How to Find Your Doula Niche and Attract Ideal Clients

You don’t need to serve everyone to build a thriving birth or postpartum business. In fact, trying to please everyone is the fastest way to blur your message and burn yourself out. Defining your doula niche isn’t about boxing yourself in. It’s about clarity — knowing exactly who you help, how you help them, and why it matters. Once you name that, everything else gets easier: your website, your offers, your confidence.

“If you don’t have the guts to be a meaningful specific, why do you think you can succeed as a wandering generality?”

Seth Godin said that in a podcast chat with Amy Porterfield. When I first heard it, I hit replay several times. It landed.

I hear this all the time when I start a new website project:

Who’s your ideal client? “Pregnant people and their families.”

That’s everyone. And also no one.

What’s wrong with this?

“Pregnant people” is a pretty broad spectrum of possible clients! Through our conversations, it becomes pretty clear that you are not, in fact, looking to serve ALL families. When pressed, most clients will admit to having a certain type of client they really enjoy working with. A client who can best benefit from your unique skill set.

So today, I want to explore with you why it is good to “niche down” in your business. Why is it so important to be super specific about the audience you want to reach?

Why a broad niche hurts you

Clearly, you don’t want to be a “wandering generality”! “Generality” implies that your birth and postpartum services are the right fit for just about anyone. Certainly, there are many people who can benefit tremendously from your care.

ASSUMPTION:

If I market to everyone, more people will hire me.

REALITY:

Your message gets vague. People don’t see themselves. No one feels, “This is for me.” You actually miss out on clients because they aren’t inspired. Nobody can recognize you as their best fit.

Why niching works

A specific niche makes you easy to find and remember. Your copy, SEO, posts, and packages all point to one person with one clear problem. That person recognizes you. They click. They inquire.

It also opens doors in your community. A clear niche = clear referrals.

Consider: an OB looking for a doula who is familiar with high-risk care. A home birth midwife who wants a partner for families planning a natural birth in a hospital. When people know exactly what you do, they send the right clients your way..

What a “meaningful specific” looks like for doulas:

Specific means specific. Try one of these:

• VBAC support
• Second-time parents
• Clients with anxiety
• Home birth families
• Evidence-based care for hospital births
• Families who want an epidural and solid emotional support

“BUT I WANT TO SERVE ALL OF THEM!” you exclaim….

You can still say yes to others. Your niche guides your marketing. It doesn’t limit your practice.

Meaningful adds heart. People want to feel held and seen. Why you. Why this. Why now. Bring your values and story into the niche so it resonates. There’s a reason you’ve chosen this niche. Why you’re the ideal fit for them. Lean into that.

I’m hoping this is exciting to you… Yes, you really can ONLY attend home births. Or specialize in families planning a VBAC. Or focus on families who have a history of birth trauma who need specialized care.

How to discover your doula niche

Finding your doula niche begins with understanding what you do best and what truly excites you. Look at your skills, interests, and life experiences.

• What personal challenges have shaped your perspective as a doula? Maybe you’ve experienced a VBAC, multiples, or another journey that gives you a deeper understanding of the families you support.
• Which parts of doula work light you up the most? That genuine excitement can set you apart and become a defining piece of what makes your work special.
• Next, take a close look at the services in your local community to identify any gaps in support.
• Picture your ideal clients—maybe first-time parents, families planning a VBAC, or those expecting twins—and design your services to meet them where they are.
• Pick a niche that truly feels right for you, not just one that seems simple or lucrative. When your work comes from a real place, people notice.

3 Simple Steps to Define Your Niche

The 3 steps below to define your niche are a huge simplification, but at the heart, this is the best way to find the secret sauce that is your niche. I encourage you to try a few variations out and see what resonates.

• Step 1: Write down 5 clients you loved working with + what made them ideal.
• Step 2: List problems you solved that you loved being able to help with. Your niche should focus on solving a real problem your potential clients are actively trying to overcome.
• Step 3: Combine into a niche statement (e.g., “I support X who are facing Y and need Z”).

How to use your niche in your doula business

Show it everywhere! Let it shape everything you do!

• Website copy: Speak to one person and one core problem.
• Images: Reflect the clients you want.
• SEO: Use their exact words in titles, H2s, and meta descriptions.
• Content: Blog topics that answer their top questions.
• Community: Events and collabs aligned with your focus

Quick test to see if your new niche is strong

• Can you describe your ideal client in one sentence?
• Can you list their top 3 worries without guessing?
• Do your last 5 blog posts solve those worries?
  If not, tighten it!

Let’s test out your newly defined niche this week:

1. Choose one audience.
2. Write a one-sentence promise. Example: “I help first-time parents planning a hospital birth feel calm, informed, and supported.”
3. Update your homepage H1, one service page, and one blog post title to match.
4. Ask two referral partners for clients who fit that description.

So yes, I am asking you to be small…

I’m asking you not to be a wandering generality. Consider this an invitation to be “meaningfully specific” instead.

I’m not asking you to be small. I’m asking you to be clear. Be a meaningful specific. You get clients who are a perfect fit. They get the care they’ve been looking for. Everyone wins.