Unsexy Industries That Can Make You Bank: Finding Success in Boring Niches

Commercial banks, local attorneys, construction, transportation and logistics, industrial cleaning. What do all these niches have in common?

There are boring.

About as boring and unsexy as you can find.

And yet, there’s also a big opportunity lurking in so many boring niches.

Money.

Here’s the thing. Often it’s the most unsexy industries, the things most boring, that are the easiest to get jobs in. And they’re the ones that make you the most money.

Interested?

Thought you might be. So keep reading to learn more about how to capitalize on boring niches, or check out the video below.

Let’s do this.

Beware the Hot and Popular Niches

I get emails all the time from aspiring freelancers. The majority of them want to focus on the same few niches:

• Travel
• Video games
• Sports
• Fitness
• Entertainment
• Food

These all sound great.

But about a million people want to get into these freelance writing niches — and that’s not counting the people already there.

That makes it more challenging to land a job. And, in a lot of cases, if you do, it may be a lower-paying gig. When there are tons of people who want to write for one of these popular industries, brands have no problem lowering their pay rates because they know people will still take it.

Yea, that sucks.

But it’s true. And one reason I tell people to focus on pay vs. prestige.

If you want to be a travel writer, great. But realize some of these big-name sites will pay a lot less than smaller, niche brands. So having a mix of companies that look good on the resume and companies that actually pay you a living is probably a good idea.

Ok, tangent over.

I’m not saying don’t write for popular niches — just be aware of some of these challenges you might face.

So what if you’re open to any industry and you’d like to focus more on making money?

You’re in the right place.

Win By Focusing on the Unsexy

The boring industries are where you really make money. And, oftentimes, are the easiest ones to get because nobody wants to write about boring stuff.

But if you get good at writing about boring niches?

The sky’s the limit.

Most of these niches are B2B, meaning businesses that sell to other businesses. There’s a whole world of businesses out there making tons of money selling to other companies. Everything from pest control to office furniture to SaaS budgeting tools. You name it.

Our community manager, Liz, is a perfect example.

She’s been making six figures from her freelance work for the last few years now.

What topics does she write about?

• B2B insurance
• B2B bank financing
• Commercial real estate deals
• Retirement and estate planning

Those are decidedly boring topics. But they also pay well — it’s not usual to get paid $600 bucks for an 800-word article (or more).

Plus, all these boring niches and brands need all sorts of work. Copywriting, emails and newsletters, landing pages, video and webinar scripts — you name it. There are plenty of freelance writing job opportunities for these companies.

Two great examples come from LRA members. Austin is making bank as a freelance medical writer. And Jamie, who only joined recently, has been landing tons of work as a freelance technical writer.

My first ever freelance writing gig was also for B2B brands in boring niches — valet podiums and industrial key boxes. Did I make as much money as writing about B2B insurance? No, but it was a great way to get my foot in the door and understand some of the differences between B2B versus B2C writing.

If you want more on it, check out our post on how to get into B2B writing.

Tips for Finding Boring Niches

Here’s the good news: boring niches are everywhere.

Seriously. Just look where you live. Pay attention to the names when you drive past those bland office parks on the other side of town.

Once you actively start looking, you’re going to notice a ton of potential clients:

• Office parks
• Branded cars on the highway
• Billboards
• Ads on local radio and tv

Look at your local chamber of commerce. A lot of B2B brands in your area are probably members.

Hit up your library too. Tons of local libraries connect to online databases where you can research companies for free and include all sorts of information like email addresses, yearly revenue, and similar brands.

That’s a goldmine of information.

Google is your friend too. Open up Google Maps and look at office parks; you’ll find names of companies.

Offering your services to local companies is a great way to get started with B2B writing and gain experience you can leverage later.

Then, as you dig a little deeper, identify a handful of potential niches that interest you.

Building expertise in a few overlapping niches — like B2B lending and SaaS budgeting tools or commercial construction and office furniture — can really separate you into a subject matter expert and the go-to person in the niche.

That’s another way to both stand out and make more money.

Is being the guy who writes about medical supplies sexy compared to the guy writing about baseball? Not really. But what is sexy is making a good living and having the freedom to pick and choose your work and clients — that’s something most other writers struggle to get.

Become a Boring Writer

So maybe it’s time to get out of these sexy and super popular niches and industries. Sure, it seems fun and interesting.

But, let’s face it, the thing that is going really make the difference in your life is the income. That gives you a lot more choices and the freedom to build your life around the fun stuff, not just your work.

And isn’t that what we’re really after?

Sean Ogle

Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.