Whether to be a specialist or generalist writer is one of the questions that I think is going to be an eternal question in this profession, especially for freelancers. I was recently reminded of this challenge when giving a talk to new writers, and fielding a question from one young woman who said that becoming a specialist feels like narrowing or shutting out other possible writing avenues.
Yes, no kidding.
That articulates exactly the worry that even those who have chosen a specialty. You will miss other opportunities.
Will you?
Well, that’s one secret to becoming a specialist. You don’t necessarily need to shut out the other opportunities. I certainly don’t say no to opportunities outside of my established specialty of long form content writing.
If somebody asks me to write some social media posts alongside the work that I’m doing or to create some website copy, those are not projects I am explicitly pursuing as often, but they are certainly assignments I take on. Just because you’re targeting a market as a specialist doesn’t mean you need to turn down all work outside of that area.
You might find it easier to refrain from straying completely outside of your zone and find a partner, for example fact checking is something I think is essential but do not favour myself so I would refer that work elsewhere.
Benefits of specializing
I think specializing just helps you to focus your own outreach and marketing towards the potential clients or areas that you already have some experience with, depending on what stage you’re at in your career. That focus is invaluable because it helps you communicate your value and expertise so that you’re more easily referrable. If you say ‘I am technology writer, I am education writer, I am personal finance writer, then people know who you’re looking for in terms of clients.
You also have a focus in terms of any cold outreach you might be doing. For example, working in the education niche, I started by reaching out to universities, then colleges, then independent schools, with each having skills to build on. You also have a focus for any of your own content you put out there in further developing your own expertise.
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