#016: The Niche Myth: Why You DON'T Need to Specialize to Launch a Successful Writing Business

Welcome to the High Income Business Writing Podcast, helping you propel your writing business to a whole new level. And now, here's your host, Ed Gandia.

Hey everyone, thanks for joining me for episode 16 of the High Income Business Writing Podcast. I am your host, Ed Gandia and this is the podcast for business writers and copywriters who want to take their writing businesses to the six figure level or the part time equivalent. You can find detailed show notes of this episode by going to b2b launcher.com episode 16, the number 16. These are detailed show notes so you can reference later at your convenience. Today's topic is one that I'm really passionate about because this is an area that I see a lot of new and aspiring fans, freelance writers and copywriters gets get stuck in. And I think it's something that doesn't really need to cause the pain that in confusion that it causes out there in. I can see why it does, I can see why people get stuck here because there's a lot of, really a lot of mixed messages and information out there, the conflicting information. So today I'm going to be addressing the whole should you establish a niche issue. You know, should you specialize, should you have a niche? And we're going to go in depth into this issue and hopefully my discussion here will give you some clarity as to how you should approach the whole issue. This whole question, this whole should I specialize, should I have a target market, should I have a niche? Is one of the biggest factors that holds back new and aspiring business writers and copywriters. Now let me just be very clear about something and then we're gonna get, we're gonna do a deep dive in the topic. You don't need one. Okay, so let me just be very clear about that. You don't need a niche, you don't need a target market, you don't need a specialty to get started. This issue holds back a lot of people. You know, I want to give you a metaphor here to kind of explain why this shouldn't hold you back. I want you to think about have you been to college, university, or if you have kids who are going there or have been there. You know, when you're 20 years old, you're supposed to pick a major, you're in college and you're supposed to declare a major somewhere around 20, 19, 20, 21. And I don't know about you, but you know, at 20 years old I didn't have enough experience to really make a solid decision. Now I ended up making a decision that was actually right for me, but I think it was, I was an exception. I just got lucky. Most kids have no idea. You know, you haven't been out in the workforce for that long. Maybe you've had some part time jobs, maybe you worked as a teenager, be 20 years old and you' supposed to declare a major. That's, you know, theoretically this is supposed to be what you're going to go out into the workforce and do. And I think that's, that's a, that's a tall order. That's a very high expectation of kids. And it's the same thing when, when you're starting out as a freelance writer, freelance copywriter, you're supposed to declare something when you don't know enough, you haven't been out there long enough to really see if this is going to be a smart decision, the right fit for you, and so forth. So keep that in mind as we go through this discussion because the parallels are very, very similar. Now let's get clear on some definitions because there's a very distinct difference between a target market and a niche or specialty. So a target market is a defined group of prospects that you go off and go off after, or that you go after period. So let's say hospitals or food companies, or heavy equipment manufacturers, or accounting firms, consulting firms, whatever. So that's a defined target market. It's a group of companies, businesses, organizations. A niche or specialty in my world is what you're known for or what you want to be known for. So let me give you some examples. In my case, I write all kinds of copy and I can work on a variety of different projects. I can do white papers, I can write case studies, web copy, lead generation, emails, brochures, direct mail, etc. But what I'm really known for is white papers, case studies and bylined articles. So that's my specialty. My target market, however, is enterprise software companies. These are companies that sell software systems that run into the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. Now again, you don't need to have either of these a target market or a niche or specialty at this point in your career. If you're just starting out, if you've recently started, or if you're aspiring to launch your business soon, if there's something in your work background that screams pick me, pick me, you know, you have to focus in this particular area, inside business to business writing, because of your work history, because of your contacts, because of your network, then by all means take a look at that. Or let's say you Absolutely love writing a specific type of project. Let's say case studies, and that's all you want to do, or most of what you want to do, that's fine as well, but you don't have to have either. One, you can keep your business focused on just offering business content to the corporate market, for example. That distinction alone will be enough to get you started. And once you find your way through the business, you can then decide on an