The Complete Guide On How To Find Your Freelance Niche

Finding and choosing the right niche for your online freelance business is the first step you have to take in order to be a successful freelancer in the long run. This means more clients, more projects and more pay. In this article, I will guide you on how to find your freelance niche and make the right choice of a niche theme for your freelance career. 

Now, this article is partly about me. I will share my own experience and how I maneuvered this tough journey called freelancing ever since I joined the industry. You can use this as a blueprint for mapping your own career and deciding which freelance niche you would like to choose as you progress in your freelance journey. 

The first year of my career as a 28 year old looking to earn money online through freelancing was quite tough, coupled with the realization that I had to live without vacations, employment and financial security, health insurance and sick days off. I was so desperate to earn a couple hundred dollars that I fell for the trap of taking any job that came my way. All that time, I was always asked one very funny question by well-meaning friends:

 "What is your freelance niche?"

Of course, this question made me piss on myself. I was quite clueless about what they meant by a freelance niche and why I even have to choose one anyway. I have to be sincere that I didn't take the niche thing seriously at the time and since I could barely fend for myself, pay my rent and settle other utility bills, I felt that I was not in a position to limit my workflow and the services I offered. I once felt that niching down as a freelancer would cost me more. Then, it was logical to believe that being a generalist and jack-of-all-trades freelancer would help me get better opportunities and more freelance online jobs. I was wrong. 

There is a popular saying that there is no wisdom without experience. As the years passed in my career, I realized that I was using the wrong freelance equation. I was putting in all the time and getting paid less than I deserved. I now understand that I had misconstrued the essence of niching down when I believed it would limit the number of jobs that came my way. 

Recommended Reading: How to Find Jobs Easily as a Freelancer

As a matter of fact, when I decided to choose a specific freelance niche and started marketing myself in that sector as an expert and specialist, I was opened up to opportunities I never for once imagined would be there. For the first time, I saw a steady stream of income with more projects coming my way. It was magical and unbelievable. But come to think of it, why do you need a freelance niche? 

Why You Need a Niche for Your Freelance Business

Well, I'll make it easier for you to understand. Imagine that you had two friends. One had a College degree in a medicine-related discipline. He obviously took several different and unrelated courses in the first year. Let's assume that he has a general knowledge on medicine based on constant exposure to the different medicine-related courses he took in College. 

On the other hand, imagine that your other friend wanted to be a Medical Doctor. He put in the time required to study all the specific courses needed to bag the degree and become a specialist in Medicine. It takes him some helluva time to acquire the necessary skills, but yes, he's on his path to a medical career anyways. After graduating from College, who's most likely to be called a Medical Doctor? The generalist or the specialist? Of course, the best choice for a med expert would be the specialist. 

I wouldn't mince words on this. The more you try to do more of everything, the less you know about just one thing. Your clients want an expert. They are ready to pay more to get some specialized hands to handle their projects, not some General Know-it-all. 

How To Niche Down 

Niching down is not so difficult and there is no universal rule of thumb for finding the right niche for you. However, always consider having not more than 3 specialties to ensure that you are on the safe side. Here's what to do when niching down:

1. Identify what you are good at

2. Find out what you enjoy doing

3. Consider other streams of income 

Identify What You Are Good At

One of the most difficult aspects of knowing who you are in the freelance industry is identifying what you are good at. You have to identify what you are good at before you get started with choosing a particular niche for your freelance business. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is very essential. There are several approaches to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. 

            Photo Credit: Pexels 

Consider the projects you've worked on in the past, whether as a freelancer or employee, and occasions when you received sincere feedback. Is there a common trend running through? If there is, then yes, this is your niche. If you are new in the freelance industry, consider the jobs you have worked on in the past. Maybe you developed pertinent soft skills while running errands for that newspaper delivery job. Do you get positive testimonials about how effortless you carry on with your work? If yes, then there you go! In this case, your niche theme will stem from the self-taught skills that you may have developed over the years. 

2. Find Out What You Enjoy Doing

Freedom and independence. These two terms go hand-in-habd in the lifestyle of freelancers. Everyone loves freedom. One of the best privileges open to freelancers from across the globe is the flexibility of work. Freelancers enjoy control over their work and workplace. Heck, they can work anywhere and anytime! Try not to believe that as a freelancer you may not love the work you do. That may be true to some extent, but if you must succeed in the industry then you have to learn to love what you do and enjoy your work. Remember the times you found fun in doing a particular task. Maybe you were assigned a role in your 9-5 job that got you really excited. That's it! Finding your niche requires that you know what you enjoy doing. 

Sometimes, you might have to take jobs that you don't enjoy, but heck, love will always find a way. Love what you do even though it is not what you are entirely good at. You will surely get better at it over time. According to the famous author Cal Newport, if you want to love what you do, abandon the passion mindset ("what can the world offer me?") and instead adopt the craftsman mindset ("what can I offer the world?"). 

3. Consider Other Possible Streams of Income

Considering other lucrative streams of income is a better way to earn more money as a freelancer. If you're just starting out, consider presenting yourself as a brand. And since freelancing is a business, you have to always reason like a sole proprietor. When choosing the best niche to hook up with, consider other lucrative jobs that require basic skills with little time commitment. Avoiding listing more than four (3) services from jobs that you don't love doing but have to take up in order to keep a steady income rolling in. 

You want to have those listed as part of the services your brand offers. For example, the services I listed on UpMyChain are actually jobs I love doing and I also happen to be good at them too. Virtual Assistance is a well-paying job that allows me the flexibility I need to focus more energy and time on the work I love doing, which happens to be content writing. Also, this is an added income source as I get paid well for my service. Besides, the skills required are basic and since the job is remote, I seldom have to give in 100% of my time or be present in person. The fact that I get more projects by recommendation from clients I have worked for in the past makes it more interesting. This means more pay and more experience!

 Recommended Reading: Freelance vs Salary: A Comparative Analysis

Your career as a freelancer gets better after choosing an appropriate niche for your business and creating a brand around that niche theme. Choosing a niche does not limit you to only a certain number of jobs. It helps you stand out from the competition by encouraging specialization. I tell you, after you find your niche and start marketing your brand around that niche, you will be amazed by how much you can earn as a freelancer!

Read Also:

• How Freelancers Get Paid on UpMyChain

• How to Calculate Your Hourly Rates as a Freelancer: A Comprehensive Guide