Not every niche is viable or profitable, not matter how “passionate” you are about it. 

That is the one big lie that most bloggers believe when they start out: “Just follow your passion, and you’ll make good money.”

Another big lie is that you’ll make good money right off the bat. 

There are several distinct steps you must go through before you start to see cash flow.

First, read How To Set Up Your Blog For Monetary Success; then read How To Make Money Blogging.

By picking a profitable niche, you’re starting on the right foot.

If there is a lot of demand out there for your niche, you have a fighting chance to make money.

Why?

Because you need traffic. If no one is interested in your topic, well, you’re not going to be very successful. Competition is your friend, if you learn how to embrace and leverage it.

However, equally as important to selecting a good niche is having a strategic plan in place towards blogging. I spent a whole year posting daily without a concrete money-making strategy.

Luckily, I had picked a niche that was popular, and that helped my blog immensely. But I want you to start on the right track (or help you get on the right track) now!

Grab my list on how to blog strategically and the three goals you must have for every piece of content you put out.

When choosing a niche, consider this:

“A niche is a concrete problem your audience needs solved plus your unique approach to solving it.”

I know you’re trying to make money online, but don’t pick a niche only for the money. Only choose it if you have something to say on that topic and really like it! You’ll be talking about it for years to come once you get big, so you must really enjoy talking about it!

The best two ways to make a full-time income on your blog are by:

1. Becoming an affiliate marketer, promoting other people’s products/services
2. Creating your own digital product/services and selling it to your audience

There are lots of other ways to make money online, but these two are the only passive ways—that is, the best ways. We will talk about these later and how to do it, but right now, as I said, money shouldn’t actually be your focus.

Your focus should be producing crazy good blog posts.

This is what builds your credibility online and is the basis to determining if people will trust you enough to buy from you.

In addition to outlining the pockets of money that you can tap into online, I’ve included a business plan for each. So not only will you know your niche after this, but you’ll also know what products/services to promote and what blog topics you can write about.

I’ve also included what brands you can work with and links to some of their best selling products for you to promote.

PIN THE ONES YOU’RE INTERESTED IN!

Take this quiz to figure out which niche you’re most interested in.

Brands to work with in the Fitness Sector:

• Clothing
  • Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Puma, Olympia, Alo Yoga, Lululemon, ASICS, Beachbody
• Workout Gear
  • Ironcompany, GymPro, DYNAPRO, Livestrong
• Beauty
  • Neutrogena, Aquaphor, ORIBE, Shobha, La Roche-Posay, Dove, Clean & Clear, Aveeno, Yes To Cucumber, Vaseline, The Laundress, Shu Uemura, Simple Micellar, Drunk Elephant Lippe, Lafe’s, Honest Company, Evian
• Food
  • The Vitamin Shoppe, Organic Valley, Vital Choice, Hampton Creek, Newman’s Own Organics, Nature’s Path
• Food Appliances
  • NutriBullet, KitchenAid, Breville, Cuisinart, Crux, Delonghi, Keurig, Nespresso, Ninja, Omega, Vitamix

Brands to work with in the Health Sector:

• Supplements
  • Nature Made, Vitafusion, NatureWise, Nature’s Bounty, New Chapter, Garden of Life, BioSchwartz, Vimerson Health, Norax, Nature’s Nutrition, Zhou Nutrition, Arazo Nutrition, PURE CO
• Food
  • Moon Juice, Halo Top, Just Spices, Navitas Organics, Hippeas, Rhythm Superfoods, Living Intentions, Graze Natural, Annie Chun’s, Sejoyia Foods, KIND, Quest Nutrition, Kashi, HEALTH WARRIOR, Wheat Thins, Chobani, Trumoo, Mamma Chia
• Beauty
  • FineVine, Olay, The Better Skin Company, Body Merry, Dr. Dennis Gross, LANCER, Fresh, Algenist, Sunday Riley, GLAMGLOW, Tatcha, Dr. Jart+, Estee Lauder, NIVEA, Shiseido, L’Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Neutrogena, La Roche-Posay, Clarins, Pond’s, Clinique, Aesop, Borghese
• Pharmaceuticals
  • Pfizer, Bayer, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens
• Medication
  • Zantac, Pepto-Bismal, Pepcid, Lactaid, MiraLAX, Nexium, Prilosec