area or a market to focus on. Again, going back to the college or university metaphor, once you get out into the workforce, then you can kind of find your way through. You can determine what works best, what you like, don't like, and so forth. Now, having a niche or a target market to focus on is a very smart thing. So don't get me wrong there. I really believe that in the long run it can help you land better clients faster and it can help you earn higher fees, everything else being equal, of course. But again, it's not something you have to establish early on in your business. All right, so let's talk about how you can pick the right niche for you or the right specialty. And there are three ways to narrow your focus. Again, I'm going to walk you through this exercise. Now. I'm going to keep repeating this. If after you go through this whole exercise you still can't find something, don't worry. You can start out as a generalist and then find your way and then make some adjustments later. I'm just going to walk you through this just in case. It will help you with reach some level of clarity. And for many of you, it will. There are three ways to narrow your focus. Number one is you can have a specific target market or markets that you focus on. We talked about that. Number two is you could have a specific project type or project types that you focus on. Number three, you could really bring out or talk about an aptitude or set of aptitudes or skills or knowledge that make you different from most other writers out there. And really there's a kind of a 3.5 here, which is a combination of any of these three. So specific target marketer markets, a specific type of project type or type types, an aptitude, skill, knowledge, etc. That make you different from most or any combination of these three. So I want you to start this process by focusing on number one. Let's just take that one first, which is a specific target marketer market. And I want you to look at your professional background and ask yourself, have you worked in an industry that markets and sells products or services that that are either or were either new, expensive or complex. These three factors, new, expensive or complex, are what you need to have a real demand for content and copy. You need at least two out of these three to have a viable market for your business to business or commercial writing services. If you're not sure if some of the industries that you've worked in in the past, if what they're selling is new, expensive or complex, here's another way you can look at it. Or here's another way you can explore this further. Look through the websites of at least a dozen companies in that industry and see if they have a lot of marketing content posted on their sites or available on their site. Look for things such as white papers, case studies or customer success stories, articles, brochures, they have a steady blog, other marketing collateral. Those types of documents, those types of marketing content, are an indication that the industry is marketing products and services that don't just sell themselves. They need to be actively marketed and sold, which means that their products or services are probably new, expensive and complex, or at least a combination of those three factors. There are many, many different industries that fit that criteria. I'll just give you some of them, but please, these are just some examples. There are many, many more. Don't think that this is limited to this list. High end professional services. So high end consulting, services, tax audit. There are all kinds of professional services that are new, expensive, complex, or all three or some combination of those. Technology is kind of a given one, because technology is always changing, whether it's hardware, software, you know, green technology, there's just all kinds of kind of mini sectors throughout and some that are really big. And in technology, medical equipment, energy, another huge one, architectural engineering, construction. And again, these are just some off the top of my head that fit this criteria. There are a couple of dozen that easily fit at least two out of those three. Now I often get asked, well, what if it's been a while since I've worked in one of these industries? I say, you know what, that's okay as long as you were there long enough to get to know the business fairly well, develop some relationships, develop some credibility and some relevant knowledge and experience. I think that's fine. Now if it's been 30 years, then you may want to take a look at a different industry that you've worked in. But I encourage you to look back at your full career and explore different industries you've worked in, different areas of the industry that you've worked in. I'll give you an example from my own business, my own career. I worked in a couple of different industries and I had a few different passions. Believe it or not, when I was looking to launch my business, I was torn between two very different industries to focus on. I had my software background, so I was thinking about going after the software market. But I also had a deep, and still do have a deep passion for wine. And the reason I decided to go for software finally is, well, first of all, I love the idea of writing about wine because I mean, then I'd be doing this all the time and I thought, you know, catch that romantic view of the whole thing, right? Oh, that'd be great. I