I am a blogger. I started blogging before the invention of Artificial Intelligence (AI). I have created a reputation for being the Amazing Niche Master. I used the traditionally available tools, Jaaxy, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Trends, to create profitable niches. I have recently run across several articles that pawn the “Niche Selection” responsibility off onto the AI bots. I understand that artificial intelligence has made impressive strides in content creation and transforming how writers approach their craft. But to throw your interests and passions out the window and follow a bot? Are we ready to do this?
By tradition, selecting a blogging niche has been an exercise in self-reflection, where personal experience and genuine interest guide the choice. With AI entering the scene, promising optimization in selecting topics that draw audiences and generate revenue, people are blindly following the bot’s selection. Is this wise? Can AI be trusted to make better blogging niche decisions than relying on personal experience?
Can AI E-E-A-T?
With Google on the warpath about E-E-A-T, can AI replicate your experience and expertise? Choose wrong and your blogging career will be over before it begins. Your niche selection defines your target audience, sets the direction for content, and influences the potential for monetization. Selecting a fitting blogging niche is critical to consistency, and quality content.
It’s a decision that often means the difference between a blog’s success and obscurity. Can AI, with its ability to process vast amounts of data and identify patterns, truly understand the subtleties that make a niche right for you?
Understanding the Human Touch in Blogging
Why do people read blogs? A lot of people enjoy writing them, but why do people read them? People are learning, enjoying, and living vicariously through our blogs. I’m convinced that sharing our personal experiences resonates well with people, ultimately making our blogs more successful. You are what breathes life into your content. ChatGPT cannot transform simple information into relatable stories. I do not know about you, but when I come across something written by a bot, I bounce immediately.
My time in the blogosphere has shown me that audiences gravitate toward writers who can retell their real-world experiences, challenges, and victories. By doing so, a connection is forged through fire. The vulnerability and authenticity that a blogger brings is the human touch that AI cannot replicate.
The Power of Authenticity
Let’s start by acknowledging the potency of authenticity. When I share my experiences, my readers can feel the sincerity in my words. When I tell of my adventures living abroad, and my love for Greek Island hopping, you know I have been there and done that. You can relate to my journey, which in turn builds trust. Trust grows from consistency and honesty. These are attributes that no artificial intelligence can replicate.
Tell Me a Story
Can you tell a story? Good stories engage readers, keep them reading, and encourage them to return for more. ChatGPT landed on my radar in May of 2023, a full six months after Chatty was “unleashed” on the world. The moment I read about this new AI virtual assistant, I knew the End of Google Search was on the horizon. The circle goes like this – Chatty creates an avalanche of lifeless, useless, content. Google called this unwashed AI content SPAM and said it would not be indexed. Unfortunately for Google, a lot of this content DID get indexed. Bloggers noticed and the race was on. Who could create the most content? Millions of new posts hit the internet. Google Search Engine Result Pages (SERP) serve this content, and the searchers are revolting. Why should we just “Google It” to get spammed, when we can say Chatty, “Answer this”? Have you stopped using Google Search?
How would ChatGPT tell this story? Would it just line up the sentences in neat rows?
“Just the facts. ma’am”. – Joe Friday
Dragnet
You know immediately when a bot has created the content. Do you stay and read the post or do you bounce? With each bounce, you inadvertently add another negative mark to Google’s search capabilities. Maybe next time you will ask Chatty.
But these stories make each blog unique because they’re individual to the blogger. How your story unfolds on the digital page can captivate an audience. AI-generated content struggles to achieve the same level of emotional depth.
So is AI useless? Far from it. The catch is, that while personal experience is an incredible draw for a blogging niche, it may not always line up with what’s trending or profitable. This is where AI can step in to inform and possibly redirect a content strategy. I caution everyone, that AI is only as good as the data it has access to. ChatGPT-3 as fast as it is, does not have access to real-time data. The data cut-off was nearly two years ago. Do not rely on it for today’s trends. Pick an assistant with real-time access.
