This is Key to Freedom in Freelancing
It’s not niches!
I’ve been a freelance writer for nearly two decades and I still feel like there’s so much more to learn. I can remember what it was like when I started freelancing.
Initially I was confused, I doubted myself.
Even though I’d been a great writer in school, I wasn’t sure I could be a freelance writer. It seemed there were so many different types of writing. I wasn’t sure what the differences were and how to decide what I was best suited for.
One of the most common things I heard back then was choose a niche! I wasn’t even clear on what a niche was then. And choosing a niche is definitely a critical decision but it’s actually not the most important when it comes to creating the writing business you dream about.
What type of writing suits you?
In nearly two decades of freelancing, I’ve learned it’s even more important to know what type of freelance writing suits your personality and your lifestyle, if you want to create a freelance career you love.
There are so many different ways you can get paid to write. Knowing who you are, how you work best, who you like to work with, and what kind of schedule you’d ideally like to have helps you choose a freelance writing style that will put the freedom into freelancing for you.
Choosing the type of freelance writing you will do is similar to building your clothing wardrobe. Build your wardrobe around the basic pieces so you can mix and match to suit your mood, the season, or the occasion.
And don’t forget you can always add accessories to spice things up a little bit.
The same is true for freelance writing in a way.
You can choose the type of writing you do based on what’s familiar to you, what you’re interested in, or based on your skills. Sometimes you may choose your type of writing because it’s best suited to your income needs or your current situation.
Once you’ve found the type of freelance writing that suits you, it’s easy to dress it up with pearls and heels or even borrow from another closet when you get bored.
To help make it easier, I’ve categorized the different types of writing for you below:
Content Writing
What is it?
Content writing is the broad term for just about any content you produce. When I first started out, though I didn’t know it at the time, I was doing content writing. A content writer produces blog posts, personal essays, Op-Ed pieces, journalistic feature articles, and social media posts. A freelance content writer produces content for someone else, usually a business owner or company.
Content writing is one of the most common forms of freelance writing, there’s a ton of variety, and it’s an easy area for beginners to break into. It’s a great way to get your feet wet in the writing arena.
The focus of content writing can be educational, promotional, informative, or entertaining. The length and format can vary widely and largely depends on the client goals. To be a more effective content writer, you’ll want to understand target audience, how content format is tied to user intent, and search engine optimization (SEO).
If you like sharing your knowledge with others, if you’re a natural teacher, or entertainer, content writing might be a good fit for you.
Copywriting
When it comes to promotional materials and marketing materials, this is where the copywriter shines. If you want to be a copywriter, it’s critical you understand the primary goal of this type of content is to sell.
Copywriters work on a variety of different types of content and the focus is to promote, persuade the reader to take action, or to sell a product.
- email sequences
- product descriptions
- buyer guides
- product reviews
- category descriptions
- sales pages
- gift guides
- white papers
- case studies
- website copy
To be a more effective copywriter, you’ll want to learn the techniques copywriters use to persuade and encourage readers to take action.
If you have experience in sales of any kind or if people have said you could sell water in the middle of a tsunami, copywriting might be right up your alley. It can be a high pressure industry with tight deadlines.
Copywriting is also a good field if you like telling the story behind a company or a product and it’s history, if you love to shop online, or if you are good at researching different products and comparing them. If you don’t like sales though, this type of writing probably isn’t the best fit for you.
Technical Writing
If you happen to have a background in a specialized field such as engineering, computer science, or medicine, consider technical writing as a specialty.
But the main skill you need to have in this area is the ability to write in simple terms about complex topics.
Writers in this specialty, write manuals, SOP’s, and evaluation reports targeted toward other experts in their field. Technical writing also encompasses things such as business plans, legal briefs, grant proposal writing, instructional or training content, and curriculum.
Technical writing is a good fit for those who naturally write in a more formal way and for those who are good at organizing content, workflow, information, and data.
If you’ve been told you can explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand way, technical writing is the place to start.
Journalism
Another type of freelance writing is traditional journalism. These are writers who specialize in writing feature articles and sometimes investigative reports about a topic or event. Often journalistic articles are a more comprehensive projects with tight deadlines.
The focus of journalistic writing is on presenting facts verified and supported with first person interviews, statistics, and other sources. Attention to detail and the ability to unearth sources to verify the accuracy of your article are critical. It can be a lucrative area but can be difficult to break into as a beginning writer or if you don’t have the required credentials.
Journalism is for the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys of writers. Tight deadlines can be common in this area. If you love a good mystery, can write quickly, and don’t mind putting in extra effort to get down to the truth and reveal the facts, consider journalism.
Other types of freelance writing
As with any career, some types of freelance writing don’t fall neatly into the above categories.
Ghostwriting
When you are a ghostwriter, you are writing content for someone else. This means your name won’t normally be associated with the final result. The client gets all the income from the sale of the final result. Sometimes you are ghostwriting for someone who has a story to tell but isn’t a writer. Other times you may be asked to write blog post content in the same tone and style as the blog owner who is just too busy to write their own content. Lots of writers ghostwrite fiction too.
Keep in mind though, you won’t receive any royalties or residuals or name recognition if you ghostwrite a book or other content. It can be a lucrative freelance writing job because the expectation is you can charge a higher rate because you give up the potential for future income and recognition.
Also remember, when you ghostwrite content, you won’t be able to link to it in your public portfolio without permission from your client. When ghostwriting, make sure you clarify what ways you can use the finished product with other potential clients.
Pro tip: If your client refuses to give any permission for you to share the project, you can list the type and size of the business (mid-size health food manufacturer) and the type of project (monthly blog post package, report, ebook, case study, etc.) in your portfolio without naming the company or linking to the work in an identifiable way.
Ghostwriting is a great fit for those who can tell an engaging story and who don’t mind being behind the scenes.
If you love to research and write but the thought of having your name on the cover of a book makes you want to curl up in a ball, you might make a good ghostwriter.
Resume writing
This type of writing is exactly what it sounds like. People who need a high-quality resume, often pay a freelance resume writer to write the content for them. Many freelance writers specialize in writing resumes and it can be a lucrative arena, depending on your skill level and the clients you serve.
If you understand how to elevate a housewife to a domestic engineer and if you have a variety of knowledge about different jobs and careers, consider resume writing.
If your friends and family come to you for help when they need a resume to apply for a job, resume writing could be well-suited for you.
Greeting Cards
If you have a way with words, especially those used to celebrate special life events, holidays, and everyday occasions, consider becoming a greeting card writer. There are numerous companies who will pay you to write greeting cards.
If you write words that evoke emotions without breaking a sweat, you might be able to earn money as a freelance greeting card writer. If you love to write poetry and don’t mind spending time to select just the right word to say what you need to say, this could be a good option for you to try.
There you have it. There are others of course, but these are the main ones.
My suggestion is to choose from this list based on your personality and personal interests. Spend some time researching the type of freelancing writing you want to do and try it out to be sure it’s a good fit.
Once you know which type of freelance writing suits you, it will be a lot easier to think about your next step, choosing your niche.
Here’s another way to put the freedom into your freelancing.
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Meg Stewart has been freelancing for nearly two decades. She’s a multi-passionate skill hoarder and the intersection of freelance writing, technology, and teaching is her sweet spot. Freelance Ladder was founded to help writers get paid and help solopreneurs do tech stuff better. Meg and her family, (along with two dogs, two cats, and two leopard geckos), live in Northeast Ohio.