The expression “gray niche” describes markets that are generally not accepted as legitimate, ethical, or compliant despite being perfectly legal. Usually, gray niches are relatively recent, online-based, and prone to regulatory challenges, limitations, and even outright bans in some locations.
Most importantly, businesses operating in gray segments can have a hard time promoting their services to mainstream audiences. This poses unique challenges from a marketing point of view, especially as gray sectors also tend to be highly competitive.
For example: if you’re a marketer working in an established segment, you should be able to post an ad in The Guardian as long as you’re able to pay for it. Yet, gray-niche marketers are often rejected by mainstream publications even if they’re ready to pay extra.
For this reason, social media marketing is quickly becoming the preferred battleground of marketing teams promoting products in industries that still face widespread social stigma, from Kalshi-inspired prediction markets to CBD and sports betting.
To learn more about how gray-niche marketers have been using social media platforms to attract new customers, we have reached out to four experts in the following fields:
- Sweepstakes casinos
- AI companions
- Biohacking
- Nootropics
Here’s what each of them has to say about their current approach to social media marketing:
Sweepstakes Casinos: Creator-Based Content and Private Conversion Links
“I have been doing SEO for sweepstakes casinos and other iGaming platforms for years now, and I found there’s little room to maneuver. Since Google and a handful of other key players set the rules of the game, gray niches seem doomed from the get-go. Moreover, interesting partnerships always come at a high cost, as gray-niche businesses are expected to pay a premium for pretty much anything.
In this environment, social media presents unique opportunities, especially due to its flexibility. For example: while most platforms don’t allow the promotion of casino-related links, online creators are now starting to actually reach out to new customers and build active online communities. Generally, it works like this:
- The creator publishes original content on social media that’s related to sweepstakes casinos, but not directly.
- Viewers engage with the creator by liking their publications, sharing their accounts, joining casino-related Discord and Reddit communities, and so forth.
- At this stage, the creator usually shares a referral code or affiliate link with the viewer; since the code/link is shared privately, platforms cannot flag it or remove it.
Fundamentally, this is the shift: instead of trying to promote specific casino services, I’m focused on creating loosely related influencer and user-generated content that gets the message through even if indirectly.
The platforms themselves seem to be increasingly embracing this change; this US online casino, for example, has amassed a respectable user base in less than one year by emphasizing social- and gaming-inspired features over immediately identifiable casino promotions (welcome bonuses, cashback, celebrity sponsorships, etc.).”
AI Companions: Humanizing AI-Generated Characters in Social Media Platforms
“The main issue with AI companions is that most people only think about them as a new form of adult content. And while this may be true in many cases, AI-generated characters open up a whole new world of possibilities.
Therefore, my social media marketing strategy is based on the humanization of the very same AI ‘personalities’ that are so often discarded as low-life NSFW chatbots.
The whole idea can be summed up like this: instead of promoting AI-companion features or promotions, I’m investing in the promotion of AI-generated characters as if they were real people.
There’s no longer a need for human social media creators… Instead, the AI companion is the influencer.”
Biohacking: Stop Talking About Peptides and Start Showing Why They Work
“I’ve spent almost six months trying to sell peptides on social media using traditional methods, and guess what? I have nothing to show for it. However, I managed to get results in less than one month when I changed my mindset.
My TikTok videos and Insta reels used to be all about the product, but now I’m focusing on the biohack lifestyle, i.e., all the good things that happen to you, wellness and longevity-wise, when you start using peptides (all without even mentioning the word ‘peptides’).
Just a quick note: I’m not taking credit for creating this method because it has been relatively common at least for a while now. Initially, I was inspired by the work of accomplished biohack TikTok influencers such as Tim Gray and Dave Asprey.”
Nootropics: Prioritizing Earnest Social Media Content Over Commercial Campaigns Has Worked Great for Me
“I work as a freelance marketer, and it took me a while to ‘get’ nootropics. At first, I was using social media to promote, essentially, boxes of pills. Fortunately, I managed to see the obvious after two months of poor results: nobody buys pills because of how they look; it’s all about what they do to you.
If I wanted to sell bananas, I could easily share an image of the banana and get a like from everyone who feels like eating a banana. So, to sell nootropics, I would have to be able to communicate all the ‘hidden’ benefits that have already conquered thousands of men and women worldwide, turning the sector into a $6.65 billion market.
It’s still early stages to make any conclusions, but the engagement has already been more positive (if not in number, at least in style).
I focus on earnest and original social media content tackling stack videos (huge for nootropics and peptides alike), educational TikTok videos, and medium-duration tutorial guides on everything from nootropics components to vibe coding.”