Brands to work with in the Relationships Sector:

• Clothing
  • Agent Provocateur, Baci Lingerie, Anna Sui, Maidenform, Chantelle, Fruit of the Loom, Olga, Passionata, Pretty Polly, SPANX, Hanes, Vanity Fair, Victoria’s Secret, BedHead Pajamas
• Beauty
  • Burt’s Bees, Maybelline, Estée Lauder, Avon, CoverGirl, MAC, Clarisonic, Clinique, Kiehl’s, Elizabeth Arden, Johnson, Urban Decay, Mary Kay, Revlon, Origins, Playtex
• Home
  • DynastyMattress, PlushBeds, Tempur-Pedic, NECTAR, Amerisleep, Casper Sleep, My Pillow, ViscoSoft
• Toys
  • Coco de Mer, Aneros, BMS Factory, FUN FACTORY, Je Joue, Jimmyjane, OhMiBod, Tenga, Vibratex, Standard Innovation

Brands to work with in the Pet Sector:

• Clothing
  • Lucy & Co., Wagwear, Pets First, Pooch+Plus™, Grreat Choice
• Beauty
  • Pet Head, Kiehl’s, John Paul, Katoot, Burt’s Bees
• Food
  • Phillips Feed & Pet Supply, Wholistic Pet Organics, Addiction Pet Food, AvoDerm Natural, Essential Living Foods, Inc., Purina Fancy Feast, Iams, Meow Mix, The Nutro Company, Nestlé Purina Dry Truckload, Purina, Royal Canin USA, Freshpet, Purina Friskies, Puppy Cake, Milk-Bone, WellPet LLC
• Home
  • Whisker City, Tevra Brands, Temptations
• Toys
  • PetSmart, Chewy Tubes, GoughNuts, Planet Dog, West Paw Design, Multipet International, Jolly Pets, KONG, Petstages, Petlinks, Jackson Galaxy
• Pet Gear 
  • Pet Gear, European Home Designs, Ruffwear

Brands to work with in the Self Improvement Sector:

• Clothing
  • Zazzle, Shirts Of Legends, Strong Is the New Beautiful Swag, SpreadShirt, Etsy, CafePress, Expression Tees, Melanin Apparel
• Books
  • Penguin, TalentSmart, HarperOne, Running Press Adult, Thomas Nelson, McGraw-Hill Education, Random House Trade Paperbacks
• Supplements
  • Nature Made, Vitafusion, NatureWise, Nature’s Bounty, New Chapter, Garden of Life, BioSchwartz, Vimerson Health, Norax, Nature’s Nutrition, Zhou Nutrition, Arazo Nutrition, PURE CO
• Food
  • Moon Juice, Halo Top, Just Spices, Navitas Organics, Hippeas, Rhythm Superfoods, Living Intentions, Graze Natural, Annie Chun’s, Sejoyia Foods, KIND, Quest Nutrition, Kashi, HEALTH WARRIOR, Wheat Thins, Chobani, Trumoo, Mamma Chia
• Beauty
  • FineVine, Olay, The Better Skin Company, Body Merry, Dr. Dennis Gross, LANCER, Fresh, Algenist, Sunday Riley, GLAMGLOW, Tatcha, Dr. Jart+, Estee Lauder, NIVEA, Shiseido, L’Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Neutrogena, La Roche-Posay, Clarins, Pond’s, Clinique, Aesop, Borghese

Brands to work with in the Blogging Sector:

• Technology
  • Camera – Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, Leica, Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic
  • Video – Logitech, Rocketfish, GoPro, SEREE, Rraycom
  • Lights – LimoStudio, EMART, Neewer
  • Computers – Apple, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, Dell
  • Phones – Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Sony, LG, HTC, Motorola, Huawei
  • Projectors – Epson
  • Cords – Audioquest
• Blogging
  • Email marketing – ConvertKit
  • Social media marketing – Tailwind, SmarterQueue, Planoly, SocialPilot, SocialWarfare, WeLovesMedia
  • Website hosting – BlueHost, GoDaddy
  • Teaching platform – Teachable
  • E-commerce platform – Shopify
  • Accounting – FreshBooks
  • Courses – Ultimate Bundles, MakingSenseOfCents, CreateAndGo
• Affiliate Marketing
  • ShareASale, Amazon Associates
• Influencer Marketing
  • ValuedVoice

