Niche markets perform like waves. Freelance writers benefit from plunging into the right market at the best time, even when the niche is far removed from their usual work.

Here’s how to take advantage when the wave is high – and how to find your way back after.

Wait for the Boom

A ‘hot’ niche is indicated by its increased appearance in mainstream news, busier message boards, and higher search-engine rankings. When people start talking, chase the market. Seek out popular markets for this specific niche. When Bitcoin-values boomed, I pitched Crooks & Crypto – and it hit the mark for multi-market syndication thanks to the right timing.

Selecting Niche Samples

A niche portfolio takes a while to build, so choose your most relevant samples when pitching. When first writing about cryptocurrency, I only had general financial writing samples to show, but they were close enough to get a cryptocurrency gig for a few months.

Use Strong Sources

A popular niche doesn’t have to be within your scope of writing experience for you to take advantage of the topic. If you aren’t familiar with the niche topic (like yoga or cryptocurrencies), use authoritative interview sources instead, who know it well. Writing Crooks & Crypto meant interviewing industry experts about the current cryptocurrency market.

A Quick Education

Gain a quick education in your chosen market by absorbing the right sources fast. Look for: Glossaries and encyclopedias of. . .  Cheatsheets. Forums and message boards. Expert sources and any groups, alliances, federations or leagues that represent your market. Sometimes short courses help.

Confusing Regular Markets

When I lost out on a legal writing opportunity and asked why, I realized a snag: “Your website looks like you mostly cover financials, so we passed.” Keep niche samples separate from your everyday work, and if you have to, set up a separate page for these unique samples.

Free Samples?

Struggling to enter a market? Target smaller publications and blogs, offering them discounted writing rates or a free post. Writing for “exposure” is rarely worth it, but when trying to enter a niche in a hurry, the compromise can be worth its weight.

Getting Too Comfortable

It’s easy to become “absorbed” into a burning hot niche – and forget about the markets you’re going to need when fuel runs out. When niche writing, remember to keep balance with your regular writing markets.

Financial Preparation

While it’s raining copywriting, prepare for the next drought. Niche money is never spending money – and when you save for downtimes during up ones, your career will thank you. Always put away a percentage of “niche money.”

Ghostwriting: A Powerful Ally

I’ve written a lot about cryptocurrency other than Crooks & Crypto, but I didn’t want to be known as a cryptocurrency content writer. This means I chose ghostwriting – and for any niche, this alternative can help you to write about varietal topics without any confusion about your brand and what you normally write about.

When to Stop (or Go Again) 

Niche markets can boom, but also flicker. Publications going on hiatus, declining pay rates, lesser availability of niche job post, and lower online reading views are all potential signs of a dwindling niche market. Consider taking a break from a specific niche when signs occur, and the initial “boom” fades.

What goes down will come up again, though. Save your niche samples and learn to watch your previous niche markets for when the next “boom” happens. Then, pitch away.

BIO – Alex J Coyne is a copywriter, journalist, and card player with a variety of published work including a daily bridge column for Bridge Base Online.