How to Find Your Perfect and Profitable Niche as a Writer (Video)

Elna Cain March 25, 2017 45 Comments

Have you figured out your niche?

If you want to be a freelance writer, one of the first things you need to have is a niche! This is the writing topic you will get paid for.

But, what if you enjoy or know a lot about many topics? Can you not land clients in different niches? Some people feel that if you market yourself as a jack of all trades, you’ll land more work.

But, that’s just not right. I’ve been helping struggling writers become profitable writers. Check out this video and I would LOVE it if you subscribed to my YouTube channel!

Here are the videos I’ve done so far:

4 Skills Profitable Freelance Writers Possess

How to be More Efficient as a New Freelance Writer

4 Ways to Perfect Your Pitching Game (As a Freelance Writer)

If you are struggling to find that perfect niche for you, check out my video!

Recap:

To find your perfect and profitable niche:

Look towards your past experiences and passions
Validate your niche
Create samples in your niche
Learn and understand your niche as the expert of that topic
Make sure to grab my free guide on how to Accelerate Your Freelance Writing Income in 7 Easy Steps!

There ya go! Please let me know what your niche is and how you decided on choosing that niche!

45 Comments

Brilliant piece of information Elna!! I am fortunate to land on your website when I am struggling to start something as a side-hustle. I work as a software developer, but I am reluctant to commence anything in the same field. I do have a passion for photography and cooking. I would love to start a blog or website, where I can write about tips and tricks to use DSLR or recipes for cooking. But, based on my observation, it seems to me that there is stiff competition for those 2 industries in cyberspace. I do find this as a risk for anyone who is just about to start finding ways to mark his presence on the internet. What’s your take on it? Do you think I should stick to the same topics or find something else which is popular and lucrativeReply to Harsh

Hey Harsh, Personally you can try the photography niche and really grow your YouTube channel! That would be your marketing strategy! Good luck!Reply to Elna

Good Morning Elna, This is a really great blog you have here! It’s so helpful. But there’s one thing I’m kind of confused with. See, I like to do things in steps, and I’m trying to figure out: do you create a blog first or a portfolio? In order to have a blog, it seems like you need a portfolio. But in order to have a portfolio, you need to take more extra steps. I would really appreciate your clarification! Thank you so much for putting this information out there! ~HunterReply to Hunter

Hi Hunter, That’s a great question. I do have a post and video on that too: https://elnacain.com/blog/freelance-writing-portfolio-or-blog/ so make sure to check that out! It really doesn’t matter what you do first. If you can invest in it, get a writer website and set it up. Then you can write samples and then start guest posting and when you’re ready you can pitch. So you can do all those steps BEFORE you actively market your business and try to find gigs!Reply to Elna

Hello Elna, I would love to know if you believe blogs about books is a profitable niche or is it already too popular for me to break into. Thank youReply to Alex

Hi Alex, I’m not sure if book reviews would be profitable or popular. I suppose there is an audience for this type of niche! And you can use affiliate marketing to promote books. I would probably lean towards book writing so that you can eventually sell products about writing books. You can check out this post I wrote on my other twins and it lists some writing sites for book lovers https://twinsmommy.com/writing-blogs/Reply to Elna

Hi Elna, I’ve been proofreading for a few months and thought it might be a good idea to add writing. I have a degree in English language and love language learning (French was my minor at uni, plus a little bit of Spanish in the first year). The problem is that I’m not fluent in French, and I’ve forgotten the little Spanish that I learned. In fact, I haven’t really spoken French in over 10 years (I let life get in the way), and I’m now trying to improve again. I would love to write for language-teaching companies, but they would probably want someone who’s fluent in at least two languages—English and whatever language they teach—and has teaching experience. My only other option would be to focus on writing for English-teaching companies, but I have no idea if they would pay and pay well. Do you know of anyone who’s successful in this field? If not, what do you think are my chances? I also discovered I had a debilitating anxiety disorder as a child. I wonder if that could be weaved into my writing somehow…Reply to Dee

Hi Dee I’m sure you’ll be successful in the English speaking way as a freelance writer! Most clients want English speaking writers. Not sure what you mean by English-speaking companies? What niche is that? Education companies that teach English? Or just companies online? You have to pick a niche like health writing or resume writing to find the right type of client for you!Reply to Elna

