So, I’m in the midst of series #5 of my commercial freelancing group coaching program (as I write this) – geared towards business copywriters just starting out. Not surprisingly, one of the BIG bugaboo issues for newbies is “niche.” Seems you can’t spit these days without hitting a guru or two who’ll adamantly assert, chopping the air for emphasis, that you absolutely, positively must differentiate yourself in the marketplace by way of a well-delineated niche.
If you don’t, they’ll continue, you’re on a one-way road to professional oblivion (with financial ruin swiftly on its heels). So many new copywriters agonize over this one, so afraid to hang out a shingle without a laser-specific professional focus. Sorry, but as an across-the-board strategy, I don’t buy it.
(Note: we did touch on this subject a year or so ago in the Generalist vs. Specialist debate, but I’m taking a bit of a different spin here, and looking for slightly different input from you experienced folks).
Here’s my take: If you have a well-defined niche you can pursue, by virtue of past career experience, track record or education, by all means, go for it. Having a niche absolutely can set you apart – AND earn you more money. Even if you don’t have a big portfolio of work in, say, Industry A, if you know all about Industry A by virtue of 10-20 years in the business, you’ll be attractive to writing buyers in that industry (who’ll translate that experience into “minimal learning curve”…).
Even if you hate the field in which you’ve spent a decade or two, if you’re trying to get started as a commercial copywriter, I’d still recommend you leverage that experience out of the gate. You don’t have to write about it forever, but it’d be nuts to not parlay that into work until you get established.
Remember, even if you don’t love your industry any more as a field to work in, writing about that field from the comfort of your home in your sweats is a whole other ballgame from having to go to work every day (i.e., commute, endless meetings, office politics) in that same field in a job you loathe.
But what if you don’t have a 10-20-year track record in some field? Listening to the experts, you still need to create a niche. But what niche? Pull one from thin air? Flip a coin? Declare yourself an expert on X, but without the background, training or samples to back it up? What’re you going to say if someone asks for those samples? I’m afraid I just don’t see a whole lot of sense in that approach. If a niche isn’t occurring naturally to you, it’s probably not there, so don’t force it.
So, Plan B is to build your business sans niche as a generalist. Something I’ve been doing for 17 years, incidentally. Sure, I had a sales/marketing background, and I did make sure people knew that, but most of the projects we commercial writers do are marketing-oriented anyway, so is that a clearly defined niche? Debatable.
Sure, it’ll be tougher with little to leverage. But, if the alternative is touting yourself as an authority in an arena where you’re really not, I say the anxiety level with that scenario will likely top that of someone going niche-less. And in the latter situation, if you’re a really good writer and go out of your way to be overly professional, reliable and easy-to-work with, those things will set you apart (assuming you’re reaching enough people with your marketing efforts).
What’s your take on niche?
How important do you feel having a niche is for someone starting out?
Did you have a niche when you began? If not, how did your story unfold?
Do you feel strong writing skills, professionalism and reliability can be a “niche” of sorts (given how relatively rare they are)?
PB,
My take is this, there are two camps here…
Niche – has the skills within the niche down pat. Might not have the “client-getting” skills down pat…so discovering and starting a business within that niche may be a good fit. Gets higher fees, in SOME cases (not all), because the perceived value of having a “specialist” writing the copy commands the fee (IF the writer commands those fees, they don’t automatically come).
Generalist – doesn’t necessarily have the skills in any one niche down pat. Has (or should have) an enhanced ability to get client work (like your sales background as ONE example PB). Gets higher fees in some cases, average/lower fees in others, depending on the value the writer delivers the client. All things being perceived equal (keyword: perceived), the specialist might win an assignment over a generalist, but not every time, across the board.
There’s my opinion in a nutshell.
You raise a great point about people who hate an area that they have lots of experience in and could specialize in. Often it’s not the work itself, it’s the garbage that goes with it. The hours, the people, the office environment, the pay, etc.
