Do You Need a Niche to Be A Writer?
The term “find a niche” has been around for ages and has been the bane of many writer’s careers. However, is a niche necessary to become a successful writer?
Thankfully, the answer is no.
A niche is, by definition, “a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service.”
The keyword here is Specialized, which may sound appealing to the untrained writer looking to make fast money, but it also limits what could be a vast and exciting career.
Here’s an example.
A young writer hears “find a niche” and decides to work with financial institutions. They advertise their chosen niche and gain a few clients but miss out on other opportunities because, if an agriculture company sees their niche as financial institutions, they’ll pass that writer over in favor of someone more well-rounded.
Another example is this:
A writer wants to write for local boutiques. While admirable, such a narrow niche may not have enough work to sustain that writer full time.
Niches limit the playing field and can do more harm than good, which is why Writers Do NOT Need a Niche to Be Successful.
Content writing and copywriting are niches in and of themselves, so there’s no need to narrow it down any further- especially if the writer is new and looking for experience.
However, some niches can be very lucrative if done right. A doctor who chooses to write for the medical field can make it in a narrower market. The same goes for an accountant who writes financial articles or a gardener who writes for an agricultural company.
The difference is that these writers have the knowledge and experience to make them experts in their field, whereas a general copy or content writer will not.
Experts may tout niche writing as the end-all, be-all career choice for writers, but that’s not the case. Writing is a vast, versatile career that’s full of growth opportunities. Anchoring that career to a single topic severely limits those possibilities.
My advice is to stay away from niches unless you absolutely need or want one. That way, you can be free to explore the amazing world that is writing!
