Do I Need to Choose a Freelance Writing Specialty
But do I really need to choose a freelance writing specialty? I’m happy to take on any type of work…
So many new freelance writers worry that choosing a writing specialty will limit them. You may feel the pressure to keep an open door to all clients from all walks of life too.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Choosing a freelance writing specialty will actually help you stand out of the crowd and get higher-paying clients. Read on to learn more about the benefits of choosing a freelance writing specialty and how to pick the best writing service.
Benefits of Choosing a Freelance Writing Specialty
Choosing a freelance writing specialty has many benefits:
More Joy
Choosing a freelance writing specialty that you enjoy and are good at will bring more joy to your life. Doing something you enjoy will lead to more flow, more ease, and better work. We all have our bad days when writing and work don’t feel like fun. Having a freelance writing specialty that you love will make even your bad days easier.
More Expertise
Choosing a freelance writing specialty will allow you to gain more expertise in a certain type of writing. If you have to jump from a blog to writing a social media ad to an ‘about me’ page to a product description to a newsletter to an ebook, you will never develop expertise in anything. If you choose one or a few freelance writing specialties, you can really develop your skills and become a sought-out expert in that area.
More Clients
You may think that offering every kind of writing in every niche is a benefit. But it’s not. Clients are looking for experts that can do the job they need. If they are looking for an amazing newsletter writer, they really don’t care about your skills in writing product descriptions, ad copy, or children’s books. They need a fantastic newsletter writer. And the truth is, you can’t be good at everything. If you are offering every service on the planet, you may not even reach mediocre levels in any of them. But if you choose one or a few freelance writing specialties, you can really develop your skills and become an expert in those.
Choosing a Freelance Writing Specialty if You Don’t Have a Niche
Though I am certainly ‘team niche’ and believe that choosing a freelance writing niche can help you stand out, get more clients, and get paid more. However, niching down may not be right for everyone. If you are a newbie, you may benefit from trying out various niches before settling on one. You may also be one of those people who is completely resistant to niching down.
Choosing a freelance writing specialty is particularly helpful if you don’t have a niche. As I said earlier, you can’t offer every type of service in every niche and be good at all of them. Chances are, you won’t be more than mediocre in any of them. Offering one or a few writing specialties can help you gain better skills and stand out. You can turn into a household name in your specialty even without a niche.
How to Choose Your Freelance Writing Specialty
Choosing your freelance writing specialty can feel stressful. It doesn’t have to be. Here are some things to consider when choosing your freelance writing specialty.
Consider Your Ideal Clients’ Needs
It often starts and ends with your client. You may have a great service, but it is useless if your target clients don’t need that service. The good news is that most clients can use most writing services. Most of them need blogging, social media help, ebooks, landing pages, sales copy, newsletters, and so on.
However, certain services may not be relevant to your target audience. Always consider your ideal clients' needs when choosing your freelance writing specialty. Writing white papers sounds interesting to me. However, my target clients in my niche don’t need it. I write ebooks instead, which is hot in my particular niche. If you have a niche and have a clear target audience but are not yet certain what writing specialty to choose, do some research and check what your ideal clients’ needs are.
Consider Your Skills and Experience
Ideally, you should choose a freelance writing specialty offer that is something you are good at. I know, I know. How can you be good at something if you are completely new to freelance writing? Trust me; you probably are good at something. There is a reason you are drawn to writing.
Consider your prior experiences when choosing your freelance writing specialty. Did you help out with social media or website content at your previous job (including student work!)? Maybe you can use those skills. Did you have a personal blog? Perhaps you can use that. Are you a former teacher? Perhaps, curriculum writing, course writing, or even script writing are something you can try.
If you really don’t have any prior experiences, start with something that feels easy and right for you. For many newbie freelance writers, blog writing is an easy place to start. This may not be the case for you. You may feel more at ease with social media writing or product descriptions. Listen to your heart when choosing your skills. And remember, you can always learn new skills and learn on the go. Choosing a freelance writing specialty doesn’t mean you can’t learn and offer other services later on.
Consider Your Personality and Interests
This is something a lot of writers forget when choosing their freelance writing specialty. Considering your personality, interests, and passions is important even when choosing your niche. It’s also essential to consider these factors when choosing your freelance writing specialty. I love extensive research. I love writing long things. Even in college, a 4-page paper felt short when everyone else was panicking about how long it was. Long-form content and ebooks are a natural fit for me.
You may find that another type of content or copy fits your personality better. If you love metrics, conversion copywriting may be your thing. If you are obsessed with fun little slogans, you may be good with ad copy or even product descriptions. If you love user-friendly apps and web pages, you may try UX copywriting.
Consider Your Income Goals
Now, there is an enormous variation even within the same niche and same type of writing specialty. Your freelance writing specialty itself doesn’t determine your income. I absolutely believe that you can make a great income by offering any type of content or copy. But there are still some differences. Choosing the right freelance writing specialty may help you to achieve your income goals.
UX copywriting generally offers the highest pay. This is absolutely true when taking a full-time job in a corporate environment, but also often true when it comes to freelancing. Conversion copywriting, landing pages, sales copy, and some other copy may also pay better than blogs, newsletters, or ebooks.
However, there are financial benefits to offering ongoing services like blogs or newsletters. A landing page or web copy is a one-and-done deal. It may do well, but when it’s done, you need to replace your income with another client. Blogs, newsletters, social media, and ongoing services offer more security that may also lead to a higher yearly income because of the consistent paycheck.
Consider Your Lifestyle
You also need to consider your lifestyle when choosing your freelance writing specialty. If you love client outreach and constantly working with new clients, short-term writing services may fit you well. Consider website copy, landing pages, sales copy, and other project-based work. One benefit of project-based work is the ability to take off for a longer period without working at all between projects. One potential drawback is the constant need to find clients and a higher risk of income fluctuations.
If you prefer more security, ongoing pay, long-term relationships with clients, and less time spent on client outreach and onboarding, project-based work may not be right for you. You may want to consider long-term services, such as blogs, newsletters, and social media. One drawback is that taking an entire month off without work is difficult when you have ongoing responsibilities. It all depends on what you want. You may even mix it up and offer both ongoing and project-based services.
Remember: It Doesn’t Have to Be Forever.
It doesn’t matter what freelance writing specialty you land on. Remember, it doesn’t have to be forever. Don’t panic. You can always add new services as you expand your skills or your priorities change. You can try out new services, then keep or drop them as you feel.
Running your freelance writing business is about constant change and evolution. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Choose the writing service that feels right to you right now and change it up as you may need to.
Are you interested in creating a sustainable freelance writing business without the hustle? Check out my freelance writing course with a step-by-step process of exactly what you need.
What is your freelance writing specialty? What writing services are you offering? Why did you decide to offer these writing services? Share your experiences in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.