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Looking for the high-paying freelancing niches for Nigerians you can start immediately? This blog post is for you. We even included a 15-question checklist to help you choose right.

Freelancing is a great way to make money, especially for Nigerians. 

The country’s unemployment rate is high, and many people are looking for alternative ways to earn a living. Freelancing can be a great way to do this. It offers you the flexibility and freedom to build a thriving and financially rewarding career while working from home.

If this is what you want, we’ve put together a list of high-paying niches that you should consider. These niches are all in high demand, and they offer the potential to earn a very good living.

So, let’s get started.

Key Takeaways (Editor’s Pick)

• Copywriting has a low entry barrier.
• You’ll need to learn how to generate leads with content to thrive as a content marketer.
• Search Engine Optimisation is one of the most in-demand inbound marketing strategies.
• Link building holds too many promises due to its low competition.
• Virtual assistance allows greater specialisation.
• The future is promising for mobile developers as mobile now makes up more than half of all web internet traffic.
• Translation services are excellent if you’re fluent in more than one language.
• Many businesses are willing to outsource their social media management.
• Graphic design is great for those who can create stunning designs and visual elements.
• The global animation industry is about half the Nigerian GDP.
• Almost two-thirds of businesses use email marketing to reach prospects.
• Several businesses will pay to get a steady stream of leads.
• The data entry business doesn’t require much to start.
• Try data visualisation if you can make complex data intuitive with visual designs.
• Starting a competitive intelligence business will give you the first-mover advantage.

Recommended posts

• Is Freelancing Right For You? Pros and Cons for Nigerians
• Top 5 (+3) Freelancing Platforms for Nigerians
• How to Brand Yourself as a Freelancer in Nigeria

1. Copywriting

Copywriting is the most common freelancing niche in Nigeria. And it pays well too. It involves creating compelling text content to pass a message, evoke emotions, and inspire actions, like buying a product or service, subscribing to a newsletter, or trying software. 

The average pay for copywriters in Nigeria is NGN 720,000 annually, while the top earners take home up to NGN 6 million yearly.

Pros

• The copywriting niche has a low entry barrier, meaning you can quickly get started. 
• The pay is encouraging and easily scalable.
• You don’t need to invest heavily in training and certification courses.
• Switching to other niches, like content marketing, social media management, and email marketing is effortless and requires little training.
• Copywriters can easily build a thriving copywriting agency.

Cons

• The competition for clients in this niche is insane.
• The proliferation of AI-writing services has affected the demand for copywriters.
• No job security for freelance copywriters.

Best places to find clients

Begin your searches on freelancing platforms like UpWork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com. Use our guide on Top 5 (+3) freelancing platforms for Nigerians to make the most of these platforms.

2. Content Marketing

Content marketing takes copywriting further. According to the Content Marketing Institute, it’s a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a defined audience, and ultimately, drive profitable action.

Most content marketers in Nigeria make NGN 960, 000 basic pay yearly. The top 25% earn up to NGN 2 million annually.

Pros

• Content marketing is a highly profitable niche.
• The competition in this niche is manageable due to its high skill requirements.
• You can run a full-fledged content marketing agency remotely.
• Demand for content marketers is on the rise, due to its effectiveness.
• It’s easier to drive repeat businesses from happy clients.

Cons

• Only highly skilled marketers can succeed in this space.
• Investing in content marketing certification courses and training could be expensive.
• You’ll need branding to stand out as a freelancer in this niche.

Best places to find clients

The best way to land high-value clients is to pitch them directly. You need to craft a compelling proposal that shows how your content marketing services can help them meet their bottom line.

3. Search Engine Optimisation

SEO is another great freelancing niche for Nigerians. It’s all about optimising websites to rank higher in search engines, which puts them in front of online searchers who are interested in their products or services. The median base salary for SEO professionals in the United States is $51,577 yearly.

It’s not easy to make this kind of money as a Nigerian, but if you’re good and deliver on your client’s expectations, you can build a very rewarding career in this niche.

Pros

• SEO services are in high demand worldwide.
• The niche has an impressive customer retention rate.
• It’s possible to upsell and cross-sell to your clients once they are happy.
• You can grow your business into an agency and run it remotely.
• The pay for SEO professionals is good.

Cons

• The niche demands high skills.
• You’ll need to master how to manage customer expectations to succeed here.
• Ranking websites on Google is more difficult than it sounds.
• SEO is constantly evolving, so you gotta stay up-to-date on the latest trends and Google algorithm updates.
• SEO tools don’t come cheap, especially, due to the huge exchange rate difference.

Best places to find clients

One way is to look for them on top freelancing platforms like Upwork or Fiverr. Another way is to pitch your services directly to businesses. If you have any happy customers, you can also ask them for referrals. Also, reach out to potential clients through tailored campaigns like PPC and social media marketing.

