Learn what a freelance writing niche is, the top 15 high-paying freelance writing niches (for beginners), and how to choose yours.
Choosing your niche (or niches) is the first step you need to take to become a freelance writer.
If you’re having a hard time choosing what to specialize in, being a generalist is ok at the beginning.
But in the long-run, you need to become an expert in a particular field to have a truly profitable career as a freelancer.
Here, I’ll go over what a freelance writing niche is, how to pick yours, and fifteen high-paying freelance writing niches, so, you can start your career on the right foot.
What’s a Freelance Writing Niche?
A freelance writing niche is the industry you work in (the topic you write about) or the type of writing you specialize in (the content type you write).
Your niche could be writing social media content or writing several content types for finance businesses. You could also niche down within a niche. Here’s an example: you could be a food writer (niche) or specifically write about keto foods and recipes (niched down).
Most people think that being a generalist will get them more jobs but the exact opposite happens.
When you become an expert in your field, clients will start looking for you and you’ll be able to command higher rates.
Think about it, if you’re a high-performance athlete you’ll search for a nutritionist that specializes in nutrition for high-performance athletes — not a general nutritionist!
If you have a problem with your solar panels, you won’t hire a house builder or even an electrician! You’ll get someone who specializes in solar panels. Makes sense, right?
Another advantage of picking a niche is that you’ll have so much knowledge about the topic that you’ll start writing much faster — which directly translates into more income!
What Makes a Content Writing Niche Profitable?
First of all, it’s important to know that “profitable” niches come and go.
A lot of high-earning travel writers were jobless when the pandemic hit in 2020.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain was probably the most profitable writing niche in 2021 and 2022, but with the crypto downturn we’re experiencing, it isn’t the case anymore.
Overall, the profitability of a niche is determined by three components:
- How much impact your writing has on sales — that’s why copywriters make more money than most other writers, for example. If clients see that your writing directly translates into profit, they’ll be willing to pay more.
- How much marketing budget companies have — that’s why SaaS writers make more than most B2C writers, for example. SaaS companies usually have ginormous profit margins.
- And good ol’ supply and demand — if there’s a lot of demand and few writers, businesses will be forced to pay higher rates. Usually, the “fun” topics, like travel or food, are more saturated than the “boring” topics, like finance or tech.
How Do I Find My Freelance Writing Niche?
There are three ways you can pick your niche:
- Choose something you already have experience in.
- Choose something you’d like to learn more about.
- Work as a generalist until you find something that clicks.
If you have previous experience in a profitable freelance writing niche, that’s it. You got your niche sorted.
Someone with a background in law, could become a legal writer, for example.
Being experienced in profitable freelance writing topics is definitely an advantage. But most of us aren’t that lucky.
What’s the next best option? Go for something you’d like to learn about. You’ll be learning while working, and there’s a high likelihood you’ll love your job.
Your niche doesn’t have to be set in stone, though. You can work as a generalist until you find your thing.
You can also change your niche if you don’t enjoy it. Sometimes reality doesn’t match our expectations. You don’t need to stay stuck in a niche you hate.
Of course, it’ll take some effort and time to rebrand your website and social media channels, create new content writing samples, and find new clients. But if you’re unhappy in your current niche, it’s worth it!
9 High-Paying Freelance Writing Niches (for Beginners)
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some freelance writing niche ideas that’ll be profitable in 2023 and beyond.
1. Finance, Personal Finance, and Fintech
Finance writing is a typical case of “go where the money is.”
Investment, accounting, financial/retirement planning, and credit card companies, mortgage lenders, and banks have enough profit to justify paying writers handsomely.
People are also willing to pay good money for financial online courses because they know they’ll get a return on their investment.
Plus, most people know next-to-nothing about finance, so these companies need a lot of instructional materials to educate customers on their services and products.
That’s why this is one of the most profitable freelance writing niches out there.
If you want to become a financial writer, previous experience is a plus but not a requirement. Just make sure you have solid samples when applying to jobs.
Financial writing requires you to be detail and fact-oriented while adding personality and storytelling — otherwise the content is too boring and unrelatable for the average person.
With a potential recession looming, the personal finance niche will be booming. Get ready to write blog posts on budgeting and savings!
The average annual financial writer salary as of November, 2022 is $110,022. The majority pay between $94,500 and $127,000 per year.