Brands to work with in the Beauty Sector:

• Beauty
  • Makeup – Bliss, Sephora, MAC, Urban Decay, Maybelline, COVERGIRL, Revlon, Avon, CHANEL, Clarins, Dermablend, EOS, Garnier
  • Makeup Removers – Bioderma, Biotherm, Caudalie, Pond’s
  • Bath and Body – Bath & Body Works, Burt’s Bees, L’Occitane, Nuxe
  • Creams – Estee Lauder, Avon, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, NIVEA, Shiseido, L’Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Lancôme, Neutrogena, La Roche-Posay, Pond’s, Coppertone, Dr. Jart, Eucerin, Kiehl’s, La Mer, La Roche-Posay, Lubriderm, Mederma, Noxzema, Olay, Oriflame, RoC, Simple, SK-II, St. Ives
  • Cleansing – Clarisonic, Kiehl’s, Mary Kay, Origins, Clarins, Aesop, Borghese, Aveeno, Boscia, Clean & Clear, Clearasil,DDF, DHC, Dr. Brandt, Gatineau, Glamglow, Jurlique
  • Hair – Aveda, L’Oréal Paris, Garnier Fructis, Dove, Clairol, Matrix, Pantene, Neutrogena, Redken, Head and Shoulders, TRESemmé, Ojon
  • Perfume – Christian Dior
• Cruelty Free 
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills, Illamasqua, Too Faced, NARS, Milk Makeup, Charlotte Tilbury, Josie Maran, Tarte, COVER FX, theBalm, Pur Cosmetics, FACEatelier, Ciate, Besame Cosmetics, NUDESTIX, Blinc, DuWop Cosmetics, BareMinerals, Buxom, The Body Shop, Lush, Eyeko, Modster, Edward Bess, KORRES, Catrice

Brands to work with in the Technology Sector:

• Gadgets
  • Camera – Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, Leica, Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic
  • Video – Logitech, Rocketfish, GoPro, SEREE, Rraycom
  • Watches – Rolex, Omega, IWC, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre
  • Computers – Apple, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, Dell
  • Phones – Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Sony, LG, HTC, Motorola, Huawei
  • Projectors – Epson
  • Cords – Audioquest

Brands to work with in the Parenting Sector:

• Toddler Care
  • VTech, Mattel, littleBits, Milliard, Johnson, Pampers
• Parenting Advice
  • Zondervan, NavPress Publishing, Quirk Books, Scribner, Bantam
• Baby Parties
  • Oriental Trading, Qualatex, Shindigz, Paper Eskimo
• Pregnancy
  • Queen Rose, MotherLove, Levi Strauss & Co., Bravado
• Kids Health
  • The Honest Company, GNC, SmartyPants
• Baby
  • HUGGIES, Lazada, 3C4G, Aden + Anais, Armani Junior, Babyletto, BEABA
• Family Travel
  • Baby Jogger, Babymel, Babymoov, Bixbee, Ju Ju Bee, Bugaboo
• Kids Sports
  • Nike, FILA, PUMA, Sketchers, Under Armour
• Kids Fashion
  • ASICS, BILLY Footwear, Birkenstock, Joules, K-Swiss, Keds, Kenzo, Sam Edleman, FRYE, ED Ellen DeGeneres

Brands to work with in the Fashion Sector:

• Clothing
  • Victoria’s Secret, SweatyRocks, Levi’s, Lark & Ro, Calvin Klein, Lacoste, GUESS, MANGO, Mae, 7 For All Mankind, BCBG, Theory, Jessica Simpson, Columbia, MILLY, PARIS SUNDAY, Clover Canyon, Lucky Brand
• Bags
  • Vera Bradley, Fossil, Rebecca Minkoff, Tommy Hilfiger, Nine West, Cole Haan, FRYE, The Sak, Aldo, Marc Jacobs, Ted Baker
• Jewelry
  • Amazon Collection, Kate Spade, Majorica, Sorrelli, Alex and Ani, Betsey Johnson, Dogeared, Fossil, Alex Woo, Honora, Judith Ripka, Roberto Coin, Kendra Scott, Michael Kors, Bella Pearls
• Watches
  • Rolex, Omega, IWC, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre
• Lingerie
  • Agent Provocateur, Baci Lingerie, Anna Sui, Maidenform, Chantelle, Fruit of the Loom, Olga, Passionata, Pretty Polly, SPANX, Hanes, Vanity Fair, Victoria’s Secret, BedHead Pajamas
• Eyewear
  • Giorgio Armani, Ray-Ban, Sferoflex, Versace, VOGUE, Tory Burch
• Shoes
  • Converse, Vans, Heelys, New Balance, Feiyue, Reebok, ASICS, Steve Madden, Marc Jacobs
• Wedding
  • David’s Bridal, Chady, Barbella, Lalagen, Hatail, Beauty Bridal, Samantha Paige

