3 Ways to Find Your Writing Niche

As I’m developing the fabulous RN2writer STAT group coaching program, I also continue to work on the content marketing workshop I hope to launch before year-end. (We’ll see.)

I love content marketing writing because I love helping healthcare companies achieve their goals. I started my career in marketing and PR, and I’ve never lost my enthusiasm for it.

Not to mention, healthcare content writing can be very lucrative.

To achieve the most success as a content writer, nurses need to develop specific subject matter niches. Specializing in this way allows you to become a bona fide subject matter expert in your own right, and many companies will pay big bucks for that.

Today’s post is an excerpt from the forthcoming content marketing workshop. Enjoy!

How to Develop Subject Matter Niches

You do not have to rely on past nursing experience alone when determining your subject matter niches, though I do recommend you use your clinical expertise as a springboard for landing your first assignments. Looking to your clinical background offers an easy way to define your first niches.

The one caveat I have for you here is don’t pick niches you feel burned out on. For instance, if you’ve worked a lifetime in peds onc and want to get out of it because it has taken too much out of you, then you don’t have to choose that as a subject matter niche.

1. Start by Mining Your Nursing History

You can mine your clinical history for possible niches simply by reviewing your resume:

  1. Go over all your clinical experience since you started nursing
  2. As you read through your work history, jot down the positions that really interested or excited you
  3. Peruse your certifications and again jot down which ones could make good subject matter niches
  4. Look back for old conference presentations, posters, or research you’ve done
  5. Think about the clinical areas you always wanted to work in but never got a chance to
  6. Consider all the diseases and conditions that interest you, either on a personal or professional level – not strictly a task that involves reviewing your work history, but related

From this exercise, you should be able to develop a list of half-a-dozen potential niches. And we haven’t even gotten to the other ways to choose a niche.

2. Next, Discover Non-Clinical Topics

Beyond nursing itself, what other areas of healthcare strike your fancy? Always been interested in healthcare technology? Write that down. Find the subject of healthcare finance fascinating? Write it down.

Remember to consider niches on both the B2C and B2B sides. On the consumer side, you might have an interest in medical product marketing (such as glucometer manufacturers who market directly to consumers). On the business side, you might discover an interest in healthcare finance (as I mentioned just above), such as working with a SaaS company to produce content marketing their financial management software to health systems.

It can be hard to think up subjects out of thin air, so I suggest you visit a few websites to refresh your memory about the wide array of potential non-nursing topics available for you to write about on a consistent basis. Visit these sites and review the topics they cover, writing down any that appeal to you:

  1. Health Media Leaders
  2. Modern Healthcare
  3. Healthcare Dive

3. Lastly, Consider Topics at the Intersection of Writing and Marketing

If you’re going to be a content marketing writer, then it makes sense to think you might want to specialize in marketing subject matter. For instance, maybe you want to develop subject matter expertise in search engine optimization (SEO) or medical copywriting – or what-have-you.

Here are a couple of websites you can browse to discover healthcare marketing topics that might strike your fancy:

  1. Medical Marketing & Media
  2. Content Marketing Institute

What About Specializing in Nursing Topics?

At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, “What about specializing in writing about nursing topics for nursing publications and websites?” Many nurses who pursue freelance writing begin with an idea they want to do this. You certainly can do this.

A great many digital nursing publications, blogs, and websites use freelance writers. They may welcome your pitches and contributions.

I have to be honest, though: I’ve always been lukewarm about nursing sites and magazines because, in my experience, they don’t pay very well.

Maybe I just have rotten luck. Maybe times have changed. I say this because I have several friends (including non-nurses) who count nursing websites among their regular clients. 

If you want to specialize in nursing topics, by all means proceed! I would suggest, however, that you make this only one of your specialties, so that your client list can include others that might compensate you better.

Do you see yourself earning a living as a well-paid healthcare content marketing writer? Be sure to apply for the RN2writer STAT: Fast Track Formula for Freelance Writing Success coaching program! I’ll be devoting one entire webinar to the basics of becoming a content writer: how the industry works, where to find clients – and how to get started. You won’t want to miss it!

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About RN2writer

We offer training in the best remote, work-from-home nursing job - freelance health writing. If you’re looking for the perfect side hustle for nurses or a full-time nurse business, you can rely on RN2writer to deliver educational courses, coaching, and community for nurses of all degrees, licensures, and backgrounds across the U.S., Canada, and beyond. We welcome all nurses: RN, LPN, NP, APRN, CRNA, FNP, CNM, etc. We also serve other healthcare clinicians and professionals: CNA, MD, PA, LCSW, PharmD, radiology tech, CEO, CNO, CMO, and anyone else with a background in healthcare. Welcome!
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