‘To Niche or Not to Niche?’
… that is the question!
While Hamlet contemplated life or death, literally whether ‘To be, or not to be’, copywriters, thankfully, might only have to consider ‘should you write for a niche market?’
Nonetheless, it can be a dilemma. Especially for starting-out copywriters.
To niche, or not to niche’
With creative licence, I’ll also use it as a verb.
‘Niche’ comes from the Latin and French words for nest. And what goes in a nest? Eggs. Nests have a specialised purpose … to keep eggs together for the parent to incubate.
Basically, it’s a specialist area. For birds of the world, nest building is a niche market.
For some copywriters writing for a niche market could be because of a life in a highly specialised area.
How many of you have considered making some change to your lives only to abandon the idea when it feels too scary?!
It’s easier to stay where we feel comfortable.
Copywriters are no different.
They often come from other industries. And enter copywriting with a wealth of niche expertise.
I get asked if I only write about education. Not surprising … I’ve spent most of my working life in some form of education.
Sound familiar?
Wouldn’t it make sense to stay with what you already know?
In other words, stick with your existing niche. It’s safe.
However, while working as a busy teacher, I had many other interests. In other words, topics I can use to broaden my writing horizons.
Why wouldn’t I open those doors?
Closing them could cost me.
Mind you, it would be easy to target the education sector as I know it well and understand how it works.
So, to niche or not to niche?
Why not write for a niche?
One reason is that I’ve left that sector.
When you work in any industry for a long time, you gain specialist skills and expertise that tend to stay with you.
However, as a copywriter, you’re already specialising in a particular area of writing.
You have a chance to dip your pen into new industries. Flex your writing muscles and creative side.
How do you know what you’ll like or not like yet?
Starting out
Some experts advise new copywriters to find a niche.
In the beginning, copywriting is a learning curve so why add an additional mountain just so you can write about new topics? Easier to stick with what you know?
A hard decision. Perhaps not as serious as Hamlet’s but nonetheless … hard.
You want to generate work and you know your previous industry well, it would seem logical to target it.
Focussing on that market will at least give you confidence.
Good reasons not to niche? Perhaps … if you focus on your target market and start to build up a client base. They like your work, you’re getting business so why change what works?
But, consider that you might become trapped in that niche market.
What if you’ve written for a niche market so much that you’ve lost confidence to write about anything else?
While the market is busy, it could be a great idea.
However, look at what happened in 2020.
Economies crashed.
Many businesses closed.
External factors will always affect businesses.
Robots now serve people in some restaurants because some restaurants can’t find human staff.
Robot serving tables
©A Current Affair Nine Melbourne
Melbourne’s hospitality industry relied heavily on non-residents for staff. The result of the pandemic was that we are now low on those visa holders.
Meet BellaBot, a robowaiter in a Melbourne restaurant.
BellaBot works where human waiters worked before the pandemic.
The danger of specialising is that your niche may disappear!
Of course, you may be able to switch niches. At the moment, BellaBot is a novelty created to fill a gap that humans weren’t filling.
From niche to non-niche … a challenge!
But, let’s say you like a challenge and decide to focus on a new niche market.
On the one hand, you’re established and respected in your existing niche market.
This is the source of your work.
On the other hand, you’re unknown in other markets. Your brand is associated with your niche.
But consider if you get weary of writing about the same thing over and over because it’s expected of you. You could find yourself feeling trapped.
You might branch out and try new areas. Naturally that’s risky.
However, it depends on a few factors.
For my part, I love researching and writing about many things, learning about new topics. Therefore allowing for diversification. Obviously useful when a market or a product ends.
Consequently, I chose not to become a niche copywriter … for the time being at least.
The accidental niche content writer
Nevertheless, you might start out without specialising and find yourself loving writing for a particular market while getting lots of work in it.
Without intending to, you have ended up writing in a niche market.
This’ll be in your favour by showing that you are a competent writer who can move comfortably between markets.
When a new company notices your adaptability, they’ll be interested in your ability to work with their brand.
Given the effects of the pandemic, adaptability and ability to go with the new flow is an asset.
That’s not to say someone who chooses to find a niche, is any less skilled. It’s just different.
Someone who chooses to work broadly and not in a niche market, has the freedom to write about different topics.
It could be that as a copywriter you can find a niche market then switch to another. Alternatively, you might prefer that flexibility and variety.
All in all, the choice about working broadly or in a niche market ultimately belongs to you.
Let me write for your business … no matter what your business is!
https://deliaforrest.com.au/melbourne-copywriter
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