The AI Approach to Choosing Blogging Niches
Just as posting AI-generated content straight from ChatGPT is useless spam. So is asking AI to choose a blogging niche for you. I had a Saturday afternoon exercise, where I wanted AI to select my next niche. So I gathered my five lovely computer assistants, Claude, The Twins, Chatty, Lexi, and Bing, and gave them the same set of instructions. Pick the #1 Most Profitable Niche for me. Surely they may differ a little, but at least they should all agree in the beginning. Don’t you think?
We are going to do this in a 20-question style. It will only take 3 steps to accomplish what each thinks is the best niche for a blog.
The Search is a 3-step process
Here are the simple prompts that I used:
- Identify the #1 Most Profitable Category and then find 10 underserved niches within that category.
- Drill down a level and rank the Top 5 with the most traffic
- From the list of 5, give me the easiest one with the most low-hanging fruit to start a niche blog.
The #1 Most Profitable Niche Is
I posted my results here
Competing AIs Agree – Mastering Niche Selection is Not Easy!
There are a lot of great ideas here, but if it does not resonate with you, are you really going to pour your heart and soul into the content? Obviously not. Don’t let the bot steal your blog’s soul!
Will you choose a niche from the 1001 Perfectly Profitable, Passive Niches? Again, NO! Bots and lists are not you.
What you will do is follow the advice of The Amazing Niche Master. You will do your brainstorming in accordance with the rules laid out in my post. The rules are simple.
Answer these 4 Questions:
- When you are not at work, what are you doing?
- What kind of work do you do? Did you get a license or certification?
- What are some hobbies that you enjoy?
- Reflect on impactful life experiences you’ve had. What made you feel alive?
Once you have made your choice based on these 4 rules, then, and only then, will you employ your virtual assistant. Here is the specific prompt I use for my niche. I want to create a topical map that leans transactional.
Topical Map Prompt
Help me develop a topical map with the best chance of helping me rank for long tail keywords in [VOLKSMARCHING] on Google. Give me 30 semantically relevant but unique topics under the main category of [VOLKSMARCHING HEALTH BENEFITS] and for each give me 10 different variations of the topics that each address a different search intent. Prioritize transactional intent. Make it in a table format with the following columns: Column 1 – The unique semantically related topic, Column 2 – the different variations, Column 3 An intriguing clickbait style title.
I like to use Google’s Gemini for this exercise. Who knows what people are looking for better than Google? No one. As you can see it automatically offers to move this over to Google Sheets. I like the simplicity. Do that, and put this table into Google Sheets for safekeeping. In this example, I copied the top 7 topics for this demonstration, but you should use 30, 50, 75, or 100, it is up to you. The more that you create the more Google will consider your E-E-A-T authority. Here is the output from this prompt. 
Would you have identified all of these blogging topics on your own? Probably not, but if you did, it may have taken you longer than the 10 seconds it took Gemini. Work smarter, not harder.
Your Blog is Laid Out Before You
This will be your blog and you have 100 posts laid out in topical map order. There is no need to sift through the endless possibilities for a blogging niche. Please remember to Use the Power Tools available to you wisely. Artificial intelligence employs sophisticated algorithms to scan vast datasets, identifying patterns, trends, and gaps in the market that might not be immediately obvious.
The advantages of adopting this data-driven approach are remarkable. Firstly, AI identifies high-traffic zones with minimal competition. It will also explain why if you ask it, delivering valuable insights for aspiring bloggers. For bloggers focused on practicality, this means starting from an informed standpoint based on metrics rather than speculation.
Halucinations Are Real!
Did you read my post on Power Tools – Use Caution? Here is why you should have. AI isn’t infallible! AI still tends to hallucinate. You know, tell little lies about things that are not there. Also, it cannot grasp the subtleties of human emotions and the connection that comes from sharing genuine stories and personal hardships. In other words, AI can tell you WHAT is trending, but it can’t tell you WHY. It definitely does not know whether it aligns with your personal values and passions, only you do.
AI will help you think outside the box and uncover ideas that You Did Not Know That You Did Not Know!
