A niche, however you pronounce it, is a specialization as much as you possibly can be specialized in your field of work. For example, in my field of nursing, I am not an RN, I am an RN who specializes with women and newborns in the birthing process. Niches exist in the freelance writing world as well. Your type of freelance writing niche will grow over time as long as you are always willing to learn.
Why niche down?
– You will become a greater value to your clients
– You can simplify and target a specific audience
– You can gain your knowledge in your specialized area, therefore write with greater accuracy
– You will learn to research less and fact check more
Ways to Determine Your Freelance Writing Niche
1. Knowledge that Exists
Go off the experience you already have. Before I found my freelance writing niche, I knew I could write anything in the space of pregnancy and women’s health. I have been an RN in labor and delivery, postpartum, and newborn care since 2006, so it’s very easy for me to write on these topics. Though, as you grow as a writer, you will see little subcategories you can write about. In my case, it turned into women’s health, parenting, nursing, and health in general.
Now, I wasn’t an expert in these newer fields, but I was willing to learn a lot about the topics I wasn’t an expert in. All the client is concerned about is if you are giving them the results they want (a complete, research intense article) written by an expert.
Not sure how to discover your freelance writing niche? Think about the following:
– What area do I work in (that I actually like)
– What hobbies do I have outside of work?
– What am I curious about?
– What work have I done in the past?
Now, think about a few areas you want to learn more about.
2. Profitability
I know you love to write, but to make money doing it, you have to make sure it’s profitable. You can search it to see, like “OB Health Writer’ “Nurse health writer” “Nursing, “write for us”.
3. Don’t be Superwriter
We call the people who try to do it all a generalist. Generalists often think they can write anything. This might be true, but companies don’t want the generalist. When trying to figure out your freelance writing niche, think about what clients are willing to pay for, and what do you enjoy writing about.
After you discover your freelance writing niche, it’s time to make it visible. You can put it all over social profiles like your LinkedIn and Twitter, but don’t ignore your website and your email signature.
Have you sparked from ideas on how to niche down for your freelance writing business?
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