The top content writing niches with high earnings potential include:
- Online business
- Tech
- Home service businesses
- Personal finance
- Cryptocurrency
- Medical
- Education
- Travel
A niche in content writing is a specific industry or subject. The niche you should choose for content writing is one that allows you a competitive advantage. For example, someone with an educational or employment background in finance should write on finance. Their expertise provides them an advantage compared to other content writers.
Content writing and copywriting are not the same. Content writing is for informational purposes, while copywriting is strictly promotional. Content writing and freelance writing are also often used interchangeably. Freelance writing encompasses all types of writing, including content writing and copywriting. Freelance writing is performing writing tasks for clients without committing to full-time work. Freelance writers find part-time jobs through platforms like ClearVoice. Content writing can either be performed as a freelancer or as a full-time employee.
In 2024, many fear content writing is going away because of AI, but that’s not true. Content writing has a future. AI will certainly be part of that future to enable more efficient workflow for content writers. I’ve been leveraging content writing to generate high earnings online for nearly a decade now. In the following article, I discuss the best content writing niches for high profits.
1. Online business
Online business is a content writing niche with high earnings potential. Many people want the freedom and flexibility to make money online. As such, there are many high-value courses and software tools available to promote. Online business encompasses many sub niches. These include digital marketing, dropshipping, Amazon FBA, and content creation.
Look at this example from the Shopify blog. Shopify is an Ecommerce platform whose software services range from $19 to $2,300+ per month, billed yearly. Shopify publishes blog content to attract new customers to its services. As you can see here, Shopify has a blog article ranking first on Google for the keyword “what is online business”.
The blog article is a list of the best online business ideas. The first three list items are business models that could benefit from using their Ecommerce platform. Even if just one person read the blog post and converted a sale on their cheapest membership tier, the article would generate $228 from the sale. More likely, this one post has converted thousands of new customers for Shopify. As such, Shopify is willing to pay a content writer well to produce a niche piece of content like this.
2. Tech
The technology niche pays well because tech products often have a higher cost compared to other product niches. The technology niche includes products like cell phones, computers, and SaaS. Technology products also typically require advanced knowledge and understanding of terminology. For instance, how a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip affects the processing speed of a Samsung phone. This specialized knowledge also raises the price for tech content writers.
A content writer on Reddit mentions making $400,000 in one year writing just 25 hours a week in the tech space. They note that they can make $500 for a simple blog post and $10K for a 2,000 word ebook in the niche.
The technology niche is where most innovation takes place, opening new opportunities to those in the space.
3. Home service businesses
Content writing for home service businesses offers high income potential. That's because these businesses often charge high rates for their services. Home service businesses include professionals like plumbers, electricians, HVAC, and roofers. For example, the average amount paid for a plumber visit in the US is $336, according to Angi.
I consistently make over $50K per month with content writing for home service business. However, I use the local lead generation business model. I don’t wait for a home service business owner to hire me and write content for their website. Instead, I create content for my own websites that I own and rent them out to small business owners for a monthly fee between $500 to $3,000. I use my content to rank these websites on the first page of Google so I can collect high value leads.
4. Personal finance
Many content writers in the personal finance niche experience extraordinary earnings. Writing on financial topics often requires advanced degrees or certifications. These include a CPA license to write on accounting topics or CFA to write on investment topics. This allows writers in this space to charge a higher rate for their expertise.
One personal finance content writer on Reddit mentions charging $1,280 for a 2,500 word article on credit card payment processing.
5. Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is becoming a lucrative niche for content writers. Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Dogecoin are gaining widespread adoption among investors and governments. As such, opportunities are expanding in the finance sub niche. Crypto content writers cover topics like blockchain technology, investing in digital assets, and online brokerages for crypto trading.
One cryptocurrency content writer on Reddit mentions charging $300 per 600 - 800 word article for some crypto media sites. However, they attribute their ability to charge that rate to a strong portfolio of work.
6. Medical
Medical content writers get paid well. That's because the medical industry generates a substantial amount of economic activity. The U.S. national health expenditure contributes a whopping 17.3 percent of the country’s overall GDP, according to 2022 data from Statista. Medical content writers cover topics like new prescription drugs and detailing medical services. Many medical writers carry advanced degrees, such as PhDs and MDs, to be qualified to write on medical subjects. This contributes to a higher earning ability as well.
A medical content writer on Reddit with a Master in Public Health degree notes that they charge no less than $750 per 800 - 1,000 word piece. They are charging $150 per hour.
7. Education
Education content writers can earn a lot of money because people spend big on education. The average amount people spend on post-secondary education in the United States is $38,270 per year, according to the Education Data Initiative. Education content writers work for public colleges, private institutions, and e-learning programs. According to data from Zip Recruiter, the average education content writer in the United States earns $40 per hour.
8. Travel
Content writers in the travel niche have ample opportunities to make great income. The travel industry contributes a whopping $11 trillion to the global GDP as of 2024, according to Reuters. Travel content writers can write about topics like travel products, hotels, and experiences.
In response to a content writer's question about how much to charge for travel magazine writing, a writer on Reddit responds that $0.20 to $0.50+/word is standard for the niche when providing content to travel magazines.
How do you identify a profitable niche for content writing?
- Analyze salary data - Job postings for content writing opportunities in your selected niche. Platforms like LinkedIn show what companies are willing to offer.
- Check freelancer rates - See what rates freelance content writers in your niche are charging on freelance platforms like Upwork.
- Consider market size - Look at the overall size of the niche you want to write content for. A larger overall market size typically indicates more opportunities.
- Contemplate profit potential of the niche’s products and services - Look at what the niche typically sells to customers, including costs and selling price. This highlights the profitability of the niche. Niches with higher profitability can afford to pay more for content writing services.
What are the most profitable content writing formats?
3 Tips for making money as a freelance writer with content writing
- Choose a specific sub niche to decrease competition
- Develop your own voice to set yourself apart
- Leverage online channels like SEO and social media to drive traffic to your offer
These are some common tips for making money as a freelance writer with content writing.
Can you make money with AI content writing?
You can make money with AI content writing. However, AI content writing typically needs to be human edited for best results. Whether that’s adding your own unique voice, experience, or niche expertise, AI content needs some enhancements before publishing.
Conclusion: Is content writer a stressful job?
Content writer can be a stressful job because many content writers work as freelancers. Freelance writers often need to juggle part-time work from multiple clients, each with their own rules and guidelines. Content writing is so hard because there is substantial competition for this type of work. It’s not just domestic competition. US content writers compete against English-speaking writers from countries with more affordable labor. They also compete with AI models like ChatGPT.
Many content writers use local lead generation to generate stable, consistent income. Especially during times when client work is hard to find. Local lead generation gives a content writer more control. You create content for assets they own rather than web assets others own.
Think about it. If you create website content to help attract customers to a client’s offer, that client can choose to stop working with you once you have completed their content requests. Even though the content you created for them is still ranking and driving traffic for them, they have no obligation to continue paying you. If you instead create content for your own websites and just sell the leads to a local business owner, they can’t easily fire you because then they will lose the leads. You own that asset that produces the leads, so they need to pay you if they want to continue receiving that business.