get to travel to wineries and you know, get cases of wine shipped to me. I mean, I don't know, you know, I had this image in my head that it was going to be, that it was going to be really cool like that. And so that was very attractive. But the reason I decided to go for software is. Well, a couple of reasons. Going back to the exercise that I just described here. When it comes to wine, is it new, expensive or complex or any combination of those? Well, it's not new, it can be expensive. And is it complex? Well, not in the sense of, you know, complex. Hard to define, hard to explain. So it really didn't fit that it's a consumer market. So it really didn't fit that it's a consumer market. There's not a lot of writing. Does it need to be sold? Does it need to be marketed? Yes, it does need to be marketed, but not in the sense that it requires a lot of content. So it just, it didn't make sense. I really wanted to make it work, but it didn't make business. Good business sense. Software, is it new, expensive, complex? Yes, very much. All three of them. Does it need to be sold? Does it need to be marketed? Absolutely. Does it require a lot of content? Yes. So it was really kind of a no brainer. But again, I was really torn. Now those are two extremes, but I wanted to give you an idea of how you can take a look at this because in a few minutes I'm going to walk you through another exercise that will explore your hobbies, interests and so forth. And that really play a part in this decision. Now I also want you to ask yourself, as you're going through these exercises and you're looking at different industries that you have experience in, is the market large enough? So for instance, the waterworks industry. I worked in the waterworks industry for several years. I Sold large diameter pipe valves and fittings for water mains, sewer systems and so forth. And that's a really, really big industry infrastructure. I could have gone in that direction and some people do. I've worked with several coaching clients that work there and they specialize there. And I think it's smart to do that. It's new, it can be expensive, very expensive, and it can be complex, some of these systems, but be careful not to narrow it too much. So, for example, waterworks industry would be fine. But let's say you wanted to focus on a specific sector of the waterworks industry, let's say a specific type of control equipment that has maybe 20 total players in the whole world. 20 companies in the whole world that manufacture these systems. I think that's too narrow because your universe of prospects is only about 20 different companies. And that's, that's not large enough. So be careful, don't fall into this trap of taking a slice of a slice of a slice. In other words, going too narrow in your target market or your specialty or niche, that you narrow it down too much. I think the safest place to plan is to go narrow enough that you're somewhere in the middle or closer to the top. See, just by taking that first step or two down this path, you've really differentiated yourself from most other writers. But it's not so specific that you've severely limited your market. And then the other question to ask yourself is, does it interest you? And you don't have to be too scientific about this decision. Don't look at pure demand. You know, make sure that you have a real interest in the topic in the industry. So you know, don't make these decisions strictly with your left brain. Make it with your right brain and your heart as well. Make sure that it would interest you enough that you could actually write about this most of the time. Now let's go into the next area of specializing, and that is by project type. So if you have relevant experience writing any of the most common and in demand business writing projects today, for instance, and this is not limited to this list, but these are some of the most common white papers, case studies or customer success stories, articles, newsletters, blog posts, web copy, those types of things, you know, the real common stuff. Then this make it with your right brain and your heart as well. Make sure that it would interest you enough that you could actually write about this most of the time. Now let's go into it. Be something to consider specializing in. Now if you're going to specialize on a specific project or the next area of specializing, and that is by project type. So if you have relevant experience writing for project types, again, just make sure that you love that kind of work because you'll be doing this all the time or most of the time. My colleague, Casey Hibbert writes case studies all the time. That's all she does. Any of the most common and in demand business writing projects today, for instance. And this is not so she really has to like. And she does. She loves this kind of work, which is a good thing because that's all she does. My, my friend and colleague Gordon Graham is another example. Now, he doesn't write white papers strictly, I believe he's told me it's about 80% white papers and then maybe 10%, 15% case studies and limited to this list. But these are some of the most common white papers. Case studies or customer success stories. Articles, newsletters, blog posts, web copy, those types of things, you know, the real common stuff, then this. The rest is other types of projects. But still, 80% white papers would be something to consider specializing in. Now, if you're going