Hey buddy! Are you familiar with the concept of a freelance writing niche? Basically, a freelance writing niche is the category of writing in which you specialize. If you want to be a freelance writer but you don’t have a freelance writing niche, you need to pick one ASAP. Keep reading to learn how to choose a freelance writing niche (even if you’re a commitment-phobe like me).

WHY YOU NEED A FREELANCE WRITING NICHE

So you might be thinking: why would I specialize my writing? Why would I purposefully exclude myself from most clients? Doesn’t being a generalist raise the chances that I will get clients? Nope!

Think about it like this. Imagine you have a craving for barbecue. Like, good barbecue. You look up barbecue on Uber Eats and find that you have two options. One option is the mom & pop barbecue joint with a smoker in the parking lot. The other option is The Cheesecake Factory, which has a BBQ pulled pork sandwich as one of their many offerings on their 30-page menu. Of course you’ll choose the mom & pop restaurant! Even if the food from the mom & pop is more expensive, you’ll be willing to pay more for their BBQ because you know that they make the best BBQ in town. All they do is make BBQ! It’s definitely going to be good! The Cheesecake Factory might have a decent BBQ pulled pork sandwich, but it won’t hold a candle to a place that only makes BBQ.

The same concept is true when it comes to hiring a freelance writer.

For example, say that you are a marketer at a clean beauty brand looking for help with blog posts. You put out a job posting and receive two applicants. One is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about beauty and has a freelance writer portfolio filled with samples about clean makeup and skincare. The other is a writer whose portfolio includes a wide variety of topics such as video games, keto diet, and technology.

Even if the writers have the exact same skill level and charge the same rates, you will choose the applicant whose freelance writing niche is most closely related to your industry. In fact, you’ll be willing to pay more for the writer that has writing samples in your category.

This is how you make the big bucks as a freelance writer, my friend.

Additionally, having a freelance writing niche will provide you with guidance on the kinds of clients you need to cold pitch to and it will make it easier to market your freelance writing business down the road.

*Finding a niche might seem like you’re limiting yourself, but you’re actually opening yourself to more opportunities!*

HOW TO CHOOSE A FREELANCE WRITING NICHE IN 3 EASY STEPS

Now that you know the merits of having a freelance writing niche, it’s time for you to choose one for yourself. Don’t panic! It’s easy. Here’s what to do.

1. Make a List of Topics

Start by making a list of topics you know about. These topics could be things you studied in school, your favorite hobbies, or things you’ve learned at previous jobs. For example, if I were making a list of niche ideas for myself, it might look a little something like this:

Beauty (I already had examples of beauty work before freelancing)
Music (I’m a musician, duh)
Personal development (I read a lot of books in this genre)
Landscaping (I worked at a garden center for two summers during college)
Anthropology (one of my majors in college)
Romance novels (I love romance novels, duh)
Recovery (I quit drinking last year)
Weight lifting (it’s one of my hobbies and I used to work for a fitness apparel company)
Marketing (I have a lot of job experience in this field)

2. Think About Potential Clients

For each of the topics in your list, try to quickly think of several clients. Returning to the example above, here are some client ideas for each of them:

Beauty – Skincare brands, haircare brands, makeup brands, e-commerce sites like Sephora, beauty bloggers
Music – Music publications like Rolling Stone, Billboard, & Stereogum and record labels
Personal development – Coaches and other figures in the industry
Landscaping – Local landscaping companies
Anthropology – Consulting firms that utilize ethnographic data
Romance novels – ???
Recovery – Rehab centers?
Weight lifting – Gyms, personal trainers, supplement, & athletic equipment manufacturers, fitness apparel brands
Marketing – Advertising agencies and marketing firms

The reason why we are doing this is to see how easy it is to come up with clients. If you can’t think of any clients for a particular niche, you shouldn’t choose that niche because it will be too hard for you to find clients. Cross it off your list!

Some of these niche ideas, like beauty and weight lifting, generate a lot of client ideas. With niches like these, you will never run out of potential clients to cold pitch to. That’s great! However, there is a lot of competition in those fields as well. It might be harder for you to stand out, but there is also plenty of work to go around.

However, don’t write off the smaller niche ideas. There might only be a handful of consulting firms that utilize ethnographic data, but there are probably also only a very small amount of freelance writers that specialize in this niche. If you’re a good writer and can demonstrate your expertise in that specific field, it will be very easy for you to convert those clients. Plus, you can charge more because there will be very little competition.

3. Choose a Niche You’re EXCITED About

When it comes to actually choosing your freelance writing niche, I want you to pick a niche that you’re actually excited about. Why? Because, honey, you’re going to be writing about this every single day of your life. You must be passionately in love with your niche. If you love what you’re writing about, you’ll be much happier and you’ll do better work.

What about competition? As I mentioned before, there are benefits to large niches and small niches. Don’t be afraid to choose a large niche because you think it will be too competitive. There is plenty of work! And don’t be afraid to choose a small niche because there are too few clients. You will experience less competition in smaller niches and there are always way more clients in a niche than you think.

*If you don’t love it, then it’s not the niche for you. Period!*

WHAT IF I CAN’T DECIDE ON A FREELANCE WRITING NICHE?

Now, I know that there are readers out there who made their list, checked it twice, and STILL can’t decide. Here’s what I want you to do:

Narrow your list down to your top 2.
Use “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” to choose a niche. That’s it! That’s your niche! If you feel disappointed by the answer, then you obviously wanted the other one. Choose that one instead!

Here’s the thing: it doesn’t really matter what niche you choose as long as your freelance writing niche meets the following criteria:

You know about it.
You like it.
You can find clients.

If you are good at writing and follow the steps I’ve outlined in these blog posts, you WILL make money. And if it doesn’t seem to be working out with your freelance writing niche for one reason or another, you can always go back and choose another one. It’s not the end of the world!

Now choose a niche and get started on your freelance writer portfolio. I believe in you, buddy!

If you’re still struggling to choose a freelance writing niche, hit me up! I offer 1:1 coaching calls and a 1:1 freelance mentorship program and choosing a niche is one of the first things we address! I’ll help you brainstorm what you’re good at, identify what you love, and help you find clients in your field.

Also, if you liked this post, then subscribe to my YouTube channel here!

Why You Need a Freelance Writing Niche (And How to Choose One)