A writing portfolio is a non-negotiable business asset for any professional scribe.
Freelancer statistics show that around half of all writers find work assignments via a website or their personal portfolio.
But if you’re anything like most writers, you’re uncomfortable tooting your own horn and you get in your own way via perfectionism, fear of rejection, Imposter Syndrome and other mindset blocks.
What if I told you there was a way to showcase your skills without having to get all shouty about it?
What is a writing portfolio?
A writing portfolio is the professional equivalent of your personal scrapbook, your trophy cabinet, your brag book.
I also like to think of the portfolio as a pirate’s treasure chest.
It’s a carefully curated collection of your most valuable ‘stuff’ – with each article, blog post, essay, or other writing sample chosen for the way in which it highlights your skills, or the high-profile publications which are already beating a path to your door.
Like a pirate’s treasure chest, your portfolio also contains considerable value for others.
It lets potential clients know what you can do.
By the time an editor has gotten to the stage of peeking at your portfolio, they’re already thinking, ‘Please, please, please let this writer have the ability and the interest to tackle the particular assignment I have in mind.’
Done right, your portfolio is the way you ‘show, don’t tell’.
Do I really need to have a writing portfolio?
Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes.
A portfolio gives you visibility. It is the second most important thing you’ll need to forge a career as a freelance writer.
(The first? A knack for pitching story ideas that editors can’t resist.)
An editor or client who is thinking about commissioning work from you wants to know you have the writing chops for the particular brief they have in mind.
They generally won’t hire you unless they’ve had the chance to try before they buy.
Think of it like this: You’re in an ice-cream parlour trying to decide between dozens of different flavours all laid out in the glass cabinet in front of you.
The bucket of disposable spoons behind the counter? It’s there for a reason.
A sampling spoon let you try a small sample of turmeric or the liquorice or the lavender to see if you like it.
It reduces the risk of picking a flavour that just doesn’t work for you. It gives you confidence to proceed without having to commit to a whole double-scoop.
For editors and clients, your portfolio functions in much the same way.
It’s a powerful illustration of your ability to write in the format, niche, style and voice that’s required.
It can reveal your versatility, creativity and flexibility. It can even divulge a little of your interests and your psyche.
For example, I once pitched a new editor who (as it turned out) didn’t like any of the pitches I submitted.
However, she commissioned me for a different series of stories because, she said, she liked the ‘personality’ revealed through my portfolio and felt like she already knew me (in a non-creepy way).
Your portfolio functions as a form of social proof, in that it underlines your credibility. (“If the New York Times has used this person several times, for instance, then who I am to pass them over?”)
It grants them the confidence to give your project the green light.
Building your portfolio
There’s an art and a science to building a portfolio that will stand out in the marketplace. Here are some of the important principles:
What should I put in a writing portfolio?
Your portfolio should contain a sample of your best clips that align with the type of writing you’d like to do, not everything you’ve ever written.
Aim for quality over quantity.
The goal is to impress, not overwhelm.
If you’re hoping your portfolio will get you a job, for instance, it’s estimated that hiring managers spend 5-10 minutes per portfolio, while recruiters give you less than 3.
This means that, unless they’re your mother, the people reviewing your portfolio will only look at a handful of pieces.
And if they must trawl through hundreds of disparate items that aren’t organised in any meaningful way, then they probably won’t get as far as your best 4-5.
Some suggest a dozen items is a good number.
Infusing your work with unique perspectives and unexpected associations can showcase your skill in producing original content that sets you apart from the pack (and the robots).
Adjust this if you’re targeting different niches. Ensure each one is represented by about half a dozen samples.
How to organise your writing portfolio
If you’re only sharing a handful of clips, you won’t really need to worry about this step.
But if you want to showcase the depth and breadth of projects you can tackle, it’s worth weighing how to organise your portfolio so it makes sense to you and to potential browsers.
Some writers like Jonathan OCallaghan organise by reverse chronological date. This can be a good choice if you want to highlight your most recent publications.
Alternatively, an investigative journalist might organise their portfolio chronologically to show the development of each story as new information came to light.
