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January 2019

Finding My Freelance Writing Niche…Sorta

There’s a LOT of freelance writing advice out there, especially about finding your freelance writing niche. Trust me, I’ve been reading up constantly.

You’d think that’d be a good thing right? An endless wealth of knowledge at your disposal giving you step-by-step advice on how to start a flourishing career as a freelance writer. I mean, it would be a lie to say that the knowledge people share isn’t valuable.

But here’s the catch: there’s a lot of conflicting advice. People’s journeys have been different, they began in different ways, they get paid different amounts, they write about different things, and so many other variations.

One of the biggest conflicts was whether or not to find a niche. Do you start out as a jack-of-all-trades and niche down eventually? How about you never finding a niche and writing about everything? Do you start off extremely narrowed down and expand later? Is it pronounced nih-ch or nee-sh?

You’ll hear equal amount of arguments from both sides, even down to how the word ‘niche’ is pronounced. Finding my freelance writing niche has been my biggest hump to overcome, and it still is.

Let’s explore the positives and negatives of approaching what to write about.

Jack-of-all trades

You don’t know what to write so why not write about everything?! Your interests are plentiful and your passions know no bounds, so how could you choose? Or, if you’re like me, you have no clue what you’re passionate about. You have no idea what you could spend forever writing about, so why not write about everything and possibly find it?

When I first started looking this up, this is the approach that sounded the most appealing to me. I can write about anything which means I can get paid to write about anything. If I decide I don’t like a subject I’m writing about, then there’s no harm in me never writing about it again.

But the negative of this approach is the profiting aspect. If you write about everything, you won’t become an expert in anything. Therefore, you won’t be able to market your expertise in healthcare SEO copywriting (I just made that up) because you don’t have the experience in it.

When these companies look for writers, they’re looking for experts. That doesn’t mean that you have to have been a professional in a field to be an expert. But you do need to have deep knowledge of the topic you’re writing about.

Another thing I found negative about this approach is you could burn out much quicker. If you don’t have a passion and all you’re doing it for is money, it’s going to be really hard to stay motivated to sustain this business. I definitely burn out when I start things VERY fast, so this was my biggest worry being a jack-of-all-trades.

Having A Specific Niche

So your passion is gluten-free dieting. Or maybe you were so broke in college you figured out how to save money and can tell people about it. Or you just really love weddings and you could spend all day talking about them (this is me). These are all things you can actually write about and get paid writing for them.

When finding your freelance writing niche, you want to pick something that you’re either well versed in or you’re obsessed with and don’t mind a little research. This way, when you’re looking for clients, you know EXACTLY what you’re looking for. And by writing in that subject, you can position yourself as the expert they’re looking for!

You can make your niche a little broad too. Maybe you want to write about music concerts. Or maybe you want to make it as specific as “death metal music festivals”. What matters most is you picked a category.

However, there were a couple of things that scared me about this approach. I’m not an expert in anything except for how to write, and honestly I’m not even an expert in that.

I don’t have years of expertise in anything, I’m only 22.

I’m not even sure if there’s a ton of people looking for a writer in the market I want to write for.

What if I think I’m passionate about something and I burn out anyway? What do I do if I have to change?

These are all valid and normal questions I’ve discovered. And, as I’ve mentioned in the beginning, there’s no clear answer. You just have to take the leap and figure out how things work along the way.

Picking my niche…sorta

As you can see from the title, finding my freelance writing niche was what became important to me. I’m trying to make freelance writing my job, not a side-gig or a hobby. So I want to market myself as an expert so that I can find more clients and know exactly what clients I’m looking for.

But now the issue is, what do I want to be an expert in? And I have to put an emphasis on “want to be” because I don’t have years of experience I could write about in anything. I’m good at researching and I actually enjoy it, but figuring out what I could research forever was the tricky part.

*Que dramatic slow down to a pause sound*

Now came figuring out what I even liked. It took me a while to get together what would bring me joy to write about constantly.

And then, it appeared.

Lifestyle and weddings.