to specialize on a specific project, you better believe that Gordon really loves white papers. This is what he spends most of his time doing. I've met writers who focus on writing speeches for executives in the corporate market. That's all they do. So you know, they are project types. Again, just make sure that you love that kind of work because you'll be doing love it. You have to love it. I have a client who is in this all the time or most of the time. My colleague Casey Hibbard writes case studies all the time. That's all she does is focusing or specializing in writing very long reports in the corporate market. I'm talking about 50, 100 pages or longer. So, you know, you have to love that kind of work because this is not the kind of thing that, well, sounds good and it commands high fees. So let me go ahead and do it, man, let me tell you. So she really has to like and she does. She loves this kind of work. We got to be. When you're in the middle of it, if you don't love doing this stuff, you're going to be. The money is no longer going to matter. You're going to be hating life. So make sure you like the kind of work. The third area to consider when trying to make this decision again is the looking at your aptitudes, your skills, knowledge. And I urge you to kind of take an inventory of things about you that make you different from Most writers, this is not so much about focusing on a specific target market or developing a project specialty as it is about communicating your difference. And frankly, it's something I recommend you do anyway, regardless of whether or not you're going to start out as a specialist or generalist, or whether you've already determined, okay, I'm going to focus on this industry. I think this last area is something that everyone should look at and communicate in their copy, in their conversation with prospects and so forth, which is a good thing, because that's all she does. My friend and colleague Gordon Graham is another example. Now, he doesn't write white papers strictly, I believe he's told ME it's about 80% white papers and then maybe 10%, 15% case studies, and the rest is other types of projects, but still 80% white papers. You better believe that Gordon really loves white papers. This is what he spends most of his time doing. Here's an exercise that will help you uncover some ideas to work from. Very simple exercise. I want you to take some time to make a list of the following items as it pertains to you. Your background. I've met writers who focus on writing speeches. Your experience, your education skills. For executives in the corporate market, that's all they do. So, you know, they specialize knowledge that you have, certifications, achievements, accomplishments, awards, aptitudes, likes and dislikes, hobbies. So just love it. You have to love it. I have a client who is. Make a thorough list. Take your time with this. Make a list of what attributes focusing or specializing in writing very long you might possess under each of these categories. And you know, I would actually carve out an hour or two to do this, just, just to kind of get it all on paper. Not to go through the whole analysis, but just get it all on paper and revisit this list. You won't think of everything the first time. This is something that you know you're going to keep going back to and adding to it. So after a few days of adding to the list, let it rest for a few days and come back to it and read what you've, you've put down and see if anything pops out. Now, for some of you, your difference will be fairly obvious. For instance, reports in the corporate market, I'm talking about 50, 100 pages or longer. So, you know, you have to love that kind of work because this is not the kind of thing that, well, sounds good and it commands high fees. So let me go ahead and do it, man, let me tell you, you got to be when you're in the middle of it, if you don't love doing this stuff, you're going to be the money is no longer going to matter. You're going to be hating life. So make sure you like the kind of work. You've been working in the medical equipment field for eight years or you've been a journalist for 17 years and have spent much of your career writing about chemicals and manufacturing. You know those industries or maybe you've you've written dozens. The third area to consider when trying to make this decision again, it's the looking at your aptitudes, your skills, knowledge of research reports over the years as an employee or you've been a corporate marketing communications Mitch. I urge you to kind of take an inventory of things about you that make you different from most writers. This is not so much about focusing on a specific target market or manager. You know, those sorts of things. In other words, what you've done over the last 20 or 20 years has left some clues as to what you could bring to the table as a business to business writer, copywriter, content writer. And if that's the case, that may be where you want to focus. When I was starting out or developing a project specialty is it is about communicating your difference and frankly it's something I recommend you do anyway, regardless of whether or not you're going to start out as a I saw two things that stood out for me. You know, this is once I kind of decided look, I'm going to go into. I'm going to go into software. But I took a deeper dive. And when I went through this exercise, one of the things that