An unexpected writing niche

how I found one and what it's done for my career

"You don't have much writing experience, do you?" 

I felt a sharp prickle of sweat on my upper lip. My interviewer looked at me blankly. I explained, with sinking confidence, that I had been published in the Calgary Herald—three times!

She nodded, glanced down at my resume once more, and thanked me for coming in. I took three buses to get back home. I knew the interview hadn't gone well and that I wasn't going to hear back. It was disappointing, but not a shock. The publishing industry was scarcely hiring, employers were indifferent about my journalism degree, and I was getting to the point of applying for jobs that I didn’t even want—like a 9 to 5 resume writing position, paying cents above minimum wage, that haunted me on the job boards until I caved and applied. (They ghosted me.)

In hindsight, I was learning a pertinent lesson about the industry on the whole: it can feel impossible to break into publishing. It's wildly competitive and even if you have genuine, university- or college-backed merit (and the black hole in your bank account to prove it), there's no guarantee of a future in the field. If you want to maximize your chances of being a working writer, you have to be thick-skinned, open-minded, and something of a 'yes person.'

So, when the opportunity presented itself to write for a small interior design magazine—nearly a year into my post-university job search that had turned me into a job-board-groupie—I said yes.

I never planned to write about interior design. In the 20-odd years I spent dreaming of being a writer, the idea had never crossed my mind. It wasn't a niche that felt relatable at the time (my apartment was furnished wholeheartedly by Value Village and cat toys), but the opportunity for paid writing work felt like my first real win. 

So in 2014, I started writing about interior design. I knew so little about the niche that each 300-word article would take me half a day to put together. But the small team of editors continued to give me weekly work and modest compensation. In 2015, I wrote my first feature article for them, which involved interviewing an interior designer for a series about home renovations. I still write that series today. 

It's never been my highest paying gig, but it's where I got the most practical writing experience. It also helped me to build my brand as an interior design writer. Though, don't get me wrong, every move after that initial bit of luck in 2014 was intentional. Writing with authority in the interior design niche has been a product of hard work and persistence, but I can say with certainty that embracing an unfamiliar niche has helped me to expand my range as a writer and creator, build my portfolio, break into other niches, and build a network.

The nitty gritty of writing niches

Photo by Shruti Singh on Unsplash

Your writing niche can refer to the type of writing you do, as well as the subject matter you cover. And while I'll be speaking to the latter, deciding on the type of writing you want to do is an important precursor to a successful freelance career. For instance, if you're wanting to pursue content writing or ghostwriting or magazine writing, it helps to identify that from the outset, so that you can target potential publishers more effectively. 

Choosing a subject matter to cover can be a little less straight-forward because there are a lot of different options. You can cover entire industries or sectors, like I do, or you can narrow your focus down to a sub-category within an industry or sector. So, for instance, finance is a writing niche, and so is personal finance, which falls under the umbrella of finance.

It all depends on what you're knowledgeable and/or interested in, which isn't always so clear cut. Another approach, if you're not a specialist in a particular area, is to try out niches that are profitable or that you know editors are hungry for. A good way to suss this out is by subscribing to newsletters and blogs that round up freelance calls. You may find yourself trying out different niches until you find one that feels natural to write about.

In any case, it's beneficial to establish a writing niche at some point in your career. Niche writing can help freelancers to generate brand awareness, and if you're a freelancer in need of work, having a distinctive, authoritative, service-oriented brand is important. You also open yourself up to a higher pay grade if you're genuinely knowledgeable in your writing niche. And finally, getting real cozy with a particular niche can help you to write better, faster, and earn more, simply because you're good at what you do.

How do you become an authority in a writing niche? 

Start with genuine interest. 

If you enjoy your writing niche, it shows. For instance, I may not be an interior designer myself, but I've always enjoyed writing about those who are. I have an appreciation for design-minded-people and beautiful interiors, and I like to think that gives my writing a sense of authenticity. Plus, if you like what you're writing about, learning more can be an enjoyable process.

Regularly interact with experts. 

I've interviewed more interior designers than I can count. And beyond making that initial connection in the interview, I've found a lot of value in keeping my interview sources in my immediate network by following them on social media, interacting with their content, and making it a point to collaborate with them again for future stories. 

More often than not, the designers that I connect with are happy to help me learn. And if I encounter a source that seems particularly receptive, I will go as far as to ask them what types of topics they can speak with authority on. This can be a great way to generate ideas. Meanwhile, having a (growing) database of expert sources means that I spend less time overall sussing out new sources, a process that can take days to weeks.

Learn the language.

Reading content published and shared by industry experts is my favorite way to learn the language nuances of interior design writing. A few years ago, I set up a daily reminder on my phone that notifies me to stop what I'm doing and read at least two articles related to my writing niches. This gives me a little break in my day, where I'm also deepening my knowledge, and it often doesn't feel like a labor at all. 

Doing this also helps me to get a feeling for the kinds of topics that are relevant in the context of the times. And oftentimes, I find that the topics that designers address on blogs and in social posts are things that aren't overly technical. We all have things we like, dislike, and are unsure about in our interior spaces, and I find that my value as a writer in this space is sometimes to suss out expert solutions to everyday problems. 

Get familiar with the unfamiliar.

If someone thinks you are worthy of a writing opportunity, take their word for it, even if you feel out of your depth. Many things in life are learnable. And as a freelancer, you're not necessarily locked into any one gig, writing type, or niche, which is kind of the beauty of it. Everything is an opportunity to learn, broaden your range, and diversify what you can potentially offer the writing world in the future.

Okay, I'm all preached out, so I'll leave you with this. There's such a randomness, and often a stinginess, to opportunity. Of course, that's in life in general, but you feel it ten times more as a freelance writer, a profession that can be so reliant on one-off opportunities. So, it helps if you're the kind of person who doesn't hesitate at taking an opportunity and running with it. And I'll be the first to say it, when someone asks me why I write about interior design, that I took a chance on a random job eight years ago and ran with it.

Being open to a new and unfamiliar writing niche changed everything for me. In my early days of being a freelance writer, I had to fight, every day, to simply exist in the industry. Today, I have a portfolio that gives me credibility and a work-life that's free of side hustles and relentless doubt about my value as a writer. Writing about interior design ultimately made that possible.