I've lost count of the number of times I've been told in this business that "specializing" is the way to go.

That focusing on one niche or industry is the way to become successful.

I suppose it's a good strategy--if you're trying to sell a copywriting course about the secrets to breaking into the [insert name] market.

But my experience has made me believe that specializing as a copywriting business strategy has some huge drawbacks.

At least for me. I talk about this in my copywriting guide, but with all of this recession talk lately, it reminded me about why I think it's NOT a smart strategy to "specialize." Why it's NOT a smart idea to become known for only one type of promotion or work exclusively in one niche.

Let's take health...

So what happens if all you write are natural health promotions and tomorrow, the FDA outlaws natural health supplements? (Or at least makes it prohibitively expensive to get through the approval process.)

That would suck.

What happens if all you do is write for the real estate industry?

And tomorrow the real estate market goes south.

[Wait a minute... that's already happening.]

Lot of hurting going on there right now.

Plus, just how many unique angles can you create if all you're writing for is real estate investing courses?

Here's my opinion: I think it's smart to specialize your marketing. Focus on specific targets with your marketing pieces.

That way, you can develop a (dare I say the word) brand in a particular industry but be nimble enough to jump when it goes through a rough patch.

I think the problem comes when you specialize your skills or limit your focus to learning about one market only.

That can really paint you into a corner.

Your thoughts?

Jason,

I think you're right on one hand IF you specialize in too narrow a niche... for example if your specialty was creating sales letters for only Morgan Silver Dollars, then yes you could be walling yourself into a niche that is too tight.

But if you're a specialist in creating sales letters for "collectibles", then you're probably going to be just fine.

I think Dan Kennedy is right when he says, "Jumping up & down in puddles will have more impact than jumping up & down in the ocean."

And what does he mean by that? Dominating a niche, say creating sales letters for subscription renewals is probably going to be more financially rewarding for the copywriter, than saying that you can write a sales letter for any product or service on the planet. Just like in medicine, specialists get paid more than GP's.

I think this specialization is even more important for marketers. Look at Joe Polish or Rory Flatt. I just can't imagine those guys having anywhere near the amount of success they've encountered if they were just another generic marketing consultant willing to help any business no matter what it is.

Both dietary supplements and real estate are huge, huge niches. I just can't see them going away.

Mike,

Good points. You're right. Real estate and health are huge niches and certainly not going away any time soon.

What bothers me though is the idea of specializing right out of the gate. I followed that advice when I got started. And looking back, I think it was bad advice for someone just getting going.

Do you decide to specialize or do you let your specialization find you?

You know, I sat down and thought about that specialist vs. generalist issue. You know we've all heard that a million times.

But does the heart specialist get paid more than a GP because he's a specialist or because he solves a more valuable problem for the client?

And the correct answer would be "Yes."

It seems to me your question provides the answer to your own question.

Doesn't specialization, by its very nature, imply solving a more valuable problem for the client?

As for your larger question...I don't think it matters if you specialize in one or few areas...specialization seems pretty versatile. it's being a generalist that keeps people stuck and overwhelmed, imo.

And look at it from the prospect's pov: are they going to trust you more if you have a proven record with their industry, or an unrelated one?

At a guess, I would say that most of the name copywriters started out writing for a particular niche, got known, and then moved onto other areas.

I remember a teleseminar of Dr Kilstein's where he interviewed John Carlton. essentially, Carlton said that after a time, it doesn't really matter what business the client is in, when you've got it... you've got it.

(The difficult bit is the road to 'getting it')

As for Dr Kilstein he himself said that his earliest copy hits were for weight loss in his hipnosis clinic. That was undoubtedly his niche, so it was easy for him to transfer that into copy for the masses, as opposed to individual advice.

So, I would say that th easiest way to being a big name copywriter in all niches is to get known as a big name writer in any niche.

Get known as a health writer and a newsletter publisher will come knocking.

Get known as a real estate writer and a financial services company will come knocking.

But make sure you get known

When I say 'you' I of course mean the collective you.

My husband and I disagree on this topic all the time!