I was thrilled to see my friend Jennifer Mattern’s latest Well-Fed Writer newsletter (here’s the link to sign up and see for yourself). In it, Jenn talks about the gold mine that lies within commercial writing opportunities — those “boring” projects that pay well. She urges readers to reconsider these gigs as they can be quite lucrative.
I urge you to, as well. I’ve made a damn fine living working in what would be considered a boring niche industry. But I assure you — insurance and risk management are anything but boring.
As Jenn mentions briefly in her newsletter, clients need white papers, case studies, etc. Is that the bulk of the work you’d do? That depends on the industry you choose to work in. Personally, I’ve written white papers and case studies — the latter more than the former — but the bulk of my work looks more like this:
- Articles by subject matter experts (I ghostwrite them)
- Website rewrites
- Q&A articles with new hires, subject matter experts, promoted people
- Newsletter articles
- Blog posts
- Books, writing and editing
- Magazine articles
If you write for a more general, consumer-facing audience, you’re already doing most of this. So why would I urge you to consider trade writing?
Because honey, it pays more. A lot more.
Sure, there are consumer and general writing projects and clients who do pay well. I’m not saying there aren’t. I’m saying that there is a dearth of writers in these commercial industries. And these companies and associations need content. Badly.
Why You Should
I haven’t talk about my income here because I think you should measure your success your way. You may be quite successful at a $30K annual income because you live in an area that’s much more affordable than say, my area, which would quickly stretch that $30K to its limits. Just know this — I’m illustrating to you what happens when you specialize or concentrate on a niche.
I started freelancing at a measly $35 an hour (I know, talk about too low). I grew that into client relationships that steadily increased my hourly to about $150. Today, I don’t charge hourly. I charge $1.50 per word. I have enough experience in this industry to write quickly and accurately. Speed should never be penalized. It’s an added bonus that clients are willing to pay for (the good ones, anyway).
These days I’m sliding into retirement. But during the height of my freelance career, I was making a solid six figures. If you want to grow a freelance writing business, specializing can get you there pretty quickly. Not overnight — nothing happens overnight and certainly not without a lot of learning and working. But it’s possible. If I can, you can.
How You Can
Every path to successful freelancing starts in a different place. I can’t tell you what that looks like for you. I can only tell you what it looked like for me.
- Start small. I started with magazine work. I wrote to the editors of the magazines in the insurance industry. At the time, I’d had some experience with writing in the industry, so I told them about it. Within 24 hours, I had an assignment (because I also sent two targeted ideas). That relationship lasted nearly 20 years. No direct experience? Find something in your writing history that relates to that industry. Or send a query with a killer idea that hasn’t been covered in the last year — one that fits them to a tee. Here’s how to study a magazine. And here’s how to find your ideas.
- Learn as you go. What better way to get up to speed on your chosen niche than doing so from the very people you’re interviewing? When I started out, I would ask one question that wasn’t going into the article. And if they mentioned a term I wasn’t familiar with, I would ask them to educate me. If you tell them you’re new to the industry, they will be happy to help you. I met a few people who became great colleagues because I asked for a quick summary of what this or that meant.
- Apply what you already know. You know how to interview, research, write. Writing for the trades and for corporate clients is giving them the same compelling content you’re used to presenting — not the brain dump that you think will impress them. When in doubt, resort to the 4 must-have elements of trade writing. Also, don’t discount the micro-niches you may already have. Remember all those articles you wrote on environmental issues? Or those case studies for that wellness magazine? That’s experience and knowledge that could translate to a company that sells supplements or a company that focuses some (maybe entirely, maybe not) on environmental issues. In my orbit, I work with companies whose business does indeed have a division that focuses on addressing environmental pressures and helping prevent disasters. Dig a little. You’ll be surprised what these organizations are doing as part of their business.
- Charge more. I’ll tell you this until the end of time. Always, always be thinking about raising your price. Say you’re making about 50 cents a word writing for consumer magazines. You’ll be asking for at least 75 cents a word from trade magazines, am I right? (I am.) Current clients are paying you about $90 an hour? New clients will be paying at least $100 an hour. You get the idea.
- Keep learning. Sign up for newsletters, press releases. Read the trade magazines. Attend a trade conference. Follow your intended clients on social media. Jot down what they’re talking about. Research it. Repeat often. This is your new niche. You don’t have to be an expert. Being savvy to what they’re talking about, how the industry operates, their pain points … all of that will give you all the knowledge you need to rock this niche of yours.
Freelancers, what’s in your background right now that you could turn into a niche?
An assignment: Think of one industry that bores the snot out of you. Got it? Now go to their industry associations’ websites/magazines and find one thing on each that actually did interest you.
What did you find?