Thursday is SpecialtyBuzz day on The Life and Times of a Freelance Writer, and that means that I’m once again posting an interview with a freelance writing specialist. Whether you are a new freelance writer who hasn’t yet decided on a specialty or an old timer looking for a new niche, the weekly SpecialtyBuzz segment allows you to get a feel for what it’s like to practice a particular freelancing specialty.

Jake Poinier

Today’s writer is corporate copywriter Jake Poinier. Feel free to use the comments to pick his brain about corporate copywriting, and don’t forget to read his bio for a little something extra to help us all with our freelance writing businesses.

What is your specialty and how did you get started in that particular area?

During a decade in the editorial world, I had always done a bit of freelancing on the side – ads, magazine articles, annual reports, resumes. While in year three of a stint at a custom publishing job (that was rapidly reaching a dead end), I figured I could cobble together enough freelance jobs to make a go at it full time. Corporate copywriting was a natural fit since I had a background in several industries, from travel to banking to high-tech to healthcare, and had dabbled in various elements of advertising, sales and public relations. In August, I celebrated 10 years of being in business for myself, and I like it more than ever.

What are three things a writer needs to know before choosing to specialize in your area of specialty?

1) The breadth and depth of your general business knowledge is absolutely critical, because your clients aren’t just looking for nice-sounding words. They need content that communicates their image and drives business. If your client succeeds, so do you.

2) Relationships are paramount. Treat your best customers like gold and they will chat you up to other people. The best of those referrals will become gold, too. Rinse and repeat.

3) Be very wary of depending on one client for the bulk of your work. Each of us has to define what “too big” is, but I have friends who were forced back into corporate jobs because Sugar Daddy cut off the funds unexpectedly.

Does writing in your specialty require any particular training or could a layperson pick it up?

Much as they were frustrating, my 10 years in Cube World were invaluable training for understanding how business works–I couldn’t have succeeded at this right out of college, regardless of a degree in English or writing skill. Obviously you need to be a solid writer who has an ear for different styles and formats, but it’s equally important that you have an eye and a brain for sales/advertising/marketing, both for your clients and your own business.

Are there any potential pitfalls associated with specializing in your area?

If you focus on a single type of industry, topic, or medium, you may struggle to get enough business at first. Once you’ve grown your business, that risk flips around: You can get pigeonholed. If you love a particular topic, or exclusively write for print rather than web, perhaps you’re OK with that…but it scares me to death.

What is the current market for writing in your specialty? Who is buying and who is selling?

Despite the overall economic sluggishness, 2009 has been a decent year – not every industry is in bad shape.

1) Education and healthcare, particularly long-term care, are among the strongest in my portfolio at the moment.

2) Interestingly, the several mom & pop graphic design firms that I work with have remained busy, perhaps a testimony to the fact that businesses still need to market and advertise, and that small agencies offer a more cost-effective way to do that.

3) Clients in industries that have been hit hard, like construction and leisure travel, have been less active as budgets got slashed. I still maintain close relationships, however, so that they’ll call me first when things pick up.

What do you enjoy most about your specialty?

Too many to name, but I’ll name two. One, I get bored incredibly easily, which is why the editorial staff world eventually wasn’t for me. The best cure for my “undiagnosed ADHD” is to do something different every day – a typical week might include work on a web site, a magazine ad, copy for a video, and a newsletter. Companies always have interesting problems to solve, and I dig being a part of that process. Two, I thrive on the freedom of having my own business. I get to do things I enjoy to help people I genuinely like. What’s better than that?

What do you enjoy least about your specialty?

Call me a Pollyanna, but I have no complaints…or at least none that aren’t self-inflicted. OK, OK, I hate past-due collections and I’ll admit that the occasional non-payment gets under my skin. If you’d lose sleep without a steady paycheck, freelancing isn’t a good choice.

How would you suggest networking within your specialty?

For me, organized groups are in the eye of the beholder. I’ve got several dozen freelance writer and editor friends that I talk with, but I’m not a part of any formal writer’s groups; I find it more interesting to hang out with designers at the local chapter of AIGA. I was one of the charter members of a group in the Phoenix area called “Creative Connect,” a group for all disciplines that recently launched new chapters in Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. I’ve worked with the Editorial Freelancers Association and they have a great reputation.

I know it’s technically not “networking,” but nothing beats cold-calling when it comes to unearthing new clients. The good news is that, if you do a bang-up job of it starting out, you might never have to do it again.

What advice would you give to freelance writers interested in specializing in your area?

Freelancing sometimes gets a bad name, because it can connote flakiness or someone who is killing time between jobs. By positioning yourself as an independent business, including developing connections to other highly skilled creatives, there are countless companies that understand your value and will be willing to pay for it.

Jake Poinier was born and raised in Boston, moved to Phoenix in 1992, and is currently in the middle of a one-year stint in New Brunswick, Canada–living, breathing, freezing proof that you can maintain your freelance business anywhere there’s an Internet hook-up. Visit his company website at BoomvangCreative.com and his Jake’s Take blog, which delves into a variety of topics in freelancing and entrepreneurship. Jake invites all freelancers–and clients who hire freelancers–to participate in Freelance Forecast 2010. The second-annual survey will begin on December 1, but you can sign up to be notified here. (All participants receive a free copy of the final results.) A pdf of Freelance Forecast 2009, including freelance and client survey results, can be downloaded at his blog or web site.