To make a six-figure income as a freelance writer, to need
to be an expert. You need your name to jump to people's lips
when a particular job or challenge comes up.
"Direct mail for software? You should get in touch with Bob.
That's what he does." Insert your own name and specialty where
appropriate.
You can't get that kind of awareness or referral if you're
someone who just writes about anything in any medium. Nobody
is going to believe that you are a trusted expert in absolutely
everything.
So how do you determine a viable 'niche'? You have three choices...
1. Niche by industry...
That is to say, work within a particular industry. For years
I worked with pharmaceutical clients. All my clients were drug
companies. I wrote direct mail, brochures, sales aids, video
scripts. I wrote anything, so long as it was about pharmaceuticals.
That was my niche. And my clients knew that I was knowledgeable
in that area. So they came to me.
2. Niche by medium...
In this scenario, you make a particular medium your specialty.
After my years with the pharmaceutical industry, I decided to
specialize as a direct mail copywriter. And for that period,
about 15 years, I ONLY write direct mail and associated media...like
inserts, fliers, postcards etc. I was a direct response specialist.
And I wrote for all kinds of different industries - financial,
cable TV, magazine publishers and more.
My specialty, my niche, was as a direct response copywriter.
Other writers have built their careers around writing annual
reports, radio scripts, white papers etc.
3. 'Double-Niche'
When you double-niche you are making a specialty of serving
a single industry through a single medium. For instance, writing
direct response for the financial industry. And ONLY writing
direct response for the financial industry.
In conclusion...
As I said at the beginning, you can't be an expert at everything...not
within every industry, not with every medium. So you need to
take some steps to find your niche.
How do you choose? First, know yourself. Know what you are
good at. Know what you like.
Also, be smart. Create your niche where the money is. Find
your niche where there is a strong market.
And be smart about the size of your niche. Don't go so narrow
that you're forever starved of work. Don't go so broad that
people view you as a Jack or Jill of all trades, a generalist.
This article was posted on January 16, 2005
