I think B2B is better for writers than any other industry.
Obviously I’m super biased about this.
But hear me out:
I fell into business-to-business writing, or B2B writing, by accident.
And once I got sucked in, I turned around and swam with the current to get all the way in there.
(I’m thoroughly wedged in it now.)
Why? Because B2B has this magnetic draw that B2C never had for me.
I didn’t know what that appeal was at first. But now I do.
Here’s what I realized:
B2C businesses use writers to sell products to customers.
More products, more customers, more money.
More, more, more.
B2B businesses use writers to build relationships with other businesses.
Fewer products, fewer customers, more money.
Less, but better.
You can find exceptions to this everywhere. (Especially in B2B SaaS… I don’t know why).
But this is why I’ve stuck with B2B for so long: on average, I’ve found it to be much easier to find clients who want thoughtful, high-quality content than I did when I dabbled in B2C.
My theory is that it’s very unlikely, or at least rare, that B2C will complete thought leadership projects.
Because the way you sell in B2C is through advertising, not thought leadership.
You need more customers to make more money, so the writing you do is basically for SEO and advertisement.
But in B2B, you sell through thought leadership more than advertising.
You need more business leaders to make more money, not consumers, so the writing you do is a play for ideas as currency — and those ideas (and the way they’re expressed) had better be good.
A graph for the nerds among us:
What this chart means is that, not only is it easier to find demand for high-quality writing in B2B….
But it’s also possible to charge more for that work because the work you’re doing is more important and more closely tied to the bottom line.
And that’s the kind of realization that leads to a long, profitable career as a freelance writer.