If you’re anything like me, you picked a freelance writing niche because it was something that interests you… not because you already knew everything about it.
That’s exactly what happened to me with digital marketing.
I liked the niche. I saw there was money in it. Companies needed content constantly. So I went for it.
The only problem?
I had NO idea what half the terms even meant.
One of my first assignments was writing about email segmentation.
And I remember staring at the screen thinking:
“What the heck is email segmentation?”
I didn’t know what it was or why businesses cared about it. I had no idea how to start and what kind of information was needed to complete the article.
But I still took the assignment anyway.
Because here’s the thing most new freelance writers don’t realize:
You’re going to write about topics you know nothing about sometimes.
Especially when you’re trying to break into a niche and build experience…and you’re new to freelance writing.
It’s what I had to do and that’s normal.
The good news is you don’t need be absolutely perfect & knowledgebable with everytihng before you start.
You just need to learn how to understand topics quickly.
And today, AI can actually help with that a LOT (i.e. I don’t mean replace you! But help you!).
You Don’t Need to Be an Expert Before Landing Clients
I think new freelance writers assume experienced freelancers already knew everything before they got clients.
But most of us learned while doing the work and it’s something that freelancer Ina Castro enjoys figuring out.
That’s how it happened for me.
I didn’t start out understanding digital marketing terminology, SEO, SaaS, or email marketing.
I learned because clients kept hiring me to write about those topics. Over time, everything started making more sense.
That’s why I always tell freelance writers to pick a niche they actually WANT to learn about. Curiosity matters more than expertise in the beginning.
Because if you enjoy the writing niche, you’ll naturally keep researching and improving your understanding over time.
And over time, you’ll have built a lot of information in swipe files or just in your head about your niche topic. I now know the importance of segmenting your list!
The First Thing I Do When I Don’t Understand a Topic
When I got that email segmentation assignment, I didn’t immediately try to write the article.
I let the idea sit in my head for 24 hours or so.
Then, with any new topic, I needed to understand the basics.
So I started Googling beginner questions like:
- What is email segmentation?
- Why do businesses use it?
- What are examples of email segmentation?
- How does segmentation improve email marketing?
Don’t look down at using Google to help you find basic information about your niche topic.
It will give you a starting point like it did for me.
How AI Can Help You Learn Freelance Writing Topics Faster
One of the best ways to use AI as a freelance writer is for learning complicated topics in simple language.
So, for email segmenting, if I was writing an article about that for a specific audience – body builders – I can have AI create a table of segment ideas and examples that I can use in my article.
I don’t use AI to write the article for me but to HELP me understand the topic faster.
I can also have AI help me understand a topic better.
For example, if you’re confused by a term like:
- Customer journey
- Programmatic SEO
- API integrations
- Conversion optimization
…you can ask AI to explain it like you’re a beginner.
You can literally say:
“Explain email segmentation in simple terms for a beginner freelance writer.”
Or:
“Give me a real-life example of email segmentation.”
Of course, make sure to check the links and resources to see if this is true. Does Jeff have lead magnets and a way to opt-into his email list?
That should help you find examples that you can use in your articles to make it more valuable to your client.
But Don’t Blindly Trust AI Either
This part is important. AI is helpful for understanding topics quickly but you should NEVER assume everything AI says is automatically correct.
I always recommend checking what AI tells you.
Especially if you’re writing:
- SaaS content
- Finance content
- Medical content
- Technical articles
- SEO content
- AI-related topics
Sometimes AI oversimplifies things or gives outdated information. It confidently explains something incorrectly and it’s up to you to check everything it gives you.
That’s why I like using AI as a starting point, not the final answer.
For example, if AI explains email segmentation to me, I’ll still:
- Read articles from real email marketing companies
- Look at examples
- Watch YouTube videos
- Study how businesses explain it
- Cross-check the information
That combination helps you understand the topic much better.
So play around with AI if you are new to this new tool and see how it can help you with your article.
Use Company Blogs to Learn the Language of the Niche
One thing that helped me a LOT when learning digital marketing was reading actual company blogs.
If you want to learn email marketing, go read blogs from email marketing companies. And if you want to learn SEO, read SEO company blogs. It goes for any niche you want to learn about.
I also like to check out the case studies to see what problems business owners had to help me understand why they would need SEO or emial marketing.
For example, the Stan store has a lot of case studies on their blog of real content creators and if you are writing a blog post about how content creators can start making money, Stan’s case studies can help you navigate those ideas.
This will help you:
- Learn industry terminology
- Understand customer pain points
- See how companies position products
- Notice patterns in the content
After reading enough content in a niche, you start absorbing the language naturally making it easy to write topics in your niche.
But if you are brand new to this niche, reading the company’s blog and case studies really help!
YouTube Is A Great Place to Learn New Topics
Sometimes I learn faster watching a 10-minute YouTube video than reading five blog posts, especially with complicated marketing topics.
If I’m confused about a concept, I’ll often search explainer videos, tutorials or product demos. When searching, make sure to filter the date to this year or even this month for volatile topics.
For example, on YouTube I filed “teachable tutorial” for this year.
This helps me understand how real businesses use the concept in practice or how a tool works. Since many of my SaaS clients are tools, I do go on YouTube to see how that tool works and how it helps certain audiences.
That’s huge when you’re writing client content because clients don’t just want definitions.
Instead, they want content that understands the audience and business goals and watching webiners, explainer videos and tutorials can help.
Freelance Writers Become Better Through Repetition
The first time you write about a topic, it feels intimidating.
The tenth time? Way easier.
That’s how freelance writing works.
When I first started, terms like email segmention, CTR or lead magnets sounded confusing.
But now? Those terms feel completely normal, mostly because I DO email marketing for my blog and use email segmentations, lead magnents and more.
And this only happens because I keep writing about them repeatedly for my digital marketing clients.
That repetition builds confidence in my writing skills, helping me see my VALUE and, in turn, raise my rates accordingly.
This is a good thing and keeps you from the hamster wheel of having different topics every week for your clients.
Use LinkedIn to Find Subject Matter Experts
A hack or secret to unleveling your blog post writing skills is to add subject matter experts (SME’s) to your article.
A SME is usually the CEO, editor, marketer, entrepreneur or influencer who shares insider knowledge about their niche or industry.
They might share a process, a win, or breakdown of what they did. You can take a screenshot of their LinkedIn post to put into your client article or – even better – reach out to them and ask if want to answer a few questions for your client.
For example, I reached out to Zapier’s communications manager for a post about social media marketing for my client, Wordtune.
Since I had written for Zapier I was able to message them on LinkedIn to ask if they would like to answer a few questions about their social media strategy.
They agreed and they added immense value to my post.
Learning New Freelance Writing Niches Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult (Or Boring)
If you’re staring at a client assignment in a new niche, there’s no need to panic.
And even if it’s a completely boring topics like ultrasound probe repair services or HVAC filter replacement (ugh!!!), you can use these tactics to help you write it.
Trust me, take it one paragraph at a time and you can write about any topic….just make sure you don’t make this your “thing” as a freelance writer.
You need to transition to a niche writer to have longevity in this industry and not get burnt out.
Tell me in the comments what you do for reasserting a new topic for a client! I’d love to hear your process.
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