Do you want to build a healthy business and get more reward for your valuable words?
Of course you do.
We all do.
One thing that might be holding you back is a lack of focus. Are you chasing after every lead? When a dog runs after a thousand bouncing tennis balls, it tires itself out.
It’s best to focus on one ball — the one you really want. When it gets lost, you’ll be the only one who can sniff it out. If you bring it back quickly and efficiently to the owner, they’ll be impressed. Then they’ll throw it again.
Fixing on a writing niche is especially important for multilingual writers.
If you claim you can write on any topic, you’re biting off more than you can chew. Writing ‘anything, anytime’ takes more research, more learning of new vocab, and more fine editing. You’ll be doing extra work for less money, and your English won’t improve much either. When we rush through quick projects, we can’t retain what we’ve learned.
Clients won’t give you helpful feedback, and they certainly won’t call you a ‘good boy’ (or girl).
3 reasons for international content writers to develop a niche:
1. Experts Get Paid More
If you post one article per week about the Metaverse, people will come to see you as knowledgeable on that topic. Post an article on different new items and you’ll be someone ‘who publishes stuff’ each week.
If your work is valuable, readers, editors, other writers and prospective clients will read, comment on, ask questions and share your work. Don’t play the game of trying to compete with the millions of other writers around the world. Many will be native speakers with faultless grammar. Many will be faster workers or have better SEO skills. Build your authority on your chosen subject matter.
If I’m looking for information on which hot cryptocurrency to buy, I want to go to a crypto expert. I don’t care where they are from, or even if they make an occasional grammar error. I care about the depth of their knowledge. If I’m the editor of a Bitcoin magazine, I’ll pay top dollar for industry experts to bring their audiences to my site.
2. You’ll limit your research
When you have a tight focus on a topic, you’ll do most of your research and reading on that subject. Here’s why that is important for English learners: you will seek out the best examples in your field.
You won’t look for quick answers. You’ll find high-level experts who are writing articles filled with precise terminology and natural style. The real benefit is being able to grow your vocabulary and utilise the right terms for appropriate and effective work. All of your reading and research will influence and improve your English writing.
3. You’ll learn to pitch and win
It’s not just the level of your blogs and social posts you need to consider. Learning to speak the lingo of your niche will increase your chances of success. Remember that you are helping people, not just exchanging words for cash. Which kind of pooch would you prefer — one who doesn’t respond to your instructions, or one who follows your every move?
Analyse the English that editors use in their messages. Listen to their feedback. Learn how to communicate best. You’ll waste less time on firing out messages and will boost your success rate.
Convinced? I hope so.
Improve your niche vocabulary and style and clients will offer you those juicier opportunities. Do this, and you'll be like the cat that got the cream. 😺
(Ha ha. Sorry, I'm just not a dog person).
To find out how to choose a writing niche, please check out this excellent article by SaaS niche ninja, Finidi Lawson.
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Technical corner
Most of the time, English sentences are pretty simple. They follow a particular order: subject, verb, object (or modifier).
Phil writes a newsletter. Subscribers view the newsletter.
Verbs should be in the right form to agree with the number of the subject. Phil ‘writes’ - Subscribers ‘view’. This is Subject-verb agreement (SVA). Simple, right?
Unfortunately, English grammar is not always so simple. 😥
9 nuances of Subject Verb Agreement:
1. For specific amounts, use a singular verb; use a plural verb for vague amounts.
✅ Within a year, $5.1 million was spent on designing a new plant, and millions more were spent on training future factory staff.
2. The use of verb with ‘none’ depends on whether the referent is singular or not.
✅ None of the pies are left in Barry’s fridge. ✅ None of the book is reproducible without prior agreement.
3. SVA for collective nouns depends on whether the emphasis is on the group as a whole or the individual units.
✅ A group of children were collecting for charity. ✅ A set of wrenches is all that’s missing in your tool shed.
4. Phrases such as ‘added to’, ‘combined with’, and ‘as well as’, don’t change the number of the subject.
✅ Oil, as well as gas, is a popular heating choice. ✅ Marmite combined with bread and butter is a tasty snack.
5. A subject made up of nouns joined by ‘and’ takes a plural verb, unless its intended sense is singular.
✅ Janet and I train daily. ✅ Cheese and pickle is my favourite sandwich.
6. ‘Each’ and ‘more than one’ take singular verbs.
✅ More than one package is out for delivery. ✅ Each runner is excited about the race; each is well prepared.
7. If a subject is made up of nouns joined by ‘or’, the verb agrees with the last noun.
✅ My boss or I complete the weekly reports. ✅ Potatoes, pasta, or rice goes well with grilled chicken.
8. When referred to as a whole, distances, times and amounts go with singular verbs.
✅ Five hundred miles is a long way to walk! ✅ Fourteen days is a ridiculous response time.
9. These words always act as singular subjects, even when they describe more than one thing.
anybody, anyone, either, everybody, everyone, neither, no one, nobody, somebody, someone
6. ‘Each’ and ‘more than one’ take singular verbs.
✅ More than one package is out for delivery. ✅ Each runner is excited about the race; each is well prepared.
7. If a subject is made up of nouns joined by ‘or’, the verb agrees with the last noun.
✅ My boss or I complete the weekly reports. ✅ Potatoes, pasta, or rice goes well with grilled chicken.
8. When referred to as a whole, distances, times and amounts go with singular verbs.
✅ Five hundred miles is a long way to walk! ✅ Fourteen days is a ridiculous response time.
9. These words always act as singular subjects, even when they describe more than one thing.
anybody, anyone, either, everybody, everyone, neither, no one, nobody, somebody, someone
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Announcing the Emerging Writing Scholarship 2022
One emerging international writer will get the chance to work one-on-one with me - 100% free!
I will mentor the winner of the award over 12 weeks on a personalised programme.
Will it be you?
This scholarship is designed to improve your language level, so you can submit inspiring work in English and further your writing career.
It's important for me to give back to the writing community, so I'm committing to running this programme once per year.
You can apply if you write in English for your job and fit into one of these categories:
Content Writer
Blogger
Creative Writer
Copywriter
Communications professional
The deadline for applications is 28th September 2022.
👉 Visit the EWC website to apply 👈
I’ll be announcing the recipient of the scholarship in my next newsletter.
Good luck to all the applicants!