Those Niches Aren’t Specific At All

That is where you are wrong! And kind of right, but wrong. I made my freelance writing niche slightly broad because I hadn’t left behind the jack-of-all-trades mentality. I could write about wedding dresses, venues, photography, advice – but it’s all under the guise of wedding. When it comes to lifestyle, I could write about dating/relationships, food, traveling, or life enhancement – and that’s all under the guise of lifestyle. I have a specific market to look for now, but they’re broad enough that I can still explore.

What will be specific is WHO I want the audience to be. I’m not cutesy, or high-brow, or overly bubbly in my writing. When I look for the businesses I want to write for, I’m looking for edgy, sassy, and fun – maybe even a little provocative. Think Cosmopolitan or A Practical Wedding. Knowing who I want to help and who I want to write for gives me motivation to pursue this business.

Freelance Writing Niche Wrap Up

My advice to you is do what you think is best for you. Someone will tell you they made a full time income because they wrote about anything and everything, so therefore they had no limits. Someone else will tell you their freelance writing niche was so specific that they already knew who they were going to write for, and that’s what’s going to make you money.

Every approach is going to make you money. Every market you can think of is looking for a writer. What will make you the most money is being persistent and intentional with what you’re doing. If you put in the work of a freelancer, you’ll get the money of a freelancer.

As I continue to update this blog, you will see me discussing more than just freelance writing, but lifestyle topics. I also have another blog in the works so that I can hone in my wedding writing, which I’m very excited about. I’m doing this as a way to not only have content for my blogs, but showcase to the businesses who read my blogs that I can write in their market. I’ll also be using this as a way to practice SEO, which is a whole other topic to talk about.

It’ll be like a more personal portfolio for me to showcase as I try to pitch to clients.

So as you’re going into your own writing journey, consider what your freelance writing niche will be or if you even want one. It’s probably the biggest obstacle people have before they take the plunge into becoming a writer. So don’t let it stop you and make a decision already.

And if you’re looking for some really good advice to start freelance writing, I’ve been obsessive over Elna Cain and Creative Revolt.

January 19, 2019

Opinion

You Need To Find Your Why

With this business in mind and my impending graduation, setting goals for myself is critical.

But as I’ve mentioned before, I’m really bad at finishing what I start. So as I’ve been obsessively researching freelancing, I’ve also been obsessively researching how to stay motivated. I’ve been practicing The Law of Attraction, saying positive affirmations out loud, and scouring through inspiring Pinterest quotes. Honestly, they’ve been kind of working! But reading Morgan Harper Nichols quotes daily, as uplifting as they are, aren’t quite enough to keep the negativity at bay.

A Stroke of Inspiration from an Impulsive Newsletter Sign Up

Enter: The Good Trade‘s daily newsletter, The Daily Good. Every morning I get sent an email that links to emotionally moving songs, podcasts, aesthetically pleasing photos, and articles from the online magazine.

The first article I read was eerily exactly what I was looking for. The writer, Emily Torres, wrote about how to set meaningful and achievable goals in 2019, and I couldn’t have clicked the link fast enough.

I was expecting a list of steps and clichés, but what her advice resonated with me. The gist of it is: the only way to have the motivation to achieve your goals is to find your why.

It’s simply asking yourself why something is your goal, instead of only asking yourself how you’re going to achieve it. Why do you need this goal? Why is it so important? If you can find something meaningful in your why, it gives you a reason to actually put forth the effort, rather than just getting it done.

Finding My Why

Let’s take my freelance writing for example.

I could say “I want to freelance write because I want to make money.”

Well, working at McDonald’s could make me money. So I have to dig deeper than that.

“I want to freelance write because I want to make enough money so that I don’t have to work for someone else.”

A little better, right? But still not deep enough to make me jump out of my chair. Freelance writing is going to take a lot of dedication and hours, so focusing purely on money won’t be enough.

Now, my why is:

“I want to freelance write so I can have money for my freedom. I’m not looking to be rich, just independent. I want to keep my septum ring, get tattoos when I want them and not have to ask if that’s socially acceptable. I crave the freedom to travel; I’ll either take my work with me or take a day off without having to ask someone. I’d be able to have a sick day without having to get it approved. I’d have the ability to take a mental health day if I need it.

