If you’re an outdoors lover and you’re also a writer, you can put your two passions together and earn an income while you go on your adventures. By using mind maps to think outside the box, you can find several topics related to the outdoors to write about. I’ve shared the outdoors mind map before, but today, I’m going to delve into exactly how I’d use it to find more places to pitch and earn more from my writing.
A note: I usually use three colours for my mind maps: black, green, and blue. Black indicates topics related to the main idea; green indicates types of companies or publications that might be interested in those topics, and blue indicates specific companies or publications I might pitch.
Outdoors is a very broad topic, so there are plenty of opportunities for flipping your pitch and diversifying your niche. Here are some examples.
You could write advertorials, ads, do email copywriting, or write product descriptions for companies that sell outdoor equipment. You could consider pitching large chains like Columbia or Mountain Equipment Co-op, or pitch smaller, specialized companies that manufacture and/or sell specific equipment, such as kiteboards, surfboards, hiking packs, ropes and helmets for mountain climbing, tents, sleeping bags, snowshoes, skiis, and more. If you can think of a piece of equipment that can be used for outdoor sport or enjoyment, you can make a list of places that might be interested in your writing.
Outdoor sport intersects nicely with adventure travel, so you could consider pitching hotels in areas where outdoor adventuring is popular. You could also consider reaching out to airlines that fly to these places, not just to write ads, but also to write articles for in-flight magazines.
If you enjoy hiking and would like to write about it, consider writing trail maps and hike guides for other adventurers.
Hanging out in the outdoors has its dangers, so writing about safety fits in here, too. You could consider reaching out to first aid course providers to write their ad copy, blog posts about first aid skills, and more. If you have a background in teaching, you could consider writing curriculum for a children’s first aid course.
When you’re out hiking, sunburn is a risk. Dermatologists love ads about avoiding sun exposure, so you could consider writing ad copy for a dermatologist’s office. You could also write blog posts about sun exposure for summer issues of magazines—but be sure to leave plenty of lead time. You could also write ad copy for sunscreen manufacturers and/or retailers.
For people with children and for the geographically-challenged, getting lost in the woods is a concern. You could write course material and/or ad copy for safety course providers, or reach out to safety companies such as Road ID to see if they need a blogger or ad copy writer.
Getting dehydrated while spending time in the outdoors can also be a concern—consider writing ad copy for companies that create electrolyte replacement drinks, such as Gatorade, Powerade, or Vitamin Water. You might think these companies are too big for a freelancer to reach out to, but you’ll never know until you try. Remember that to be a successful freelancer, you must embrace rejection, so don’t hesitate to reach out to a larger company for fear they’ll say no. Be OK with getting rejected and try anyway.
If you know a bit about ATVs (or are willing to research them), you could reach out to manufacturers or retailers to write ad copy, blog posts, or email series.
The opportunities are endless when you think about everything that can be connected back to the great outdoors. So get out there and start pitching.
Loved this mind map and want more? Check out Mind Maps for Freelance Writing Success on Smashwords.
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