be difficult to get traction in the new niche when you have no existing followers or platform.

You'll need to create new blog posts, videos, and other types of content. This can be time-consuming and may not be worth the effort if you're not sure if you'll stick with the new niche.

3. It's Hard To Be an Expert in Multiple Niches

It can be difficult to be an expert in multiple niches and be accredited unless you have already established yourself as a brand. If you're trying to share a bunch of different topics, it's likely that you won't be able to provide as much value as someone who focuses on just one thing. Because no one is likely to be interested in following every niche of yours.

With that said, you cannot - and should not - sacrifice yourself just to please others. The good thing about a home business is that you can enjoy providing what you really love and in the way you really want. In particular, affiliate marketing benefits from this.

So although changing a niche may not entirely be a good idea, its advantages may outweigh its disadvantages. You may want to think carefully about whether to stick with one niche and build up a loyal following or start over in a new niche.

Why Would You Want To Change Your Affiliate Niche?

Typically, there are 4 reasons you may want to change your niche, that are profitability, competitiveness, trends, and your circumstances.

#1 Profitability

The good thing about affiliate marketing is that there are thousands of niches you can choose from. For instance, if you are suffering from a rare illness, you can pick that as a niche, and share your experience and tips with others via your platform. Your affiliate products can be related books and useful household items that may help recovery or ease the pain.

You will become known quickly as an expert, however, because the niche is so rare that the profitability will be low.

#2 Competition

The “big 4” niches - wealth, health, love & relationships, and self-development - are the most profitable niches because there are always demands and evergreen. But the competition is fierce and the chances are that you may never be able to stand out if your personality or marketing technique is unique enough to attract new prospects.

#3 Trends

Niche trends can come and go, and you may not know how long they will last if you pick a trending niche.

Fidget spinner, for example. It was selling like hotcakes back in 2017 and has since faded away. It’s still around and considered a device that helps with ADHD, autism and those who suffer from stress and anxiety. But the unit price is so low that a fidget spinner on its own cannot be your sole affiliate niche to make enough profits.

#4 Your Personal Circumstances

Sometimes, the best reason to change niches is simply that you're bored with the one you're in. You may no longer feel passionate about the products you’re promoting, or you may realise now that the niche wasn’t the right one for you in the first place. Then this time, you may want to reconsider something you think will keep you excited in years to come.

Is Your New Niche The Right One?

Here are the things to consider when picking a new affiliate niche, or if you already have a new niche in mind.

Point 1: Is The Niche Similar To Your Current Niche?

Are there any similarities between your current niche and the new niche? Are you just thinking about branching out into a new niche?

If it’s just an extension of your current niche, you can promote the new products using your existing website. (This will just make things easier for you.) Your existing audience may be interested in what you have to say and continue to follow you even as you venture into new territory.

However, if your new affiliate niche is very different from what you are currently promoting, then you may need to start from scratch in terms of building an audience and creating content. It may take you more careful planning and execution to successfully expand into the new niche.

Point 2: Is The Niche Market On The Rise?

Is the market of your new niche in mind on trend right now? There’s nothing wrong in choosing a trendy niche, but;

An already popular/trending niche may be more difficult to break into, and
No one can predict the potential growth - what’s on the rise rapidly may fall rapidly too.

You may want to start building it up while retaining your current niche site, in case the new one has a very short lifespan.

Point 3: What Would You Have Changed?

If it has been a while since you started out with your first niche, then you must have learned a lot over time and there are quite a few things that you would have changed if you were to start all over again. For example;

Menu structure/sub-niche categories - confusing or too many categories.
Site layouts - not easily navigable.
How you came up with the domain name - vague, confusing, or there’s a very similar domain name owned by someone else.
Others include logo, tagline, etc.

These are difficult once your website starts to get rolling. So before constructing a website for the new niche this time, consider how you can improve it before getting started.

Point 4: Have You Checked The Competition?

If you are already determined to change your affiliate niche, you must be confident about your new topic and you are already very knowledgeable, but how about the competition? Are there already many experts out there?

If your new niche is broad and there are already many experts in specific sub-areas, see if the field is still growing. If it is, there is room for more experts, and your knowledge can help fill in some of the gaps. So be micro-specific about the competition. Focus on honing your own expertise and you'll be able to carve out a successful niche for yourself.

Make The Transition Into Your New Niche

You may be excited by your new niche - new opportunities that are opening up to you but don't rush into things. Taking on too much too soon can lead to burnout, and you don't want to end up in that situation again. It's better to pace yourself and ease into things so that you can enjoy the process and avoid getting overwhelmed. Don't let your excitement override your good judgment.

Plan Your New Website

If you already have your first site up and running successfully, you know the basic “must-do” tasks such as;

Use the most up-to-date website builder themes and plugins.
Optimize it for search engines (keywords, images, site speed).
Use an SEO plugin to create a good sitemap.
Use clear and bold call-to-action buttons.

But you may want to add;

Create a Good User Experience

Make sure your site is easy to navigate, so users can find what they’re looking for, they won’t give up and go elsewhere. Adding a search bar is essential.

Make Your Contact Information Clearly Visible

Include your contact information prominently on your website so that visitors don't have to search for it. Only include your email address, phone number or street address only necessary for your business to protect yourself from spammers. Add a contact form to your page so that you can respond when someone contacts you.

Get Feedback

Use a site feedback facility that affiliate marketing communities offer and request others to provide feedback during the site designing process so that any issues can be ironed out at an early stage. Getting someone else’s input early on will save you a lot of time and headaches down the road.

Promote Your New Site

You can promote your niche site by;

Creating a new Facebook group.
Announcing the change of direction to your followers.
Creating a landing page to generate leads using pay-per-click advertising.