Exploring AI-Generated Niche Ideas and High-Paying Niches
Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolutionizes blogging by analyzing vast datasets to suggest profitable niches. It uncovers sectors with substantial reader demand and opportunities for monetization, empowering bloggers to create valuable content while boosting revenue generation.
AI-Generated Niche Ideas
You have already seen the power of AI in creating topical niche clusters. I also showed you that AI Niche Selection isn’t easy. But what if you are having a hard time coming up with your next topic? AI can pinpoint gaps in your content and unsaturated topics ripe for exploration. Are you familiar with your XML Sitemap? This is a complete list of all of your posts. Simply ask a web-aware AI to list out your post titles. Then ask it to give you a semantically related topic that is not covered on your blog.
High-Paying AI Niches
Certain niches in the blogging world have the potential to generate higher profits due to their high demand. These niches usually cater to businesses and professionals who require more information to improve their work. Fields like AI healthcare or business optimization are examples of such niches. These sectors also have larger marketing budgets, making them potential partners for monetization strategies. Additionally, businesses in these niches are willing to pay more for high-quality resources and solutions offered by niche blogs, as they can directly impact their bottom line.
AI Can Help Find Profitable Niches
If you are knowledgeable in technology, AI tools can help you discover high-demand niches. AI can identify niches related to Natural Language Processing (NLP) that focus on computer interactions with human language, and Machine Learning Applications that explore how computers learn from data to improve performance. By using AI to find these potentially profitable niches, your blog can benefit from a targeted audience. Your content can attract businesses and professionals who are actively seeking information in that specific area. You can also monetize your blog by leveraging approaches like sponsored content, affiliate marketing, or selling digital products that cater to the needs of this audience.
Balancing AI and Authenticity
Although AI can help you discover profitable niches, it is important to keep in mind the authenticity of your blog and the connection you have with your audience. By merging AI’s data-driven suggestions with your own insights and interests, you can ensure that your blog retains its unique voice and avoids sounding generic. Infusing your expertise and passion into the content will help to create content that genuinely resonates with your audience and engages them on a deeper level.
The Amazing Niche Master’s Final Word: A Human Heart with AI Smarts
The world of blogging is in flux. AI is here, offering a treasure trove of data and insights. But is it ready to replace the blogger’s intuition and passion? Absolutely not.
AI is a powerful tool, but it’s a hammer, not a paintbrush. It can identify profitable niches and content gaps, but it can’t capture the essence of your voice or the stories that connect with your audience.
The secret to successful blogging is the human touch. It’s the vulnerability, the passion, the ability to weave a narrative that resonates. AI can’t replicate that.
Remember to follow your heart
- Embrace Your Passions – Use the four questions you outlined to find a niche that fuels your fire.
- Leverage AI’s Insights – Supplement your passion with AI’s data-driven guidance. Use AI tools to refine your niche, identify content gaps, and explore high-demand areas.
- Craft Compelling Content – Infuse your expertise and personal experiences into your writing. Tell stories, share challenges, and celebrate victories. This is what creates a connection with your readers.
Ready to Launch Your Dream Blog and Find Your Profitable Niche?
Don’t wait any longer! By combining your passion with the power of AI, you can identify a niche that’s both profitable and fulfilling. Here are some actionable steps to get you started:
- Free AI Brainstorming Session: Explore niche ideas using free AI tools like answerthepublic.com and trendingsearches.io to spark inspiration.
- Keyword Research with a Twist: Once you have a few niche ideas, delve deeper with free keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner. But don’t just focus on search volume – consider the searcher intent behind the keywords! Are they looking to buy, learn, or simply be entertained? Understanding intent will help you tailor your content for success.
- Content Calendar Creation with AI Assistance: Many AI writing assistants offer content calendar creation features. Use them to brainstorm post ideas, create outlines, and schedule your content for maximum impact.
Remember, AI is here to empower you, not replace you. Use it to streamline your workflow, overcome writer’s block, and gain valuable insights. But never forget the heart and soul you bring to your writing – that’s what will make your blog truly stand out from the crowd.
