Hey everyone and welcome to Influence X. I’m Alastair Luke, director of strategic video marketing company Attention X. This is the first edition of our weekly series, where each week we dive into one practical topic to help you progress step by step. We’re going for very real actionable steps to help you create better video that delivers for your business. Whether you’re shooting and editing it in-house, outsourcing to a company like ours, or project managing as part of a marketing team, this is for you.

Video and podcasting are powerful drivers for building authority, optimising your reach and measuring impact. This week: Defining Your Podcast Niche—the foundation for developing habits and know-how that, over time, will help you become a key person of influence in your field.

Why a Very Specific Niche Matters

Narrowing your focus to a highly specific niche keeps you motivated as a creator because you’re exploring topics you care deeply about and that align with your values. When content reflects your genuine expertise and passion, you’re more likely to sustain consistency and produce higher-quality episodes. A defined niche also attracts a smaller but highly engaged audience—listeners who see themselves reflected in your content and are more likely to stick around and interact. Such engagement builds trust and enables you to guide listeners towards your products or services through value-driven content, rather than overt selling.

How to Choose a Highly Specific Podcast Niche

1. Align with deep expertise and core values: Reflect on areas where you hold unique insight or experience and that you’re passionate about discussing week after week. For instance, rather than “marketing”, you might focus on “video marketing strategies for B2B tech startups”. This clarity sustains motivation and authenticity in every episode.

2. Identify and understand your ideal small audience: Define precisely who benefits most from your niche content: their roles, challenges and aspirations. A smaller audience means you can tailor language, examples and solutions directly to their context, fostering deeper engagement and loyalty.

3. Validate demand and uniqueness: Research existing podcasts in your prospective niche. Look for gaps—perhaps few shows address your exact intersection of expertise and audience. Keyword searches on podcast platforms, LinkedIn discussions or niche forums help identify underserved angles. A unique focus makes your show stand out and easier to discover in a crowded landscape.

4. Consider sustainable format and depth: Choose a format—solo deep-dives, interviews with niche-specific experts or panel discussions—that allows you to explore topics in depth. A narrowly defined theme gives you a clear framework for episode planning, reducing decision fatigue and ensuring each episode feels purposeful.

5. Plan for value-driven progression: With a focused audience, you can offer targeted resources or guidance that solve their specific problems. This approach positions your podcast as a gateway: you provide consistent free value, building trust, and gently introduce relevant paid offerings without overt selling.

Remember, you’re not looking for millions of views, unless your customers are in the millions. You’re looking to target this very specifically at a small group who you can bring massive value to, and who might in time become your customer or client.

Anatomy of a “micro-niche”

• B2B Tech Video Insights: Discuss video strategies tailored to technology businesses selling to other companies, covering case studies, platform choices and ROI measurement.

• Leadership Lessons for Scale-Up Founders: Solo reflections or guest interviews centred solely on leadership challenges in scaling startups, rather than leadership in general.

• Recruitment Storytelling Mastery: Episodes focusing exclusively on crafting authentic video narratives to attract talent, share employer brand stories and measure recruiting impact.

• Short-Form Content for Financial Services: Deep dives into repurposing long-form interviews or webinars into bite-sized clips that resonate with regulated industries.

Each example zeroes in on both topic and audience, making it straightforward to plan episodes and engage listeners who recognise their specific needs.

Actionable Steps This Week

1. Deep-dive brainstorming: Allocate 15–20 minutes to list niche ideas that combine your expertise, values and the precise audience you wish to serve. Aim for specificity (e.g. “podcasting for HR managers in mid-sized firms” rather than just “podcasting tips”).

2. Demand check: Search podcast directories (Apple Podcasts, Spotify) and relevant online communities for these niche ideas. Note if shows exist and how you could differentiate your angle or depth.

3. Pilot recording: Record a 2–3 minute pilot intro for your top niche concept. Clearly state who you are, the exact focus and the value listeners will gain. Review it: does it feel true to your expertise and speak directly to that audience?

4. Gather targeted feedback: Share the pilot with a small group matching your intended audience or trusted peers. Ask: “Does this feel relevant to your challenges? Would you return for more?” Use insights to refine your niche phrasing or format.

Which highly specific niche resonates most with you? What concerns do you have about drilling down to a narrow focus? Drop a comment or send me a message—I’m happy to share examples of how precise positioning has driven engagement and results for others.

Creating value for you, the reader

Thank you for reading—this newsletter is designed to give you practical, value-driven steps each week. If you’ve found it useful, please subscribe so you don’t miss future editions. Let me know in the comments which video marketing or podcasting-for-business topics you’d like me to cover next. By sharing your ideas, you’ll help shape content that directly supports your goals.

Have a great week, Alastair

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