So you’re new to freelance writing, and you’re thinking,” where do I start?”
Discovering and choosing your niche is a great place to begin, but of course, this may open up a whole new series of questions.
- What is a niche?
- How do I know what my niche is?
- Why does this even matter?
Slow down. Take a deep breath. You’ll get through this.
Let’s start with the first question and work our way up from there.
What is a Niche?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition is as follows: “a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted.”
When applied to freelance writing, it’s a subject, industry, or area of expertise you have. It can also extend to a passion, hobby, or interest.
Basically, it’s something that you want to write about that you have experience with.
Being knowledgeable in a niche increases your credibility and trustworthiness. Experience in a niche also builds your status as an expert, leading to more clicks, reads, and shares.
All of this can aid you in landing more high-profile work and better pay.
How Does Choosing a Niche Help Me?
One of the most critical factors to the success of your freelance writing business is your brand.
Your brand is the way that clients and readers perceive you and is a reflection of your work. Having an established niche further builds and solidifies your brand, leading to more opportunities.
Focusing on a niche also helps you build your experience and expertise in that area. You become more knowledgeable, reliable, and accurate. These are valuable pros when it comes to creating meaningful content for clients.
As you gain more experience in a niche, become a leader in your industry, or amass a loyal following, you can attract more high-paying clients and thus earn the opportunity to be paid more.
A final plus for choosing a niche is productivity! Because you are knowledgeable and experienced in this topic, it is easier for you to create accurate content in less time than if you were to craft an article on an unfamiliar subject.
What if I Have or Would Like Several Niches?
Well, that is absolutely fine!
Being knowledgeable and experienced in several niches won’t detract from the quality of your writing. In fact, it can help you keep some variety in your day-to-day work, which can help prevent boredom or burnout.
It is also perfectly natural for your niche to change over time.
Just as our lives and experiences change, so too can our writing. You may find that you have a new passion you want to write about, or maybe you’ve become a parent and want that to reflect in your work.
Adopt these changes with grace and enthusiasm. Your words will reflect your growth, possibly attracting a new audience that resonates with the new you.
Discovering Your Preferred Niche
As a new freelance writer, you may not know your niche. Going through the process can feel overwhelming and even intimidating.
By breaking it down into easily digestible steps, you can prevent procrastination and quickly find your niche!
1. Create a List
Avoid spending too much time compiling this list, or you may get caught up in the finer details. Think about the subjects that you are interested in, have experience with, or would like to pursue.
Segmenting and writing down what you know can help paint a broader picture of your experience and knowledge. On the flip side, bringing your attention to topics that you aren’t familiar with but would like to become an expert in can help narrow down your choices.
Once you have a clear list of items you could write about, sort them based on personal interest.
You have a tremendous amount of knowledge about electronic repairs, but it isn’t something you find interesting. Would you be able to keep your focus on that niche if it was something that you wrote about every day?
On the other side of that spectrum, you’ve always been interested in gardening but never really had the time for it. You know that this subject could hold your attention, and even benefit your personal time because you enjoy it. With this in mind, you realize it would be a great niche to explore.
In the beginning, choosing a few niches to focus on will allow you to pivot if you ultimately decide one isn’t working for you and may even help build a bridge to the niche you choose.
Don’t be afraid to experiment initially as you work your way to your primary niche.
2. Reflect on Your Work Experience
If simply listing areas you know about feel too generalized or wide for you, turn to your previous work experience.
Working in an industry can teach you a wide array of skills and knowledge, even if that job felt mundane. Chances are you picked up industry-specific words, gained a deep understanding of the methods and reasoning behind your work, or received specialized training to be able to do that job.
Those are skills that can be applied towards writing, especially if you’re able to water down that information and present it to people who are unfamiliar with that subject. This type of writing can be lucrative if that industry has a lot of jargon and difficult-to-understand concepts.
If in doubt, turn to what you know. Break down your knowledge and skills in a way that people outside of that industry can understand. Present it in a helpful way to help businesses market their services, and you’ve found yourself a niche.
3. Turn to Your Educational Background
If you’ve gone to college or university, you’ve gained another source of invaluable knowledge to harness in your freelancing.
Like work experience, post-secondary education gives you insight into industries and professions. You receive extensive knowledge and experience in your degree, often in a linear, step-by-step fashion. Why not use that to your advantage?
You can harness those in much the same way as your work experience. Try breaking down complex ideas and terminology so inexperienced individuals can understand. You also will have a firmer grasp of the topic and can deliver solid answers or break it down step by step.
Using your degree can be a great way of finding a niche to write for.
4. Profit
Choosing a niche based on its potential profit and popularity can also be worthwhile. Investing some time to research industries and areas that receive a lot of attention could potentially help you decide.
Booming industries such as personal finance, online marketing, and health need consistent content writers. They have higher traffic and more visibility, translating into more reliable, frequent jobs and higher pay.
Smaller industries tend to be more low-paying and have a lower traffic volume. If you’re concerned solely about profit, considering this could save you some time.
Winding Down
At this point, you’ve discovered what a writing niche is, how it affects your freelance work, and even steps toward understanding what your niche may be. You’ve learnt that it’s okay not to know straight away and that it may even change over time.
Knowledge is power, and power transfers to your words. Powerful words make for meaningful content. There’s a lot to be said for gaining some self-awareness.
Before you go out and write some fantastic articles in your newfound niche, please share with me what it is!