Thanks for your reply! I said English-teaching companies. So yes, education… companies that teach English. I know there are many , so that’s the niche I had in mind. A couple of years ago, someone on Upwork paid me 50 pounds 700-word blog posts on WordPress. Back then, my writing was not great! Now that I have proofreading and copy-editing skills, I’m hoping to earn a lot more.Reply to Dee

Hi Elna, I just found you and I am enjoying all your tips. I had a stroke in October 2018. I have since started a blog about it. My writing is putting a humorous spin on a serious subject. Do you have any ideas for a niche?Reply to Donese

Hi Donese, That’s great to hear! Having a blog like that can really help a lot of people going through similar issues like you! As for a niche for freelance writing, you may do well with health and lean on your experience with your stroke or even do more geriatric health too~Reply to Elna

Thank you. I will let you know how it goes!Reply to Donese

Hi Elna, Your blog is really helpful! I’m a total newb at freelance writing (I just started last month). Right now, I pitch myself as a generalist content writer. I have an idea of what niche I want to get into but I’m not sure if it’s lucrative. I want to specialize in writing for entertainment businesses. I studied classical voice for 10 years and worked as a professional singer for 5 years and dabbled in TV and film acting. I looked into music writing but there’s not much demand for it. *depressing sigh* What do you think? Sometimes I envy real estate or finance writers; it’s like they have an endless supply of writing gigs to choose from.Reply to Cath

Hey Cath, I have a post for creative freelance jobs. Maybe look at that and find something there. My plan is to keep expanding it and adding more creative niches. https://elnacain.com/blog/creative-freelance-jobs/ As for finding gigs in music writing, you have to think what type of content is that and if there is a need. I don’t even know what music writing is unless you mean writing songs for others? You might want to broaden and think about educational content like the theory of music and things like that. Even publications too!Reply to Elna

Hi Elna, I’ve been devouring your blog the last month or so.I’ve really been enjoying your posts. Thanks for all the valuable tips and information. I don’t know if my topics of expertise would cut it in the freelance market. I was an English major so I love all things literature. I also worked in food service for 8 years. I’ve been a minimalist on and off for 5 years. Finally, I’ve had to work thru depression on my own while staying productive. Can I still be a freelance writer?Reply to Rachella

Hey Rachella, Of course you can be a freelance writer. You can use those experiences to help you find a niche or maybe your niche will reveal itself later on. I knew nothing about digital marketing before I became a freelance writer. I was a stay at home mom with a Psych degree who worked in the schools. 🙂 It’s possible!Reply to Elna

Hi Elna! Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful tips for helping us get started. I would love to become a freelance writer and I found finding my niche to be trickly. I don’t feel this is because I don’t know what to write about, but because I don’t feel confident that it will keep me going as a business because mine feels like a “niche niche”. I would very much like to make a blog about the outdoors but I would take a holistic approach to foraging, gardening and camping. Not quite profitable if I’m comparing myself to other similar writers who can detail efficient camping equipment, etc. So I’m wondering if I should adapt my interests to something a bit more attractive to a wider industry? Thanks again!Reply to Jasmine

Hi Jasmine! Thank you so much! Happy to hear you want to be a freelance writer! What you can do with your niche, is broaden it to include camping as a whole and then if clients need content pieces you can pitch some of your expertise niche topics. As well as you gain “camping” clients, you can dig deeper into those holistic types of camping businesses so you can pitch to! I hope this helps!Reply to Elna

Such great information Elna, thank you!! Last year, I started a blog that I was so excited about, but got completely distracted and let it fall by the wayside 🙁 However, I’m ready to get back into writing because I truly believe this is where my calling lies. I have so much expertise and knowledge as it relates to children and families, that I desire to find or create a niche that will cater to this. As a single mother to three children (10, 11, & 13), a bible school teacher, a prior home-school parent, a childcare director for 5 1/2 years, a current Pre-School Teacher, someone who has received her B.S in Child Development & Family Studies and is now pursuing her M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction, I feel most certain that I can provide, encourage, equip, and empower parents and families as a whole, with the necessary skills and insight they just might be searching for. Yet, as it relates to clients, what is a more profitable niche? I plan to do some more researching to figure this all out. Thank you again for the head start!Reply to Antaya