Working in that same industry as a freelancer can make a significant difference in your passion level.
Something else to keep in mind for generalists that feel pressured to specialize: sometimes your specialty finds you without much effort on your part.
Most specialists I know started as generalists and naturally evolved into specialists after trying lots of different things. They eventually found a passion for one area, or they were getting referrals in a specific area that led them to being a specialist.
So as you said, don’t force it. Enjoy the journey.
Interesting discussion. I’m fairly new to freelance writing and have been trying to nail down a niche. I’m having a lot of trouble. I really enjoy variety and think that working on many different projects in many different fields would be most interesting to me.
However, I do have 15 years experience in the education field which is how I landed my first major client. They liked my writing sample, but were more interested in my knowledge of their field than the fact that I didn’t have 10 years of copywriting experience.
One of the reasons I started freelancing, though, was because I’d grown to despise my job in education. But, as Mike mentioned, writing about education is much more enjoyable than my job was. As such, I can see myself doing exactly what Peter has suggested in this post — leveraging my education background to get my business steadily growing and then branching out into other areas once I’ve built up a more sizable portfolio.
An early client confirmed what I figured would be a point of distinction: “You know how to tell stories.” That’s because Career #1 was journalism . . . and the PR agency VP, a former TV news producer, knew some of his shop’s projects needed more than sloganeering junior copywriters who never met a string of adjectives they considered over the top.
And so, a generalist flowed from news editing to FLCW without forcing it. Along the way, I adapted storytelling styles to brochures, web content and presentations . . . and embraced the value of showing prospects I can tell their stories meaningfully and memorably,.
I still enjoy the journey, as Mike aptly puts it.
Niche doesn’t have to be an industry. My niche seems to be my geographic area. I’m in a large Chicago suburb, and there are not a lot of copywriters in my city. There’s only 1 other FLCW in my Chamber of Commerce, but I only know this because her name is in the directory; in 4 years, I’ve never seen her at a single event. And I know there are a few others out there, only because I periodically check on Google. So by and large, I’ve got almost no competition.
Even better, my city is big (read: lots of business), but we pride ourselves on maintaining that small-town feel (read: they want to hire locally if they can).
I know this kind of niche won’t work for FLCWs living in remote or economically depressed areas. All I can say it’s working quite well for me. It’s the best of both worlds — I’m a generalist operating in a niche!
Peter, I loved this line: “Do you feel strong writing skills, professionalism and reliability can be a “niche” of sorts (given how relatively rare they are)?” Yes, I do. I have to admit, I don’t like feeling boxed in. I’ve done a lot of different kinds of writing, and I sort of naturally rebel against being put in a tight box, though I know some sort of structure is needed from which to move outward. Your perspective brought a lot of comfort to me as I get closer and closer to venturing out more fully. I think niche is something that develops as we go along in some cases. But you are right that it’s good to capitalize on what we’ve already done and know — no doubt about it.
I’m a generalist because I love the variety. I’d find it too boring to specialise in one industry. Interestingly, the very best copywriters and marketing consultants that I’ve come across are also generalists. This is no accident – it’s the exposure to, and experience of, a wide variety of industries and clients that gets them so good.
Jay Abraham says that one of the most important factors in his ability to generate such outstanding results for his clients is taking marketing approaches that are successful in one industry and applying them to other industries that aren’t using them.
And I don’t believe that being a generalist means you will earn less. The amount you earn depends far more on how good you are as a copywriter, how you position yourself, and your marketing savvy.
I agree with Peter – being a very good writer and being professional, easy to work with and reliable will certainly set you apart.
This much is clear: It’s far better to find a niche than a Nietzsche.
In a way, we’re all “niche” writers in that everyone has certain types of jobs s/he wouldn’t touch: jobs below a minimum payment level, say; or work for organizations that push viewpoints we find offensive; or topics we just plain feel incapable of comprehending. The “generalist” just goes further before drawing the line.
