Which ghostwriting niche is for you?💡
Know you want to get into ghostwriting, but not sure which niche is right for you? Here are some ideas. 🧠
You may be considering becoming a freelance ghostwriter, but aren’t sure which niche to choose in building your portfolio and looking for work. I’ve discussed the importance of picking a writing niche before, but in that post, I didn’t address some niche options or how to decide which one’s best for you. That’s what today’s post is for! Below, I’ve listed some great ghostwriting niche ideas and some questions to consider when choosing your ghostwriting niche.
💡Ghostwriting niche ideas:
Newsletter or blog writing: If you’re reading this on Substack, you might already be writing your own newsletter/blog! That’s great - you’ve gotten some practice under your belt. Of course, it’s possible that you’ll make funds from your Substack or other personal newsletter. But when I talk about newsletter writing as a ghostwriter, I’m referring to writing for a company or individual who pays you to keep up with their newsletter/blog. What’s neat about newsletter writing is that it’s valuable in a lot of industries, so you can become super knowledgeable in a particular field and be THE expert that certain companies/entrepreneurs want to hire. Some industries that benefit from blog writing include hospitality, cosmetics, fashion, food/restaurants, and tech start-ups, to name a few.
Proposal or grant writing: Good proposal and grant writers are in high demand and typically make great money. As a proposal or grant writer, you may be contracted by the federal government, a private defense company, a healthcare or medical company, or a construction company, among many others. Specializing in developing winning proposals or grant requests for a particular sector allows you to find more high-paying ghostwriting opportunities. This might be best for you if you have a knack for technical writing and picking up STEM concepts quickly.
Website copywriting: Web copywriting is one of the most well-known ghostwriting niches. All of the text that you see on a website had to be written by someone, and that’s where web copywriters come in. If you’re passionate about making websites shine and drawing customers in, this may be the perfect ghostwriting niche for you. Website copywriting can range from drafting a company’s “about” page to crafting a compelling email opt-in to writing the little blurb that accompanies each product that the company has for sale.
Video game copywriting: When you play video games, you may notice that there is often some script, verbiage from the characters, or story to follow. Video game copywriters write these! If you love storytelling, games, and entertainment, this might be a worthwhile niche for you.
Scriptwriting: Another entertainment-industry ghostwriting job is scriptwriting. You may write scripts for a production company that makes television shows or movies, or you may write scripts for Broadway musicals. Regardless of which avenue you choose, scriptwriting is a really neat ghostwriting niche.
Marketing and social media copywriting: Many companies hire a full-time or part-time marketer to help build their brand and sell their products or services to consumers. As a copywriter in this niche, you might be contracted to help a company with crafting their social media posts, marketing emails, and physical or digital flyers/pamphlets. If you enjoy social media, conversions, and sales, this might be a great option for you.
Writing thought leader articles for professionals: This is an especially profitable ghostwriting niche if you have experience in a technical field or are willing to build a portfolio in technical writing. Many professionals, such as CEOs of start-ups and entrepreneurs, want to set themselves apart as an expert in their field. Perhaps, though, they’re too busy to draft a bunch of thoughtful articles, or they’ve got great ideas but aren’t the best at writing in a compelling manner. You can fill this gap by being their ghostwriter!
Book writing for professionals: A lot of public speakers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners want to write a book, but don’t know how to get started. They might have a self-help method that’s worked for them, motivational advice, or a personal journey to share with the world. As an informative book ghostwriter, you can help make these clients’ book dreams a reality!
Memoir writing: Another book writing possibility is memoir ghostwriting. Perhaps you love hearing and retelling people’s life stories. If you’re good at storytelling, getting in the headspace of others when writing, and highlighting the lessons that shine through a tale, memoir writing may be perfect for you.
Article writing for newspapers, magazines, etc. (or column writing): Pitching to newspapers/magazines/online journals is a great way to start building your portfolio. You can choose a publication that you already enjoy reading and pitch your story or article idea to them. This helps you get writing experience under your belt while building your portfolio and making a little bit of money on the side. Typically, you will get to keep your name on these types of published pieces, so they aren’t technically ghostwriting, but I included this option because it’s a great way to get started.
🧠 Things to consider when choosing your ghostwriting niche:
What do you love to write about?
The first thing to think about when choosing your niche is, of course, what you enjoy writing about. What sets you on fire? What can you write about at rapid speed? What style of writing do you love most?
How much money are you hoping to make?
Some niches, like proposal/grant writing, tend to make more overall than others, like scriptwriting (although this is NOT always the case!). Consider what your income goals and necessities are before choosing your ghostwriting path.
Where do you live? Even if you’re working remotely, this may play a role in your decision of what niche to pursue.
Ghostwriting is a great profession because you can often work remotely and on your own time. However, if you want to work with small businesses, it’s beneficial to think about where you live and perhaps start with those that are local to you. Often, people are happy to hire writers from their own community first because they feel like they’re helping out their area. Plus, you can meet up with a potential client in person if they are local to you, which is a bonus to some clients. If you ghostwrite memoirs, for instance, you might find yourself working with older individuals who prefer in-person interviews.
Do you prefer to work with a lot of clients and projects, or go more in-depth with fewer clients and projects?
If you want to have a larger number of projects and clients, you may want to choose a ghostwriting niche that doesn’t require as extensive one-on-one client time and work for each gig. If you choose to be a book writer, for example, you may only take on two projects a year. You’ll get to work very closely with your clients and spend more time on these projects. If you choose to do web copywriting, however, you might have a lot of clients and move through your projects more quickly. It all depends on the lifestyle that you want to pursue!
What would you like for your daily schedule to look like?
Think about what your day-to-day will look like in whatever ghostwriting niche you’re considering. Does it sound dreadful or fantastic? What would make your schedule better or worse?
What types of writing energize you? What types of writing make you feel exhausted or burned out?
Is there any type of ghostwriting that you can immediately rule out? Do you ever write a certain genre and find yourself quickly drained/burned out? Avoid these types of writing like the Plague when choosing your niche! 💀
Thanks for checking out my list of ghostwriting niche ideas and things to think about when choosing your niche. If you have additional ghostwriting jobs to list that I haven’t included, feel free to add them in the comments below! As always, I SO appreciate your readership and would be very grateful if you’d hit the subscribe button below so that I can continue to put together helpful posts each week. 😊
Ahh i needed this because I'm planning to go into ghostwriting. Thank you emma 🤍
Thanks!