7 Copywriting Niche Markets You May Not Know About

Copyright 2010 by Steve Slaunwhite

There are dozens of viable niche markets for freelance writers and copywriters. You’re probably aware of most of them: white papers, healthcare, publishing, insurance, websites, software, technology.

But there are seven other niche markets that are particularly hot right now that you may not know about.

In fact, I’ve done several presentations on this topic recently and many audience members – some of them experienced freelance writers – have told me how surprised they were to learn these niche markets existed.

So if you’re thinking of focusing on a new niche this year, one of these seven might be worth considering. After all, they’re not crowded with other writers!

Here they are:

1. Ad Agencies & Design Firms

There are more than 70,000 advertising agencies, design firms, PR agencies and other creative services firms throughout North America. Almost all use freelance writing services; at least occasionally. In fact, just one or two clients in this niche can easily fill your schedule with good paying projects.

2. Online Video

Many companies are increasingly using online video on their websites and in banner advertising. If you have a hankering for scriptwriting, this could be a very lucrative niche market for you. (Who knows? It could be a stepping stone to Hollywood!)

3. Professional Service Companies

These are companies that sell services rather than physical products. Examples include architects, corporate trainers, real estate brokers, consultants, event planners and, yes, even copywriters!

Professional service companies need a lot of writing done to help attract clients and build those relationships. Typical projects include service descriptions, special reports, website pages, emails, newsletters, social media posts, and executive bios.

4. B2B Financial Services

Banking, insurance, succession planning, payroll management, debt collection and other financial services targeting businesses (rather than consumers) are booming right now. If you have a financial background, you might want to take a closer look at this growing niche.

5. Membership Associations

Many membership associations like the National Association of Realtors, for example, produce countless seminars, courses, webinars, conferences and other resources and events each year – and they promote those programs using websites, emails, ads, brochures and other marketing materials.

Someone has to write all that stuff!

6. Social Media

This niche shouldn’t be a surprise to most writers. After all, social media is the hottest topic in the internet these days.

But what might surprise you is how eager companies are to leverage social media to build demand for their products and services. As a freelance writer or copywriter, you can help these companies blog, tweet, post, update and otherwise “be social” with their target audiences.

I know two freelance copywriters who specialize exclusively in this area. And both are very busy!

7. Case Studies

You may have heard me talk about case studies before. It’s a great niche for freelance writers and copywriters for two reasons: One, case studies are fun to write. (Who doesn’t enjoy writing a success story?) And two, thousands of companies need case stu<br>dies done. So there’s a high demand.

Well, there you have it. Seven hot niche markets you may not have known about – but do now! If any seem like a good fit for you, explore the niche further. It just might be your ticket to more business and success in 2010.

—

Steve Slaunwhite is a marketing coach and award-winning copywriter.  Find out more about him in particular and copywriting in general at For Copywriters Only.

Achieving the Flow of Great Performance

(Note from Mary Anne: read this article today and thought it would make a nice follow up tp what I wrote yesterday.)

By Tom Terez

On August 22, 1741, George Frideric Handel shut the door, sat down at his keyboard, picked up a quill, and began to compose. Twenty-four days and nights later, he emerged with 260 ink-filled pages, some of them streaked from his own tears. The result came fully to life on April 13, 1742, at Dublin’s New Music Hall, with the debut of the majestic oratorio now known to the world as Messiah.

Recalling the creation of his two-and-a-half-hour masterpiece, Handel told a friend, “Whether I was in the body or out of my body when I wrote it, I know not.” He worked nonstop, frequently skipping meals. The effort so captured his heart that he often wept as the music flowed. After composing the section known as the “Hallelujah Chorus,” he wrote in his journal, “I think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God Himself.”

What exactly happened in that room during those three weeks and three days in 1741? How did Handel create such a magnificent work in so little time? Are there things we can do in our own lives to create our own Messiah equivalents on a smaller scale?

Part of the answer lies in a concept called “flow.” Made famous in his book by that name, author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains: “The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

Early in his research, Csikszentmihalyi studied photos of visual artists at work. The photos had been taken at three-minute intervals, allowing him to be a fly on their studio walls — a bit like watching Handel in his composing room. All the photos showed a stunning degree of involvement and absorption, with the artists intensely and exclusively focused on their work. The mental noise and distractions that afflict so many of us appeared to be absent.