Whether generalist or specialist when accepting work from others, I believe everyone should have a fairly narrow “niche” (or several of them clearly delineated) in at least one aspect of business: social media/blogs or any other publishing *you* put out regularly to keep people up to date on your business. My take on that is at https://gwigb.blogspot.com/2010/07/your-blogs-mission.html.
Thanks to all for your great comments…
Thanks Joseph, for your incisive summation. And as you point out, there are no hard-and-fast truths about specialist vs. generalist.
Mike, loved this line: “Sometimes your specialty finds you without much effort on your part.” Absolutely true. And it’s much better when you DON’T force it but let it come naturally. Then, you know you’re doing it for the right reasons.
And Beth, listen to these wise people! 😉 Seriously, no sense in NOT making some use of your background in education, and who knows? You might find you love it when you can do it minus all the BS that often goes along with a J-O-B in that field.
And Alan, storytelling can absolutely be a great niche. Even if others CAN do that but aren’t claiming it, if you DO, you can own that piece of real estate (true for any USP).
And Beth C. – very interesting twist on niche. But, you’re right – if you don’t have a lot of competition in an area, you can be the only game in town. Here’s to your own little copywriting kingdom! And you’d better not say which city, or a bunch of folks might move there… 😉
Roxane and Amy, I’m with you on the generalist thing. Don’t like to be boxed in. And as I was just saying today, in my group coaching session, I’ve gotten a ton of work from several clients over the years, precisely because I was a generalist, and they could turn to me for a wide variety of project types and be comfortable that I could handle all of them well. And Amy, you’re right, being a generalist doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to make less. If you’re good at what you do, and good at letting people know you’re out there, you can do just fine.
And Michael, how true… A niche is infinitely preferable and simpler than a Nietzsche… 😉
PB
Pros to being a generalist when you are starting out:
You build your skills, confidence, and portfolio. You expose yourself to all different types of projects and learn what you like and are best at. As Mike said, your niche may find you.
Cons to being a generalist when you are starting out:
Finding ways to distinguish yourself from the crowd. Finding ways to focus your marketing. What makes you stand out from all the other generalists? And if someone could choose between you (a generalist) and a specialist, why should they choose you? “Reliable quality writing, on time, on budget” are, in my mind, lukewarm benefits. Isn’t that the minimum that’s expected? In Alan’s case, it was his ability to tell a great story. New generalists really have to dig deep to discover points of distinction like Alan’s.
The specialist route has been a much better fit for me. I started out as a generalist and became a specialist. When I did, it became much easier to focus my marketing efforts, and my income jumped 25% immediately. I began working with national companies with big budgets instead of small local businesses. The downside of being a specialist: your specialty can take a hit. The industry in which I specialize is constantly under threat of attack from legislation that would cripple the industry — therefore my livelihood. With that in mind, I’m starting to develop a second specialty in an industry that is doing very well in this economic climate, is underserved by copywriters, and will always have a dedicated customer base.
Whether you’re a generalist or a specialist, I think it’s critical to keep an eye on the bigger picture and adapt your target market and business model as industries and economies change.
My mind naturally goes all over the joint. I am basically a health writer now, as a result of being hired by CBS HealthWatch for years, then going to WebMD. I wrote about the Thin Prep Pap Test from its inception, to approval, to acceptance for reimbursement, etc etc–over and over, place after place. I admit it, I wrote Pap! Sick of that now. I am also a concussion expert–the new takes on concussion and am milking that. But it gets boring. I do two blogs where I can lob in stuff that catches my interest. I used to do a lot of direct mail, could design tests, etc.—would not even attempt that now. Also my vision is horrible so I don’t proofread as a service anymore. I wrote about internet commerce for a few yrs, but am now out of the loop on that. I wrote for Apple for many years, but now am basically computer illiterate (and I always used a PC then, anyhow, which they knew). I like product naming–but the bums are doing contests to get names now instead of paying really creative cool namers like me. I guess I could have planned better, but I didn’t…what if planning hadn’t worked either? https://hopeycopey.blogspot.com (Recession Fun). https://healthsass.blogspot.com (health scraps I liked–1100 of them). I post weekdays.
