Note from Jennifer: Since a few readers were concerned about limiting themselves with super specific niches, I wanted to find examples of writers who have more more work not less by focusing on a narrow niche. One of my favorite examples is Benét J. Wilson, aka “The Aviation Queen” She focuses on everything related to airplanes and writes for brands, consumer pubs and trade pubs. In my opinion, her smartest move is that she focuses on both writing for the airline industry (B2B) and airline consumers (B2C)  because this lets her use her knowledge in many different ways and opens up many different client possibility. Lest she get tired of planes (which I doubt is possible for her), she also has no problem getting work in other niches as well. Benét agreed to do a short Q&A with us today to share her insights. 

Jennifer: Why and how did you end up with a niche of aviation?

Benét: I flew on my first flight—a Pan Am Boeing 747 from New York to London—when I was six. Flying was more exotic and sophisticated back then. The captain allowed me to sit in the cockpit and wear his hat and I was hooked for life. In 1992, I got a job with a now-defunct aviation newspaper and never looked back because someone was actually *paying* me to write about my hobby. Wow!

Tell us about how you have marketed yourself in that niche. I love the ‘Aviation Queen’ title! 

I didn’t come up with that title; the title was actually given to me by the industry. I’m a black woman with crazy glasses and brightly colored clothes in an industry that is still white male-dominated, so of course, I stand out.

How do you find content marketing clients in the aviation niches? What type of clients do you work for?

When you work in aviation as long as I have, you develop a network. Before I went 100 percent freelance in January, every job I had in aviation after that first one in 1992 came from people calling me and offering me a job. And every freelance job I’ve gotten since has been because of that network. I began freelancing in 2011 after being laid off from a major aviation trade magazine group. It got out on the #avgeek Twitter network and I had four clients in less than a week. It grew from there. My clients are aviation publications, niche websites, aviation companies and aviation-related content marketing types.

Do you think that having a niche as specific as aviation increases you income/clients or limits you? Why or Why not?

Having a niche is the best thing I’ve ever done. When I started as a journalist, most of my contemporaries flocked to be TV or newspaper general reporters. I wanted to stay in Washington, D.C., so I went into trade journalism at BNA (now Bloomberg BNA). My niche was employment and training programs, which also included economic development, education, mass layoffs and welfare-to-work programs.

Aviation is a HUGE niche—commercial, business, general—with tons of smaller niches. My favorite is airports, but I also write about the passenger experience, aircraft/engine manufacturing and start-up/niche/regional airlines.

Do write in any other niches as well?

Yes. For a while, I was doing food, politics, urban issues, and entrepreneurship, and I still write about media diversity.

What is your best advice to a writer struggling with finding a niche or who is resisting being specialized? 

I’m a big Star Trek fan, and when it come to those who don’t want to specialize, I quote The Borg: “Resistance is futile.” Journalism is rapidly moving to verticals and those who specialize in one will grow and prosper. And please—no shade intended—don’t make it entertainment, sports, fashion or beauty unless you have something that makes you *really* unique.

There are hundreds of industries that want and need writers. Find one that interests you. Check out this list of trade associations. Every one of them has publications/content/communications sections and trade and general media publications that cover them. Choose one of these or something else as a niche. The more specialized it is, the better off you will be. Trust me.

 

Do you have any questions for Benét? If you have a story about how you have many a specific niche work for you, please email me at JenniferGregory@nc.rr.com and I will be happy to feature you on the blog to help other writers. How have you made a niche work for you? Have you thought of expanding your B2C niche into a B2B angle to increase opportunity?