How to create a portfolio that showcases your work
We often hear about freelance writers struggling to put together a portfolio.
The reasons are varied:
Maybe you’re not allowed to share clips.
Maybe all your clips are for the wrong industry.
Maybe you don’t even have any clips…so how are you supposed to get started?
In this episode, we’re going to answer all of those questions and more.
The scoop on portfolios
A portfolio is a collection of creative work that shows a prospective client what you can do. And that can vary by a lot, depending on what industry you’re in.
If you’re an ad writer your portfolio is going to look pretty different from a copywriter’s or a UX designer’s.
“You have to be specific, really speak to your client’s needs, industry, and the type of work they need help with.”
And if you’re an established freelance writer, you might not need one.
For any established freelance writers, much of the work they do will be referral-based. In a sense, that work is basically pre-approved. Once you’ve established the client can pay your rates and that you’re a match, you can hand-pick some fresh samples and send them over via email.
An informal, yet elegant solution.
What if you don’t have a portfolio?
If you’re new to freelance writing, your clients likely don’t know who you are, so you have to show them exactly why they should hire you. You need to prove to them you can do the type of work they’re considering hiring you for.
“Say you’d like to write email copy for Jeni’s Ice Creams. See what they’re doing (and how you can do it better.) Then draft a sample email and put that as a sample on your website. You’re saying: here’s what I can do for this type of client.”
We recommend creating three examples of the type of work you’d like to get paid for and sharing them on your website. If the client likes your samples, they’re not going to care whether it’s something you did as spec work or not. The most important thing for them is getting the job done well.
The importance of curation
Sometimes freelancers can be tempted to go for quantity over quality.
That can be a little overwhelming for potential clients. Putting everything you’ve ever written in your portfolio and asking a potential client to pick through to find the relevant examples? It’s a lot of legwork.
Curate ruthlessly and put only your best stuff out there…not everything.
But what if you work in multiple industries?
Have one to three samples in each industry you can share over email.
Have different portfolios on your website to link prospective clients: one might be for journalism, one for blog content, another for email copy, etc.
Always try to include some context, too. What effect did this work have? How many likes did it get? Who shared it? Just giving your clients a link is lazy; don’t just show your work, tell them why it was so great and what results it produced.
Do you need publication validation?
Some freelancers don’t have links to articles on their websites. Instead, they rely on a blend of testimonials and logos, and when they have a potential client, they send a curated collection of relevant work via email.
While “Big Name” publications (Forbes, TIME, NY Times) are great validators - they show you have some level of writing validation - we don’t think they’re so important that having them or not having them will make or break your chances of being hired.
It actually might even hinder you.
“I wrote one post that went viral on Buzzfeed, but it’s not my thing. I still get clients asking me how to get featured on Buzzfeed, but that’s not what I do. You don’t want to get hired for the wrong thing.”
This goes to show having a portfolio tailored for the specific client you’re hoping to close is a smarter approach than casting a wide net.
NDAs and legalities
Some clients might ask you to sign an NDA for the writing work you do.
That doesn’t mean it’s game over. You can still stick a logo on your website.
It’s validation without spotlighting the specific work - a creative workaround. And why not ask them if you can use one piece of it and not the entire work? Depending on what their legal team is concerned about, you might still be able to get some exposure from it.
Portfolio success for freelance writers
We hope these tips help you figure out the best way for your business going forward when it comes to portfolios.
There are a lot of ways you can handle it, and we’d recommend keeping it super curated, well-designed, and ultra-focused to the client that you’re hoping to land.