Saturated? The Tarot Reading Industry Isn't as Crowded as You Think
- Gem Blackthorn
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
The same service can exist in different markets with little overlap
The bottomless pit of tarot readers yelling “Stop! Don’t Scroll! This message is for you!” on TikTok, Reels, and Shorts may be misleading you into thinking that the tarot reading industry is at capacity.
First - You would be wrong.
Second - Do not disrespect your craft by comparing your tarot reading services to its Temu version.
If you found my website searching for how to market your tarot readings, then you are either considering providing tarot reading services professionally or you already provide them. If you are at the stage where you are exchanging money for tarot readings, then I trust that you spent several years studying your craft and practicing on loved ones for free, until you honed your skill into something that truly provides others with value and insight. Right???
That makes you an expert in your field. One that has developed a distinct perspective, approach, and style to this practice.
Professional tarot readers may feel overwhelmed with the competition because they think that the competing factor is the service. And when you put it that way, sure, there are thousands of tarot readers offering $20 readings through TikTok Live and making “pick a card” content. And they may have a cuter aesthetic, better lighting, and crisp camera quality. They could even be a six-fingered AI personality who won’t ever stutter or get nervous.
Good thing you’re not just selling the service, but you’re selling the experience of getting a tarot reading with you.
This is what we in the marketing biz call positioning.
What is Competitive Positioning?
Take the diamond industry for example. Two 1-carat, GIA-certified mined diamonds with the same specifications can be sold in different markets at different price points.
In a Tiffany & Co. boutique, priced at $12,000.
In a local independent jeweler’s case, priced at $6,500.
On a wholesale trading platform, priced at $3,500.
Same stone, different competitive arena. If you applied the same logic (that the tarot reading industry is saturated and every TikTok tarot reader is a direct competitor), it would be like saying Tiffany’s competes with the independent jeweler down the street.
But that would be wrong.
Tiffany’s competitors are brands like Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Bulgari. They compete with heritage houses. By positioning itself in the high-end tier, Tiffany shrunk its competitive set from thousands of sellers to maybe a dozen. They are not competing against product and price-per-carat. Instead, they are competing against brand reputation, store experience, and perceived status.
The independent jeweler competes on personal service, community trust, and curated selection. They do not need to match Tiffany’s price or compete with wholesale volume.
The wholesale vendor competes on the grounds of cost leadership, focusing on selling high volumes to buyers who prioritize price above all else.
These are three different positions for the same product. All three categories are sustainable and profitable.
Positioning for Professional Tarot Readers
The spiritual industry is not that different. If anything, it’s even more dynamic, because so many factors come into play in branding and positioning.
The Wiccan tarot reader who trained under a mentor in the 1970s and now has over 50 years of experience and an established clientele of women in their 60s and 70s is not in competition with the agnostic tarot reader in her 30s who combines tarot, astrology and their recruiting experience to help clients find a new career.
These two offer the same service, but deliver wildly different experiences. Their markets should never overlap.
Because they have different positioning.
You do, too.
So how do you choose your competitive arena?
The professional tarot reader needs to make deliberate choices about who they are as a practitioner and who they want to serve. In the tarot reading industry, positioning is shaped by several factors:
Tarot lineage and education
Spiritual path
Personal philosophy
Personal beliefs about tarot’s purpose
Target audience
Unique approach to tarot reading
Pre-session ritual
Technical ritual
Deck selection and visual identity
Reading methodology
Complementary service
(I walk professional tarot readers through the process of using these factors to find their own unique positioning on Substack)
While it may feel good to say, “I want to help everyone,” a broad approach to marketing your business will make it so it’s harder for anyone to find you. In trying to help everyone, you end up helping no one.
Also keep in mind that just because you have a target audience, it doesn’t mean you are limited to this group of people. Your target audience is only your starting point. You aim your marketing at a specific group because it helps you stand out. Let’s say your target audience is women in their 30s. A client may have such a great experience with you that she refers you to her mom. Then her mom refers you to her friends. Now end you up with clients outside of your target audience, but you never would have reached them if your marketing hadn’t been focused enough to get noticed in the first place.
When you make these choices consciously and align your marketing around them, you stop being a generalist competing on price alone. Instead of competing against thousands of tarot readers, you narrow your competitive set to only those practitioners who occupy the same niche. And given how many factors go into spiritual/metaphysical branding, it’s going to be difficult to find someone with your exact perspective, approach, and style.
Community over Competition
You thought I could finish writing a post without mentioning community? Think again.
The benefit of shifting your mindset from “I’m competing against thousands” to “I have to market my unique perspective to offer services to those I’m most qualified to help” is that those thousands of tarot readers that were once a threat to your business are now fellow community members.
I’m not threatened by the Hekatean coven leader providing tarot readings over Facebook Live because I’m not offering services from a Hekatean perspective, or from a coven leader’s perspective, or even on Facebook Live. I am free to sincerely enjoy their content and consider them to be a colleague in the wider spiritual space. If someone books a reading with me hoping to connect with Hekate, I don’t feel like I’ve lost business by suggesting they go to the Hekatean tarot reader instead. That business was never mine to begin with because I wasn’t equipped to fulfill their needs. And in providing this small referral, I was able to help a fellow community member grow their business. We all win.
It’s also obvious when tarot readers have not positioned themselves well and view others as a threat. “I’m not like those other tarot readers who…” Good??? I didn’t expect you to be…???
The metaphysical space is not a conglomerate. And, for both spiritual and business reasons, that is a good thing.
Choose Your Competition
Don’t let the algorithm fool you. The same service can coexist in radically different markets with little overlap. Much like in the metaphysical, you have to be intentional with how you market your tarot reading business.
Smart positioning for spiritual businesses considers all the factors unique to the metaphysical industry. A secular marketer may not realize that there are different approaches to tarot, or even that someone can be a tarot reader without being pagan.
This is why I specialize in helping spiritual entrepreneurs (tarot readers, astrologers, healers, and metaphysical shop owners, and more) build marketing strategies that attract their ideal clients and create sustainable income.
If your tarot reading business needs a marketing strategy from someone who is well versed in spirituality, consider booking a 1-on-1 session with me. You’ll receive a marketing plan tailored to your unique positioning. You can implement the plan yourself or hire me to do it for you.
If you plan on implementing marketing strategies yourself and want more detailed strategies and tactics, join me on Substack, where I share advanced tips for spiritual entrepreneurs who are serious about growing a sustainable business.
