Finding your "Niche"

I have mixed feelings on "niching" yourself. 

Time will tell... but for now I'm back on the "general" train. 

When I first started learning about copywriting, it seemed everywhere I went, people were saying "Pick your niche!" "You'll find greater success once you settle into a niche!" 

That may be true, but I do not advocate jumping into a niche from the very beginning. 

I tried that, and I found it very difficult. 

First off, trying to decide on a niche when you're new... you don't know what you'll actually like doing and what you'll be good at. 

I "picked a niche" like 3 times within a month. 

Then each time I delved a little further into that particular niche, I found it either didn't interest me after all, or something interested me more.

So I switched.  (Some may call this shiny ball syndrome, but I believe in following your heart.) 

In two of the niches I went so far as creating specialized business cards for myself. 

So now I have 3 sets of business cards. 

Here is my take on the whole niche idea:

Yes, if you specialize in a certain area, you will gain more credibility in that area, more people will know you in that area, and in time you can get higher fees for your work. 

BUT

If you're new, you haven't built up the credibility, no one knows you in that field (unless you worked in it in previous jobs), and people aren't likely to pay high fees to a no-name stranger. 

To make this personal, I had finally "realized" that my niche would be the racing industry.  And to be even more specific, IndyCar. 

I chose that because I genuinely enjoy racing. 
I've grown up around it, to some degree. 
I would like to learn more about it.

Those are all great reasons to pick a niche. 

So I jumped in with both feet (as I do with pretty much everything). 

I totally changed my website.  I ordered new business cards. 

I started reading anything IndyCar-related that I could find. 
I signed up for online forums.
I joined groups. 

And I started marketing my services to businesses that sold to or worked with IndyCar racing. 

It didn't take long for me to feel like I was in over my head. 

The reason being, while I had the interest in IndyCar, I didn't have a lot of personal experience (beyond that of a casual fan). 

While I did learn some stuff in a relatively short period of time about the industry, I still felt like I had a far ways to go. 

I still felt like everyone else in the industry knew way more than I did.  This rocked my confidence. 

And when you're marketing yourself and trying to get people to pay you for something, you better have confidence! 

So after some deliberation, I decided to back out of the IndyCar niche and focus on copywriting in general.

What this did for me is it took the pressure off! 
It opened up my world. 
I felt freer to pursue ANY business and ANY route that grabbed my interest. 

My energy and excitement was back.  -- Yes, when I focused so specifically on my chosen niche, I felt a gradual decline in energy and interest. 

What I've come to realize about myself is I have a wide array of interests.  And I'd like to be open to pursuing any one of them, should an opportunity or idea arise.

My advice to you, is to pay attention to your energy, #1, and #2, don't do something just because people tell you you "should." 

Chances are, you're choosing to be a writer for the freedom of it.  Why take away that freedom by focusing on a tiny field? 

Unless, of course, that tiny field is your heart and soul and the only thing you want to focus on.

In time, I'll let you know how this decision impacted the trajectory of my career. 

I know I'm interested to find that out and watch what happens. 

For now, though, don't worry about choosing a niche. 

Listen to your heart, your gut, and follow your energy. 

And don't be afraid to change! 

Once I had declared that my niche was IndyCar racing, I was proud of it! 

This presented an ego problem when I realized I wanted to change my mind. 

I had announced to everyone the area of my focus! 
What would they think? 

Who cares! 

This is your life... your writing career... you're free to do whatever you want! 

So get out there and let your heart and energy be your guide!