There are plenty of questions surrounding choosing your own writing niche. One of the biggest questions I get is how you can be happy with your choice—how do you know you’ve made the right one?
Well, there are times that you don’t. I’ll be honest that I thought I’d be happy in a couple of niches, only to find out after a few articles that I absolutely hated them. There were other niches that I thought I’d never be able to create content for, only to find out that I was a natural.
In recent years I’ve made changes to my blogger for hire site. After years of writing, I’ve changed the niches that I cover. I’m happier than ever before with my writing niche(s).
These are the steps that I took to make sure that I was happy and the steps you can take to make sure you’re happy with your writing niche.
Choose something you have a real interest in
There are plenty of niches that do well financially. Some of them are more obvious than others. People make money writing about internet marketing, weddings, weight loss, and so much more.
You may think that you could too. What I’ve learned over the years is that it doesn’t matter how profitable the niche is if you don’t like it. To be happy with your writing niche, you need to have a real interest in it—not just one that is motivated by the earning potential.
Okay, earning potential helps, but that’s not the only factor to consider. You need to know information about your niche that most others don’t. Even if it’s just 1% more than others, you’ll be considered an expert—an authority on the subject.
Start by thinking about the topics that you have a real interest in and grow from there. You’ll find the niches that you’ll likely be happiest in.
Think about the hobbies that you have
While many people will suggest that you choose a niche that you currently work in, I suggest something else first. I’ll be honest with you. I thought about the area I worked in first. I tried to make it work but found that I just wasn’t happy with it. People wanted content from me that I ended up being bored with.
I turned to my hobbies and interests instead. This is something I wish I’d done sooner.
Your hobbies are going to be things you enjoy. After all, you do them in your spare time because you want to—not because you feel you have to. These interests can include reading, writing creative stories, playing softball, or even baking cakes.
Turning your hobbies into your writing niche(s) is an excellent way to be happy. You already know you enjoy them.
Your interests may change over time. I focused on niches that I enjoyed at first and then my interests changed. This leads me onto the next tip.
MORE: How I chose Entertainment as my writing niche
Don’t be afraid to change!
You may not be happy with your writing niche the whole time. As I said, our interests changed.
When I started writing in 2011, I was interested in weight loss and saving money. While the topics still interest me a little, they’re not as major for me anymore. I’m interested in other subjects, especially work at home mom subjects.
We grow and develop as people, as well as writers. It’s important to focus on these changes and allow our writing niches to grow with us.
This was the reasoning behind my rebranding recently. I wanted to step away from the subjects that I once found interesting and move into the ones that currently make me happy.
Take a look at your social media
What type of pages do you follow? What boards do you have on Pinterest? Are there any individuals or causes that you find interesting?
You may be surprised that there are a few unconscious interests that could make you happy. Take a look through your social media and locate your hidden niches.
This is something that I did when I moved into news writing. While I had some interests in health and tech, the entertainment niche was one that I didn’t realize I would have a flare for, but I love writing about TV shows, sharing spoilers and theories.
I’ve always said that I fell into the entertainment news niche, and it’s the truth. It was one of those hidden niches that my social media would have told me about had I looked into it.
MORE: Why content mills are not a waste of time for writers
You need to be happy with your writing niche. It’s actually easier than you would ever believe. With the above tips, I’ve found niches that I love to cover every day. I come to work – well, I sit at my desk and log in to the computer – excited about what the day has for me. It’s so much nicer to be happy in the workplace.
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