Weird Niche: Owl Pellets
Welcome to another edition of Weird Niche Wednesday.
I've been enjoying summer vacation. However, apparently some of you are missing me. Here's a sample of my inbox the last few weeks since I've been slacking –
“Nik, where's Weird Niche Wed?”
“When's your next podcast coming out? (Tap, tap, tap.)”
It's good to be loved – even if it means I have to get back to work. (Yeah, right. As if you can even call this work.) 😉
So, I'm back and it's Weird Niche time again, my friends. (Cue applause.)
If you're new here, let me explain what Weird Niche Wednesday is. I look for niches where people are trying to make money online (or off), in weird ways or by selling some pretty unique (corny, bizarre, freaky) stuff.
Nothing above PG-13 rating, but you'll discover, as I have, that there are lots of “creative” people out there.
We've had some doozies in the past –
What is our weird niche this time?
Owl Pellets.
But, guess what? I thought that “Owl Pellets” was Owl Poop – and so I wrote this ENTIRE blog post about Owl Poop (and it was REALLY funny). But, then I learned (from Mark Mason) that owl pellets are actually Owl Vomit.
Science lesson of the Day: Apparently, since Owls don't have teeth, they rip up their prey, digest off the meat, and then throw up the hard bits and feathers and fur that aren't as easily digestible. (Gag!)
And, apparently people buy it!
So, while this post is not a total lost cause, all my “poop” jokes are wrong! You could say that I had to “regurgitate” this blog post. (I know, bad. lol!)
ok. Back to Owl Pellets.
First, I'm guessing you'd like to know how it's delivered. (I wanted to know.) Here's how it's shipped:
Shop for your very own Owl Pellets here:
Shop for Owl Pellets
Let's dig into this weird niche a bit more.
From the website above, you discover that it's not quite as weird as it sounds. It's actually “EDUCATIONAL Owl Vomit”, to be precise. Teachers buy these balls of stuff and the kiddos dissect them in class (hopefully finding bones and things) in an effort to study the food chain and learn more about birds of prey.
RE-ENACTMENT OF ME READING THEIR WEB COPY:
“These 1.5 inch or longer Barn Own Pellets are perfect to illustrate the nature of food chains”.
1.5 inch or longer. Check.
Food chain. Ohhhh… (Light bulb.) Check
“”only the largest, Department of Agriculture approved, heat-sterilized (no odor) pellets”
Largest. Check. (As if they needed a USP.)
Not stinky. Check.
“each unique in size, shape, and contents”
OMG. Now I'm getting a bit queezy. Too much info for me…
I THOUGHT this was going to be the kicker for me.
“Owl Pellets are in short supply at this time. If you must have your pellets for an event on a specific date, please call to check availability.”
Obviously when I thought “pellets” were poop, I wondered if there was an owl constipation problem that I wasn't aware of. And, I can't help but think of Wedding Favors when I hear “If you need them for an event on a specific date” – but I'm sure that's not what they mean.
But, then I almost fell out of my swivel chair when I saw…
“Warning. Choking Hazard – Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.”
eek. I wouldn't recommend giving balls of vomit to any child young enough to suck his thumb or who doesn't understand the concept of “It's THROW UP. Don't eat it!”
So, after reading about this, as any good affiliate marketer would, I ran over to Amazon to see if they have any Owl Pellet items (to see if it's a larger niche than I suspected) — and DO THEY EVER!
Click to shop Owl Pellets on Amazon
Not only that, but you can get a book along with a single owl pellet on Amazon, too, for your owl-pellet lovin’ friends:
Click to Learn More about Owl Puke: Book and Owl Pellet
So, what are the business lessons today?
Business Lessons Learn from the Owl Pellet Niche:
- You CAN sell just about anything on the internet and profit.
- You can niche bodily waste down further than even I imagined.
- It's easier to sell something when deemed educational than just gross.
- Obviously this is a market that reaches both teachers and homeschooling parents. Double profit.
- If you happen to have an owl in your barn, you might consider making money by collecting the owl pellets (since it is apparently in demand).
- If you have a website selling owl vomit, you can get free advertising on a cool blog like this one. (Free Advertising 101) -> Shop Teacher's Source: Owl Pellets
And, the big lesson -there is money to be made online – in tons of niches that you've never probably considered. After doing some research, it appears that this niche is searched more than I suspected. I ran some keyword research and I found over 450 results!
