Since 2003 I’ve helped many new copywriters select the niche that’s right for them, and those niches have been strong and varied.

Nutraceuticals is big, and so is financial; technology is popular, as well the technology sub-niches of software, hardware, and to a much lesser degree, telecom.

In addition to the more obvious markets I have copywriters specializing in the human potential industry, the seniors market, marketing communications (marcom), publishing, the government, white papers, veterinary, insurance, global markets, and more.

As a niching expert, I know there are dozens of niches open to the freelance copywriter, but the one that has continually stumped me…the one I haven’t been able to safely recommend…is non-profit.

Although I’ve written for non-profit a number of times throughout my agency and freelance career, the pay was paltry (or none), and few of my colleagues had much to say about the niche.

Yet there are those who sing its praises. And many copywriters are drawn to the niche, energized by the idea of doing good and getting paid for it.

After four years it had become apparent to me that the only way I’d be able to recommend this niche, or not, was to do a formal study. So I did.

I wanted to answer some basic questions:

Can you really earn six figures or more in this niche? If so, how long will it take? What recommendations would those working in the niche pass down to newcomers? What pitfalls await the unsuspecting? How would one go about creating a successful career in this niche?

In order to get reliable information, I identified five non-profit copywriters who would represent a healthy cross-section…everyone from the “dean” of non-profit himself to a newcomer who’d recently found success in this niche.

I interviewed each of the copywriters with the express purpose of learning the truth about working in this niche; and each knew the purpose of this report was “truth” over sales; that his or her response would influence the course of copywriters’ careers for years to come.

I wanted to know the good and the bad, the pearls and the warts! And my interviewees gave me both, with generosity, honesty, and candor.

In addition I sponsored a survey of non-profit copywriters, who revealed their incomes, their niche markets, and shared a flood of passionate and cautionary advice about working in this niche. Between the interviews and the survey, a clear picture began to emerge…

A picture that looks something like a map of the United States…one whole homogonous entity made up of numerous smaller entities…revealing a very strong but complicated market!

Some of the findings:

You don’t go to a non-profit and say, “I’m a great copywriter. I write killer copy.” You have to be a specialist to grow a thriving business. There is a significant difference between non-profits and fundraisers, and knowing the difference is fundamental to your career as a non-profit/fundraising copywriter. Non-profits split out into three groups: advocacy (caused-based organizations such as Greenpeace); charity (such as the Christian Children’s Fund); and political (Democratic National Committee). Copywriters can specialize by the kind of funding they help organizations raise, e.g., a government grants, giving from wills and estates, and capital campaigns (such as helping a hospital add a new wing). Some non-profit copywriters specialize by media: letters only, or grant writing only, or online only…direct mail, radio, and so on. You can get a lot of business just from your web site if you correctly optimize your keywords (according to your specialty). Creating an ezine is a particularly effective marketing tool for this market. Two of the biggest non-profits are universities and hospitals. (One could sub-niche into either of these huge markets.) Non-profit is a huge niche market and accounts for 2 percent of the Gross National Product. What’s more, it’s a growing market but it will need copywriters in the future even more than it does now.

That’s because, according to non-profit copywriter Alan Sharpe, the new generation did not grow up in a culture of giving, so its going to be more challenging for non-profits to gain the funds they need.

Says Alan: “…the parents of baby boomers are the last generation to give out of habit…my parents’ parents and your parents’ parents…they were basically raised to give…

“And that’s not true today. You’ve got 15-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds… You can approach a 20-year-old and ask them for a donation for Hurricane Katrina and they’ll say, ‘Well, how are you going to use it? How can I be sure? Can you email me photographs of my donation at work?’”

So as non-profits find it more and more challenging to collect funds, they will find talented freelance copywriters more valuable to their marketing initiatives.

Other finding on this niche include:

Survey evidence that copywriters can earn $100,000 per year and more…but that the majority earn much less The non-profit sector has doubled since the early ’90s, and according to non-profit guru Mal Warwick, “continues to grow faster than the economy.” 65 percent of surveyed non-profit copywriters believe non-profit will be a good niche for copywriters in the foreseeable future Only 23 percent of surveyed non-profit copywriters felt there was a high level of competition in the space

“ChrisNotes: The Truth about copywriting for non-profits” offers six months of research and analysis, 78 pages of survey data (16 questions posed to 54 participants), interviews with successful non-profit copywriters, including the “dean” of non-profit copywriting Jerry Huntsinger, and today’s reigning guru, Mal Warwick; and analysis and commentary by myself, copywriter’s coach Chris Marlow.

