My Freelance Copywriting Journey (Part One)

Starting is always hard, especially with freelancing. As a newbie copywriter, I face one of the most asked questions: what is my niche? If you know me, you know that I love movies and museums. Having my movie review pages for years, I told myself I wanted to write for museums.

But wait, what am I going to write for museums? I emailed and messaged a few museums asking whether they need freelance copywriters. Even the ones that I had interned in before, I didn’t get a single reply (so sad, I know). Then I started to think, was this the right approach? What services can I offer to the museums, and how can I stand out?

That’s when I discovered “culture and heritage writing” or “interpretive writing”. It is the writing of information panels and brochures that you see in the exhibitions; they explain the museum objects and their historical backgrounds. Do you find some are easier to understand and more engaging, while some are dry, and you want to skip them all? Yes, heritage writing is not just about describing the objects and recounting the historical context. Most people do not want another dry history lesson. Writing for the exhibits has to be engaging and fun. The writing might even spark curiosity and offer new perspectives on the events.

Thanks to a few experienced heritage copywriters, I now know a bit more about this field. Although there is still a long way to go, at least I have a clear goal of how I can work towards it!