Here are over 100 of the results that I discovered….
owl pellets for sale
what are owl pellets
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owl pellets games
owl pellets lab
owl pellet dissection questions
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owl pellet dissection guide
owl pellet dissection skulls
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owl pellet bone charts
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owl pellet bones charts
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great horned owl pellets for sale
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owl pellets for sale arizona
owl pellets for sale sacramento
owl pellet activities for kids
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what are barn owl pellets
barn owl pellets bones
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barn owl pellets lab
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about barn owl pellets
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owl pellet bone diagrams
owl pellet books
owl pellet bone identification sheet
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barn owl pellet buyers
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owl pellet bone sorting sheet
owl pellet bone sorting guide
printable owl pellet bone sorting sheets
owl pellet bone sorting sheets
identifying owl pellet contents
barn owl pellet chart
owl pellet charts
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owl pellet collectors
virtual owl pellet dissection worksheet
owl pellet dissection kits
owl pellet dissection charts
owl pellet diagram of bones
owl pellet diagrams
owl pellet dissection games
virtual owl pellet dissections
owl pellet data analysis
owl pellet experiments
owl pellet ecosystems
owl pellet formation video
barn owl pellet formation
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owl pellet food chain chart
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owl pellet food web diagram
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owl pellet investigations
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owl pellet observation worksheet
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bbc owl pellet video clips
owl pellet videos
Who would have guessed? We may have actually uncovered a profitable niche here during my silliness.
Let me know what you think about this week's weird niche. And, have a great day!
Warmly,
Nicole
PS. Of course, if you want to find a profitable online niche, I recommend you check out the pre-researched niches, proven to profit:
Mark Mason
August 4, 2010 at 8:12 amHey Nicole;
I really enjoyed our phone conversation yesterday. I always do.
After talking to you, I did some quick research on owl pellets. (You inspired me again.)
You gave a real knack for finding goofy stuff — and I was really surprised by the niche potential that I saw.
So much so I “threw up” a quick blog post in response to this one (get it?).
Basically, I looked at the ads that are currently running (many), AdSense CPC (high) and keyword competition (low). It’s all quite favorable (and instructive for new internet marketers).
In fact, I decided to register an exact match domain name and put up a site in the niche just for demonstration purposes.
I’d love to know what you think about my findings. You can find that post here:
http://www.masonworld.com/internet-marketing/owl-pellets-a-weird-niche-response-to-nicole-dean
Thanks so much for this post. You really have a knack for motivation, entertainment and education all in one tidy package.
All the best,
Mark
(your buddy)
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:20 amI love this, Mark. I can’t believe you did it in a day’s time.
Amazing!
The Mom
August 4, 2010 at 8:15 amYou’re back! I’ve been missing Weird Niche Wednesday… ’cause with you, Wednesdays just get Wackier.
😉
Okay, today’s niche has got to be one of the oddest yet. I’m actually watching my cats a little more closely. The next time one of them kacks up a hairball, I’m wrappin’ it up and going into business! Hey, same thing, yes?
Thanks for the fun… and the idea…
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:21 amlol. I don’t think it’s the same thing, but who knows? I may just find out that there’s a market for that, too – somehow.
Captain Rob
August 4, 2010 at 8:16 amAhoy Nicole,
I’m glad Weird-Wednesday is back. Weird-Wed is what got me interested in your blog in the first place. I think my first comment was on the work-place weird items; dirty coffee mug, moldy sandwich bags…
I’m surprised you, given where you grew up, didn’t know what owl pellets are?? 😉
CaptRob
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:23 amYou wouldn’t have thought I’d not be so in the dark about this niche, wouldn’t you. I mean, I had 40 acres to myself to poke around in the woods. But, nope. I never discovered the magic of owl pellets.
The Office Lunch Room Niche post is still one of my favorites. lol!
Virtual Subcontract Team
August 4, 2010 at 10:08 amThis is hilarious. You come up with the funnies things. Not sure if I can top Weird Niche Wednesday but I’ll sure try.
I work for a school district and someone ordered these and I had to ask what they were.
Collette Schultz
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:24 amGlad you enjoyed it, Collette. 🙂
Mary
August 4, 2010 at 11:26 amNicole, I can’t decide if this is hilarious or just really gross. Glad to see Weird Niche Wednesday is back though.
Patty, Great idea. I have 3 cats also, gee I wonder if anyone is interested in hair balls? LOL
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:26 amI think it’s both: Hilarious and Gross.