“ChrisNotes: The Truth about copywriting for non-profits” is designed to help freelance copywriters determine if non-profit is a good niche for them…one that will fill them up emotionally, financially, and perhaps even spiritually…or not.

A niching mistake can be a critical mistake, and can even destroy a fledgling career. It takes time and money to build a business. Knowing with certainty that your chosen niche is the right fit is the first step to business success.

When it comes to Pay Per Click or PPC Marketing using Google AdWords, perhaps most has heard about PPC Classroom 2.0 by a renown PPC marketer Amit Mehta. He’s a self-made millionaire in PPC marketing and he’s also well known as a “no-holding-back” teacher. When we attented his class, he delivered a lot more than what was promised without holding back anything. That’s the style many students appreciate.

If you are using PPC advertising (especially Google AdWords) to promote affiliate products online, I’m sure you’ve experienced some pain and frustration of launching one campaign after another, day after day, with ZERO profit and a BIG hole in your wallet.

The main objective of PPC Classroom 2.0 is to teach you how to avoid the PPC pitfalls that many of us fall into when we first get started. It also aim to cut short your PPC learning curve so that you can see profit almost immediately without having to fall into the pitfalls or going through a constant trial and error.

In PPC Classroom 2.0, Amit has created an easy-to-follow model where anyone can duplicate his success in PPC marketing without having to spend too much time and money testing non-profitable campaigns. All the methods he teaches are well tested and proven to work if implemented as taught.

What exactly will you learn and does PPC Classromm 2.0 really work?

It’s an online course teaching you the ins and outs of PPC marketing using Google AdWords. Although it only covers Google AdWords, I find most of the principles and methods taught can also be applied in other PPC systems like Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter.

The entire course is designed in such a way that you can work through them at your own pace.

Here is a sneak peek of what you’ll learn in PPC Classroom 2.0:

- Market Research ~ how to find profitable market and products that are worth promoting.

- Keyword Reserach ~ how to find keywords that will guarantee you to spend less on ad cost and earn more in profit.

- How to set up and launch profitable AdWords campaigns ~ how to quickly find out whether you have a dud or a winner.

- When to use direct linking, landing or pre-sell pages or your own sites.

- How to design high-converting landing pages and revel in the Google Quality Score.

- Advanced keyword research and bid optimization strategies.

- Killer copywriting secrets

- and many tried and tested PPC tricks that I haven’t seen before.



What I like about PPC Classroom 2.0? (the pros)

- It’s a very specialized course. It focuses everything on how to build profitable affiliate marketing business using Google AdWords. The format of the course is very well organized and easy to follow. You can easily move between modules at your own pace.

- It packs with so many new PPC tricks that I’m sure even experienced PPC marketers will learn a few. It also comes with some great productivity tool such as the ROI calculator and many other bonus materials.

- This course can shorten years of learning curve or effort. You only learn strategies and methods that are tested and proven to work.

- It has great after sale support. The PPC Classroom community is an invaluable resource where people at all level can learn and share their experiences.



What I don’t like about PPC Classroom 2.0? (the cons)

You may have heard many stories on how some of the students earn millions of dollars a year. Please take all these stories with a grain of salt. It’s their success (not yours) and it doesn’t mean that you can also be successful like them. You do need to have a plan and work hard initially. This course doesn’t provide you the magic pill. It just lays out the road map for you. You will need to take effort and follow it.

Also, for experienced PPC users, you may already know some of the materials taught inside the course. For the beginners, however, it’s important to go through the course module by module. Do not skip them!

Closing Comments:

I have no doubt that the PPC marketing strategies and the methods taught in the PPC Classroom 2.0 work. However, it does require you to play your part as well. The course gives you the formula and you need to work the formula. Don’t expect overnight success. Learn at your own pace and follow through the plan. Stay focused on on your goals.

For more information, go to the official site: www.ppcclassroom.com

P.S. To receive Exclusive Bonuses (worth over $1,400) for FREE! Click here to order PPC Classroom 2.0.