The potential for landing freelance writing clients is limitless. As long as people sell products and services – and people will always sell products and services – there will be a need for good writers.
But that doesn’t mean all industries are created equal. Are there certain niches that can be more profitable for freelance writers than others? Definitely! Here are nine industries I love to write for and a shortlist of red flag niches to potentially avoid as a freelance writer who’s just getting started.
What Makes These Industries So Great?
Before I break down which industries I love serving as a freelance writer, let’s talk about WHY I like them. There are three main reasons these are my favorite industries to write sales copy for:
- First, they’re established industries full of business owners and entrepreneurs making seven to eight figures a year, and they have the budget to be able to afford a good freelance writer.
- Second, they value what freelance writers do. Writing is not their skill set. They want to be freed up to be able to focus on what they love and need to be doing inside their businesses. They’re not interested in learning how to be freelance writers or trying to do it themselves.
- Third, they respect the process. If you can get them good results, they will just stand back and let you do your thing. In fact, that’s how they prefer it. Like I said, they’re busy doing other things, and they’re likely to be more than willing to pay high ticket rates for a freelance writer if they can just trust you’ll get the job done well..
Aesthetic & Elective Medical Practices
Aesthetic and elective medical practices like med spas, plastic surgery clinics, bariatric clinics, and aesthetic clinics are absolutely some of my favorite businesses to write for! They’re highly sought after by patients and clients who voluntarily go in for treatment and pay out-of-pocket for the services these clinics provide. They don’t have to deal with a lot of insurance claims, and they’re not fighting to get paid.
Generally speaking, these types of clinics are great to work with because they’re very well-established brick-and-mortar businesses with good profit margins. Because they’re not online-only businesses, they’re not super familiar with online marketing practices, but they know they need to be.
They know they need to have a better online presence, so they go searching for a freelance writer who can help them create things like free opt-ins, appointment booking funnels, and email campaigns.
Real Estate and Real Estate Investors
Real estate and real estate investing are huge industries full of people who need a freelance writer’s help. They need a massive amount of buyer and seller leads to keep their pipelines full. They also really value the expertise of someone who understands lead generation and how it works.
And just as with elective medical clinics, real estate agents and investors are willing to pay the high ticket rates, because for them, the kickback for them on just one deal can be thousands and thousands of dollars – and you have the skills to help them find the buyer and seller leads they need.
Financial Services
Financial services is another industry that has a lot to gain by having a good freelance writer in their pocket. One client ends up averaging in the five figures during the lifetime of their relationship. They need experts who understand digital marketing and can speak to their target audiences in an engaging, compelling way in an industry that’s often seen as dry and formulaic.
Just a warning – financial services (real estate too) can be tricky fields to write for due to restrictive Facebook ads policy. Tricky, but not impossible when you know and understand the policies and restrictions.
This makes freelance writers who know and understand how to write to work WITH the policy limitations very, very valuable to financial advisors. They still want to be able to push paid traffic and run ads to generate leads and booked appointments. When they can find a freelance writer who can write sales copy that’s safe and yet compelling and gets their ideal clients in their ecosystem, they’re super excited and willing to pay well.
Online Courses and Memberships
The info products industry is on fire right now! Online courses and memberships are on the rise, and a person can learn just about anything online. You can take an online course to learn how to water plants. You can take an online course to learn how to do a headstand. You can take an online course to learn how to make swans out of towels. In other words, there’s no shortage of people who are out there trying to market their online courses.
Just a warning – unless you don’t mind taking on lower ticket projects, steer clear of newbies and startups. Clients who have proven offers with an established, engaged audience will have the budget to hire a freelance writer. People launching their first course or membership, unless they’ve run an agency or other business that’s bankrolling their marketing, they’re not going to be able to afford to pay higher rates.
Startups notoriously have really slim budgets, they’re gonna have a hard time with a proposal that’s in the four- to five-figure range. Oftentimes, I find that the clients who are more pressed for cash become the most high-intense, micromanaging clients. The stress of becoming profitable can roll over into every aspect of the project if you’re not careful to set reasonable expectations as far as the level of results you as a freelance writer can provide.
There are some extremely successful course creators out there who can be dreams to work with. I have a handful of them myself that I love. Writing for start-up course creators can be a great experience too, just be aware that it’s probably going to be a little bit more hand-holding and a bit less pay. So if you’re cool with that, it can be a good way for a freelance writer to get your foot in the door.