I’m a generalist, but I’ve found that my Playwriting degree allows me to kind of niche myself to clients who respond to the concept of “marketing as storytelling.” It’s a little extra something that helps me stand out from the rank-and-file marketing/sales/business background. We have have some unique spin we can put on our work, because we’re all unique!
You don’t find your niche – your niche finds you. I stumbled into one. Do I think it makes my career that much more powerful? No. And yes. My specialty wouldn’t be any more of a specialty if I didn’t work hard at it. The same could be said for generalizing. I posed this with Susan over on The Urban Muse this week – I specialize, but I generalize, too.
I think starting out, you’re better off generalizing. You can’t know what you’re best at until you try stuff, right? So try stuff – lots of stuff. Articles, press releases, newsletters, sales letters, brochures….there will be things that don’t fit. Fine. Shake it off and try something else. Or you may find that the fit has to be honed. Go for it.
My “niche” when I began was to write wherever they would pay me. 🙂 I started at local newspapers, graduated to an article in a regional magazine, then grabbed a few national articles. Then I was hired as a staff editor for a trade. That’s where the niche came from. But if I hadn’t tried those other things first, I’d never have had enough experience to land that job.
Strong skills and a professional attitude are indeed a niche in themselves. You can’t carve a successful career out of mediocre writing ability and a penchant for fighting with clients. Though some try. 🙂
I’ll admit, I was a bit obsessed with choosing a niche when I decided to freelance. I am an analytical personality and if I have more than one choice, I become indecisive (you’d never want to dine with me where the restaurant menu has more than ten choices), AND I tend to lose focus. Plus, as with most of us, the better I like the work, the better I’ll perform.
But I bore easily too, which made my decision to niche or not niche a difficult one. Luckily I retained Peter as a coach. He said:”Try out different writing projects to discover which ones you like the best.” (By the way, Peter, thank you for not judging me on my niche-obsessive behavior). Through that process I discovered that some of the projects I just knew I’d love, I actually hated!
I decided to focus on script writing. I love it. I considered creating a niche within that niche, but I think that would be taking it too far.
I think the last time this subject came up as generalist vs. specialist, I described myself as a generalist who specializes. In terms of the current discussion, I’d say I have a niche that’s fairly broad: business-to-business marketing communications with an emphasis on technical or technology-based products and services. That’s the type of work I actively go after.
Of course, if someone brings a business-to-consumer assignment to me, I don’t turn it down. And most of my B2C work has also had a tech bent — cell phones, wireless data, internet service, 4G.
To more directly answer some of your questions, yes, I had this niche when I began as a freelancer. And I think having something specific to offer is good for those just starting out. Before going freelance in 1991 I had worked a decade in two B2B ad agencies and before that had spent several years as an in-house writer-editor for an energy consulting firm and later its trade association. My career-launching self-promo materials (which I have recently updated and reissued) heavily promoted my tech-focused/B2B differentiation.
Do I think strong writing skills, professionalism and reliability can be a “niche” of sorts (given how relatively rare they are)? Definitely. I hit on all of those in my most recent postcard promo: “In a tough economy, you need well-written marketing communications more than ever. // Your white papers, case studies, Web pages, ads, brochures and direct mail need to make the strongest and most clearly understood case for why customers should share their limited dollars with you. // But with competition tough and deadlines looming, you don’t have time to educate a copywriter or suffer through draft after draft from someone who just doesn’t get it.” Then the copy goes on describe why I’m the copywriter they’re looking for and throws out some names they may have heard of.
Truth be told, in these markets strong writing skills are not as important as professionalism, reliability and the demonstrated ability to understand what the client needs to say. After that, you only need to write better than your client.