4. Link Building

Backlinks are a big deal for Google’s ranking system. SEO pros use them to improve their website’s rankings. However, getting quality backlinks can be a pain. You can offer this service to make their job easier.

The niche is financially rewarding. You can negotiate your rate with clients. Some of the top link-building freelancers on Fiverr charge up to $450 per project, that’s over NGN 400, 000.

Pros

• Quality backlinks are in high demand.
• The niche is not too competitive.
• It pays well.
• You can improve your earnings by cross-selling and up-selling clients.
• It’s possible to build a full remote link-building agency.

Cons

• Building quality backlinks is not a walk in the park.
• It could be challenging to manage clients’ expectations.

Best place to find clients

Freelancing platforms are the best place to start. You can also pitch SEO professionals, agencies, and business owners directly. It’s easier with a solid portfolio.

5. Virtual Assistance

As a virtual assistant, you’ll provide administrative, technical, or creative services to clients while working remotely. You’ll need to have strong organisational and time management skills, as well as the ability to work independently and meet deadlines. 

Hourly rates for VAs on Upwork range from $10 to $20, depending on your experience and skill set.

Pros

• You’ll enjoy greater work flexibility and work-life balance.
• It’s financially rewarding.
• The niche has little competition locally.
• It allows specialisation based on your skills and expertise.

Cons

• Local demand for VAs is not encouraging.
• It’s challenging to transform into a remote agency.
• You might face stiff competition if you target foreign clients.

Best place to find clients

Begin your searches on Upwork and other freelancing services. Additionally, create your website to promote your services.

6. Mobile Development

Mobile traffic makes up almost 60% of all web traffic worldwide. More and more people are using their phones to browse the internet. You can have a thriving freelancing career as a mobile developer.

The global average salary for remote mobile developers is a whopping $72,738, making them one of the highest-paid software developers in the industry.

Pros

• Most mobile developers earn well.
• It’s a high-skill job, so there’s not a lot of competition.
• Transforming to a mobile development agency is possible.

Cons

• You’ll need a lot of training to thrive in this niche.
• Building your portfolio can be relatively more challenging.

Best place to find clients

Building your website and promoting your business is your best bet to land clients.

7. Translation Services

If you’re fluent in multiple languages, this niche is a great fit for you. 

It’s perfect for businesses looking to expand their operations, foreign affairs ministries, embassies, and international NGOs. Novatia is an example of a business offering translation services. You can learn how they set up their operation by visiting their website.

Pros

• You’ll enjoy low competition.
• The pay is encouraging and you can charge by word or hour.
• You can serve customers across a wide range of industries.
• You can easily retain satisfied clients in this niche, cutting down your customer acquisition costs.
• You can easily grow into a full remote translation agency.

Cons

• Getting proper training and relevant certifications can be expensive.
• It’s challenging to get clients.

Best place to find clients

You can set up profiles and gigs on popular freelancing platforms. Also, we recommend you build your website to promote your services.

8. Social Media Management

Several businesses wouldn’t mind having professionals manage their social media accounts to focus on other crucial day-to-day activities. You can try this niche if you can help businesses improve their brand awareness, generate leads, and increase sales through social media content.

Social media managers in the United States typically earn over $56,000 yearly.

Pros

• Businesses are becoming more active on social media.
• The demand for social media managers is impressive.
• The niche is financially rewarding. 
• Training and certifications are relatively affordable.
• You scale into a remote agency. 

Cons

• The competition for social media managers is high.
• Social management tools can be expensive.
• A lot of businesses have unreasonable expectations from social media campaigns.

Best place to find clients

Join freelancing platforms, create and promote your website, and ask happy clients for referrals.

9. Graphic Design

Graphic design is an in-demand and lucrative freelancing skill today. 

It’s the perfect niche if you can create stunning designs that captivate, engage, and effortlessly communicate your clients’ brand messages. As a graphic design freelancer targeting the U.S. market, you can expect to make over $50,300 yearly.

Pros

• You can serve a wide range of industries.
• There is a high demand for graphic designers.
• Scaling to a full agency is possible.
• The niche is financially rewarding.
• It’s easier to build your portfolio.

Cons

• It requires high skills.
• Most graphic design projects are one-off, so retaining existing customers could be challenging.
• Many people are in this niche, making competition very stiff.

Best place to find clients

You can find clients on freelancing platforms. You can also create a portfolio site to promote your services.

10. Animation

The global animation industry was estimated to be worth $259 billion in 2021. 

Analysts believe that the number will grow to $375 billion by 2027, at a staggering 6.2% compound annual growth rate. So, you can build a thriving career as a freelance animator. Professonals in this field typically make more than $62,000 yearly.

Pros

• The niche pays well.
• You won’t struggle with much competition here.
• Animators serve businesses across different industry verticals.
• You can grow your business into an animation agency with time.
• The customer retention rate in this niche is promising.

