How to create a strong expert positioning in your niche

Interestingly, some coaches have extremely engaged and loyal audiences on social media, while others barely get any attention, even though they post with the same regularity. What’s the difference? Putting aside technical aspects such as algorithms or paid advertising, it’s mostly about positioning. The real value is often hidden not on the surface, but deeper.

In today’s digital landscape, where noise and superficial PR dominate, people are growing increasingly skeptical of self-proclaimed “experts.” According to the Digital Marketing Institute, nearly half of consumers rely on influencer recommendations, but that trust isn’t given freely. So, how do you earn it? It’s not about being flawless; it’s about being honest and sincere.

Here, you’ll have to fight for trust: show that your content is backed by real experience, and your knowledge has already helped dozens (or even hundreds) of people change their lives for the better. This significantly increases the chances of converting subscribers into customers.

What is expert positioning?

Expert positioning is exactly what you hear — building a reputation as a credible authority in your field. This can happen through quotes in relevant articles, speaking engagements, guest posts, authored pieces, podcast interviews, or a combination of all these activities.

Just knowing you’re an expert isn’t enough; your audience needs to see and feel it. That’s where expert positioning comes in: it’s the ongoing process of earning trust and visibility by demonstrating your expertise in action. In essence, it’s about creating an aura of credibility and respect that becomes associated with your name and reputation.

When done right, positioning yourself as an expert helps potential clients understand not just what you do, but why you’re good at it — and what they can gain by listening to you. Over time, people begin to remember you as that helpful, insightful person from the internet they can rely on.

And importantly, expert positioning doesn’t require being overly formal or serious. You don’t need to mention your qualifications in every post. What matters more is staying authentic and true to your mission.

Take, for example, Alex Hormozi, who builds businesses, teaches how to sell and scale yourself. he builds businesses and teaches people how to sell and scale. His delivery is always clear, concise, and packed with value. Yet, he doesn’t shy away from humor: he pokes fun at info-business gurus, trolls motivational clichés, and openly shares what most would rather keep to themselves — all while staying grounded and human.

Who can benefit from positioning themselves as an expert?

The rules of the internet are simple: anyone who sells their services or products online can benefit from building an expert image on social media and other platforms. It’s always a good idea to strive to become the leading expert in your niche, especially if your niche is competitive and you rely entirely on the internet to find new customers. The list of potential niches is enormous, but here are some examples of them:

• coaching
•  financial advice
• consulting
• content creation
• marketing
• design
• web development
• art
• beauty and fashion
•  teaching
• psychotherapy
• public speaking; entertainment
• health; sports
• nutrition

That is, any profession is an excuse and a place to become an expert. Fortunately, it is never too late to start investing time, money, and effort into your expert positioning, as it has a cumulative effect.

How to find your niche?

However, a big problem arises when a niche is too lumpy or too specific to be understood, and the expert cannot define what exactly their expertise is. Sometimes it happens that a person takes on too many tasks and considers themselves an expert in everything they do, but this is not the case. Your main niche is what you do most of the time, not a whole set of tasks. Eventually, you may be able to call yourself an expert in multitasking, but that sounds too confusing to the client. Here are some coordinated questions on how to define what your main niche is for becoming an expert in there:

1. Passion comes first

Everyone has at least one thing that brings them joy and happiness. It’s important to track it because if you know exactly what you’re passionate about and what you really enjoy, you can use it as a tool for expert positioning. Hobbies and interests do not always have to remain personal; they can be very cool monetized and presented in a high-quality manner.

2. Not a chore, but exciting

Expertise is not a short-term effect, but a long-term path. Therefore, when choosing your niche, you should focus not only on what interests you, but also on that area of ​​study that is not hard labor for you, but, on the contrary, a thirst for knowledge. When you find exactly that, you are sure to win.

3. Your basic skill set

An expert cannot become an expert without knowing the basics. You also can’t just pick a random niche and say you’ll be an expert there. It’s also essential to pay attention to your skills, what your core expertise is, and what important fundamental knowledge you have.

4. Shortcomings recognition

Once you know where you need to improve, that’s the path to expertise. So you’re aware of your expertise, but you’re also acknowledging your imperfections and striving for self-improvement. If you have no idea where you need to improve, then you’re either focusing on the wrong niche or you need more outside advice.

5. Knowing your interest

It’s not enough to just be interested in something; it’s also important to know your own benefit from it. If you realize that you are an expert in such a niche, because you get positive feedback and thereby fulfill your mission, that’s great. Of course, you can’t give up money and fame either, but it’s better to focus on something that has a meaningful mission and your deeper interest, not a superficial one.

When researching a niche, don’t forget to understand the audience you’ll be targeting. If you enjoy the topic but don’t like the type of people you’ll be working with (or vice versa), it will be hard to stay passionate about it in the long run. On top of that, building a network in the field will be much more difficult. So, make a thoughtful choice.

Tips on how to position yourself as an expert

Once we’ve defined what expert positioning is and looked at some examples, and once you’ve already identified your niche, it’s time to share some practical tips on how to present yourself and showcase your expertise effectively.

Tip 1: Don’t underestimate a value

One of the biggest mistakes many experts make is that, in their pursuit of fame and money, they overlook the true value of their own expertise. They don’t talk about why their niche matters, they don’t go deep into truly useful advice; instead, they just focus on convincing people why they should buy from them. In doing so, they end up devaluing their field by reducing it to just another sales pitch.

Instead, turn your knowledge into something practical: share real tips, reveal behind-the-scenes insights, bust common myths, or offer a peek into the industry’s inner workings.