Lori, you are absolutely spot-on! Water finds its own level, and the niche finds its own writer.
My background before founding Greenback? Jazz guitar student in college, which I didn’t finish, telemarketer, data entry, working musician and several illustrious periods of “in-between positions”. My first paid writing job? $2k for a four-letter membership renewal campaign for Audubon. Yeah, my years of training developing my niche really helped with that one!
Recent work:
An orthodontist in Long Beach CA (I have teeth, so I guess that could be a niche) A community college in MI (I went to a community college…that’s sort of niche-y, right?) A conference center management firm in NYC (love those board room chairs! niche!) An artisan baker in MA (I LOVE bread!)
Not to belabor the point, but your niche is your passion to follow whatever roads lead you to being a Well-Fed FLCW. If you do have a niche, great! Leverage and follow it. But do NOT get so hung up on your niche that you lose out on opportunites that may be outside of your niche.
Unless, of course, you WANT to spend the rest of your career asking “You want a niche with those fries?”
The big issue, which I’m not seeing mentioned, is the amount of research time it takes to be a generalist. Does anyone else see this as an important element in the equation? As a generalist, I spend way too much time researching new topics, which makes me want to specialize. But also, I think it is crucial to focus on topics, which you are passionate about. That makes any research less strenuous. Shouldn’t research time be considered in all of this or does everybody here make sure they are compensate for their research time?
Research time is not really that much of an issue for the type of freelance writing that we’re mostly talking about here: marketing and corporate communications for business clients (as opposed to by-lined article writing for publications). In our work, the client is more responsible for the research than we are. That is, it’s the client’s responsibility to provide us the information we need to do our jobs. The client needs to know what their product or service does, what makes it different or better than the competition and, above all, why any customer would want or need it. They can provide this information by arranging interviews with knowledgeable staff, dumping specs and other paperwork on us, giving us articles and backgrounders from their industry, pointing us to relevant websites or all of these. We can also search out background on our own when what the client provides isn’t enough.
The point is, our research tends to be project specific and part of what we charge for on each project. If you’re good at quickly synthesizing this kind of information and turning it into decent marketing prose (applying your *generalist* knowledge of good communication and ability to write), then you can certainly be a generalist. There’s one freelance writer whose slogan proudly proclaims “I can write about anything.”
But once you’ve done the necessary research in one field to write the client’s brochure, white paper or whatever, you’ve probably got sufficient background to write other materials for the same client, or similar materials for other clients. And as each new assignment targets a different problem or need in the same industry or field as the first, your prior knowledge cuts down the research time and lets you bring a deeper understanding to every project. Before you know it, you’re a specialist.
Thanks, Ken. That was helpful.
What Ken said…;) Seriously, research is pretty much a non-issue. Sure, if you’ve got an appointment with a company who’s told you that a lot of potential work is on the line, it might behoove you to spend 30 minutes looking over their site in advance and try to learn what you can about the company before you meet, so you have a fundamental knowledge of their company (as well as perhaps some sense of the tone and content of some of their marketing materials).
But, once you’ve been assigned a project, the burden falls, as Ken points out, to the client, to provide you with all you need to get the source material to craft the piece – however it is to be obtained (materials they give you , sites they steer you to, people they’ll have you interview, etc.), all of which is billable time, and they understand this.
Keep doing enough of that for a client, and you end up learning their business inside and out, and when that happens, you become valuable to that client and you make it less likely that they’d go somewhere else. Why have to start all over to get someone new up to speed?
PB
Man, this thread keeps giving! Good stuff. And research is no more complicated than faking your way through source materials. In my former world, a good example would be me, a goyim, taking a gig at a Jewish wedding. “You know Hava Nagila, of course, right?” “Of COURSE, don’t be silly!” I *don’t* know Hava Nagila, but I get a CD and sheet music and learn it the night before. Problem solved, and now I’m an expert in Yiddish wedding fare.
