23 Sep Too Nosey to Niche
When talking to people about my copywriting business, one of the questions I get asked fairly frequently is do I have a speciality or a niche. The answer is always no, because I’m too nosey to niche. But it always gets me thinking – should I consider niching? What does everyone else do? Will I be a better writer if I niche? These are the questions that keep me awake at night.
So, interested to get another opinion, I asked my current work colleague – I call her Auntie Irene (AI for short) – what she thinks. The fact I ask AI such questions and consider her a desk buddy is a whole other topic that requires dissecting later… She didn’t throw up any surprises, just helped me order my initial thoughts a bit more.
The Pros of Niching in a Copywriting Business
I think the across-the-board pros can be distilled into these categories:
- Expertise development: being a specialist can mean it’s easier to attract people who value a deep understanding of their industry. If you’re an expert it can help build reputation and authority, gaining credibility and trust. It can lead to charging higher rates too (another pro). Plus you can network with other like-minded people, further extending your reach.
- Easier marketing: tailoring your messaging, portfolio and branding to directly appeal to businesses or clients in a specific industry makes your marketing more effective. Focusing on a targeted, well-defined audience increases the chances of reaching potential clients.
- Repeat business / higher demand: clients who value expertise in their specific niche are more likely to become loyal customers. Clients often prefer working with copywriters who understand their industry, audience and pain points. Niching can help you stand out and become a go-to expert, increasing demand for your services in that field.
- Less competition: you may face less competition in a niche marker than in broader copywriting fields.
The Cons of Niching in a Copywriting Business
The above points all sound like great reasons to niche, but there are some downsides to consider too:
- Limited market: a narrow niche may limit your potential client base, especially if the market is small or saturated. And the market could potentially change, meaning there’s limited appetite for what you’re writing about.
- Difficulty diversifying: if you’re focused on one main area, what happens if you want to change? How long will it take to rebuild that client base and expertise?
- Potential boredom: working exclusively in a niche could lead to creative burnout or a lack of variety in your projects. Or just plain boredom. How many times can you write about cream crackers (that is pretty niche, granted)?
- Missed opportunities: FOMO is a huge one for me. I will go to the opening of an envelope JUST IN CASE I miss out on something. The thought of missing out on work gives me the heebies.
Of course, niching doesn’t mean you can only ever write about one single topic. You could do a 60/40 (or whatever) split to keep some variety but to build expertise and credibility. And some niche subjects are so wide that you’d probably never run out of things to say – travel, for example, or health and fitness.
There’s no right or wrong answer. We each have to do what we feel comfortable with. But there’s little point niching if you’re not genuinely interested in that subject, or have limited knowledge. That’s what will lead to boredom, frustration and lack of work. So I think, for now at least, I’ll carry on with the nosey. There are some industries that light me up more than others, and it’s those I should be saying yes to and not to the others that leave me feeling flat.
Let me know if I’ve missed off anything from the niche or not to niche list. Or if you want to chat anything wordy.