Selecting a content writing niche- Beginner’s Guide

Many people online and offline would have suggested you pick up a content writing niche and write specifically on it.

Many would have said, “It is good to be niche-focused. As a writer, you need to work in as specific niche as possible.”

And how many times do you find yourself stuck and not able to select a niche?

You would agree with me when I say:

Selecting a niche isn’t a cakewalk. Especially, when you are starting out.

When I started as a freelance writer, I was completely confused regarding niche selection.

I believed I could write in each and every available niche. But I was wrong.

With time I have understood- It is always good to have a niche.

Before discussing how to select a niche, let us first understand the concept and importance of niche selection.

What is a content writing niche?

In simple terms, a niche is nothing but a subject or topic. 

Niches vary from personal finance to parenting, from digital marketing to health and wellness and everything in between.

Your content writing niche can be any topic of your choice.

When you write in a particular niche, you target only a specific segment or type of people who have interests in that topic.

Why is selecting a niche important?

You would have heard the proverb:

A jack of all is a master of none.

This proverb holds true in all spheres of life. You have to accept the fact that you cannot excel in each and everything. You have to pick up one thing and excel in it.

There is a misconception among beginners that writing in one particular niche reduces the opportunities. That is not true!

When we talk of the long term, writing on one niche seems to be highly beneficial.

It works as generalisation and specialisation.

If you write on all niches, you become a generalist just as a general doctor.

But if you write in a particular niche and excel in it, you become a specialist like a cardiologist.

What do you think who earns better- a general doctor or a cardiologist?

But, the question is:

How to select a content writing niche as a beginner?

The best way I would suggest is the trial and error method.

If you are just starting out, you should always remember that things take time and efforts.

You will have to give in time and put in efforts to learn and grow as a content writer.

Step 1- Make a list

List down all the niches/topics you feel you are interested in and love writing. Do not worry if it is a long long list.

Here are a few examples you can consider: Physical health, mental health, nutrition, digital marketing, taxes, security, automobiles, parenting etc.

Make your own list. But, make sure the list contains only those topics you are interested in and love writing.

Step 2- Brainstorm

After preparing the long list, sit and brainstorm over each and every niche you have written down. Ask yourself the following questions:

How can you benefit your reader by writing on that particular topic?

What experience do you have in that field/topic?

Would you really love writing about that topic every single day?

Retain the topics that have affirmative answers for all three questions and strike off the rest.

This step will be the first set of filtration.

Step 3- Starting reading and writing

After the first level of filtration, pick one topic from the list. Start researching, reading and writing on that topic every single day.

Read a minimum of 5 blogs on your chosen topic. You can also purchase books in a particular niche and start reading them.

Write at least 500 words each day on that topic. You can blog on that topic on various blogging platforms such as medium.com, blogger.com, wordpress.com.

Write on one topic for one month.

In the next month, do the same for another topic/niche.

Repeat this every month till you have covered all the niches on your list.

It will help you in multiple ways.

You will imbibe a habit of reading and writing every day. This habit will improve your vocabulary and your writing style.

You can build your portfolio in various niches. The blogs you have written will add value to your portfolio.

You can also take up projects in those niches initially to understand the market potential of those niches.

By spending one month writing on a particular topic, you will understand your liking towards that topic.

By the time you complete the entire list of topics, you would have self-analysed the topics you love to write on. 

And writing on those topics will widen your knowledge in that particular niche.

This trial and error method works as our education system.

From 1st grade to 10th grade, you learn various subjects. Then, after completing 10th grade, you need to choose between science, commerce and arts. After your 12th in one particular stream, you need to further narrow your topic for under graduation. The topic further narrows as you go on for higher education like masters, doctorate etc.

Similarly, you can initially write on various topics, and with time niche down to one particular niche.

After gaining experience, you can narrow to micro-niche as well. This process will make you a specialized content writer in one particular niche.

If you have not selected your niche yet, try this method and let me know if it works for you.

Hope you found this article useful.

Thank you for reading.