Ask Liz Lewis - Our Guest Blogstar - Finding Your Specialty Area

How to Find Your Writing Platform or Specialty Area - Part 3 of our Series with Liz Lewis

Readers of Grow Your Writing Business will know that I promote the concept of developing your personal brand. Part of that brand is determining your platform, or specialty area. The goal is that you will be the “go to” person when a newspaper wants a quote, or an editor needs an article. At the very least you will have solid knowledge, contacts, skills and understanding of that area, so your can specialise in that field.

Liz Lewis, a nurse by profession, and a travel writer by passion, now has a paid blogging position in the health area, with Alzheimer’s Notes, after only 5 months as a professional writer. She also writes for print media. Liz promotes her personal brand through her blog, My Year of Getting Published. I asked her to share her insights about finding a specialty area.

Narrowing Down A Specialty Area

GYWB (Grow Your Writing Business): After trying to narrow down a platform, it seems you now have a health platform. What tips can you offer writers still trying to identify their platform? How did you finally decide?

Liz: Yeah, I’ve written a lot about finding your platform after reading Kelly James-Enger’s Ready, Aim, Specialize It’s a question of figuring out what you know, what you’re good at, and what you have a passion for.

So, for me, it made sense to look for opportunities in the health writing field, because that is what I know and what I’m good at. But my passion remains with travel writing and I will continue to pursue that goal. I have a travel book in my head, just waiting to pop out when the time is right.

What is Best - a Narrow Focus or a Broad Focus?

GYWB: You started off with a travel focus. Do you believe a writer can be successful at more than one speciality, or is it better to remain focused, and become an expert in one area?

Liz: The focus of my writing remains travel. It’s just that I’ve also decided to take writing opportunities as they arise. I want to be a freelance writer, not just a travel freelance writer. I think that having more than one specialty is a good way of starting out. It builds up the clips, it shows editors your writing style, and it allows you to write. Over time, though, many writers will end up focusing on one area.

Related Grow Your Writing Business Articles

Liz Lewis - Part 1 - My Year of Getting Published - Insider Writing Success Tips

Liz Lewis - Part 2 - Your Personal Brand

Build Your Own Brand - Brand You

Great Idea - Want a Paid Blogging Gig?

Stay Tuned for Part 4 - the Final in this Series with Liz Lewis

In the next post, coming up on April 10th, Liz reveals whether she would have done anything differently, in hindsight. She also shares tips and advice for an aspiring or new writer just starting off in the world of paid part time freelance writing. Interestingly, her advice is just as applicable to seasoned writers.

What Are You Doing to Identify, Promote & Build Your Writing Platform?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences about finding or developing a specialty area or writing platform.

Business & Marketing, Interviews