ZipRecruiter
2. Technology
Again, if you look at the world’s most valuable companies, the majority are tech companies, meaning they have the budget to pay writers well.
Some topics you should be well-versed in are computers, smartphones, AI, big data, blockchain, cybersecurity, augmented reality, and 5G — and you’ll be making lots of g’s. Sorry for the low-bar pun!
Similarly to finance writing, you need to be fact and detail-oriented, break down complex topics in easy-to-understand writing, and spruce it up with a touch of storytelling and personality to engage readers.
The average annual Tech Writer salary as of November, 2022 is $73,266. The majority pay between $57,000 and $84,500 per year.
ZipRecruiter
3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS companies usually have huge profits. That allows them to spend a lot on content.
Basically, they create software and people pay monthly subscriptions to use it — this is their business model.
Examples include Ubersuggest, Semrush, CoSchedule, ConvertKit, Bluehost, Canva, Elegant Themes, and Grammarly. I mentioned these companies as examples because I use every single one of them to run this blog and my freelance writing business.
SaaS companies need a lot — and I mean A LOT — of educational content to teach their customers how to use their software and the benefits it’ll bring them.
Some freelance writing services you can expect to do for SaaS companies include writing long form blog posts, case studies, marketing emails, landing and sales pages, video scripts, courses, and more.
SaaS is one of my niches and I absolutely love it.
My blog post on how to use Ubersuggest for keyword research is an example of the type of content these companies are looking for.
Besides having to break down complex topics into easy-to-understand content, you may have to create infographics and screenshots to illustrate your content.
SaaS writers make between $40,000 and $108,000. The most common range is between $50,000 and $85,000. The average salary is $65,285.
GlassDoor
4. Digital Marketing
The same goes for the digital marketing niche. These companies have good profit margins and need lots of instructional content to educate potential customers.
Something else going for this niche is that more and more online businesses are popping up, and older businesses are investing in creating an online presence — this niche will continuously grow in the foreseeable future.
Additionally, digital marketing and SaaS often overlap. Companies like ConvertKit and HubSpot offer software for digital marketing, for example.
That’s why I my niche is B2B SaaS and digital marketing.
A great way to learn about this niche is to start your own blog or other online business — that’s one of the reasons I started this blog, by the way. I want to improve and test my skills.
Also, within the digital marketing niche, you can niche down to email marketing, content marketing, SEO, affiliate marketing, and project management, among others.
I couldn’t find any official numbers about the average salary of a digital marketing writer but here are two examples:
5. Education
Education writing is one of the most profitable freelance writing niches because… You guessed it! Employers have a bunch of cash to splash around.
Who are those employers, though?
They’re often universities and private student loan lenders.
People who have previous experience teaching, coaching, home-schooling, tutoring, or being students, are already in a good position to write for this niche — and basically every single one of us was a student in the past.
For this reason, this is one of the most beginner-friendly niches in this list.
CollegeRaptor is a good example of the type of website you’ll be writing for if you pick this niche.
Education writers make between $35,000 and $87,000. The most common range is between $44,000 and $70,000. The average salary is $55,091.
GlassDoor
6. Healthcare & Medical Writing
Healthcare/medical and legal writing are the only niches in this list that require you to have a degree in a related field to find freelance work.
But, hey, if you’re a doctor or nurse and would like to start your own business or get away from the hospital work environment, freelance writing is a good option.
You’re guaranteed to make bank in this niche!
To be a great medical writer, you need to combine rigor, detail, and the scientific process with web writing skills.
Medical writers need to convey information to both health care professionals and the general public about research findings and medical devices, products, and services.
The best place for you to learn about medical writing is the American Medical Writers Association.
Considering healthcare, health insurance, and pharmaceuticals are so expensive in the US, it’s no surprise that this is the most profitable freelance writing niche. High demand and low supply of writers also plays a part.
Medical writers make between $53,000 and $160,000. The most common range is between $68,000 and $123,000. The average salary is $91,125.
GlassDoor
7. Legal Writing
Legal writing involves the production of any form of material used in the legal industry.
You can lean more towards technical writing by writing legal documents, summarizing case laws, news, and industry events, or legal correspondence, among others.
But you could also go for less technical writing types.
