1 Great Ghostwriter and Niching Down

When I started my freelance writing career in 2005, I knew nothing of niching down. Instead, I tried to write all things for all people. My rationale was that I needed work and I had transferable skills that could be applied to a large variety of writings: websites, personal introductions/elevator pitches/30-second commercials, crisis communications, speeches, blog posts, newspaper/magazine articles, and books. I also offered manuscript editing and proofreading services.

I did okay, and while I could price each project based on what I felt I was worth, the grand total at the end of the year fell far short of what I thought I should be making.

It wasn’t until COVID that I met a man who offered a trade: I’d write website copy and he’d give me access to his 52-week course on how to build a million-dollar business.

I haven’t yet made a million he promised, but that didn’t mean I didn’t learn a few things: Focus on benefits not features, solve pain points, people will pay more if they see the value, and the importance of niching down. 

That last lesson was the complete inverse of what I (and a lot of people) believed or maybe were taught.

Don’t believe me? Look at Amazon. It began as just an online book seller before it niched down to e-commerce. Then it exploded.

Or how about Apple? It initially succeeded by building user-friendly personal computers before realizing the demand for legal digital music. Who didn’t have an iPod or an iTunes subscription?

I thought being too specific meant I would lose possible jobs and the revenue that went with them. I learned the opposite was true, that the more narrow my focus, the more money I could make and the more undesirable potential clients I could avoid.

Having a niche means having a specific slice of a larger market. It’s about concentrating resources and talents and expertise to address the unique needs of that specific audience a ghostwriter wants to reach.

Ghostwriting is a large market. There are so many genres and types one could ghostwrite that I couldn’t find a definitive list. I easily counted twenty, and I’m sure I missed many.

Not everyone can or should ghostwrite all genres and types. Similarly, nobody needing a ghostwriter needs one who can work in all genres or types. Therefore, the ghostwriter needs to be niching down, or picking the niche he/she/they wants to work in, then tailoring the messaging to attract the audience looking for that type of ghostwriter.

By niching down, the ghostwriter finds that audience because the ghostwriter targets the people who want and need what the ghostwriter sells. The ghostwriter speaks their language and uses the right words to resonate with that audience, demonstrating empathy and expertise.

A niche also is a unique value proposition: Where others can’t, I can do exactly what you want and need. That makes the ghostwriter the authority, and the ghostwriter can command higher fees because there’s less competition and more value that people will pay for and they’ll be more satisfied with the ghostwriter’s processes, productivity, and the finished work.

What Niche to Choose?

Ghostwriters should work where they’re knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced. For me, as a former journalist, nonfiction was a no-brainer (I briefly flirted with fiction and found I was way out of my league).

However, nonfiction ghostwriting was still too general. In examining my life and career, I took particular satisfaction in telling stories about athletes who overcame great adversity to star in their sport. The ghostwriting type that most closely resembles that is a memoir. So, I ghostwrite memoirs.

I was voted Most Opinionated by my high school class, and even today people know I don’t hold back in speaking my mind. An expository essay, in which a topic or a viewpoint is presented with facts, analysis, and a call to action, fits my desire to tell it like it is. So, I also ghostwrite those.

Finally, I picked up business books because I learned (from that 52-week course, my business advisor and from my own experience and research) that storytelling is crucial in making a dry, dull business subject come to life. A journalist has to know how to tell an organized, compelling story. So, that became my third niche.

Every book I ghostwrite I do is one of those three niches. I don’t do fiction or any of its genres such as fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction (there’s hat word again!), romance, mystery, horror, thriller/suspense, young adult, Western, dystopia, LGBTQ+, etc.

By niching down, I am able to market myself better. I have invested in a new website, a business advisor to help script messaging and plot business strategy, and search engine optimization to help my target audience find me. If I hire one client, I’ve paid for all of this and then some for the whole year.

The Results Tell The Story

As a result of my niching down, I have a brand identity and online presence that people relate to and appreciate (and sometimes hire). I stand out in my market and I’m better able to communicate my brand message efficiently and establish a consistent brand.

Last year, I made 83.3% more than I ever had. I had never jumped more than 35.1% My average was 17.2%.

Of course, niching down didn’t accomplish that massive income jump by itself, but not certainly helped. My first ghostwriting book job paid $7,500. My price has increased more than five hundred percent since then.

And here’s one final benefit of niching down: Not everyone can afford to pay for a ghostwriter in Austin who has the niche figured out. When a prospect contacts me about ghostwriting their memoir and the first question out of their mouths (or email) deals with cost, I know the answer.

If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

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