by Barbara Whitlock

Created on: August 06, 2009

Niche writing is a smart way to focus your article-writing time on the Internet. Perhaps you've heard of niche-focused writing. But how do you find your niche? This article gives you tips on identifying a niche (or niches) in which you can develop a recognized expertise. Also learn how focusing on a writing niche helps you have a denser impact on the Internet. In brief:

Niche Writing + Niche Networking = Greater Earning Potential

What is a niche?

Niche derives from an Italian word that means a recess for a statue, or an enclosed, small area, set aside for something specific. Traditional freelancing advice encourages writers to focus on a subset of writing opportunities like creative writing, technical writing or non-fiction writing. They may even get more specific: short-story writing (creative writing), product specification (technical writing), how-to (non-fiction writing). Online content writing is often classified as a niche in itself.

But on the Internet, where traffic to articles comes from patterns of specific web searches, you need to define your writing niche more specifically. You want to identify a topic area to define your niche. How specific? Not car writer, but hybrid car writer. Not product reviewer, but cell phone expert. Get the picture? Break down your topic area to a highly focused subtopic.

How do you find your niche(s)

Brainstorm about all areas where you have expertise:

What is your professional background? Are you certified in a specific field (do write to experts@helium.com to get a recognition badge)? Are you a small business owner, office manager, customer service representative...the list goes on. Identify and brainstorm about everything you know from your career work.

Where do you live? Each of you has expertise to share about your home town, which you can use to fill up our Local Guides channel. Hyper local content is in high demand.

Have you always bought a specific brand of car? That could make you an expert car reviewer for Ford-type cars. Have you fixed your own car? What aspects of car repair do you know something about? What research can you do to fill in the gaps?

Do you have a hobby like knitting, deep sea fishing, organic gardening? Brainstorm about all you know in that area; and research to complement your first-hand know-how with valuable information.

Most people get married and have children, so that may not make you unique. But perhaps you have children who have had specific kinds of challenges (special needs,

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