THIS ARTICLE IS FOR: ✅ Self-Serve
Stage: Trial / Onboarding / Live
Owner: CS
Last updated: 2026-7-27
TL;DR
Niche markets have less database density, so a single narrow filter often returns too few results.
Start with Keywords instead of Industry — niche companies are more reliably found by self-description than by category.
Use Data Visualization to discover adjacent industries you hadn't considered.
Broaden Employee ranges and avoid over-filtering with People-level location filters.
When you'd use this / Why it matters
Smaller or highly specific markets don't always have a clean Industry or SIC Code category. Understanding how to search broadly-but-precisely helps you find real volume in a market that looks empty at first glance.
Step 1: Start with Keywords, not Industry
Niche businesses often don't fit neatly into a broad Industry label. Instead, search using the specific language they use to describe themselves.
Example: Instead of relying on a generic "Construction" industry filter, use Keywords like roofing, gutter installation, or commercial roofing to surface the exact niche.
Step 2: Use Data Visualization to discover adjacent markets
After entering keywords, open Data Visualization to see which industries appear most frequently in the results. This often reveals adjacent categories you hadn't considered that still fit your ICP.
Step 3: Widen your Employee ranges
Niche markets are often made up of smaller companies with limited online footprints, which means employee data is more likely to be underestimated. Select multiple adjacent Employee ranges rather than one narrow bracket to avoid missing real prospects.
Step 4: Avoid unnecessary People-level filters
Don't apply People Location, People City, or People State unless residency is a hard requirement — in a niche market, every filter you add compounds the risk of shrinking an already-small pool too far.
Step 5: Use AI Search as a discovery tool
If keyword brainstorming isn't producing results, try describing the niche directly in AI Company Search. See "How do I use AI Search to find leads in plain English?" for prompt-writing guidance.
Step 6: Test SIC Code as a backup
If Industry feels too broad and Keywords aren't returning enough volume, search SIC Code by keyword to find a more precise, official classification for the niche.
Expected outcome
You should now be able to:
Find volume in markets that appear too small at first
Use Keywords and Data Visualization together to widen a niche search intelligently
Avoid compounding filters that shrink an already-small pool
Troubleshooting / FAQs
My niche has almost no results even after widening filters. What now?
Try alternate keyword phrasing, remove secondary filters temporarily to gauge true pool size, then add them back one at a time.
Should I still use Job Titles in a niche search?
Yes — but keep the list broad, since small companies often have owners wearing multiple roles.
Is SIC Code more reliable than Industry for niche markets?
It can be, since SIC Codes are official classifications rather than general categories — worth testing if Industry alone isn't precise enough.