If you’ve been working as a generalist freelance writer for a while, you’ve probably heard people tell you time and time again that you should become a specialist. If you actually enjoy working on a variety of topics and you’re getting paid well, then you might be okay with your current position. But if you’d like to get paid more, there’s a good chance that you could fetch much higher rates as a specialist if you do a good job. There may also be benefits to specializing that you haven’t yet considered. Here are some of the reasons why all freelance writers should consider specializing themselves.
Less Competition
As you may already know, the world of freelance writing is incredibly competitive. If you apply for a gig on any website, you can rest assured that hundreds of people have applied for the same job as you. It is for a job on a very specific subject, then you are probably getting outshined by people who actually have expertise. But when you are specialized, you can apply for jobs that require your type of expertise and be the one that gets favored.
If you choose the right specialty, you could end up being one of the few people that actually have what it takes for certain jobs and almost be guaranteed to get them. But you have to find a niche that has a certain level of demand, however. Fields like biotech, life sciences, and medical writing, for instance, require a very specific set of expertise but have tons of demand. You could take medical writing courses and become a medical writer professionally in one of the most lucrative and in-demand niches ever, so think about this the next time you’re applying for some random gig.
Write About What You Like
Another major benefit of specialization is that you could get to write on whatever you like best. Writing about subjects you care little about for money can become straining. After a while and is one of the reasons why many people end up quitting. But, if you like cars, for instance, or health and fitness, nothing is stopping you from presenting yourself as an expert in those fields. You’ll get to not only write but learn about things. you actually like it all day. you’d be surprised at how much easier your job will be.
Live Comfortably
We can’t name too many generalist freelance writers who live really comfortable lives. Generalists usually don’t enjoy the same rates as specialists and therefore have to work more. Specialists, on the other hand, write only a few words per day and make good money. Or they can ramp up their production and earn well into the six figures. So, if you’d like to retire early from your job and enhance your quality of living significantly, specializing is the key.
These are all things you have to consider when looking at whether specializing would be a good option for you. We’d say that it would be the best option for the vast majority of writers. We consider it today and look at people who have specialized for advice.