For example, there’s the fitness tracker brand WHOOP. In addition to selling fitness bands, they run a blog and podcast where they invite top athletes and experts to share their experiences. One episode featured Cristiano Ronaldo, who not only talked about the device and app but also opened up about his personal routines, mindset, and lifestyle. This approach helped both WHOOP and Ronaldo strengthen their credibility and authority in their respective niches.

Tip 2: find your voice

Another powerful way to highlight your expertise is by developing a unique brand voice, one that truly reflects who you are as a professional and what you stand for. This voice can vary; it might be friendly and casual, or more formal and polished. What matters most is that it aligns with your niche and core values.

For example, if you’re a lawyer, using slang or informal language when discussing legal matters probably isn’t appropriate. But if you’re, say, a marketing expert aiming to simplify complex ideas, there’s no reason not to make your tone more relaxed and relatable — if that’s what your audience connects with.

A great example of this is Gemma Sbegg, who runs the blog “The Psychology of Your 20s.” She talks about mental health in a way that’s both professional and accessible. Her content normalizes emotional ups and downs, offers practical advice, and speaks directly to people in their twenties. She chose to communicate complex topics in simple, human language, and that authenticity has earned her a loyal following.

Tip 3: build a community

If you believe your message is truly valuable and can help others become better versions of themselves, consider building a community around it — this can help you achieve several meaningful goals. You can create group chats, support channels, or any other space where you and your audience can engage in real conversations. This works because you’re not only staying in touch with your followers — you’re encouraging them to connect, share thoughts, and exchange experiences. That naturally builds trust. You’ll also have the opportunity to offer exclusive perks or content to your community as a way of saying thank you. And most importantly, it allows you to build deeper relationships with your audience and gradually turn them into true brand advocates.

“For example, Pat Flynn, a business expert who built the Smart Passive Income (SPI) community to support entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. His community includes forums, podcasts, Slack groups, and regular AMAs. People love following him because he truly listens, adapts his offerings to their needs, and creates a space where they feel supported and heard.

Tip 4: be yourself

Experts aren’t just boring people in suits; first and foremost, they’re human beings, just like everyone else. There are many ways to show that you truly know what you’re talking about. You can be as humorous or playful as you like — as long as your content hits the mark and delivers real value.

In fact, when experts make relatable jokes or touch on everyday life with a bit of humor, it often strengthens the audience’s connection with them.

For example, let’s consider Amy Porterfield, who is an expert in digital products and online courses. She delivers structured, clear expertise, but she also openly talks about her failures, saying things like ‘I went through this too,’ and isn’t afraid to laugh at herself. One of her trademarks is light self-irony and sharing personal stories — like how she once felt embarrassed to sell her own courses.

Tip 5: work for people, not against

Show real-life cases and the actual results of your expertise. Highlight the “Point A” and “Point B” in each student’s journey or client case, where they started and where they got to thanks to your guidance.

People love to see tangible progress and real stories — that’s when they start to trust you. When they see how your knowledge works in practice, your credibility grows.

For example, a web-designer Becca Luna, shows the complete process of creating websites, from the brief to the final layout. Her website has a Case Studies for Becca Luna Education section, where you can see screenshots, before/after videos, client stories, numbers on her students’ results, and how she can help you with web design.

Tip 6:  avoid the hard sell

Experts and influencers are often seen as very similar roles. They usually work on the same platforms, speak to the same audiences, and hope to earn income from the value they provide. It’s well known that influencers hold a lot of power; according to the Digital Marketing Institute, around 69% of consumers say they trust influencer recommendations before making a purchase. But that doesn’t mean your main job is to constantly push your audience to buy something.

Avoid manipulative tactics like: “If you don’t buy my course, you’ll never be rich,” or “You must buy my product, no matter what, just so I can say people are buying.” You’re an expert, not a street vendor shouting over the crowd. People know what they want — your job is to guide, not guilt-trip.

Tip 7: stick to the stuff you know

When you position yourself as a go-to person in your field, there may come a moment when someone calls you and says: “We’ve got a segment coming up and we’re looking for an expert to speak on it — tomorrow.” If you want to earn the title of expert, you need to be so familiar with your subject that you can talk about it confidently, even with just 10 minutes’ notice.

That means:

• Don’t dive into topics you haven’t yet mastered.
• Don’t switch your area of expertise every month.
• And don’t claim titles or experience you haven’t earned.

Being known as an expert is already powerful enough; in the eyes of your followers, it makes you someone worth listening to. So own that with honesty and consistency.

Tip 8: optimize your online presence through PRNEWS.io

Sometimes, social media or websites alone are not enough, so you need to bring in additional forces. This is where PRNEWS.IO can help you! We work for you and about you, helping you increase your expertise by highlighting publications about you on world-renowned platforms such as Forbes, The Guardian, The Economist, etc. This is important because this way you can kill two birds with one stone – both tell about yourself and build trust.

PRNEWS.IO provides you with 100 thousand media resources for any niche and query. We definitely speak your language, as we support 77 languages ​​and work in 175 countries and continents, including Asia. PRNEWS.IO is also distinguished by transparent prices, starting from $6.20, and the absence of long-term commitments – you pay only when you need it. All this – in one convenient digital cabinet for managing your information presence.

Expertise is just the beginning. PRNEWS.IO helps you position yourself as the expert they trust.

Conclusion

Think of presenting yourself as an expert in the same way you would approach any other social interaction. You’re offering something valuable, but you don’t want to come off as pushy or go off-topic. Research people and platforms that write about subjects you’re genuinely interested in, and start building a media list. Reach out to them — and don’t be afraid to follow up once or twice. But if there’s no response, move on (at least until a new opportunity arises, like a relevant trend or news story).

Read more:

• Personal branding: a complete guide to building your visibility and impact
• 9 tips to successfully manage your personal image and create the best impression
• How to do self-promotion subtly and with style