I can spend time with my significant other and ultimately (far down the road) I’ll have time to spend with our kids. I can work in my PJ’s or dress up a little and sit in a coffee shop. I’ll be able to set my own hours because God knows I’m not a morning person. And I’ll finally find the time to workout….but I’ll have to find my why for that too.”

Get it? Getting to the root of my goal is what is going to motivate me. Maybe for some people money is their motivator and that’s completely understandable. But for me, it boils down to values and my disdain for being told what to do. It’s been that way since I was a little girl and I can’t see that changing any time soon.

Finding Your Why Everyday

Finding your why doesn’t have to be about big goals either, it can be little goals as well. By using this exercise I’ve realized that I subconsciously do this anyway.

Example: getting out of bed so I can go to class in the morning.

Saying “my goal is to go to class so that I don’t get penalized for missing a day” isn’t and never has been a motivator for me. I’ll find some other excuse like “oh someone will just send me the notes” or “someone will sign me in” (that’s cheating don’t do that).

So, my real motivator has to be “my goal is to go to class so that I can get a croissant from the bookstore on my way there.” Boom, motivator. It’s the little things people.

It’s Still Not Easy

Although my mindset is changing, it’s still hard to combat the negativity some days. I’m still anxious I won’t succeed. It is day two of school and I’m already tired when I get home – thus I have to force myself to write. I have to get over my anxiety-hump that’s preventing me from pitching to writing jobs. But I’ll get there. I’ll continue to state my why everyday. I truly believe by keeping this mindset and working little by little, I’ll see my goals through in 2019.

January 16, 2019

Inspirations

So Freelance Writing, What Gives?

In my last post, I briefly expressed my desire to start a freelance writing business. What inspired me to take on such an endeavor you may ask? The truth of it is, I honestly have no idea.

I was laying on my boyfriend’s parents’ couch in Iowa, wide awake at 3 a.m. Staring into the darkness, my mind just began thinking of freelance writing. I’m about to be a college-grad, and as I’m approaching the bitter end I’ve been wondering what I want to spend my 20’s, and subsequently my life, doing.

Like a quarter-life crisis if you will.

So I’m laying there thinking, freelancing? Why is this even occurring to me, why would I even want to do that? I began imagining those generic 90’s rom-coms. You know, where the protagonist is a broke freelancer that’s somehow able afford a studio in New York City. The story begins with them frantically looking for inspiration for a story and falls in ~love~ in the process (see: How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days) . And I was thinking….why would I want that?

A Discovery

But I couldn’t shake the idea. So I spent the days after forming this in my brain Googling and Pinterest-ing, and finding that freelancing is so much more. It’s not only profitable work, but reasonable profitable work. Profitable work that I could do.

Now don’t think that I think that this is going to be an easy endeavor. I don’t want you to think that either. As I delve deeper into the idea, I constantly get overwhelmed by the minutiae that’s involved in creating this little business.

I mean duh, there’s a lot of writing. That’s the point. But there’s pitching. Cold emailing. Warm emailing. Content mills or to not content mills. Job boards. Invoices. Keeping up with your own website. Contracts. Rejection. Constructive (or maybe not) criticism. Niche narrowly or be a jack-of-all-trades. Setting rates. And so much more – this paragraph on what freelancing entails could be a whole post on its own.

There’s so many different ways to freelance, thousands of niches, and millions of different ways to approach how to do it.

But that also means that there are a million different ways to be successful at it.

The Ultimate Goal

I am very much the type to start a project and never a finish. I will have this grand idea, become utterly obsessed with it, go all in for maybe a couple of weeks… and then completely lose the passion. Or the reason why I started it. Or I talk myself out of taking the risk.

So the ULTIMATE goal of this is to not let this die. Not only because I actually genuinely love writing, but because I want to prove to myself that I can actually follow through with an idea. And this one is different from the other projects I’ve pursued – there is a sense of comfort and confidence that I’ve never felt when I attempted other endeavors.

