Niche research is one of my favorite aspects of affiliate marketing. Ever since I made my first foray into the affiliate world (selling Xbox 360 repair guides) I have never ceased to enjoy hunting down profitable niches. However, I know that plenty of other affiliates struggle with keyword research, and find it a frustrating process that is fraught with difficulty and boredom. This is especially the case when trying to find lucrative niches that are relatively untapped. Every man and his dog knows about the big evergreen niches—weight loss, relationship advice, Internet marketing and so on—but what about those smaller, lower-competition niches that can still make you handsome sums of cash? In this blog post I'm not going to show you any new methods for finding niches, but instead I'm going to outline three relatively untapped niches that still have fantastic potential.
Bear in mind that the niches in this blog post are very specific and tightly targeted. You're not going to see any vague niches, such as "SEO" or "console repair." Instead I've done the hard work for you and found three exciting niches that are ripe for the picking. For each niche I've provided a small list of keywords I found using AffiloTools, which you can take to get started. Please note that these keyword lists are by no means exhaustive, and I strongly suggest you do further keyword research using your preferred methods to find a final list. I've also provided a couple of example affiliate products and advice for making the most of each niche.
Electronic Stud Finders
When affiliates think of promoting physical products, especially using the Amazon Associates program, most jump straight into the cutthroat world of consumer electronics. Sure, there might be a massive demand for MP3 players, smartphones and laptops, but you are going to face stiff resistance even trying to dip your toes into such niches. Instead, you should think outside the square and delve into the diverse range of niches available for you to promote through Amazon.
A profitable physical product niche you should consider is electronic stud finders. Power tools and building supplies always sell extremely well, especially as DIY makes a comeback due to a lagging economy. There are plenty of affiliates making a killing with items such as power drills, tool sets, sanders and other "tools of the trade." However, there is actually quite a bit of competition for some of these power- and hand-tool sub-niches (I suspect this is due to the growing popularity of Amazon training products, many of which seem to use power tools as an example niche). Electronic stud finders might not be as exotic as power drills, but they are nonetheless an important tool for builders, DIY lovers, and other tradespeople.
Because they are generally cheaper products, the profit margins won't be as high for each sale you make, but this is offset by lower competition and the potential for higher sales volume.
Keywords
Right click here, and "Save As" to download a basic list of seed keywords for the electronic stud finder niche. Remember to use your own preferred keyword research methods to expand this list.
Stud Finder Affiliate Programs
As I have already mentioned, this niche is a perfect match for the Amazon Associates affiliate program. A quick search reveals that there are over 500 different stud finder products for sale on Amazon:
That's an impressive number of products for such a tightly-targeted niche. In terms of the actual products you can promote, I would suggest you try to target higher-priced items. $10–30 stud finders are a great option for boosting your Amazon commission rate, but it's always nice to sell some more expensive products to deliver those knockout commissions that all affiliates thrive on.
This Franklin Sensors stud finder is a very popular product (it's got over 500 customer reviews and a 4.5 star rating) and sells for about twice the price of its closest competition:
This is the type of product that converts extremely well when you send targeted, pre-sold leads from your website. I've heard of people achieving average conversion rates of 10%+ on Amazon when selling hardware/tools, and I don't see why the stud finder niche should be any different.
And if you decide you really want to chase the big commissions, then you can always target high-end wall scanners and other stud-finding products designed specifically for construction professionals. Some of these tools sell for upwards of $1,000, so you can earn fantastic commissions promoting them.
Making the most of this niche:
- Target product/brand name keywords
- Consider doing video reviews, especially if you know a thing or two about building
- Build a list so you can promote more expensive power tools down the track (someone who wants a stud finder might also be interested in special offers on drills, belt sanders etc.)
- Promote your website on trade/building forums—these are the kind of people who are most likely to purchase through your affiliate links
3D Printers for Sale
One of the hottest topics in the technology world at the moment is 3D printing. Although currently in its infancy, 3D printing has the potential to bring about some massive changes to the way goods are manufactured and distributed. The 3D printing niche is actually very broad, and includes topics as diverse as the socio-political effects of additive manufacturing through to medical applications for 3D printers. As an affiliate it is your duty to cut through all the deadwood in a niche and find the beating, profit-making heart. In the 3D printing niche it's fairly obvious where this lies: Offering 3D printers for sale. Targeting buyers as opposed to information seekers is one of the easiest ways to turn a quick profit, and clearly anybody searching for 3D printers for sale is looking to purchase one. I also must admit that I happen to know 3D printing is a lucrative niche with a very active community (I actually run a few 3D printing websites with my brother).
Keywords
Because this is a growing niche there will be new keyword groups developing all the time. You can download a small keyword list here to get you started, but I strongly advise that you invest plenty of time into finding your own keywords.
3D Printer Affiliate Programs
Because 3D printers are physical products, your first port of call should be Amazon. Right off the bat I've found a product that looks very promising:
This particular 3D printer has a 4.5/5-star customer rating, and more than fifty reviews (this means it probably sells at a decent rate, as few Amazon customers actually leave reviews). Furthermore, this product retails for $1,200. Even at the minimum Amazon commission rate of 4% you would still earn $48 for every sale of this product that you made.
