What publishers can learn from niche creators

For decades, publishers believed success was a numbers game. Bigger audiences meant bigger revenues, wider influence, and greater industry clout. Yet quietly, away from the spotlight, independent niche creators have turned this logic on its head. Their secret? Smaller, deeply engaged communities built on trust, authenticity, and consistent value.

From Substack writers to Patreon podcasters, niche creators are thriving by understanding their audience intimately, building direct relationships, and prioritising depth over scale. Established publishers might initially overlook these creators as too small to matter—but doing so risks missing powerful lessons that could transform their businesses.

Engagement is more important than scale

Traditional publishing often relies heavily on large-scale audience acquisition, driven by SEO strategies, social media virality, and algorithmic distribution. The problem? These audiences can be fleeting, expensive to maintain, and challenging to monetise effectively.

Niche creators invert this model. Rather than chasing reach, they obsess over engagement. Consider how niche newsletters like Ben Thompson’s Stratechery or Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study thrive despite relatively modest subscriber numbers. They monetise highly engaged audiences willing to pay premium subscription fees precisely because the content feels personalised and indispensable.

This deep, sustainable engagement enables smaller creators to build resilient revenue streams insulated from platform volatility. Publishers can replicate this by investing more in reader-first strategies—prioritising retention, newsletters, memberships, and community-building initiatives rather than surface-level clicks and impressions.

Authenticity creates loyalty

Niche creators also succeed because their authenticity fosters genuine connections. Audiences trust creators who share transparent insights, openly discuss their process, and remain consistent in their voice and values. Unlike traditional publishers who sometimes dilute their brands by chasing trends, niche creators stay true to themselves, reinforcing trust and loyalty.

Take popular podcast creators on Patreon, for instance. They thrive because listeners feel connected personally, not merely transactionally. Subscribers support them financially not just for content access but as part of a shared community or mission. Publishers can adopt this lesson by clarifying their own editorial voice, communicating openly with readers, and investing in authentic storytelling rather than chasing transient digital trends.

Monetising depth, not breadth

Another powerful lesson from niche creators is that monetisation thrives on depth. Traditional publishers often find themselves trapped in scale-driven economics, needing vast audiences to compensate for low-value programmatic ad revenue. Niche creators, however, focus on maximising revenue per user—through subscriptions, premium content, direct reader support, and targeted sponsorships.

This direct, high-value monetisation model means niche creators can sustain healthy businesses with fewer readers, reducing reliance on volatile advertising revenues. For publishers, adopting a similar strategy might involve shifting focus from ad-supported reach to paid subscriptions, premium memberships, exclusive communities, or hybrid monetisation models that reward reader loyalty and engagement.

Direct relationships matter

Perhaps the most significant advantage niche creators hold is their direct relationship with audiences. Platforms like Substack, Patreon, and Discord enable creators to own and control their reader relationships fully. This direct access offers deep insights into audience preferences, engagement levels, and willingness to pay—crucial data publishers often miss when relying heavily on third-party platforms.

Publishers can replicate this advantage by building their own direct audience channels—email newsletters, premium memberships, custom apps, or reader clubs. This investment ensures control, improves reader understanding, and reduces dependence on external platforms or algorithms that can change at any moment.

The future belongs to niches

In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, publishers must realise that generalist strategies aimed purely at scale have significant limitations. Niche creators have shown that carefully defined, highly engaged audiences can deliver exceptional value—both editorially and commercially.

Embracing niche strategies doesn’t mean abandoning growth. Instead, it means redefining growth around genuine audience connection, authentic content, sustainable monetisation, and community-building.

Ultimately, publishers who learn from niche creators won’t just survive—they’ll thrive. They’ll achieve financial resilience, editorial clarity, and audience loyalty. And, crucially, they’ll reconnect with the fundamental purpose of publishing: providing meaningful value to readers.

Niche creators might be smaller in scale, but their influence on the future of publishing is already massive. Publishers would be wise to listen.