Even if there’s no market in cat pellets, there is in cat wigs. Remember that post? 🙂
Jody Hildreth
August 4, 2010 at 6:27 pmHello Nicole,
A have google set up to notify me of new pages that contain “owl pellet” and other words in them and yours came up. I see you find this topic interesting and gross at the same time. I am wondering if you have ever actually dissected a pellet.
They are fascinating, and children LOVE doing them. So much, in fact, that years ago I started the first Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection. It is completely free for anyone to use. I am an educator (elementary library media specialist) and have run a bird club in my school for 14 years. I have dissected owl pellets with hundreds of students over the years.
I encourage you to give it a try (the virtual dissection – no mess!). You will probably learn some things about owls as well. Just visit my website: http://www.kidwings.com and give it a try.
Just a side note – during the school year my website averages 1400 visitors a day. Classrooms from all over the globe have used my website.
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:27 amAwesome! I love clever people. I hope you’re making a good profit on your site – while providing such value.
I’ll definitely try the virtual owl pellet dissection. It’s more my style.
Come by again, soon.
Warmly,
Nicole
Lisa Marie Mary
August 4, 2010 at 8:56 pmHahaha! This is great! I actually had a post in drafts last August on this very topic (that I never wrote – shame!) because my daughter needed $5 for science class at the start of the school year. Part of that money went toward buying owl pellets! I had such good intentions – was going to run a contest and everything – letting people guess what that money was for. Ah well…
But! I didn’t know that it was vomit! I, too, thought it was poop!! Mark’s learnin’ us all! 😉
That keyword list is crackin’ me up, too – owl pellet games, owl pellet poems, etc! Ha!
And I, for one, am so glad Weird Niche Wednesday is back!
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:29 amI’m glad I’m not the only one who made the pellet = poop mistake!
Hugs to you.
N
Loretta
August 4, 2010 at 9:53 pmGosh, I love these weird niches! None of my kids have had the privilege of digging through owl vomit at school yet – hmm, maybe I should suggest it and give them Mark’s new URL!
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:30 amMine either. If I didn’t have such a rodent phobia I’d recommend it to the teachers at our school, too.
Yep. I can handle spiders, cockroaches, toads, worms, and other slimy things, but add fur and I’m climbing on a chair! 🙂
So, I don’t think this is the niche for me. lol!
Leslie M-B
August 5, 2010 at 10:00 amGreat niche! I love owl pellets, and I used to use them in my hands-on science lessons.
But your advice for collecting them in the barn may not be a good one. The ones that are shipped have been disinfected because owl pellets can contain salmonella and god knows what else. Also, I can’t find a link now, but one of my fellow science educators let me know that it’s not always legal to gather owl pellets–I think it varies by owl species and geography.
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:32 amGood info to know. That sounds like another niche – teaching people how to properly and legally collect and sell owl pellets for profit. 🙂
Helen
August 5, 2010 at 10:47 amNicole, thanks for nice share.
This is my first post and visit to your blog. And I’m really happy that this event’s happened.
It’s very wise practice – your “Weird Niche Wednesday”!!!
It’s very creative and you give to us VISION!
Thanks!!!
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:33 amThanks, Helen! I figure teaching niche marketing can be super boring or really fun.
So, why not have a little fun with it? 🙂
Thank you!
N
Angela Wills
August 5, 2010 at 12:40 pmOh my I nearly busted a gut laughing at this one!
Too funny Nicole. These niche’s may be weird but your sense of humor and comments make them hilarious.
I can’t believe there is a book called Owl Puke, lol.
Lain Ehmann
August 5, 2010 at 4:52 pmhahahahhHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA
I am still laughing.
I needed a gift for my 15th wedding anniversary on the 20th… this just might do it, if they can do a rush order!
Nicole
August 6, 2010 at 11:34 amPerhaps you could encase it in glass and make a paperweight for his desk? 🙂
Another niche? Gift ideas for owl pellets?
Geez we’re on a roll!
Thanks, dear. And, happy early anniversary!
Brian
October 1, 2011 at 4:09 pmThis was way fun to read. I have been a phurballigest /puke pick for over 20 years. Even have some history as I know it on my site linked by my name.
The supply is up and down like the stock market. Not buying pellets right now. I have loads of pellets to unload in the lower quality’s. Can you bring in the customers?
Jeremy
May 1, 2012 at 7:20 pmHey Nicole,
Just wanted to say thanks for this interesting niche idea. I’ve been working on an owl pellet affiliate site. Gotta say, it’s pretty interesting and fun compared to some of the niches I’ve done. Anyways, thanks for the idea and look forward to more weird niches!