If you want to take control of your creative business and stop the feast or famine syndrome in its tracks….
If you want to get better projects with bigger budgets and stop being at the mercy of whoever comes along, it’s actually quite simple.
Pick a niche.
When you have a niche, people will pay more for your expertise.
It really does make your life simpler. It makes your choices easier. It makes you feel less scattered. It brings a sense of calm. Plus, you are rewarded with better clients, better projects and better pay.
But which niche to pick?
In my course here on CreativeLive, Command The Fees You Deserve, I highlight five creative ways to approach picking a profitable niche. Here they are, with actual examples of creatives who are getting better projects within that niche – you’ll see, it really is possible!
Deciding to pick a very well-defined niche in terms of both service offerings and types of clients, will help you immensely in pitching yourself. Here’s a clip from my class that walks you through some examples of just how much more effectively you’ll be able to pitch your services once you’ve defined your niche.
(Want to see more? You can also download my Niche Checklist to get a list of 60+ vertical industries to choose from.)
Niche #1: Vertical
Definition: The first niche is the most common and the most obvious one: a vertical niche, an industry or business sector, such as “nonprofit, women business owners or healthcare technology manufacturers.”
Example: Web copywriter, Alyssa Martin
Message: Strategic copywriting for difference makers & creative entrepreneurs to help you make your mark on the world
Niche #2: Horizontal
Definition: This niche focuses on a specific medium, discipline or service that you offer — like web design, black and white photography or SEO copywriting.
Example: Designer, maxwelledwards.com
Message: Colleges and universities hire Maxwell Edwards to solve their wayshowing dilemmas, impart their brand story, and unravel the seemingly endless details that people need to know about buildings and campuses today. Clients keep coming back because we “get them” and their needs.
Niche #3: Horizontal + Vertical Combo Focus
Definition: This very narrow focus model is an intersection of vertical and horizontal and one of the main benefits of a focus this narrow is that there’s not a lot of competition.
Example: Writer brynmooth.com
Message: I help publications, creative firms and brands tell mouthwatering stories to their audiences. And I can bring a tasty approach to copywriting for your next project.
Niche #4: Technology Specialization Focus
Definition: This niche focuses on a particular technology, like Drupal, SquareSpace or WordPress. The trick with this type of focus is to find the people who know they need that particular technology.
Example: PowerPoint designer, Laura M. Foley Design
Message: More than just pretty slides … presentations that work. Do you want to become a better PowerPoint communicator? How great would it be to have the edge when you’re making a sale, creating training materials, presenting to a classroom? You can learn how to Cheat Death by PowerPoint or allow me to redesign your deck to get you the results from your audience that you’re looking for.
Niche #5: Umbrella Focus
Definition: The umbrella focus is where you can really get creative – here’s how. You identify a common denominator, a through-line amongst the different types of companies and industries you like to work with.
For example, in the audience of my CreativeLive course, Command the Fees You Deserve, there was a producer, Justin Barker, who was looking for clients whose work involves “transformation.”
Sounds a bit vague, right? But if you think about it (and we did), he could work with everyone from thought leaders to conservationists to yoga teachers and more – all people looking to create change for people or for the environment. That’s the common thread – it all fits under his “niche” umbrella of “transformation.”
There are many more niche examples in Command the Fees You Deserve. And for more ideas, be sure to download my Niche Checklist.
If you’re starting a freelance career, or looking to grow your existing business, download our Free eBook, The Essential Guide to Launching a Freelance Career.
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