You could write law-related articles for publications, provide web copy for law firms and law-related websites, or become a corporate writer and create press releases, brochures, leaflets, reports, and presentations.
A great example of a legal writer making piles of cash online is Amira from A Self Guru. She’s a lawyer turned blogger who provides a few legal services online. She also sells legal templates to help bloggers comply with legal requirements.
You can pitch you legal writing services to law firms, sites offering legal advice or legal templates, online newspapers and magazines, and government portals.
Legal writers make between $38,000 and $98,000. The most common range is between $48,000 and $78,000. The average salary is $60,944.
GlassDoor
8. Real Estate
Real estate companies are well aware of the power of online marketing. If you were ever looking to buy or rent a home, you know the first place you look is online.
These companies need compelling content, like buying guides and real estate descriptions, to sell.
Other content you may be hired to write includes legal documents, eviction notices, renewal terms, newsletters, press releases, social media posts, mortgage tips, and landscaping and home décor ideas.
One thing you need to keep in mind about real estate writing is that you can niche down into more or less profitable real estate sub-niches.
Someone specializing in luxury real estate or real estate investments will make more money than a generalist real estate writer or journalist.
9. Beauty & Fashion
Beauty and fashion writing is definitely more beginner-friendly than some others on this list of writing niches.
This niche is all about staying on top of the latest trends in the beauty and fashion space.
Just like real estate writing, you can niche down into more or less profitable sub-niches in this category. Luxury brands can pay you more than blogs about budget-friendly fashion and makeup, for example.
Trend alerts, product reviews, makeup and skincare tutorials, listicles of top fashion, skincare, and makeup products, product descriptions, and gift guides are some content types you can expect to write.
The best way to get started on this niche is by creating your own lifestyle blog where you show and review the products you use.
As of Nov 12, 2022, the average annual pay for a Fashion Writer in the United States is $56,827 a year.
ZipRecruiter
[Beauty writer] annual salaries [are] as high as $100,000 and as low as $17,500. The majority of Beauty Writer salaries currently range between $39,000 and $58,500, with top earners making $83,000 annually across the United States.
ZipRecruiter
6 High-Paying Freelance Writing Content Types
At the beginning of the post, I told you that a niche can be the topic you write about or the content type.
You can even combine a high-paying topic with a high-paying content type for maximum #stonks.
Here, I’ll briefly describe the most profitable content types.
Side note: I’m planning on writing ultimate guides for each of them. If you want to learn a specific content type, let me know in the comments and I’ll start with your requests.
Let’s get started.
1. Long-Form Blog Posts and Ultimate Guides
Traditionally, long-from content is content with 1,000+ words. But certain topics require over 2,000 words to cover the subject in-depth.
Long-from content is the niche I specialize in and I’ve written blog posts with over 6,000 words and dozens of images and infographics.
Ultimate guides provide all the information a reader needs on a topic, but the writing should be conversational and easily accessible — knowing how to convey complex topics in an engaging and easy-to-understand way is the #1 skill you need to make it big in this niche.
You’ll also need basic on-page SEO knowledge a.k.a. how to write SEO-friendly blog posts.
This is one of the best freelance writing niches because:
- Companies need a lot of instructional content, meaning the demand is high.
- You can get hired as an SEO writer to create blog posts on a recurring basis, instead of getting one-off projects, giving you more income stability.
- There aren’t as many writers willing or capable of writing comprehensive guides.
Generally speaking, you can charge at least $500 for a long-form content piece.
2. White Papers
White papers are usually more formal and serious than other types of web content. Sometimes they even contain technical information.
Basically, a white paper presents a problem and explores solutions. One of those will be your client’s product or service.
But you won’t be presenting it in a salesy way, the bare numbers and technical information should be enough to persuade readers.
White paper rates start at $3,000 per piece but an experienced white paper writer may charge $5,000 to $7,000 per piece.
What makes white papers this expensive? Here are some of the reasons:
- They’re usually five to ten pages long.
- They’re often used as lead magnets. Businesses are aware of how profitable email lists are, so they’re willing to pay accordingly.
- B2B and technology — two known profitable business niches — are the biggest markets for white paper writing.
- You’ll get most of the data from your clients but you’ll likely need to do a lot of research and interviews, as well.