stood out was my experience in the software industry. I knew that business pretty well after working in that industry for about four years at the time specialists or generalists or whether you've already determined okay, I'm going to focus on this industry. I think this, this last area is something everyone should look at and communicate in their copy, in their conversation with prospects and so forth. I was making this decision and the second attribute that stood out for me was my sales background and my sales experience and track record. And I decided to talk about how I brought my street level sales experience to bear in my marketing writing and how I approach copywriting from the viewpoint of the people who would ultimately here's an exercise that will help you uncover some ideas to work from. Very simple exercise. I want you to take some time to make a list of the following a benefit from it the most the sales team that made me very different from many of the other writers out there who may have had more experience writing, who are better writer items as it pertains to you, your background years, but had little to no experience in the trenches doing that real face to face selling. Now that was my story, my situation. I don't want you, your experience, your education, skill, you to think, you have to copy that or you have to have had that kind of experience or background in order to be successful as a business writer. Not at all. You have to find your story, you have to find your uniqueness. And all of us have that. You may have to dig deep, you may have to really think about this. And as obvious as it might seem to me now, specialized knowledge that you have certifications. I really had to think through this. And those two things eventually emerged, but they weren't obvious. Achievements, accomplishments, awards, aptitudes, likes and dislikes, hobbies. So just make a thorough list, Take your time with this. Make a list of what attributes at first so you have to give this time. Again, I can't emphasize enough. You don't need to have a niche or a specific target market when you're starting out, and you don't need to have a sales or marketing background or experience or even a journal you might possess under each of these categories and degree in order to have something to talk about. That's another common misconception. Equally effective could be a couple of statements that explain, you know, I would actually carve out an hour or two to do this just just to kind of why you're different and specifically why you're different in a way that has little to do with a Get it all on paper. Not to go through the whole analysis, but just get it all on paper and revisit this list. You won't think of everything the first time. This is something that you know, you get a niche market or I mean a specific target market or a niche or specialty, for instance, keep going back to and adding to it. So after a few days of adding to the list, a demonstrated experience and passion for, let's say working with disabled children probably shows that you have a highly empathetic personality. That could mean that you're an ideal freelancer for companies that need to communicate very empathetic tone in order to strike a chord with their target audience. So notice how and let it rest for a few days and come back to it and read what you've you've put down and see if anything pops out. Now, for some of you, your difference will be fairly obvious. For instance, this example I found Something that, you know, on the surface may not have seemed to be relevant or important or powerful enough. And you connected the dots, right, in a way that will resonate with a specific target audience. In this case, many different target audiences. The coaching client of mine is an actor. You've been working in the medical equipment field for eight years or you've been a journalist for 17 years and have spent much of your career writing about chemicals and manufacturing. And he writes screenplays as a hobby. So he's positioned himself as a writer who knows how to bring the powerful elements of story and character to business writing in order to make it more compelling. Now that came out of him. I didn't tell him to do that, but when he thought through this process, he realized that this was, you know, one of the possibilities. And I thought it was really powerful. And he went with it. And it's, it's working out very well. So again, this is the kind of thing you can't, you know, don't rush through it. You're going to have to give it time, something for some of you, it might be obvious. Even when it's obvious, I would still give it some time. You might find something even better or you may find, you know, those industries or maybe you've, you've written dozens of research reports over the years as an employee or you've been a corporate marketing, communications manager, you know, those sorts of things. In other words, what you've done over the last 20 or 20 years has left some clues as to what you could bring to mind. A richer, better way to explain it. And for those of you who can't seem to find something right away, please don't stress out, don't rush through this. The answers will emerge. You got to give it time. The bottom line is this to recap if there's something in your work back table as a business to business writer, copywriter, content writer. And if that's the case, that may be where you want to focus. When I was