So I’m curious. What about the semi-famous copywriters who claim to make thousands per project writing sales letters and other copy? They say they spend weeks researching to understand the client before they ever write a word. Is this a different type of copywriting? I seem to be slow to grasp the differences. Thanks.
Gina,
This is where it can get confusing, because the term “copywriting” can mean several things in several contexts. You’re talking about “direct response copywriting,” (DRC) which is its own special category. Virtually all the “copywriting” offers floating around on the net that sound to good to be true (because, in fact, they are) are direct response.
It’s the ultra-promotional copy you find in these 10-15 page sales letters, often selling things like nutritional supplements, real estate investing and other type offers (think about the stuff being sold on middle-of-the-night infomercials…). I’m intrigued by that field, but not sure I want to write like that.
Now, the top DR practitioners can and do make amazing money, but the idea that it’s that easy for anyone to just step into that world and do that well is a joke. And fact is, DRC makes up (according to Bob Bly) about 3% of the total copywriting world. The other 97% is us – commercial freelancing – all the OTHER project types: marketing brochures, ad copy, other forms of direct mail (like postcards), newsletters, web content, case studies, etc.
My book is all about the other 97%. So, in that 3% world, yeah, they’ll do a lot of research, but I’m not operating in that world and the overwhelming % of folks weighing in on this blog aren’t either.
PB
I’m one of those DR copywriters, and yes, research is a huge part of the work. Often, the client provides almost everything you need in what’s called a “copywriter’s kit.” Other times, you’re on your own. I often hire a research assistant to track down facts for me that will support my copy. Recent examples of research tidbits I needed (and my fabulous researcher found) were:
– What percentage of personal bankruptcies in this country are driven by medical bills?
– How many primary care physicians are in the US?
– In the new health care legislation, is the $2500 cap on FSAs per person or per family? What is the difference between an FSA and an HSA?
Yes, I can find this info myself, and I often do. But when I’m really busy and I have a very clear idea of where I want to go with the copy and what facts I need to support it, it’s far more cost effective for me to sub out the research. I just started working on a magalog promoting a solar energy product, and even though the client provides plenty of info, I still have to immerse myself in the subject enough to really understand it well. I will be reading and making notes on solar energy all this coming week, before ever writing a single word. At some point, when I’m really clear on what I need to say, I may hire my researcher to find very specific pieces of info for me.
@Gina – you asked about copywriters who “claim” to make thousands per assignment. Yes, it’s for real. It took me a good 7 years to work my way up to it, but it’s a blast. The money is great, but magalogs and sales letters have a very specific architecture and clients are expecting a certain levels of sales in response to the copy. If you can deliver, you will have plenty of work.
“They say they spend weeks researching to understand the client before they ever write a word.”
Yes, Gina. But as Eileen confirmed, they don’t do any of that research unless and until they have a specific assignment that it applies to. Which means they’re getting paid to do that research. And if they’re not charging by the hour for all the time they put into a project, they are, as in Eileen’s case, earning so much on a project fee basis to cover all their research time and expenses. This, again, is not at all the same as the research that a writer might do on his or her own to become an effective generalist (which was the subject of your comment on Sept 7).
Peter, Thank you for clarifying. I have had the idea that website and promotional copywriting is a form of direct response because it seeks to engage the reader or visitor–and hopefully inspire a purchase on the site at some point. Have I been blurring the lines too much?
Thanks Eileen for the input on Direct Response. It seems to me after so much research, a direct response copywriter ends up earning those dollars after all is said and done. Weeks of research add up, don’t they? Also, wouldn’t a direct response writer need to start out at a low rate and work up to a proven rate?
Ken, re: research–all I know is after what I’ve been through, research time should be accounted for in fees.
Thank you all. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for me to charge more per hour, but that’s why I have Peter’s book in hand. After so many hours it gets ridiculous.
Thank you, Gina
Hello! This article has actually helped me chose a path to follow. Thanks so much for the great info and keep up the good work!
Glad it helped!
PB