Choosing a niche: Do you have to do it as a freelance writer?

“Choose a niche” is one of the most common pieces of advice in the freelancing community.

But we’ve seen people flounder when it comes to choosing niches. Why is that? Are niches really necessary?

A lot of people out there tell freelancers to choose a niche quickly. And that can cause a lot of anxiety—how are you supposed to choose when you don’t know what’s out there? You don’t need to rush.

When Kaleigh got started, she didn’t specialize in any one topic. She got to experience a variety of things and quickly learned what she liked and what she didn’t.

Our advice is: take your time. After dipping your toes in the freelancing pool, you can see what you like, see what pays well, and crucially, see what kind of projects you hate.

When to choose a niche

There comes a time in every freelance writer’s career when you have to say to yourself: “OK. I like this kind of client. I like this kind of industry.” In a way, the niche chooses you.

But when does this happen?

It’s different for everyone. Emma didn’t pick a niche till she’d been writing for over three years. Now she’s a case study expert.

Kaleigh picked her niche after eighteen months. She was going through Creative Class, and they were advising writers to niche up and charge higher rates. And now she’s the go-to person for long-form eCommerce content.

Keep in mind that having a niche doesn’t close any doors. You’re not shutting yourself off to other projects. You can still say yes to opportunities outside of your area. It’s just that being a go-to specialist in something helps you stick in people’s minds.

What niching isn’t

Niching is about the work, not just the industry. People might say to themselves, “I want to work in the cannabis space.”

But what type of work? Editing? Long-form? Direct response copywriter? Web copy? Clients are more interested in the what, not the industry.

Freelance writers who filter by industry sometimes struggle to find their footing. Emma mainly works with B2B software companies, but she’s never labeled herself as a B2B freelance writer on Linkedin or Twitter. It’s better to talk about the work, not the industry.

How do you go about picking a niche though?

• Pick a general area (blogging/emails/web copy)

• Ask yourself who are the companies you want to work with

• Then keep narrowing things down from there

Many freelance writers have found success using this model. The trick is, you have to tell people 13 or 14 times who you are and what you do. People just don’t remember the first time. (Or the second, third, fourth…) 

Try not to take it personally. Clients don’t care if you’re a cannabis expert; they care if you can write this blog post for them. They care if you can get the job done.

Do you have to choose a niche?

Choosing a niche or not isn’t going to make or break your career as a freelance writer. But when done at the right time, it will help you level up. It’s important not to rush things—take a year or two, learn the ropes, and figure out what you want.

Working under another more established freelancer in an apprenticeship capacity can be a great idea. You get training on the job, learn how to deal with editorial feedback, and you can figure out what niche you might like focusing on. The same goes for working at an agency. It takes the stress out of bringing in work. All you have to focus on is getting the job done well. You can use that time to figure out what bits you like or don’t.

Prospecting and business development can be a never-ending hamster wheel of “I'm too busy” or “I’m not busy enough.” If you can remove that from the equation by working at agencies, subcontracting, or using pre-approved leads, then you can just focus on the work.

“The niche finds you based on the work that you do.”

There’s one book Emma and Kaleigh love that helped them figure out their niches: The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rueben. It’s all about knowing what type of person you are, and therefore what kind of work and workflow is best for you.

It explains what makes you tick, and what separates you from everyone else. Picking a niche is all about knowing yourself, which is why The Four Tendencies is a must-read. 

This season of FWCP is brought to you by Eva Gutierrez, creator of the Client Acquisition System.