Amazon KDP Niche Research: Find Profitable Keywords & Niches

About this video

In the first installment of a Fiverr-sponsored series taking a book from idea to publishing, Dale teaches Amazon KDP niche research: find demand first, then supply it. Step one is identifying the target audience, since writing for everyone means writing for no one. Next, brainstorm a list of keyword phrases from the reader’s perspective, sometimes for about 30 minutes. Then test those phrases on Amazon, checking how many products a search returns, the average rank of first-page products, and the top 10 bestseller list. He recommends the free DS Amazon Quick View browser extension (enabled for incognito mode) to see bestseller ranks quickly, and gives his target range: a bestseller rank between 10,000 and 100,000 signals enough demand without excessive competition; below 10,000 is very competitive and above 100,000 suggests too little demand. His formula is products plus average rank equals relevant keywords, averaging the 16 first-page ranks if done manually, though he admits he usually uses Publisher Rocket to do it in seconds. He then narrows to one or two strong keywords to load into a nonfiction title and/or subtitle, and seven backend keywords for publishing: build overlapping keyword stems of no more than 50 characters including spaces, reserve one to three slots for exact-match phrases, and don’t repeat title or subtitle keywords. Finally, he explains choosing a pen name because he doesn’t want to muddy his Dale L. Roberts brand (fitness and self-publishing) with a different nonfiction niche. He picks a contemporary name fitting readers in their twenties by checking popular names of the 2000s, Googles ‘author’ plus candidate names, searches Amazon for collisions, and uses Reedsy’s pen name generator for the last name.

Key takeaways

• Find demand before writing: identify the target audience, brainstorm keyword phrases, then validate them on Amazon
• Target a bestseller rank of 10,000-100,000 — lower is too competitive, higher signals too little demand
• Use the free DS Amazon Quick View extension in incognito mode, or Publisher Rocket, to get first-page ranks fast
• Pick 1-2 keywords for the title/subtitle and 7 backend keywords; build stems under 50 characters and reserve 1-3 exact matches
• Use a pen name for a new niche rather than muddying an existing author brand, and vet it on Google and Amazon first

Episode details: published March 19, 2020 · 13:39 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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