starting out, background that screams pick me, pick me, then pay attention to it. That might be a great target market or area specialization that you may want to focus on. But if after some searching and digging you're not uncovering anything obvious, again, that's okay. It's much better to start out today as a general. I saw two things that stood out for me. You know, this is once I kind of decided, look, I'm going to go into, I'm going to go into software. But I took a deeper dive and when I went through this exercise list than to stall and never get started. I've seen it over and over again with new freelance writers. They spent way too much time looking for their niche and eventually that just becomes a crutch. It becomes an excuse to put off their business launch. So don't make that mistake. Don't start. One of the things that stood out was my experience in the software industry. I knew that business pretty well after working in that industry for about four years at the time I was making this decision. The second attribute that stood out for me was my sales background and my sales experience and track record. And I decided to all go through this exercise, give it the time it deserves. But if you're not finding something, it's obvious. If it's just not coming out, focus on that third area. We talked about the whole difference area and go with that. Just have a you can start out with a clear general message, focus on what makes you a little different. But it doesn't have to be a target market, it doesn't have to be a specific project type. As your business develops, you can always choose to position you talk about how I brought my street level sales experience to bear in my marketing self differently and pursue specific markets or projects that you enjoy more. In fact, this is one of the most common paths to success. Get going first and you'll just writing and how I approach copywriting from the viewpoint of the people who would ultimately benefit from it the most, the sales team. That made me very different from many of the other writers out there who may have had more experience writing, who are better writers. Find your way. Just like going back to our earlier example, but had little to no experience in the trenches doing that real face. It's like a college student finds his or her way after getting a, let's say a plain vanilla degree going out into the workforce. Once they've been out there for a few years, that clarity just comes and that's when it makes sense to focus further and possibly go face selling. Now that was my story, my situation. I don't want you to think you have to copy that or you have to have had that kind of experience or background in order to be successful as a business writer. Not at all. You have to find your story, you have to find your uniqueness. And all of us have that. You may have to dig deep, you may have to really think about this. And as obvious as it might seem to me now, go back to school or look for a more focused career path. But up until that point, all decisions can only be based on guesswork so that's it for today's show. I wanted to remind you that you can grab the detailed show notes for this episode@b2b launcher.com Episode 16 that's the number 16. And episode 16 is all together, no spaces. These are detailed show notes that make great reference material, especially if you're somewhere where you can't take notes. If you enjoyed this episode, I hope you consider sharing it with friends and colleagues. And the easiest way to do that is I really had to think through this and those two things eventually emerged, but they weren't obvious at first, so you have to give this time. Again, I can't emphasize enough to go to b2b launcher.com love or just you don't need to have a niche or a specific target market when you're starting out, and you don't need to have a sales or marketing background or experience or even a journal. Simply use any of the social media sharing buttons on the show Notes page. Finally, if you enjoyed the show and you're getting value from it, I'd be so grateful if you could give it a star rating or a sentence or two in iTunes and ratings and reviews. I got to tell you, it play a huge role in keeping the show highly visible, and it increases the chances that those who need to hear this material will find it. The easiest way to leave a review is to go to b2b launcher.com forward/itunes. So that's it for today's episode. I am your host, Ed Gandia. In order to have something to talk about, that's another comment. Thanks again for listening and I hope you have an awesome day.

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Effective could be a couple of statements that explain why you're different, and specifically why you're different in a way that has little to do with a niche market or I mean, a specific target market, or a niche or specialty. For instance, a demonstrated experience and passion for, let's say, working with disabled children probably shows that you have a highly empathetic personality. That could mean that you're an ideal freelancer for companies that need to communicate a very empathetic tone in order to strike a chord with their target audience. So notice how in this example, I found something that, you know, on the surface may not have seemed to be relevant or important or powerful enough, and you connected the dots right in a way that will resonate with a specific target audience within this.