10 UNIQUE PROFITABLE WRITING NICHES
The reason why most content writers find it difficult to get clients is because they are operating in saturated market.
Every Content writer either writes social media content, books, blog articles or sales letters for small business owners or coaches.
Everybody is doing the same thing.
The truth is you can get the bulk of the money in an industry when you or your business becomes a monopoly. (monopoly is a business without Competition)
You need to be known as the go-to person for one thing. That’s what clients pay premium for.
For you to do that, you need to niche down.
There are two ways you can niche down.
1. Vertically (based on a service)
2. Horizontally (based on industry)
You can even do both.
For example, you can niche down to writing for B2B Saas business (Vertically).
You can also go further to Writing only case studies and press release for B2B Saas business (Horizontally)
10 UNIQUE PROFITABLE WRITING NICHES by peak freelance.
1. Annual reports
Annual reports are documents that allow businesses to report on their financial activity from the previous year to its shareholders.
Businesses tend to outsource writers to do this, so this is an exciting niche to look into.
Salary: Companies have different budgets to outsource their annual reports. It largely depends on the company’s size, the industry they work in, and how much work needs to be done to create the report.
A writer whose niche is annual reporting can make between $6,000 to $15,000 on average.
How to start: If you want to get into writing annual reports, tapping into your network would be a great way to get your name out there.
You could try reaching out to:
Friends and family
Old colleagues and Bosses
Local businesses in your area
Reaching out to people you already know, or could easily reach and offering to do their annual report could help you become the person they look to every time they need reports.
2. Case studies
Case studies are pieces of content that help companies prove they know their stuff. They form part of a larger marketing strategy and are typically used by sales teams when pitching their product/service to a potential customer.
Case studies are a step up from testimonials–hence why you can choose this as a freelance writing niche. They break down how their product/service was used, the positive result the existing client got–and why future clients should expect to see the same.
Salary: Case study writers tend to charge companies on a project fee basis rather than hourly.
Most freelance copywriters reportedly charge $1,500 to $2,000 per case study. This is higher than other freelance writing niches because the company can see how their investment in your writing leads to revenue for their business.
How to start: There are certain skills you’ll need to become a case study writer–especially interviewing, research, and understanding of what makes consumers buy things. Work on building those skills.
A good way to find your first case study writing client is to write about yourself. Have you used a product or tool that helped you get a positive outcome? Whether that’s saving time or finding new clients, write up a case study framing yourself and your results. Send that to the company. If they publish it, that’s one way to build your case study portfolio.
3. Grant writing
If a company needs money to work on projects that provide jobs and services that boost the economy, it can apply for a government grant. Companies often outsource grant writing to writers who understand the best practices for submitting a pitch that gets accepted.
Businesses in their early stages of production may hire grant writers, but nonprofit organizations and charities usually approach the typical grant writer.
While it might not sound like the most exciting writing niche to pursue, it’s a great option if you enjoy helping people and being part of something that helps the local community.
Salary: Depending on the organization you’re working with, research shows that freelance grant writers can earn between $25 and $100 per hour.
How to start: Start by researching what government agencies look for in grant proposals. That way, you’ll know how to write a proposal that helps the business achieve its goal: funding.
Next, start to build your experience. If there are local charities and initiatives you’re passionate about, reach out to them and offer to do grant research (this doesn’t have to be paid work). They might lean on you when they’re writing their next grant proposal.
4. Press releases
Press releases are pieces of content that generate publicity for launches and events. They send these press releases to journalists at national newspapers and local publications to publish them.
Businesses put a lot of time and effort into running a successful press release, so finding a writer that can properly convey their message isn’t a step they take lightly.
Salary: For writers charging per hour, an experienced writer typically charges $182 an hour, but the average for writers of all levels is $80 an hour. Writers who charge a flat fee for a press release range from $700 to $1,500.
How to start: If you want to write press releases, figure out which type of press releases you’d enjoy writing for the most—such as product launches, events, or funding announcements.
Next, build up your portfolio with free small press releases. You won’t be able to include your byline on press releases. However, building up work for your portfolio and getting your name out there amongst businesses will set you up for success with paying clients.
5. Research reports
A research report is a document that evaluates specific issues or queries that a business is looking into when creating or developing a strategy. The goal is to do data analysis, and prepare a report with those insights, to come to a conclusion on an issue.
Research reports require a lot more time than other types of writing niches, so if you enjoy researching and digging into the archives, research reports could be the niche you choose as a freelance writer.
Salary: As a freelance researcher, you can earn between $15 to $25 an hour, but if a client needs you to interview a source, these rates can rise to $25 to $35 an hour.
How to start: Start by taking on your own research projects. Sampling parts of older research projects you’ve done in the past would be a great way to show potential clients how you work and write up reports.