The Flash Forge 3D printer isn't the only option available for you to promote on Amazon. There are a number of different 3D printers you can promote as an affiliate, including the legendary MakerBot Replicator:
Sell one of these at 4% commission and you've made a cool $80. Remember too that with Amazon you can actually increase your commission rate by selling a higher quantity of items, so with multiple sales per month you could earn over $100 on every 3D printer sold. While other affiliates are fighting like stray dogs over low-profit products in many common niches, you'll be making big bucks selling awesome products that people really want.
Some 3D printer companies also offer in-house affiliate programs. For example, 3D Printing Systems will give you a 5% commission on any sales generated through their in-house program.
Making the Most of This Niche:
- Learn the jargon—hardcore 3D printer enthusiasts can quickly tell who is "faking" it
- Videos are your friend in this niche, as 3D printing is very visual
- Keep an eye on websites that discuss 3D printing news for new product names, and then target those products with your website
- Your customers are going to need consumables, such as printing filament. Sell these in conjunction with 3D printers on Amazon to boost your conversion rate
Lucid Dreaming
For the final untapped affiliate niche in this blog post we are going to take a break from physical products available on Amazon, and head back to trusty old ClickBank. Lucid dreaming is a form of dreaming where you are actually aware that you are in a dream. With the meteoric rise of New Age beliefs and self-help products in Western countries, many people are now interested in learning how to dream lucidly.
Lucid dreaming is an excellent niche for you to consider as an affiliate because you can cross-promote with related topics, including:
- Astral projection
- Binaural beats
- Sleep paralysis
- Chakra healing
- Meditation
- General New Age beliefs and methods
This makes lucid dreaming the ideal match for you if you already have some experience with the self-help or New Age niches (even better if you already have your own website and list!). People interested in lucid dreaming are generally going to be interested in a lot of different New Age practices.
Keywords
The lucid dreaming niche has so many fantastic keywords ripe for the picking that I'm actually tempted to have a crack at it myself—so get started before I do! You can download the lucid dreaming seed keyword list here (just right click and "Save As"). However, once again I'm going to insist that you spend a bit of time finding your own keywords in this niche. There are just so many different long-tails available in this niche that you would be missing out on a lot of potential search traffic by limiting yourself to my keyword list. Try exploring the close relationship between lucid dreaming and astral projection keywords, as I have noticed there is a lot of interest in this particular niche segment.
Lucid Dreaming Affiliate Programs
There are a handful of dedicated lucid dreaming products on ClickBank, such as this one:
The gravity score isn't massive, but at almost $26 per sale that's a very handsome commission. Other lucid dreaming affiliate products on ClickBank also tend to offer similar $ per sale, which is great news for creating profitable campaigns.
There's also a huge number of lucid dreaming eBooks on Amazon's Kindle marketplace:
Obviously Kindle users are interesting in buying guides to lucid dreaming, so consider outsourcing the creation of some short reports on the subject and then use those reports to promote your website and ClickBank offers. Price your Kindle eBook around $3–5, and if you can drive enough sales volume then you will make back your initial outsourcing investment (and maybe even make some extra cash on top!).
Making the Most of This Niche:
- Build an opt-in list: This is the kind of niche where you can promote multiple products to the same customers, but without a list you will be missing out. I suggest that you focus all your on-site efforts into building a big list, and then promote products through your autoresponder sequence.
- Consider using PPC traffic to build your list and drive sales, as the click costs in this niche are relatively forgiving.
- Make sure you provide plenty of value on your website—I've found a lot of high-quality lucid dreaming information on forums and message boards, and you don't want people to leave your site in favor of these alternatives if they feel like they are being submitted to a thin sales pitch.
Conclusion
Niche research is one of the most critical aspects of successful affiliate marketing. However, for many affiliates it can be a difficult process. That's why I've helped you out in this blog post with a list of three great affiliate niches that also have relatively low competition (especially when compared to things like weight loss or dog training). I have also provided you with some basic keywords and potential affiliate products on Amazon/ClickBank, so you have everything you need to make a basic start in any one of these niches. The most important thing you can do now is invest quality time into expanding your keyword lists—use AffiloTools to make keyword research easier.
If you've got any questions about the niches I outlined in this blog post, then feel free to leave a comment below. I will do my best to assist you!
Takeaway: My biggest takeaway from the Affiliate Summit is: You get out of it, what you put into it. While I've been to over 10 shows, this fact hit me while I was moping about the blogger's room, thinking I wasn't really getting anything out of this particular summit. But once I packed things up, hit the floor and started talking to some people, things turned around! 
Takeaway: To be honest with you, this was my shortest [attendance of the] Affiliate Summit ever. I was at the conference for literally just a few hours (I came in to 
Takeaway: Firstly it is now more apparent than ever before that not just affiliate marketing but any business online is going to need to be top quality.
Takeaway: In the world of business and Internet marketing, it's all about connections and who you know. This isn't just from a "connections" and "deals" perspective ... it's also about building your own little personal community of friends that you can work with and bounce ideas off of. It's always great to meet up with these same friends and make new ones during the Affiliate Summit. It's one thing to attend the event and sessions, but if you leave without a whole new set of connections, you are simply missing out.
Takeaway: Unfortunately, I didn't get to attend and enjoy the Affiliate Marketing Summit this year, since I was the one running it. Thus, I won't see the sessions until they are out on video about a month later.
