10 Most Lucrative Freelance Writing Niches for 2023

Writing is one of the best jobs for people who love to travel. It not only allows you the opportunity to roam the world as a digital nomad, but the career can also be quite lucrative (especially if you find a freelance writing niche).

Unfortunately, most freelance writers don’t establish a niche and just get by financially, instead of flourishing. The median pay for freelance writers is somewhere between $24.51 per hour (Payscale) and $33 per hour (ZipRecruiter). While there are plenty of writers earning $50 to $100-plus per hour, too many are earning just enough to live.

That may be okay. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In this article, we’ll cover the 10 most lucrative freelance writing niches for 2023 (and beyond).

The Best Freelance Writing Niches by Industry

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By becoming an expert in one of these fields now, you can earn more money and build up a list of good clients.

1. Finance Writing

Have a passion for personal finance, investing, fintech, retirement planning, or something else in the finance space? You can make a good deal of money writing for clients.

According to ZipRecruiter data, finance writers make about $110k per year on average, which is about 40% more than the typical writer makes. You can certainly make even more than that with the right clients.

2. E-commerce Writing

E-commerce growth has seriously accelerated in the past few years. In the US, e-commerce grew a whopping 44.0% in 2020, and an additional 14% more in 2021. While that pace of growth has slowed since its initial push, e-commerce will continue its ascent.

This is why jumping into the e-commerce game is a good idea. From email marketing for brands to creating A+ content on Amazon for sellers, there are lots of different types of work you can do in this industry.

3. Travel Writing

The COVID-19 pandemic hit travel hard—but with the arrival of vaccines, travel picked up tremendously throughout 2022 and it’ll just continue to rise through 2023. Those who get into travel writing now stand to benefit from this pent-up demand.

If you become a real expert in travel writing, the pay can be quite lucrative. The top 10% of travel writers earn more than $93K per year, according to Zippia data.

4. Tech Writer

If you look at a list of the world’s most valuable companies, you’ll see the vast majority are tech companies. That tells us something obvious: There’s a ton of money flying around the tech space.

This makes technology writing a lucrative freelance writing niche. Learn to write well about topics like cybersecurity, AI, big data, blockchain, augmented reality, 5G, and more, and you’ll earn far more than the average freelance writer.

5. Healthcare Writer

Have a passion for medicine, wellbeing, or another field in healthcare? Then consider writing for companies in the space.

Even for those who don’t have advanced degrees in a health field, pay is good. If you’re skilled enough to become a technical writer in the medical field, you can make a great salary. For instance, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies pay medical writers between $107,000 and $151,000 on average per year (American Medical Writers Association data).

The Best Freelance Writing Niches by Content Type

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Have knowledge in a variety of industries? Then consider specializing in a specific content medium. Here are the most lucrative freelance writing niches by content.

1. White Papers

An experienced white paper writer can charge $5,000 to $7,000 per whitepaper, according to industry experts. That’s because, in the digital world, white papers can work for years to help businesses generate high-quality leads and achieve sales.

Note that it may take some time to master this freelance writing niche. White papers are a more formal type of content and require graphic design skills as well. Typically, you present a problem and then offer a solution (which will be the product or service your client offers). Given the average price of white papers, learning to write them well can lead to a profitable freelance writing career.

2. SEO Writing

Despite what you may have heard, SEO isn’t dead. It’s just getting better. Keywords matter, but what’s more important is good content that covers the topic of those keywords.

Think about this: 53% of all website traffic comes from organic searches on Google and other search engines. Those who know how to use SEO-focused content to get webpages to the top of Google can offer great value to businesses.

3. Email Copywriting

Email marketing delivers companies incredible ROI, generating $42 in business for every $1 spent (HubSpot).

For writers who have experience crafting copy to drive sales, email copywriting may be a worthwhile freelance writing niche. You can earn quite a lot of money, especially if you include performance-based incentives in your client contracts.

4. Long-Form Blog Posts

Whether you specialize in writing about the FIRE lifestyle, health and nutrition, or something else, you can become a long-form blog post writer. Research shows that blog posts ranging from 2,250 to 2,500 words get the most organic traffic on average, so many businesses can be sold on the value of long articles and guides.

The key to mastering long blog posts is knowing how to do the research, providing value with each word (no fluff!), and learning to lay out content in an easily digestible manner. If you can do that, you can charge $500+ for long-form guides.

5. Sales Page/Landing Page Writing

The average landing page has a conversion rate of 9.7% (Unbounce data). That means one webpage can provide companies with lots of revenue, as long as there’s good copywriting and design.

Given the value landing pages can deliver, good writers in this niche can charge a lot. Professional landing page writers charge anywhere from $300 to $800 per landing page. Not bad, right?

Find Your Freelance Writing Niche

As you can see, there are many ways to specialize in freelance writing. By doing so, you can not only charge more for your work, but you’ll also become more productive over time. That gives you a lot of room to boost your income and live the life you want.

So, if you’re a freelancer who dreams of early retirement (or semi-retirement), living life as a digital nomad, or simply having more money, make the leap into a freelance writing niche. You’ll reap the rewards of that move for years to come.

About the Author

Nick Callos has always had a passion for reading, writing, and discovering the new and unknown. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Nick holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Boston College. He currently splits his time between his hometown, Chengdu, China, and the open road. A full-time travel writer, Nick hopes his work can inspire others to explore the world more deeply and enjoy the digital nomad lifestyle.

Featured image via Unsplash.