Brands to work with in the Travel Sector:

• Gear
  • Osprey, Black Diamond, Petzl, AmazonBasics, Venture Pal, JanSport, Kaukko, Reebow Gear
• Clothing
  • Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research, Icebreaker, Arc’teryx, Montane, Columbia, Calvin Klein, Portwest, The North Face, FISOUL, Marmot, Orolay, Wantdo
• Shoes
  • Lowa, Adidas, Skechers, Tesla, Blowfish, Converse, Vans, New Balance, Feiyue, Reebok, ASICS
• Gadgets
  • Camera – Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, Leica, Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic
  • Video – Logitech, Rocketfish, GoPro, SEREE, Rraycom
  • Watches – Garmin
  • Computers – Apple, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, Dell
  • Phones – Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Sony, LG, HTC, Motorola, Huawei

Brands to work with in the Lifestyle Sector:

• Beauty
  • Makeup – Bliss, Sephora, MAC, Urban Decay, Maybelline, COVERGIRL, Revlon, Avon, CHANEL, Clarins, Dermablend, EOS, Garnier
  • Makeup Removers – Bioderma, Biotherm, Caudalie, Pond’s
  • Bath and Body – Bath & Body Works, Burt’s Bees, L’Occitane, Nuxe
  • Creams – Estee Lauder, Avon, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, NIVEA, Shiseido, L’Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Lancôme, Neutrogena, La Roche-Posay, Pond’s, Coppertone, Dr. Jart, Eucerin, Kiehl’s, La Mer, La Roche-Posay, Lubriderm, Mederma, Noxzema, Olay, Oriflame, RoC, Simple, SK-II, St. Ives
  • Cleansing – Clarisonic, Kiehl’s, Mary Kay, Origins, Clarins, Aesop, Borghese, Aveeno, Boscia, Clean & Clear, Clearasil,DDF, DHC, Dr. Brandt, Gatineau, Glamglow, Jurlique
  • Hair – Aveda, L’Oréal Paris, Garnier Fructis, Dove, Clairol, Matrix, Pantene, Neutrogena, Redken, Head and Shoulders, TRESemmé, Ojon
  • Perfume – Christian Dior
  • Cruelty Free – Anastasia Beverly Hills, Illamasqua, Too Faced, NARS, Milk Makeup, Charlotte Tilbury, Josie Maran, Tarte, COVER FX, theBalm, Pur Cosmetics, FACEatelier, Ciate, Besame Cosmetics, NUDESTIX, Blinc, DuWop Cosmetics, BareMinerals, Buxom, The Body Shop, Lush, Eyeko, Modster, Edward Bess, KORRES, Catrice
• Fashion
  • Clothing – Victoria’s Secret, SweatyRocks, Levi’s, Lark & Ro, Calvin Klein, Lacoste, GUESS, MANGO, Mae, 7 For All Mankind, BCBG, Theory, Jessica Simpson, Columbia, MILLY, PARIS SUNDAY, Clover Canyon, Lucky Brand
  • Bags – Vera Bradley, Fossil, Rebecca Minkoff, Tommy Hilfiger, Nine West, Cole Haan, FRYE, The Sak, Aldo, Marc Jacob, Ted Baker
  • Jewelry – Amazon Collection, Kate Spade, Majorica, Sorrelli, Alex and Ani, Betsey Johnson, Dogeared, Fossil, Alex Woo, Honora, Judith Ripka, Roberto Coin, Kendra Scott, Michael Kors, Bella Pearls
  • Watches – Rolex, Omega, IWC, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre
  • Lingerie – Agent Provocateur, Baci Lingerie, Anna Sui, Maidenform, Chantelle, Fruit of the Loom, Olga, Passionata, Pretty Polly, SPANX, Hanes, Vanity Fair, Victoria’s Secret, BedHead Pajamas
  • Eyewear – Giorgio Armani, Ray-Ban, Sferoflex, Versace, VOGUE, Tory Burch
  • Shoes – Converse, Vans, Heelys, New Balance, Feiyue, Reebok, ASICS, Steve Madden, Marc Jacobs
• Food
  • The Vitamin Shoppe, Organic Valley, Vital Choice, Hampton Creek, Newman’s Own Organics, Nature’s Path, Moon Juice, Halo Top, Just Spices, Navitas Organics, Hippeas, Rhythm Superfoods, Living Intentions, Graze Natural, Annie Chun’s, Sejoyia Foods, KIND, Quest Nutrition, Kashi, HEALTH WARRIOR, Wheat Thins, Chobani, Trumoo, Mamma Chia
• Food Appliances
  • NutriBullet, KitchenAid, Breville, Cuisinart, Crux, Delonghi, Keurig, Nespresso, Ninja, Omega, Vitamix

