Niche Writing for the Advanced Blogger
As an avid writer, you may have reached the point where you’re looking to take your writing to the next level. You have found the topic that speaks to you, that’s easy to write about, and that excites you to continue exploring. For many writers, this may eventually lead to a plateau.
Even though you’ve found what you like writing about, you may be looking to challenge yourself more. Whether that means growing your audience, or becoming a topic expert, honing in on your particular niche is a great place to start.
Use Your Unique Perspective to Identify Your Targeted Expertise
Many writers may find that becoming a topic expert pushes them in the direction they think they should go. Similar to life, the shoulds don’t always lead you toward the path that you had envisioned for yourself. In fact, it may even throw you off course. When it comes to finding the niche within your niche, the best place to start is within yourself. You have your own viewpoint based on experiences that no one can or will ever understand in the same way. Based on your point of view, think about why your topic speaks to you. Why were you drawn to writing about this in the first place? This may give you meaningful leads when it comes to picking out the niche within your niche.
Strive To Continue Learning
On your path to becoming a topic expert, one thing to keep in mind is that research, cultural perspectives, and current events are constantly changing. Keeping a rigid perspective doesn’t typically bode well because your readers may not find you to be a credible source of information. Even if your blog is totally opinion based, staying up to date on what’s happening in the realm of your particular topic is typically helpful. You may want to start compiling relevant research or sources that you can keep organized and pull from at any point to enrich your writing. That way, you can easily cite sources or share interesting finds with your readers. This not only may give your writing more depth, but also may attract more readers to your well-rounded pieces.
For example, which one lends more credibility to the writer? a) In our household, we introduced dogs and cats of different ages and different genders, without seeming to have any issues or mishaps. OR b) Despite our household not having any issues with cat and dog introductions at older ages, research suggests that introductions, done around six months to a year, tend to have better outcomes.
In the second statement, I am able to share my personal experience, while also providing the reader with information they may find helpful or interesting. This also allows the writer to create follow up pieces if and when research shifts.
Follow Your Natural Curiosity
Take note of what you like to read about and investigate. Your natural interest in this particular subject creates a rich wealth of information for you to potentially write about. The more you like what you’re writing about, the more you will probably want to write about it. If you are a freelance writer, this creates more earning potential, as your writing topic actually excites and interests you. Trust that your natural curiosity will steer you toward your particular expertise.
Keep Track of Your Insights
Be mindful of what you enjoy writing about and what feels like work. Typically, the pieces that flow and feel more meaningful to write are topics you are passionate about. Continue to explore said topics more in depth, and listen to your gut when it comes to finding the niche within your niche. In this way, you will be able to focus on writing and pitching pieces that feel enjoyable to work on. By continuing to do so, you not only make a name for yourself in that given topic, but working will actually feel fun. It’s common to pitch something, but feel tired, bored, or unmotivated when it comes to writing the piece. If this happens more often than not, you may want to go back and explore what you are more interested in when it comes to your specific topic. Hits and misses are bound to happen, so pay extra attention to these, and soon enough the hits will start to outnumber the misses.
Finding the niche within your niche can be achieved by exploring your unique point of view, staying current with relevant research and sources, trusting your natural curiosity, and noting your likes and dislikes as a writer. As the topic expert, you are able to eventually draw more viewers to your writing, while being known for a specific area of expertise. This creates a great opportunity for your career to significantly grow.
Gabrielle Applebury is a Marriage and Family Therapist intern, with a specialty in working with those who have experienced trauma. She is also a freelance writer who specializes in breaking down complex topics into easy-to-read pieces. Along with her husband, she has adopted three dogs, two cats and two horses.
Images: Panya_Anakotmankong/Shutterstock.com and Sylwia Ramach/Shutterstock.com
