Do You Have To Be An Expert In Your Niche?
A lot of people are scared away from freelance writing because they think that they have to be an expert in the area they’re writing about.
Sadly, this idea is perpetuated by the forum experts and armchair business generals who say stupid things:
- You need STEM to write about anything tech or science related!
- You can’t write about legal topics unless you’re a trainer lawyer!
- If you write about fitness, you need to be JACKED, Bro!
- “Yes, but, my target market is oh-so-sophisticated and couldn’t possibly fall for your devilish sales tricks!”
The above thinking isn’t true, and it’ll kill your freelance career before it starts, and numb you to the numerous opportunities that exist.
Why?
Because when you’re a beginner freelance writer, you should take every job going. I’m sure there are exceptions, but everyone I know who started out in freelance writing, ghost writing and writing in general did this. I certainly did.
You’re not going to build a reputation as quick, reliable and high quality if you’re busy waiting around for a client to turn up wanting editorial pieces on feminism in nineteenth century table top gaming, but if you can write about fitness, business and dating then you’ll have a good chance of getting too much work to cope with.
If you can use your brain and write a full sentence (and do it on time) then you can do all of the above. There’s a caveat though. Let’s get that out of the way.
Sometimes, You Have To Be An “Expert”
Let’s define expert. It probably means:
- Knowledge of the subject
- The ability to get that dense knowledge across to a layman
That’s about it. It’s either in the knowledge or the telling.
Luckily, you can Google or otherwise research the first. That’s not a problem. (For all the muppets that think it’s impossible to access the secret wisdom of experts, check out your local charity bookstore in the months after University finishes for the end.)
The second one is an issue though. How does a mere copywriter learn to talk and write like a doctor or lawyer?
Luckily, that too is in your grasp. If you have a good client, then they’ll help you, giving you everything you need. (We can dream, right?)
If you don’t have a good client, it’s not all over. You see, this requirement comes down to one key skill that you can put in your copy.
That skill is authenticity.
“But Jamie… I can’t write like an authentic doctor! I’ve never removed a pair of tonsils!”
I’ve never removed a pair of tonsils either. But could either of us write about tonsil removal authentically? Of course we could!
Authenticity in copy doesn’t come from understanding the subject to a massive degree, though that helps (read those books you got in the charity shop!)
Authenticity comes from research and most importantly, the ability to understand your target reader.
The average six year old that needs their tonsils removed doesn’t care about the role of lymphatic tissue. They want to know when their throat’s going to stop hurting and when they’ll get to eat ice cream.
So, we’ve covered the first component of “do you need to be an expert” – which is – not really. We’ve also covered the second component; How to pretend to be an expert. Now the final bit: What is an expert, and how do you get to be one anyway?
You’re An Expert When You Say You Are
What is an “expert” anyway?
If I ever need heart surgery, then I’ll be sure to check the credentials of the guy who’s going to do the job. Similarly, if I want someone to build me a skyscraper, they’d better know what they’re doing.
Outside of very technical fields, an expert is smoke and mirrors. How do I know this?
Heart surgeons and financial masterminds don’t write their own copy. I do. We’ve discussed this elsewhere on the site before, but basically, someone who charges a million dollars an hour isn’t writing their own sales material. They’re hiring a copywriter or marketing agency to do it for them. This isn’t some sneaky backdoor shenanigan; this is commonly accepted business practice.
Do you want your heart surgeon saving people’s lives or writing reports?
Ghostwriting is a huge industry as well.
Moreover, let’s define what a smoke-and-mirrors expert is. Have you ever seen a writer’s biography that looks something like this:
“Bob Smith is an expert copywriter. He has worked for companies like Coca-Cola, Ford and Playboy, and has been writing about whatever pays well for fifteen years. He has been featured in The New York Times, Hustler and Good Horsekeeping Guide. He runs a super-magical blog called Bob’s Blog that gets twelve visitors a week!”
If you haven’t seen something like the above, then you haven’t read enough writer websites.
On the surface, they seem pretty cool. You’d look at Bob’s biography and think, “This guy knows what he’s talking about.”
That’s the magic though; all of those expert credentials mean “Has written freelance copy.” Nothing there is unachievable. Even the big news outlets have “Your Thoughts” columns.
Throw in some paper certificates and you too can be an expert in one week.
Final Thoughts
Here are the three keys to the notion of being an expert at copywriting in a particular niche:
- You don’t need to be one
- You’re going to appear to be one by writing copy to your target audience
- If you keep doing that, eventually you’ll become a recognised expert because “expert” is a vague term and you know how to sell yourself like any other product
None of this is to say you shouldn’t do your best to know your subject inside out, because you absolutely should, but the idea that you need to have a Master’s in Aeronautical Engineering to write about why one airline is better than another is absurd.