Coaches & Consultants
These professional entrepreneurs make a living selling their information and expertise, and established coaches and consultants make 7-, 8- and 9-figures a year. They know their audience and what works for them, and their goal is to change and improve lives. Working with coaches and consultants can be super rewarding!
Be careful though. Working with coaches and consultants can be one of those startups versus established entrepreneur situations too. Brand new coaches and consultants often don’t have the budget to pay well.
That said, working with coach coaches and consultants has been really fun for me. They were some of my very first clients, and I built my referral network through their testimonials. They gave me the experience I needed to get out there and feel confident enough to reach out to other industries as well.
Investment
The investment industry has similar challenges and restrictions as the financial services niche, but we’re talking specifically about Stock Market and Forex traders and those who have programs teaching how to invest and trade stocks.
Things can be kind of touchy for this niche when it comes to paid advertising. Many traders and coaches have had bad experiences running paid traffic – denied ads, restricted accounts, even complete Ads Manager shutdowns.
When traders and investors can find a freelance writer with experience in FacebookTM ad compliance, they are thrilled. They’re more than happy to pay high ticket rates, because you’re saving them time and energy and leading clients straight to them. So if you’re up to the challenge, the investment world can be a great place for freelance writers to find paid writing projects.
Influencers
Influencers are single persons or brands that are very visible online and essentially the talking heads of their businesses. Actors and actresses, speakers, CEOs, social media figureheads, etc. Influencers are really, really an interesting niche, because they’re so sought-after in the public eye.
Influencers are so front-facing and public that it’s easy for them to just get worn down with the demands of the day-to-day and trying to show up and be present for their followings all the time. If you’re a freelance writer who is very good at mimicking your client’s voice, then writing for an influencer could be a really good fit for you.
As they’re putting out content and selling their offers, they need a freelance writer who can essentially be them in a seamless experience so their audience never even knows it’s you, not them.
When it comes to writing for influencers, you’re going to want to look for influencers who have a rather large following. Micro-influencers are probably not going to be able to afford high-ticket rates. If that’s not a concern for you, writing for a micro-influencer on the rise can be a great way to get started and get some social proof under you. Working with an influencer can be a great career builder as well.
Product Sellers
Writing for products can be one of the most profitable ways to make money as a freelance writer. Not only are there billions of products out on the market, but there are also always products being developed. There are always new products in development. As long as people are buying and selling things, freelance writers will always be in demand in the physical products industry. Look for product sellers with established products that sell well in the marketplace.
There are a couple of different ways you can make money writing for product sellers. The first is through product descriptions on websites and e-commerce sites like Shopify and Amazon. You can also get into writing direct marketing campaigns that send traffic from a funnel straight to checkout and use email marketing to retarget cart abandoners.
Software & Tech
Tech and software companies tend to be innovators who aren’t afraid to launch and spend. They’re comfortable marketing online and hiring experts to help them get leads and sales. If you’re good at technical language and communicating in more of a corporate environment, writing for software and tech might be a good fit for you.
Tech and software developers are busy. They don’t want to stop to write an email sequence or sales funnel. Many times they have venture capital funding and investors with marketing budgets with plenty of room for your services. Just beware, tech and software company startups’ budgets can be slim, and working with them is more stressful because everything rides on the launch.
How to Deal With Small Budgets
What if you encounter a prospective client that you really want to write for, but they don’t have a budget for your full-scale services. You can tell that you totally vibe with them and you’d have a great time writing for them, but they just don’t have the budget? What do you do then? Do you just say, “Sorry, can’t work with you, my rates are too high. It’s just not a good fit.”
Not at all! There’s another option. Bid your proposal in tiers. Create a basic level package with the absolute must-have pieces of the project at a lower price point. Then include an ultimate package that includes all the extra bells and whistles and let them choose. That lower priced optionis a great starting point to working together without you having to cut your rates and overwork yourself just to land a client.
You don’t have to sacrifice working with a client with a smaller budget. Just create a proposal that fits with their budget
More From Christa Nichols
One thing I love about being a freelance sales copywriter is you can write from anywhere in the world. Add to that the ability to write for a wide variety of industries (if you choose not to specialize in just one) means you’re always learning new things.
Want to learn my five secrets to landing your first (or next) client as a freelance writer? Join my FREE 5-day Client Attraction Crash Course. Starting August 23, 2021 at 10 a.m. CST, I’ll be providing live trainings through the 27th, and I’m not holding back. I’ll be revealing exactly what I did to build a $250k sales copywriting business in just 12 months using only FREE tools and strategies.