When thinking about your freelance writing niche, you absolutely must consider the content formats you want the majority of your projects to revolve around.
Why?
Because then you’ll get really, really good at writing in that specific content format, and your skills as a writer will be much more marketable.
I’ve always focused on blogging/article writing and web copywriting.
Those were and still are my two best and favourite content formats.
Are there more profitable content formats? Definitely!
Here are just 12 content formats that I’d say are the most profitable for freelance writers.
Have a look and see if any intrigue you…
Landing Page Copy
Copywriting encompasses anything that revolves around sales and advertising, but online landing page copy is a special kind of copywriting niche that has the potential to earn you thousands of dollars per project.
Whether it’s for an online course offered by an internet marketer or the latest new supplement from a health food company, if you can write copy that sells it, you can make a great living from doing this type of work over and over again.
Email Campaigns and Sales Funnels
The most effective way to sell to customers online is by email.
Even the biggest corporations rely heavily on email campaigns and sales funnels to build relationships with leads and turn them into customers that will buy from them over and over and over again.
Businesses need email copy for their launches, contests, savings/deals, seasonal campaigns, and more.
There’s no shortage of this kind of work, that’s for sure.
Grants
Organizations of all sizes in a variety of industries are looking to apply for grants from the government, which are monetary amounts that don’t need to be paid back.
Of course, a grant application is only accepted when an organization can prove it’s doing something beneficial to the community or local economy.
Grant writing, however, is a very technical form of writing that requires a lot of research and attention to detail.
It’s not for every writer, but it can be a very lucrative niche if you have or can develop the skills for it.
White Papers
A white paper can be described as an authoritative guide or report that informs the customer or reader about a problem and helps them solve it. It’s a very popular content format nowadays thanks to the internet where businesses provide white papers as lead magnets.
They get people to provide their email addresses in exchange for it.
You can think of a white paper as a long-form document or even an ebook.
Since they typically require a lot of research and often technical writing, any writer who specializes in the white paper niche can earn thousands of dollars per project.
Cover Letters and Resumes
Cover letters and resumes are designed to sell people rather than products and services.
A lot of people don’t have the writing skills to properly sell themselves when applying to jobs, and many look toward outsourcing that kind of work if it means that it will increase their chances of getting an interview.
Freelance writers who specialize in writing cover letters and resumes can find clients both locally and online.
The more advanced the position that the client is applying for, the more you can charge for the work.
eLearning Materials
eLearning is huge nowadays, and it’s why I included Education as a runner up to the main industries that freelance writers can really profit from.
eLearning materials include everything from course curriculum and instructional content, to scenario-based storytelling and case studies.
As a freelance writer who specializes in the eLearning niche, you’ll certainly have to have knack for understanding what’s being taught and stepping into the perspective of the student.
The more advanced or complex the scope and subject you’re writing about, the more you can earn.
Technical/Instructional Writing
So many businesses need both company-specific and customer-specific documents written up, but lack the in-house skills and time to produce them.
These are the types of companies that need updated employee training booklets for their new hires, or user-friendly instructional guides for customers that purchase the latest version of their software.
Businesses will happily outsource this kind of work to freelance writers who can create high-quality, detailed content for them that they can print in manuals, guides, handbooks, pamphlets, and even downloadable PDF files.
Business Reports
All businesses — small, medium, and large — need a range of reports written up for them from time to time.
These include activity reports, project status reports, sales reports, digital marketing reports, competitor analysis reports, content strategy reports, growth strategy reports, budget reports, earnings reports, annual reports, and all sorts of other reports.
If you’re a skilled and specialized business writer, you can do very well for yourself just by focusing just on report writing for businesses.
Language Translation
If you’re bilingual or multilingual, then you may be able to profit off that as a freelance writer.
After all, translation doesn’t just occur at a word-for-word level. Content needs to make sense and flow properly once it’s been translated.
Case Studies
A case study is really just a true story told in a way that informs/educates the reader or sells a solution to them (in the form of a product or service).
They’re used in everything from educational content to help teach students, to patient testimonials from health practitioners.
Video Scripts
Video is a leading form of content nowadays (especially online), which means that there are all sorts of opportunities to write scripts for videos.
You can sell your writing skills to create scripts for tutorials, product demonstrations, marketing campaigns, and more.
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