Csikszentmihalyi looked beyond the art studio and found that this phenomenon exists elsewhere — among rock climbers, dancers, chess players, athletes, composers, musicians, and others. In fact, wherever he found peak performance, Csikszentmihalyi found “flow.”

Athletes refer to it as “being in the zone.” Basketball champions have left their best games saying that the basket somehow seemed to widen in diameter just for them. Baseball great Ted Williams reported after multi-hit games that he could see the seams on incoming fastballs. Gymnastics standout Carol Johnson once said that the balance beam would seemingly grow wider for her on days when everything came together — to such a degree that “any worry of falling off disappeared.”

Was Handel “in the zone” when he wrote Messiah? Pelé would likely think so. The Brazilian soccer star often experienced “flow” in his Messiah-quality performances on the soccer field. It’s a “euphoria,” he said. “I felt I could run all day without tiring, that I could dribble through any of their teams or all of them, that I could almost pass through them physically. I felt I could not be hurt.”

Perhaps you’d like to run all day without tiring and achieve results like Handel or Pelé. If so, the good news is that you can. The bad news is that flow can’t be turned on like water from a faucet. In fact, thinking too hard about putting yourself “in the zone” is probably the worst way to go about it. That’s because the best performance is largely an unconscious proposition — something that emerges from deep within us.

But there are things you can do to create the right conditions. For starters, you need to like what you’re doing; if you don’t, you’ll never achieve flow. Try to stretch yourself, striving for a performance that is above your skill level but still within the realm of doability. Make a habit of this “stretch” process, always aspiring to a higher level as your performance improves. Remove all removable distractions — so turn off that cell phone and stop the multi-tasking.

As your work unfolds, stay in touch with the emotional feedback you’re getting from yourself. Monitor progress, enjoy the glow of achievement, and roll it back in so you can achieve even more. This is vital if you’re working on a big project that will span several weeks or more.

If it seems like a lot of work, go back to Handel. In the first half of 1741, the 56-year-old composer thought his best days were behind him. Chased by creditors, suffering from rheumatism, and coming off of two poorly received operas, he was planning to pack up and return to his native Germany. Then he received a letter with inspired lyrics. The writer was seeking music for his words and felt that only Handel could do the job. That’s when he picked up the quill and worked miracles.

What about you? Are you staying open to opportunity while exercising a Handel-like work ethic? Are you creating the conditions to turn work into flow? Are you transforming those mundane tasks into a meaningful mission? Are you doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways?

These are the questions that can turn ordinary notes on a page into beautiful music.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tom Terez (TomTerez.com) is an international consultant and frequent speaker on organizational performance (BetterWorkplaceNow.com) and personal excellence (InnerBest.com)

Shift Your Strategy to Make More Money Writing

By Susan Carter

It’s become common practice to search for writing opportunities online. After all, it’s easy to do from the comfort of your own computer, and there are dozens of sites listing available projects. The trouble is that you’re usually competing with 20, 30 or sometimes hundreds of other writers from across the globe for the same
project. And, if you’re using a bidding site, it doesn’t take long before someone is bidding so low that you can’t AFFORD to win the project!

If you want to make more money, increase your chances of getting the work, and build potential for repeat business from the same client(s), then it’s time to shift your strategy and take your search offline. It is rare to find online opportunities that pay as well as offline work.
Here are three quick tips to get you started:

1.  Do your homework.

Choose a handful of local businesses –preferably those you already frequent – and conduct a little research. For example, let’ssay you target a small retail business. Check out the website. Browse the store. Make small talk with the owner. Then think of ways you can be of
benefit to that business. Is the website poorly written? Do they have a newsletter or ezine? If so, can it be improved? If not, determine how it
would benefit the business to start one. What kind of advertising do they do?

2.  Present yourself as an asset.

Good writers help businesses do better by producing materials like great ads, intriguing rticles, and informational newsletters, ezines,
or booklets that bring more people in the door. When you demonstrate how you can be an asset to the business, you increase your chances of getting work.

3.  Over deliver.

When you get the job, make sure you do the best job possible and strive to over deliver whenever you can. Small business owners talk to
each other. The potential for word-of-mouth referrals from a few happy clients—as well more business from them in the future—is the
jumpstart that can launch your writing career.

About the Author: Susan Carter is an author, editor and independent publisher of books to help small business owners and aspiring writers thrive in the competitive marketplace. Get more articles and tips like this by signing up for the weekly Monday Muse at www.writerprofits.com

| Next entries