If you’re looking to start doing research reports for businesses, try reporting on surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. This will help to showcase your ability to find the information you need to report on.
Hope you are gaining somethings? Let’s continue reading 10 UNIQUE PROFITABLE WRITING NICHES
6. Technical manuals
A technical manual is a document that explains how to successfully install, operate, maintain and maintain a machine, system, or software in greater detail.
Technical manuals are created by businesses to make their product or service as usable to the end-user as possible. Many of these businesses don’t have the time or resources to create a manual themselves in-house, so they look for freelance technical writers to handle it for them.
Salary: The average technical writing specialist charges about $30 and $60 an hour. Writers who charge a flat fee for a 1,000 word tend to price their work between $90 and $120 per document.
How to start: If you have a background, or an interest in engineering, software, and IT, you’d be great at technical manual writing.
Start by finding a client you’d like to work with and reading the technical documents they already have. What are they doing well? What could they do better? If you can improve it, edit the document and pitch it to them.
(If they don’t already have technical documentation to describe how to use the product/software, pitch it. They need one!)
7. Whitepapers
Whitepapers are in-depth, detailed guides that report about a certain problem. The goal is to aggravate a problem a company’s target customer faces and explain how their product or service solves it.
Whitepapers are important marketing tools for most companies. They’re also ghostwritten from the perspective of a company founder, sales rep, or marketer. For that reason, freelance whitepaper writers can make a lot of money.
Salary: Because whitepapers allow businesses and organizations to educate, promote and sell to their customers and target audiences, a whitepaper writer can expect to make anywhere around $4,000 to $7,000+ per whitepaper.
How to start: Like the other B2B freelance writing niches we’ve mentioned so far, blogging is a natural segue into offering whitepaper writing services.
Build a client base of companies already relying on you for long-form content. Chances are, you’ll be their first port of call when they need longer content, including whitepapers. (You can always pitch your new whitepaper offering to them, too.)
The best part? You don’t need to have paying clients to start whitepaper writing. Create a freelance website and draft a whitepaper for yourself. So long as you can prove to potential clients that you know how to write, you’re ready to start pitching.
8. Speeches
Speechwriters are hired to prepare speeches for other people to deliver as their own. Independent speechwriters are usually given a brief of the concept and key messages to get across in the speech they’re creating. Usually, they have creative freedom when it comes to making the speech engaging.
Speechwriters are normally hired by:
Wedding planners for brides and grooms
Corporate event speakers
Politicians
Salary: Freelance speechwriters normally charge a flat fee rate for their work. This tends to be between $8 to $2,000. Well experienced writers can charge up to $15,000 for bigger clients.
The writers that charge hourly instead of project-based can make around $150 to $3.
2 more to go out of 10 UNIQUE PROFITABLE WRITING NICHES.
9. Scripts
Scriptwriting (or screenwriting) is creating stories in the screenplay medium. It involves writing the movement, actions, expressions, and dialogue of characters in a screenplay. Scriptwriters can write for film, explainer videos, tv, video games, and online web series.
Salary: A screenwriter can make $72,000 to $136,000 per year from all their writing projects combined.
How to start: Getting into script and screenwriting can be difficult because of how competitive the niche is, but following the right steps will make the process a lot easier for new screenwriters.
Screenwriting is a very technical form of writing that requires great formatting skills, so before you do anything else, get to grips with the craft itself.
Get your work out there and make it easily accessible for potential clients. Luckily, there are loads of opportunities script and screenwriters can take to get their work seen.
You can send your work to contests, submit the pieces to the blacklist (to receive a numeric rating for your scripts), apply and submit to writing fellowships, pitch and send your work to producers.
10. Journalism
A freelance journalist is someone who collects data and reports on trends. Their writing gets published in newspapers, digital magazines, and blogs. It’s their job to collect information and deliver it to publications’ readers.
Salary: The average freelance journalist makes between $125 to $250 per piece. It’s estimated that a freelance journalist can make around $60,000 per year, with top earners bringing in up to $104,000.
How to get started: As a freelance journalist, you’ll be pitching stories to several publications. More often than not, you’ll need approval from an editor before they commission you to write the piece.
A byline is one of the most important things for freelance journalists looking to get more work. Being able to say you’ve been featured in well-known publications is superb for social proof–and convinces other magazines to accept your pitches.
SEE ALSO : HOW TO CHOOSE A PROFITABLE NICHE AND STAND OUT IN IT
If you’re passionate about a certain topic, or you enjoy researching and getting your opinion out there, getting into freelance journalism could be the best route for you.
You can niche down in an industry too
Ecommerce brands
Agencies
Tech / Software companies
Education
Blockchain companies .
Beauty
Sports
Health
Entertainment
Health
Hope you learnt something new?
10 UNIQUE PROFITABLE WRITING NICHES