How Do I Choose My Niche?

A Guide for Freelancers and Consultants

“As a freelancer, how do I choose my niche? And do I need to niche down at all?”

As I coach other freelancers and consultants, and follow discussions on social media, I see and hear a lot of questions about niching.

It’s not a challenge that only new freelancers face. It’s a question you’ll keep asking as an independent.

Some freelancers avoid choosing a niche because it feels risky: “What if I choose the wrong one? What if I get bored with my niche?”

Others agonize over this decision and end up choosing nothing — which is also a choice.

Still others put their marketing on hold for months while they try to figure it out.

Of course, the market is not waiting for you to decide on your niche. If you’re putting your marketing on hold, you’re losing time and losing ground. If you’re not choosing at all, you’re marketing to a broad target, and some of your effort will be wasted.

About This Post

The premise of this post is this:

Niching is absolutely something you should consider as an independent consultant or freelancer.

I’m not saying you must niche down. I’m saying it’s worth your consideration.

Niching — and its close cousin, targeting — are forms of focus. And focus is one of the most effective ways to carve out a business for yourself.

And with more and more people realizing the benefits of self-employment, there is ever-increasing competition. Niching is one way to stand out from the pack and to appeal to the kinds of clients you’d most like to serve.

This post is also a reaction to some disastrous advice I’ve seen on this topic. For example: “Your niche will find you.” I wouldn’t bet the future of my business that the universe will provide for me. I prefer deliberate action.

This post will answer the following questions for you:

• What is niching?
• What are the benefits of niching?
• How do I choose my niche?
• What are the arguments against niching?