3. Case Studies
Case studies are another example of a content type that’s well-paid because it’s directly related to sales.
They showcase the results or benefits previous clients got from using that business’s product or service. To write a case study, you start by mentioning the issue a client was facing and how your product/service solved it.
Social proof is one of the most compelling marketing tactics and that’s exactly what case studies aim to do. That’s why they’re directly related to sales.
Case studies can be a great aid for sales teams while massively boosting SEO and sales on autopilot.
This is because they’ll rank for keywords closely related to the product/service your client is selling, and generate backlinks since they’re based on original research.
One important skill you need to write compelling case studies is data storytelling. They’re basically long-form testimonials in story format that provide a lot of value to the reader.
You’ll also need to interview both your client and their customers to get the best information.
You can charge between $500 and $4,000 for a case study, depending on the scope and length of the project, your experience level, and the niche you’re in.
4. Sales Page and Landing Page Copywriting
If you have a knack for selling, this is one of the best freelance writing niches you can choose.
First, pretty much every business needs sales and landing page copy.
And, second, remember what I said before? The closest you’re to making sales, the more value clients attribute to your writing — this is as close as it gets!
The bad news is that not everyone is good at copywriting.
The good news is that everyone can learn!
Copywriters don’t write copy just off the top of their head. There are several proven writing formulas and prompts to sell.
As long as you’re willing to put in the time to learn those formulas, practice your craft, and read a lot of successful copy, you can become a effective and high-earning copywriter.
The average freelance copywriter salary in the USA is $78,000 per year or $40 per hour. Entry level positions start at $58,500 per year while most experienced workers make up to $107,250 per year.
Talent.com
5. Email Copywriting
Once again, email copywriting is within that category that directly generates profit. Hence, clients are willing to pay premium prices for effective email copy.
On average, the return on investment (ROI) of email marketing is $36 for every $1 spent — that’s the highest ROI of any form of marketing!
Online businesses rely heavily on email marketing. It’s safe to say, it’s here to stay.
Similarly to sales and landing page copywriting, you need to learn effective writing formulas, practice, and read successful copy to master this niche.
You may be asked to write email sales funnels, full email campaigns, and newsletters. Within this niche, you could also provide leads magnets.
The national average salary for an Email Marketing is $73,546 per year in United States. The lowest salary is $48,154 and the highest is $112,328 per year.
GlassDoor
6. Video Scripts
And, last but not least, in our list of writing niches comes video script writing.
For the third year in a row, live streaming and video-based content are predicted to be among the greatest trends in marketing.
Video is now seen as one of the best ways for businesses to build trust and engage its audience.
There are a bunch of different video script writing sub-niches you can specialize in.
Because YouTube is a search engine, businesses use it to share instructional content, their story, and updates on their business or product features.
You could also specialize in shorter, more sales-oriented video scripts for home pages and sales pages, for example.
The national average salary for an Email Marketing is $61,014 per year in United States. The lowest salary is $35,827 and the highest is $103,906 per year.
GlassDoor
Other High-Paying Freelance Writing Niches for Beginners (2023)
As you could see, there’s a wide variety of profitable topics and content types you can build your freelance writing career around.
Other profitable writing types I didn’t mention include:
- Grant writing
- Course writing
- eBook writing
- Ghostwriting
Topic-wise, some that deserve an honorable mention include:
- Alternative health
- Wellness
- Cannabis and CBD
- Fitness, exercise, and yoga
- Travel
- Survivalism and homesteading
- Camping, hiking, backpacking, and the outdoors
- Parenting
- Pregnancy and postpartum
But, as you can see from the image below, you can make money writing about all sorts of topics. While researching for this blog post, I found job postings to write about BBQ grills, rabbits, pest control, home cleaning, homesteading, and pipe repairing!
High-Paying Freelance Writing Niches — Key Takeaways
I hope this post helped you pick a niche to specialize in — or that it, at least, gave you an idea of how the industry works and where the money is at.
This list was not super comprehensive. If you want to specialize in a niche that wasn’t mentioned here, don’t worry.
There are lots of other profitable niches — as long as you know how to market your services well and to the right people.
Also, whether you’re fed up with your niche or it’s not working out, you can change it anytime!
To have a profitable freelance writing career, the most important thing is to take action.
Just get started. Do one small thing that moves you forward today 👇
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