Wednesday Buzz: There’s Always Room for Another Niche

Associations know all about niche, but this may be overly niche even for our standards.

Extra Crispy  (opens in a new tab), a new Time Inc. blog launched on Wednesday, is perhaps the first news site dedicated solely to breakfast.

The site even has a killer hook: The company is launching a nationwide search for a bacon critic, whose job it will be to suss out what makes for good—or bad—bacon. The three-month freelance gig—which is real and paid—is meant to attract more interest in the bacon subculture.

“The Extra Crispy Bacon Critic needs to be opinionated and thorough in his or her research and will be expected to eventually decide which bacon is the best in the country,” the staff explain in a blog post  (opens in a new tab). “Other qualifications include serious writing chops, an unmistakable voice, a sense of adventure, and an insatiable hunger—for bacon.”

The announcement produced instant buzz:

Time Inc is hiring a bacon critic — three month appointment, fee TBD, apply by 6/24, what a time to be alive https://t.co/8vLkptjxsq  (opens in a new tab)

— Writers of Color (@WritersofColor) June 1, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

.@TimeInc  (opens in a new tab) is hiring a bacon critic (really). who said journalism is dead? https://t.co/PrBtQ7K0Yc  (opens in a new tab) #willwriteforbacon  (opens in a new tab) #whyiwenttojschool  (opens in a new tab)

— janelle sohner 🌈 (huelsman) – she/her (@janellesohner) June 1, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

https://twitter.com/mjseidlinger/status/738024701470072832

Of course, even I had to make a joke about it:

Hey @extracrispy  (opens in a new tab), I found your bacon critic. pic.twitter.com/iNUkHq1v1Y  (opens in a new tab)

— Ernie Smith is @ernie@writing.exchange (@ShortFormErnie) June 1, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

The lesson here is that there are plenty of ways to get creative and a little wacky with niche content online. Of course, a lot of websites won’t draw nearly as much buzz as a site dedicated to breakfast culture, but there is always room for associations and other organizations to generate interest in a narrowly focused online news outlet—and to even have fun with it. Extra Crispy is proof.

Tweet of the Day

https://twitter.com/adamkmiec/status/737992375839162368

Maybe an app doesn’t make sense for you. The outdoor apparel and equipment retailer Patagonia is famous for its “buy less” ad campaign  (opens in a new tab), in which it suggests that buying a product that’s built to last is better than repeatedly replacing a low-quality equivalent.

Obvious next question: If you’re shopping Patagonia only once in a blue moon to buy a jacket or a piece of equipment, why does the company need an app? Apparently, that’s something Patagonia execs considered, because the company recently decided to drop its app and improve its mobile web experience.

Think there’s a lesson in here for associations?

Other Links of Note

Here’s a hiring problem that’s unique to the association space: While positions often require unique skills specific to associations, leaders within an organization might focus instead on applicants who have degrees within the given sector. Association Executive Management’s David M. Patt explains why that’s limiting  (opens in a new tab).

Social Security is changing. What should you know about these big shifts? Lifehacker‘s Two Cents site explains the good and bad  (opens in a new tab) of the program’s recent regulatory changes.

Making name tags for your attendees is a great way to boost engagement, but it can be a total pain. Chandra Chakravarthi of Aptify discusses how one group made the process slightly easier  (opens in a new tab).

(iStock/Thinkstock)