Life as a freelancer demands a certain amount of flexibility. You’re constantly occupying different roles and adapting your writing style to suit different clients. It’s this ability to adapt that keeps good writers in high demand for top freelance jobs. The key is to discover the genre you most enjoy and develop your niche based on your personal interests.

Finding the Genre that Elevates Your Brand Will Help You Find Freelance Jobs

As freelancers, we are more often than not called to release our personal passions and innate personalities to morph into the brand representation of our clients. That flexibility and ability to adapt is one of the reasons many clients seek us out to help support their outsourcing needs. We are the ultimate “actors.”

However, this constant pivoting in our writing style can have two results. Many of us love the variability and thrive on always writing something new. But some of us will feel frustrated, working on projects and jobs that are not the best fit for our interests and personal creative style.

Is there a way to reduce this frustration while also growing a brand and setting the course for a long, successful career as a freelancer? Yes!

It’s time to ask yourself what you do best as a writer. You can then define your niche and start to attract freelance jobs more in line with your passions.

Discovering the genre that you enjoy most can be an important step to finding the freelance jobs and contracts that you really thrive in. Opening this door creates the opportunity to develop a brand identity that clearly communicates your expertise to your potential clients, while also keeping you in a niche that motivates and inspires you. Capitalizing on your niche specialty in a way that elevates your business and brand starts with exploration. 

Once you start down that path of discovery, you are able to organically define your genre as you put systems in place to attract projects that align with your unique talents and areas of interest.

TRUTH: You Do Not Have to Be Everything to Everyone

Freelancers often make the assumption that because they are “free” they must be open to accepting every kind of freelance job on every potential topic.

This is false!

Similar to every other aspect of your personal and professional life, you do not (and can not) be everything to everyone. Yes, some freelancers will do very well across a variety of genres, because their unique talent and interests lay with a deep love for diversity in their work. But a great many of us do not thrive at that level of adaptability, so deciding that we cannot be everything to everyone is not a sign of weakness or failure, but rather a candid statement that helps drive our business model to those areas of expertise where we do shine.

Why is this important? If we continue to force ourselves to take on projects outside of our strengths and personal interests, we can grow bored and frustrated with our work. This naturally chips away at our final products and brand identity. Simply put, our annoyance shows! It’s reflected in our work, our timeliness on delivery, our interactions with our clients…mental and creative stagnation is a swift-moving poison that can kill our productivity and our reputation if we don’t take active measures to shift back into our niche.

The key is to know where we thrive and play to our strengths. Remember, choosing a genre and developing a niche does not mean that you are pigeon-holing yourself to only one style and one voice – there will always be a need for flexibility and the creative ability to mirror the brand and voice of your client. We are instead simply referring to the internal dialogue that allows you to identify your areas of interest and seek to engage clients that spark your creativity and excitement as a freelance artist.

There are many available genres that can identify themselves as your “sweet spot.” This can present itself in both the style of writing, the topics and the final format.

Popular Writing Styles:

  • Descriptive Writing
  • Persuasive Writing
  • Expository Writing
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Narrative Writing

Popular Topics:

  • Small Business
  • Social Media
  • Medical
  • Research-Based
  • General Health and Wellness
  • Family Issues
  • Relationships
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Art and History
  • Social Issues
  • Finance

Popular Formats:

  • Blog Posts
  • Whitepapers
  • Email Templates
  • E-zines
  • Q&A
  • Research Articles
  • Newspaper Features
  • Film
  • Reviews
  • Ad Copy
  • Graphic Design
  • Nonprofit Campaigns

Let’s start with two questions that you can ask yourself:

  1. What are you GREAT at? Know your talents. Understand your skill set and communicate those areas of interest where you can confidently say “I am awesome!” Marketing the skills that you can rock with ease is a smart business move where everyone wins. Your workload and burden are diminished as your innate talents move you swiftly through the copywriting process. Your clients are happy because their final product is top notch and reflects your authority and expertise.
  2. What do you LOVE? Half the battle in finding your niche as a freelancer is figuring out what you subjects you really enjoy writing about! What are those jobs that come your way and spark a deep sense of excitement and personal interest? What do you have the most fun writing? When you enjoy your work, it shows. And while it’s hard work, writing in your passion area makes life a lot brighter. Your written copy radiates your interest and happiness, which is another big win for both you and your client.

THE MAGIC NUMBER: Talent + Interest² = Your Niche

When you combine the skills that you are great at with the projects that you love doing then you’ve discovered freelancing nirvana. This is your sweet spot, your niche, your brand!

Finish this statement…

“I really love writing about _______________. I’m a _________________ writer who enjoys delivering _______________ to my clients.”

For example, “I really love writing about the latest trends in social media. I’m a compare and contrast writer who enjoys delivering blog posts to my clients.”

Another example, “I really love writing about health and wellness. I’m a descriptive writer who enjoys delivering Q&A style articles to my clients.”

See where we are going here? Not only are you developing your brand identity and niche, but you’ve also taken one step closer to your elevator pitch. That one simple statement that gives your prospective clients the inside scoop on exactly what you do well, how you do it and why you’re looking for freelance jobs in their industry!

Release the Pressure

Now that you’ve discovered that you don’t have to be everything to everyone in order to be a successful freelancer, you can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

You truly are free!

You can create what you want and work with those clients that are the best fit for you. Properly establishing your niche and communicating your talent to your marketplace will help you capitalize on your strengths and those areas that really play to your personal passions.

When you’re happy, your work is top-notch and your clients will keep coming back for your stellar work. That is the true mark of a business owner who is on the path to long-term profitability. And, if you’re ready to improve more than just your elevator pitch, find out how Spera can help you reach your goals our freelance website services.

Cristiano

Author Cristiano

More posts by Cristiano

Leave a Reply