Cons

• It requires advanced design skills.
• Getting customers could be challenging.
• Animation training and certifications are expensive.

Best place to find clients

Build your website and promote your services.

11. Email Marketing 

About 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers. 

In 2021, almost 42% of brands say email marketing is critical to business success, compared to 78% in 2020. Plus, 37% of brands are increasing their budget. This presents huge opportunities for freelancers who can use email marketing to help clients meet their financial goals.

Digital marketing specialists with email marketing skills in Nigeria typically earn NGN 720,000 base salary yearly. Those in the United States make up to $57,000 yearly.

Pros

• There are not too many freelance email marketers.
• Most businesses will invest heavily in email marketing if they are sure of the result.
• You can earn good money from this niche.
• You can scale your freelance email marketing business to an agency.

Cons

• It could be challenging to build your portfolio.
• The niche requires advanced marketing skills.
• Premium email marketing tools could be expensive.

Best place to find clients

Building and promoting your website is your best bet to find high-value clients.

12. Leads Generation Services

Every business needs a steady stream of leads to stay afloat. Several of them struggle at that, and won’t mind outsourcing their lead generation. You can explore this option if you have the skills and can manage customer relationships and expectations. 

Most lead generation specialists in the US take home around $40,000 yearly, while the top 10% of earners make as high as $70,000.

Pros

• Getting clients is less challenging if you have a well-detailed proposal.
• You can easily scale your earnings by upselling clients.
• The retention rate for satisfied customers is high.
• This niche offers low competition.
• Growing into a remote agency is achievable.

Cons

• A lead generation service requires advanced marketing skills.
• You might need a landing page and website design skills to thrive here.
• Getting professional training and certification doesn’t come cheaply.

Best place to find clients

Reach out to prospective clients directly with custom proposals. Also, design an engaging website and promote your business with it.

13. Data Entry

Anyone can explore this niche. It involves helping clients to enter information or update records in a database or computer system. Data entry clerks in the United States usually earn around $16 hourly.

Pros

• It doesn’t require much skill and qualification.
• A lot of businesses in the US have high demand for data entry services.
• It has low startup costs

Cons

• The competition is high.
• The pay is relatively lower compared to other high-skilled freelance jobs.
• Scaling your business into an agency will be challenging.

Best place to find clients

Most data entry clients use freelancing platforms to find this service.

14. Data Visualisation

Data visualisation is the use of visual elements like charts, tables, graphs, maps, and animations to represent information and data. It helps people understand complex information by presenting it in an easy-to-understand format, facilitating data-driven decision-making.

If you need inspiration on how to structure your data visualisation business, you might want to check out The Visual Agency. 

Pros

• It’s a low-competition niche.
• You can grow your freelance business into a data visualisation agency.
• Data visualisation pays well.
• Building your portfolio won’t cost much.

Cons

• It could be challenging to get clients. 
• The niche requires a high skill set.
• Training and certification programmes could be expensive.

Best place to find clients

It’s best to create your website and promote your services. Pitching your ideal clients directly might also work well.

15. Competitive Intelligence

A lot of businesses want to know everything their competitors are up to. 

As such, many will gladly pay for a monthly competitive briefing, and may even hire you permanently if they find your intelligence to be actionable and useful. You can try this niche if you think you can give a business a competitive edge by digging into its competitors’ online secrets.

Pros

• Only a handful of people are in this niche.
• The niche offers a first-mover advantage.
• The client retention rate will be pretty high in this niche.
• Scaling into a competitive intelligence agency is possible.
• You can serve a wide range of clients.
• The pay is good.

Cons

• Competitive intelligence training could be expensive.
• Premium competitive intelligence tools are expensive.

Best place to find clients

Build a compelling website and promote the business.

FAQs

What are the high-paying freelancing niches for Nigerians?

In Nigeria, some lucrative freelancing niches include software development, graphic design, digital marketing, content writing, and virtual assistance. These areas have a high demand globally, allowing Nigerian freelancers to access a wide range of well-paying opportunities.

Are there specific skills that make graphic design a high-paying freelancing niche in Nigeria?

Yes, in graphic design, mastering tools such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) is crucial. Additionally, staying creative and keeping up with design trends can set Nigerian freelancers apart. Specialising in areas like logo design, branding, or web design can also lead to higher-paying projects.

How can Nigerian freelancers stand out in the competitive field of content writing?

To stand out in content writing, Nigerians can focus on niche specialisations such as tech, finance, or healthcare writing. Developing a unique writing style, building a personal blog or website, and networking within online writing communities can help establish authority and command higher rates in the freelancing market.

Choosing the Right Freelancing Niche

These 15 freelancing niches offer you high earning potential.

We recommend choosing the one that aligns with your passion, skills, and career objective. You can also check out what others are doing in the niche for inspiration on how to structure yours.

And if you’re having trouble finding the right niche, check out these 15 questions to help you choose.