Author’s note: Apologies for the earlier truncated post. Thanks to Covid brain fog (yes, it’s real), I managed to write this post in its entirety and somehow save just half of it. As of this moment, the post is all there, unlike how I was when I wrote it a few weeks ago.)
Whew. Glad April is over.
COVID came and went, and I worked in my mother’s house, which is devoid of internet and, if the wind is going the wrong way, cell connection. Still, thanks to powering through on the projects and not having access to the internet on a regular basis, I still managed to bill over my usual amount.
And now it’s May. We’re getting vaccinated in droves. People have dreams of actual vacations. And companies are slowly falling back into their usual slow summer periods.
And you, freelance writer, still need to make money.
In our freelance game plan series, we present one action item that you can use to power your freelance writing business. This month is no different. Maybe you’re feeling a bit stagnant in your marketing, or maybe you’re finding it a little tougher to capture the attention of your prospects. So this month, let’s look at one way to boost your marketing without really doing too much behind the scenes. I propose this:
[bctt tweet=”Create your own freelance niche for marketing. #freelancing” username=”LoriWidmer”]
Even you freelancers who generalize can get some mileage out of this. Plenty, in fact, for I’d bet there are projects in your portfolio that repeat. Am I right?
Let’s look at a hypothetical freelancer — Amy. Amy is a generalist. She’ll write about most consumer topics, a few easy-to-read business topics (think Top 6 Tech Tools for Your Small Business), and blog posts for various online publications. But she’s seeing a little bit of a lull in her workload. So how is she going to find a niche that expands her horizons?
Here are a few things Amy can create specialty niches in:
- Small business how-to articles
- Technology reviews (sure, you can — if you’re already listing the Top 6, you’re already test-driving them, I hope)
- Cybersecurity topics for entrepreneurs and small businesses
And every one of those topics could be of interest to a client, not just a magazine. Amy can pitch blog material or other thought leadership pieces to a small business that’s looking to expand their reach (much like Amy is doing), to a business that owns a blog (especially those without active ones), a cybersecurity firm, even a larger company that sells to small businesses.
Look at Amy — she’s just expanded her potential client pool without having to change a thing other than her perspective.
Specialist writers, you have it just as easy. Sure, it seems as though the client pool has dried up right now, but has it really? Look at what your main writing focus has been. I’ll be the guinea pig here for a moment. I’m an insurance and risk management writer. Sounds pretty straightforward. I’ll write about commercial insurance and risk management topics.
But in that niche, there is so much more. This year alone, I’ve written about:
- Equine
- International travel
- RV maintenance
- Cybersecurity
- Covid
- Condo associations
- Transportation
- Sports & entertainment
Every one of these was from an insurance perspective, but every one of these topics, if they repeat (and they have except for the equine one), could be my next niche.
What about you? What have you written about this year? List them in the comments. Let’s find you a mini-niche.