Career Goals

But that’s not all!!! Yes freelancing means writing, which is the best part, but with freelancing comes money and with money comes self sufficiency. I want to work for myself. I want to sit in my PJ’s, or go to a coffee shop, or sit somewhere aesthetically pleasing and work. I don’t want to get up before 8 a.m. (the later the better honestly), I don’t want to walk in the cold, I really don’t like being told what to do, and I have a septum ring and some tattoo ideas that I’d rather not be judged on.

I can make as much money as I please, choose who I work with, and write what I want to.

There’s pros and cons to working for yourself and I’m very aware of the cons. But as someone who adores being alone and living on her own terms, there’s not many jobs that will allow me that freedom.

So the goal here , by some point in the middle of 2019, is to make enough money to become self-sufficient. It’s lofty, especially as a full-time college student with a part time internship. But it’s doable. And I have to keep reminding myself of these goals to fuel this fire I have.

This all being said, I can’t wait to take on this adventure of freelance writing. I have a LOT to learn, a lot to prove, and a lot more to share. And hopefully I can inspire a few people to take the plunge as well.

January 12, 2019

Inspirations Opinion

New Year, Same Me, Different Ideas

It’s 2019 and I’m BACK!

… Like I am every year, promising myself at the beginning that I will “write more and create my own business”. Kind of like a New Year’s Resolution where you promise you’re going to go to the gym three times a week. You actually follow it for a month, then it wanes until you look up and it’s April and you hadn’t gone to the gym in 10 days.

That’s what I’ve treated blogging/writing/creating like. I’ll burn myself out, get lazy, lack ideas, and then say I’ll try again some other time. I’ve been putting it off because I’m only 22; I’ve felt as if I’ve had all the time in the world.

And I still do! However, I’m graduating in May with a degree in public relations and a cognate in sociology. So that means I’m in game-time mode. What do I want to do with my life? Where do I want to live? I have such a broad degree, I know I have the world at my hands when it comes to what I can do.

But here’s the thing … I don’t think I want to do public relations. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I want to work for anyone at all.

*GASP*

That’s right, four years and thousands of dollars later, I’m pretty sure the degree I have, although extremely beneficial, isn’t what I want to do. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a journalism degree, which is exactly the field I wanted to be in. I grew up with visions of broadcast journalism and writing for cutting-edge editorials, but the in-state tuition public relations offered was calling my name.

So, now what?

All that being said, I’m in the midst of ~finding myself~. I could bite the bullet and get a corporate PR job. Or… I could create my own space and work for myself.

At 3 a.m., asleep on the couch of my boyfriend’s parents’ house, I had an epiphany. For some reason, freelance writing popped into my mind with no prompting. For the past two weeks, I have been consumed with the possibility. I enjoy writing, I enjoy writing alone, and I enjoy making money doing things I enjoy. Sounds like a no brainer right?

So now I’ve set my goal as being a fully functioning freelance writer by the summer. A lofty goal, but from the many Pinterest stories it’s not an impossible one. And if I actually stop watching thriller Netflix shows for five minutes and sit down and create, who knows how far I’ll go.

Planning it all out

Truthfully? I have no idea what I’m doing or how to begin this. I’m one that really hates the unknown, so I spend half my days researching and the other half laying on the floor with feelings of dread dancing in my head. But with all the projects I’ve started and forgotten in my life (and there’s a lot – see Enneagram 7 personality types) I actually feel confident about this one.

This post is the beginning of me documenting my journey. Yo Soy Alexandria began as a lifestyle blog, which it will continue to be. But I will be documenting my journey into this unknown, writing about what I’m learning, and also using it to blow off the steam I know I will create as well. It will be a portfolio showcasing my samples, a place to practice my writing (and SEO) skills, and a way to market my services.

I’m excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and impatient, which are my usual day-to-day emotions. However, because of this project, these emotions are taking a new form – a motivating one. I can’t wait to see how far I can take these ideas because for once I feel confident in what I’m doing.

And if anyone has any profitable niche ideas, please. Let me know.

January 7, 2019