I found out your blog a couple days ago and I’m DEVOURING it! Thank you so much for all this information! Reading the other posts in your blog I was almost about to jump the gun and start a blog on WordPress about dogs – I’m a dog trainer since college and my education background was on Animal Science – so I LOVE to talk everything about animals, especially dogs, and I have good experience on that. At first, I was excited because the internet world for pets is huge, but I couldn’t find much on being paid for writing about it. I don’t know if the problem is that I didn’t look at the right places or if it just isn’t a niche people are paid to write for. I would love to hear from you about that, Elna! ThanksReply to Thais

Hey Thais, Thanks so much for being an avid reader! As for the pet industry, yes – this is a big niche for writers. There are definitely brands online that need pet writers! There are guest blogs that are in the pet niche too!Reply to Elna

Hello, I love the idea of starting my own website on WordPress. My niche would be on skincare + ways to take care of skin + ways to save your skin. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with good-for-skin skincare products. A while back, I started to use organic skincare products. Organic skincare products come with a lot of benefits for the skin and I would like to promote that to the public for people who have sensitive skin (as I have sensitive skin) or for those that are new to skincare. Any ideas on how I can get started on writing for my niche via a website? What are some examples of how I would get started on a piche like this via my own website? I am interested in your advice and just discovered your website last week! Would love to hear back from you! Thank you so much for all your helpful advice on your page!Reply to Mandy

Hi Mandy! The best way is to look on Pinterest and BuzzSumo to find ideas around those topics for your niche. Then from there find companies and businesses that cater to that niche and see what types of content they have!Reply to Elna

Hi Elna! This is truly helpful, I am on it! I may be taking baby steps but I have to start somewhere! I really appreciate your valuable feedback!(:Reply to Mandy

Hi Elna, I am a 16-year-old high schooler with a passion for all types of writing and I would like to start freelancing. I have written fan-fiction for several years and have developed writing skills that are above average in my age group. Writing has been my dream since I was young, but I am unsure of how people will view me because of my age. I am young, and still have much to learn, so I don’t know if people would hire me because of this. I am not a social media person, but would this be necessary to begin a small career in freelance? If you are wondering about a niche, then I believe that niche for me would be essays, emails, and non-fiction. I’m simply lost and don’t know where to begin. Every website I read says something different, from blogs to websites and everything in between. I need guidance so I don’t get in over my head and ruin my possible career before it begins. This freelance idea also is the basis for a school project that I hope to continue long after I graduate. Thank you!Reply to Anna

I just want to commend you on your tenacity and writing skills. Your interests at your age, along with your dedication will take you far in this world. I wish you all the luck in your endeavors!Reply to Macia

Hi Anna! Lauren of LittleZotz may be a better help to you. She has a site for high school freelance writers: https://littlezotzteens.com/ Personally, I would wait until you’re 18 to really go for it, but Lauren may have a different idea!Reply to Elna

Hello, I’m Sadee Frye, I’m 19-year-old High School Drop Out. I’ve not had much luck looking for work I can do that doesn’t require a Diploma or further for work online, I also have physical and mental health problems that prevent me from doing physical labor jobs, and thought about Freelance Writing since I’ve always had a passion for writing and have had awards in the past while I was still in school for my work. However, I’m not sure what I’d like to write about outside of maybe life struggles and or bring awareness of health problems not known commonly in the world. I also worry I won’t be able to find a business nor online application that doesn’t cost to use, I’ve got no money to my name, and have no way of getting any at the moment. I also loathe a lot of platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, because of past experiences and this limits me drastically. What should I do?Reply to Sadee

Hi Sadee That’s great you want to start freelance writing. But this is a business and you do need to invest in this to make it work. If you just need cash quickly then find one-off pieces – submissions. You write it, you submit and they pay you. No more. Then you move on!Reply to Elna

Hi Elna I am 24 and I love writing poems and my main aim is to encourage and uplift people. But I am not sure if there is a freelancing niche for such, or if there is I don’t know how it would be referred to as. Would really appropriate your advice on what I could do. Also how I could attract clients as a new freelance writer.Reply to Mpho

Hi! When thinking about a writing niche to get paid for, think about the ideal client. Who is willing to pay for that content? For poetry, who is your client that will pay you to write poems? You might do better picking a niche around online content like health content, parent content, entertainment, WordPress, finance, business, etc..these niches have products and services around them. So for example, in the parent niche there are thousands of products and services. While this is an over saturated niche, you can still get paid in this niche vs. the poetry freelance niche.Reply to Elna

