by Rena Sherwood

Created on: September 04, 2009   Last Updated: September 05, 2009

The phrase "niche writer" may sound a little snooty, but it's just an easy way to state that you are a writer that specializes in certain topics. There is enough work available on the Internet for very specialized writing. For example, you may love dogs, but there are far more opportunities to write about dog health than about dog-related collectibles.

Starting Out

When you're first starting out as a web content freelance writer, you will want to try and write about anything and everything anyone will pay actual money for. If that's the only work you can find then give it a go. You may discover that you have a knack for writing about some topics websites love to talk about - dieting, gadgets and money, for example.

You may think that you are not an expert in anything, but think again. What town did you grow up? What television shows do you like? Are you married, single or divorced? What religion are you? What jobs have you worked at? What books have you read? Where did you go on vacation? What are your hobbies? If you take the time to answer all of these questions, you'll discover that you know a heck of a lot more than the average person about many topics.

Picking Your Niche

After several months of successfully completing web content assignments, you'll find that you will start actively searching for the same topics that you have written about before. Then, you'll discover that you can write your articles faster and make more money.

This is because you won't have to waste time doing preliminary research for your topic. You already know the basics, the terminology and maybe even the keywords for that topic. You already know what websites, magazines and books to tap before you start writing. If you keep getting a steady stream of assignments on the exact same topic, then you need to learn to rewrite an already existing article. This keeps you from getting bored and keeps any lawyers off of your back.

If you don't already know what your niches are, don't worry. The niches will find you - whether you are looking or not. For example, this writer does not have a personal interest in colon cleansing. I don't even know anyone who's done a colon cleanse. I thought Colon Blow was an old "Saturday Night Live" skit about a high fiber cereal.

But in the first year of my web content writing career, guess what topic came up time and time again? That's right - colon cleansing. This has become one of my handfuls of niche topics I'm asked to write about for the web. I've made a good chunk of money writing about colon cleansing, high colonics and colonic irrigation. Sure beats working retail or flipping hamburgers.

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