This transcript covers the extended discussion from LNIM064 where Mark lays out his plans for Niche Site Duel 2.0, explains why he chose electronic pedometers as his niche, discusses the importance of email list building for podcasters, and reviews the HitTail keyword tool.
What You Will Learn in This Episode
- How to select a niche based on personal interest rather than pure profit potential
- Why Pat Flynn's Niche Site Duel approach differs from the “common man” approach
- The value of squeeze pages and email list building for any online business
- How to plan a 50-page niche website with outsourced content
- The state of keyword tools as Google reduces search data transparency
Episode Summary
The Value of iTunes Reviews and Email Lists
Mark reads a review from Tommy Kendrick, an actor from Austin who appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger. Tommy listened to over 30 episodes in a single week. Mark uses this as a launching point to discuss Tommy's Actors Talk Podcast website, which uses a squeeze page to capture email addresses as the single call to action. Mark explains why email lists are one of the few true assets in an internet business — something no one can take away from you.
Niche Site Duel 2.0
Pat Flynn had launched Niche Site Duel 2.0 with his ambitious FoodTruckr.com project. Some listeners were intimidated by the scale. Mark decided to create what he called the “common man's version” — something between Pat's impressive authority site and the tiny Corn Sheller experiment.
Mark's niche selection process started with personal interest rather than following the money. His criteria: things you need to do but have not done, things you are curious about, things you commonly help people with. He settled on electronic pedometers, specifically the FitBit, for several reasons:
- He personally needed to lose about 50 pounds
- His brother had lost 40 pounds using a FitBit
- He was genuinely interested in electronic gadgets (nicknamed “Gadget Man” at work)
- Keyword research showed plenty of traffic with manageable competition
- Monetization through Amazon affiliate links was straightforward
- He could blog about his own weight loss journey for personal content
The plan was a 50-page website with outsourced content, VA support, product reviews, FAQ pages, and keyword-targeted posts. Mark committed to full transparency — revealing statistics, costs, and results whether the project succeeded or failed.
HitTail Keyword Tool Update
Mark revisited his recommendation of HitTail, a keyword research tool that watched incoming search traffic and recommended content topics. With Google increasingly hiding keyword data behind “not provided,” HitTail's usefulness was declining. Mark downgraded his account but kept it active, noting it still provided some value at the lowest price tier.
What Has Changed Since This Episode
Mark recorded this in November 2013.
The FitBit era has peaked and declined. FitBit was acquired by Google in 2021 for $2.1 billion. The brand has been largely absorbed into Google's hardware ecosystem. The wearable fitness tracker market is now dominated by Apple Watch, Garmin, and various smart rings. A FitBit niche site built in 2013 would need significant pivoting to remain relevant in 2026.
Pat Flynn's FoodTruckr.com became a case study in authority site building and was later sold. The project demonstrated the difference between building a thin niche site and building a genuine resource that serves a community.
“Not provided” won Google. Google eventually removed nearly all keyword data from Analytics. Modern keyword research relies on tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Search Console rather than intercepting incoming search queries. HitTail is no longer a relevant tool.
The niche selection advice remains excellent. Starting with personal interest, validating with keyword research, and choosing something with natural content angles is still the recommended approach for building content sites in 2026.
Listen and Subscribe
Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or leave a comment below.