Now, in order to tap into these profitable niches, you must create a personal brand around your blog.

When you have a strong personal brand, you are a trusted source. You are a recognized expert. This will lead to speaking engagements, book deals, and media attention.

When your audience knows who you are and what you can do for them, they’ll flock to you.

Read my interview on the Huffington Post here.

How To Build Your Personal Brand

First you need to ask yourself these questions:

1. What do you want to do and why do you want to do it?

Complete this sentence: I want to [what you want to contribute] so that [the impact you want to make].

'People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.' – Simon Sinek Click To Tweet

Use my list of 12 niche topics above and choose one you’d like to focus on after you’ve completed that sentence.

2. What are you good at, or what do people naturally ask you?

Make a list. If you don’t think you’re good at anything, learn a new skill or ask people what you’re good at.

Only when your personal brand convinces someone they would be better off giving you their money than keeping it will you know you’re providing real value.

Money cannot be your primary motivation; your audience will see through you, and your success will be short-lived.

3. Create your tagline.

• I teach entrepreneurs how to build email lists and create online courses with ease. ― Amy Porterfield
• I teach hustlers how to day trade attention. ― Gary Vaynerchuk
• I help families manage their finances. ― Suze Orman
• I will teach you to be rich. ― Ramit Sethi
• I awaken the giant within individuals. ― Tony Robbins
• I help people focus on what’s essential. ― Greg McKeown
• I help female entrepreneurs learn to start, build, and grow their online businesses. ― Elaine Rau

4. Create your blog and social media channels

Why do you need both?

1. Your blog is the platform that you own where you share your thoughts and ideas.
2. Social media is where you get people to engage with you on your blog’s content.

Your blog posts should be useful, thorough, entertaining, or better than other blog posts on the same topic.

Always choose quality over quantity.

Give away incredibly useful, free content before asking visitors to buy your product or services.

Ask for your visitor’s email address in exchange for an awesome piece of free content so that you can send them even more free content on a regular basis and continue to build trust.

Example below.

Some people hate being in pictures but you must have pictures of yourself. It’s hard to form a human connection without it. People follow people they like and connect with—if you’re not showing who you are, you can’t form a connection.

I have a personal brand and a blog brand. They are similar, but I have separate social media accounts for each. You can choose to combine them, but I post different things on each account, so I keep them separate.

On Facebook I have @ElaineRauOfficial and @LadyBossBlogger.

Below is my personal Instagram account @ElaineRau.

And this is my blog’s Instagram account @LadyBossBlogger.

Even though they may look different, they have the same concept and that is to inspire and educate.

Every single image I create is done using the free drag and drop design tool: Canva.

If I can do it—you can do it!

Can’t wait to see your personal brand pop up soon!

If you have any questions about branding or blogging, feel free to reach out to me at ladybossblogger@gmail.com, and I would be glad to answer any questions you may have!

If you loved this post, please PIN the pic below!

Much Love,

<3 Elaine Rau

*Disclosure: There are some affiliate links in this post, but these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used.