What are “Shoulder Niches”?

Shoulder niches are industries or topics that are not directly competitive with your primary niche but share a similar audience or problem. They are "adjacent" to your main focus, offering opportunities for collaboration, content expansion, or audience cross-promotion without directly competing. For example, a dog training business might consider pet grooming or pet-friendly travel as shoulder niches. Niches unrelated to your niche are too broad and unlikely to share an audience or offer relevant opportunities. Niches directly related to your niche are direct competitors, making collaboration or content differentiation difficult.