I’ve got a question about writing for different industries. I’m fairly new to freelancing and keep seeing you talk about diversifying and having your finger in lots of pies and I always thought it was better to stick to one subject and do it well. What do you think? A
We do talk about diversifying a lot if you want to make a living from writing. And, while once upon a time specialising in just one area may have been the proverbial golden goose for a writer, these days – not so much. As with most specialty writing such as science and medicine, jobs can be few and far between. Another consideration is that finance writing can also demand extra stringent training – namely to avoid inadvertent insider trading or other ASIC infringements.
And, while glamorous niches such as travel, sports, health and beauty can seem ripe for the picking with most sites, weeklies and dailies carrying these sections, these roles are highly competitive – and often the most poorly paid. Let’s face it: who wouldn’t want a free holiday or gratis tickets to the Australian Open, Grand Final (GO Swans) – or preview tickets to the latest Hollywood release? I speak from experience, by the way, having done all three.
Another lesson two decades in journalism has taught me is that nothing stays the same for long. Editors move on, titles close, media magnates die and publishing house change hands to those more concerned with counting beans than producing homegrown sparkling copy. So instead of waiting to see if your goose will get fat, it’s a good idea to spread the risk and the love by NOT putting all your eggs, golden or not, into one basket.
As a freelance writer one of the strategies I used was to write simultaneously for a number of publishing houses. To avoid a conflict of interest, which can put a serious dent in your ability to be hired again, it’s best to avoid clashes.Therefore I focused on celebrity cover stories for Woman’s Day, interviewed sports stars for a custom house monthly gym magazine, and worked for a Reader’s Digest title and writing up homeowners for 25 Beautiful Homes.
By doing this, I could guarantee that when one publisher felt the squeeze and cut back their budgets or a contact moved on, I was still able to pay the mortgage and keep an ear to the ground for new possibilities.
Another upside is that it keeps you fresh as a writer and allows you to pursue your various interests (which in my case have always been health and fitness, wealth, lifestyle, parenting design, DIY, relationships, psychology etc).
List members: do you agree diversification is the way to go or do you specialise more in one area? We’d love to hear your take…
Couldn’t agree more Leo. While I always tried to work in a number of different areas so that I didn’t get stale – I’ve got the attention span of a Kelpie and I’m always struggling against boredom – I did specialise in enterprise IT for years. For a while it was indeed a golden goose, regular commissions at good word rates of decent length, trips overseas and interstate and vendor PRs taking me out for lunch regularly at seriously good restaurants plus lots of opportunity for case study, white paper writing etc. But then the market changed. If I look at the titles I was writing for in that market 10 years ago, they’ve closed, cut their freelance budgets or were folded into other titles – none exist in the form they did then.
Great advice. I can attest to the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket. Now I go by the principle that variety is the spice of life!
Hmm seems the jury is back in – thanks Darren and Heather – diversify or die ladies and gentlemen.
Hopefully readers will take y/our sage advice rather than finding out the hard way.
Unless there’s others who can point out the beauty and benefits of specialising I’m inclined to carve up that golden goose.
I agree it’s risky to put all your eggs in one basket. And I do love being able to dabble in as many different areas of interest as I want to (fitness, parenting, feminism, career growth, psychology, green living). At the same time I think it’s easy to show you are the “health writer” or “travel writer” someone is looking for if you present yourself as a specialist in that area.
Hi Louise, For me I don’t see specialist or generalist as mutually exclusive in the areas you mentioned.
Specialising in a given genre such as Health has massive scope. Writing about mental and or physical wellbeing for starters. Following that there’s then a constant diet of stories that talk about how to look after your heart or keep diabetes at bay as well as what to eat, drink how to exercise etc.
While with travel it can grow with you at your various life-stages beginning with the ‘world’s at my feet’ Grand Tour single person /backpacker, high octane adventurer, to romantic breaks for couples with a lead into travelling with kids and then the grey nomad episode – which is a huge growth area right now.
My feelings about diversification doesn’t stop at coming up with awesome pitch ideas or writing in numerous fields but more as a diversity of income streams and contacts.
Which is why if I pitch to someone I am going to provide the RELEVANT cuts – (yep that’s in capitals intentionally as it’s that important) – to ensure each example supports your ability to pitch and deliver a particular story idea in your specialised field.