Hi Elna, I’m struggling to find my niche. I am interested in a variety of different topics, and my website, currently unpublished, takes a more “jack of all trades” approach. I was going to stick with this but after reading this page, I have decided to stick with that as a way of “experimenting” until I can find my niche area and then slowly cut down to that so it can be more profitable. I’m kinda stuck between Fiction and Non-Fiction. I’ve always loved creative writing but I have a more business-like voice which means I’m also good at non-fiction. I know you’re slightly biased -being a business writer an all 🙂 – but how hard is it to access fiction, as it is non-fiction. Which is the easiest to get gigs in when starting from little formal experience in both?Reply to Jake

Hi Jake, I think you have a good plan of blogging what you enjoy and having your niche reveal itself through that process. That’s what I did. As for your fiction vs. non-fiction I’m not sure there is such a think as a freelance fiction writer? The closest is being a ghostwriter for authors. I don’t know how lucrative or popular this is but I can guess it can be highly profitable but it’s a small niche. Non-fiction writing for small businesses is the “easiest” avenue to getting started with writing online. Online businesses need content and you can write that content! Good luck!Reply to Elna

Hi Elna, I have begun the process of becoming a freelance writer, but I have gotten stuck at the beginning of it. Finding a niche is more difficult than I thought it would be. My work experience is within the printing industry, but I don’t think there’s a lot of work available within that niche. However, I graduated recently with concentrations of English Literature and History. Do you think that those subjects would be a better focus for me?Reply to Kate

Hey Kate, As a freelance writer, I write for small businesses online so I don’t know much about the publication and magazine niche, which might be good for your niche ideas. So good luck!Reply to Elna

The more I read, the more overwhelmed I become. One article says I need a blog. Another says I need a website. I say I need money. So far the only paid writing I’ve found is only paying a penny a word. I am going to learn how to do this. I enjoy writing and I want the flexibility I will have with freelance writing. I’ve been thinking of doing this for years – nearly all my adult life – and the time to do it is now. Clarity is what I need most at this particular moment. I want to write about psychology, family, raising children, empty nests. I majored in psychology and live with a bipolar loved one. I have been married almost 34 years. I raised 3 kids who are now all grown and gone. What do I do first???Reply to rs052684

Hi! You have some great niche ideas to land clients. I do believe you need a website (which is also a blog too) to attract those high-paying clients. Build your portfolio and pitch and link your website in your pitches so prospects can learn more about you!Reply to Elna

I enjoyed “meeting” you, Elna, in your video, having only read your materials previously. I’m a newbie freelance writer and working with all of your suggestions. Lots of issues remain for me: what website name, what blog(s), niches. So I’ll be in touch and do your course as well after I’ve done lots more research and made some decisions. Thanks very much for your suggestions and generosity in sharing your talent and knowledge. Stay warm up there, and Happy Holidays!Reply to Victoria

Hi Victoria, Thanks so much for watching the video! Thanks so much for enrolling in one of my courses!Reply to Elna

Thank you for the awesome video, Elna! Finding a niche for my freelancing business was one of the most difficult things I ever did, to be honest with you. I have a niche for the website I’m running now but I’m still unsure about the niche for the writing itself. I suppose I’ll figure it out if I take the time to sit down to do just that. I’ll be having fun over the next few days narrowing down my niche, won’t I?Reply to Lisa

Hi Lisa, Yes, finding your niche is a challenge for a lot of writers. For me, I used my experience and then my niche actually revealed itself months into freelance writing…so it’s different for each person. Good luck!Reply to Elna

Nice article thanks for sharing such thingsReply to Angela

You’re welcome! So glad you found some tips in my Facebook video!Reply to Elna

Hi Elna, I did your free email course and read your free guide. I love all the advice you give. I have a brand new blog, and I started it because I was already doing a weekly blog post on my friend’s blog. My weekly post for her is about my family’s life in the military. That’s my niche. Our life in the military. I can’t seem to narrow down another niche or two… Parenting… Homeschooling… Adoption… Foster Parenting… I’m heading over to search those websites you recommended to see about freelance prospects. Thanks again!Reply to Amanda

Hi Amanda! That’s awesome and thanks so much for following me! Those are great niches to start out with, but remember, from a client’s point of view, they want content to help them make more money so finding a niche that a company or an entrepreneur is branding themselves will help you narrow down your niche.Reply to Elna

Recap:

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