Earlier today, I was browsing in one of my favorite freelancing writing Facebook groups, and I saw a question from a new member. She said that she’s been looking for work on Upwork, but isn’t having any luck getting hired.

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Immediately, one of the group leaders responded to the comment and said that the best way to find clients is to get clear on your niche. “You need to know what you write, and who you’re writing it for.”

As a new freelance writer, you’re going to hear these types of comments a lot from other freelancers. But what is a freelance writing niche? And how can you pick one when you’re brand-new?

What is a freelance writing niche?

Once you become a freelance writer, it’s only a matter of time before other freelancers start recommending you pick a niche. Most freelancers see niching down as the holy grail of freelance writing.

Before we get into my thoughts on picking your niche, let’s take a step back and talk about what a niche even is. Your freelance writing niche is your area of expertise as a writer.

It’s how you differentiate yourself from other freelancers and stand out in the marketplace. Here are the two primary ways you’ll niche down as a freelance writer:

The type of content you write: Do you plan to write blog posts? Or do you plan to focus on writing website copy and email sequences? Each type of content requires a different skill set.

Your subject matter expertise: What topics do you plan to write about? You don’t need to be an expert on this topic, but you should be willing to learn more about it. Some popular niches are personal finance, health, technology, and digital marketing.

Why does your freelance writing niche matter?

When I first started freelance writing, I wrote about a lot of different topics. I wrote Amazon product reviews, a series on bass fishing, blog posts for an event marketing company, and so much more.

I was a jack of all trades. And honestly, I got a lot of work using this strategy.

Many people will tell you that you can’t make any money unless you niche down, and in my experience, that’s just not true. I earned between $3,000 to $5,000 a month with absolutely no niche.

But there are some downsides to this strategy. First, it’s challenging to write about topics that you know nothing about. You’ll have to do more research, and you still may not explain the subject as well as someone who’s more well-versed in that topic.

It will also be hard for you to explain to high-paying clients why you’re the best person for the job. I could not write for companies like Credit Karma or Quicken Loans without a strong history of personal finance writing.

To be clear, you absolutely need to pick a niche. But unlike many freelancers, I don’t think you need to pick one right away.

The problem with rushing to pick a niche

In a perfect world, you’d start freelance writing and know what your niche is immediately. And for some people, that happens.

If you spent 10 years working as a CPA then you may already know you want to write about finance. In that case, I would say feel free to niche down immediately. But if you have no clue what you want to write about then I recommend you wait.

It’s okay to be a generalist for a while and you’re not holding yourself back by not picking a niche. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Your main focus should be finding clients

In the beginning, your main priority should be finding paid work. So I don’t want you to use the fact that you don’t have a niche to procrastinate on looking for clients.

If you’re brand new, then you do not need to have an ideal client avatar. You need to get out there and find a client. Find someone to pay you to write something.

Working with clients is the best way to find clarity in your freelance writing business. Even if you end up finding a client you don’t like, that will give you more clarity than filling out some workbook ever will.

2. Sometimes the niche picks you

When I first became a freelance writer, I never would have picked personal finance as a niche. I’m not thrifty, I love to spend money, and creating an Excel spreadsheet makes my head hurt.

Then I got hired to write a daily news article about student loans. And I was really surprised to find that I really liked writing about student loans. It was really interesting and I always enjoyed that job the most, even though they paid less than any of my other clients.

Then that same company had me start writing about credit cards, personal loans, and building credit. And over time, a personal finance writer was born.

My point is that you can’t always reason your way into picking a niche. Sometimes you have to try a lot of different things and see what you like.

3. A niche only helps if you’re committed

I’ve noticed that freelancers who aren’t ready to pick a niche tend to jump around a lot. They settle on a niche, and then spend a lot of time overanalyzing why it may or not may not be the right choice.

Then after a few weeks or a month, they change their minds and pick something else. Since they never really commit to one thing, they never see any significant benefits from choosing a niche.

How to pick your freelance writing niche

In the interest of full disclosure, it took me two and a half years to pick a freelance writing niche. And I don’t see that as a failure or wasted time.

I spent over two years working with tons of clients and earning thousands of dollars as a writer. I figured out what I liked to write about, and I figured out what I don’t like to write about.

And once I picked my niche, I went all in on it. Within six months, I had been published on sites like Yahoo Finance and Business Insider. But I couldn’t have done that as a brand-new freelancer who didn’t know anything about working with clients.

So if you’re struggling to pick a niche, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay. You’ll figure it out eventually. As long as you’re working with clients and making money then you’re doing exactly what you should be doing.

But if you think you’re ready to pick a niche then here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

Is this a subject a know a lot about? Are you willing to put in the time to become an expert on this topic?
Is there a demand for your niche in the market?
How well does your niche pay?
Are you willing to commit to trying your niche for a minimum of six months? Your niche will only help if you go all in on it.

Do you have your niche nailed down or are you still on the fence about it? Feel free to email me at jamiejokcmo@gmail.com and let me know what your biggest freelancing hurdles are!