Niching down: How to pick and pursue your niches for a successful freelancing career

Niching down as a freelancer can be tricky, especially when your interests and gigs aren’t on the same ride. It’s like your work is right in front of you but your heart is somewhere else. And if you keep pursuing a niche that doesn’t suit your likes and dislikes, it can reverse your efforts and set you back even when you are doing your best.

So what is a niche? Niche is that sweet spot where your preferred industry and skills meet and help you create results even gravity can’t pull down. Although, it might take you a while to figure out the spot, but once you do, we promise it’s all uphill from there. 

In our journey with the freelance army, we have seen many who tried to focus on one niche but struggled to flourish. The reason is straightforward. They lacked the knowledge necessary to promote themselves in the same space. It's like they were playing a game knowing only half the rules, which made winning tedious, risky, and often unfruitful.

This happens when you try to stick to a niche you inadvertently picked while starting. It got you your first paycheck and made you believe it was your cup of tea. But the reality is your first gigs are sometimes just a portal to a future as a freelancer. It is a stepping stone you should leverage only to propel yourself to other niches that align with your interests. So what’s the hack? Experiment, but only for the first few years with a clear goal of finding out where you belong.

So if your first gig was for a Saas brand, you can look for your next gig in a different industry. The trick is to highlight it in your portfolio as a testimonial of your adaptable skills across various sectors and keep the approach until you find your ideal niche.

But you might still wonder is there any sure-fire way of finding an ideal niche? Don't worry. We are here to help. So grab some snacks and keep reading.

• First, make a list of five topics you are passionate about. This will help you narrow down your skills and the industries that engage your interest and doesn't make you snore at the slightest mention. For example, if you have a commerce background and impeccable writing skills, Fintech content writing can be something you aim for. 

• Now do some research on which one of these niches pays well. If the audience in your niche is too small, your chances of landing well-paying gigs frequently might be slim. So, choosing a realm where the business will keep booming, and gigs will keep coming is essential. For instance, marketing is a function that always seems to keep flourishing as opposed to the retail sector.

• Find out where your audience is and what they are looking for in the high-paying niche you have picked out. And we can't think of a better place than LinkedIn to do so. Start with making relevant connections and monitoring their activities to learn what they seek. This will give you an idea of their goals, pain points, and demographics, which will help you tailor your skills and pitches. 

• Once you have your ideal client profile, determine whether you can solve a specific problem and stand out. This helps you establish authority in the market, and your prospects might start approaching you instead of the other way around. 

• Remember, your efforts might not yield the best results if you don't identify the trends in your preferred niche. So keep your finger on the pulse of industry advancements, and you will see yourself bagging untapped opportunities in no time. We have seen that platforms like Reddit, Google Trends, and LinkedIn are some of the best avenues to keep up with trends.

• The second last step is to take feedback seriously from your current clients. Feedbacks are like gems in the disguise of words. They will tell you what you are good at and keep you from barking up the wrong tree. 

• Lastly, keep your competitors closer and learn with them. Your competitors are one of the best books to read. Go through their published works, opinions, and achievements to get a clear view of current demands and leverage the insights in your strategies as a freelancer. 

We never said it's an easy task, but it's a task you definitely shouldn't avoid. So buckle up, wear your thinking hats, and go at it. 

You can also help a friend struggling with finding a niche by doing a quick share.

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