Other writers organise by medium. For example, they might structure their portfolio based on ‘blog posts’, ‘long form’, ‘white paper’, and so on.
Editorial writers, meanwhile, might structure their portfolio by outlet – so ‘The Age’, ‘Cosmos’, ‘The Australian’, and so on.
If you work across different niches, as I do, it can be worth organising your portfolio by topic, so potential clients don’t have to raise a sweat finding relevant work.
I briefly toyed with the idea of separating my work according to whether it was ‘editorial’ or ‘commercial’, with sub-categories under each.
Ultimately, however, I’ve started segmenting clips by ‘travel’, ‘food’, ‘history’ ‘science’, ‘business’, and ‘people’, and moving ‘true crime’ and ‘psychology’ over to separate websites of their own.
In the end, though, there are no real rules to organising or structuring your portfolio.
It’s what makes most sense to you.
And update it regularly.
How can I create a writing portfolio if I’m starting from scratch?
Many people starting out have never been published or paid for their writing before.
Don’t let this lack of experience hold you back.
Follow this four-step process to build a portfolio that will pack a punch.
Mine your previous experience
Revisit the work you did at university or even high school. Chances are good that there’s an essay, article, or some other project that you could use as a starting point for your portfolio. What about your work history? Trawling through the archives might unearth a presentation, blog post, or some other gem which can be wrestled into a form suitable for inclusion in your portfolio.
Create some writing samples
If you’re keen to, say, write e-books, or white papers, or website copy, but you’ve never tackled such a project before, then it’s time to get cracking by creating work samples. No, you won’t be paid for them, but remember the ‘show don’t tell’ principle. Work samples showcase your skills to potential clients. And who knows? That e-book might even be something you can sell down the track. Use your imagination. (For creativity tips from an unlikely source, click here.)
Offer to guest post on an established blog or website
Elna Cain launched her freelance writing career by guest posting on three different websites. Search for ‘write for us’ plus the niche in which you’d like to write, and you’ll be overrun with options. Guest posting won’t bring the sort of riches that will let you buy a sheep station – but you will get published and, often, you’ll be granted an author page which is a handy little link to include in any marketing.
Submit articles ‘on spec’
There’s a lot of controversy about whether you should ever write ‘on spec’. This means you’re writing and submitting a story to an editor without any commitment from them to publish it, let alone pay you. But if you’re trying to kick off a freelance writing career, submitting completed articles rather than pitches can reduce an editor’s risk in taking you on. Yes, you’re investing time and effort which you might not recoup via a sale, but remember the ice cream example above. Make hiring you a low risk endeavour for them.
Where should my writing portfolio live?
When it comes to deciding where to house your portfolio, there are a range of different options. You may decide to choose more than one of them.
Writing portfolio sites
Dedicated writing portfolio sites like Muck Rack, Clippings.me, Contently, and Journo Portfolio allow you to set up a landing page where you clips can live. I have a Contently account because someone once recommended it, but I find it aesthetically disappointing, haven’t heard a peep about any projects, and it’s just become one more thing to update. Muck Rack also seems to be diligently gathering my clips, but mixing them in with those pertaining to another person who lost a child to drug addiction, so that makes for some awkward conversations.
Other sites
The ‘Featured’ section of LinkedIn can also serve as a portfolio of sorts and it’s a great place to be visible because many people looking for writers are on LinkedIn. Many writers are also on Medium. I hear it’s great place for community building, but it’s not somewhere I’ve invested a lot of time. All I’ve done so far is import a handful of stories I’ve already published on my own blog, but give it a whirl.
Your own blog or website
The most professional looking option is a portfolio contained on your personal blog or website using platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. Many writers add a list of links to their page, use portfolio page builders or add a grid of images with clickable links (my choice). You can measure the effectiveness of your portfolio by tracking inquiries, asking for feedback from potential clients, or assessing how often views translate to gigs. Set up the right way, website analytics can reveal how visitors interact with your portfolio and which samples are viewed most frequently. Brynn Dipold, for instance, republishes content to her site to keep audience on her page, rather than sending them to external links.
FAQs about writing portfolios
Developing a writing portfolio should be a top priority for any writer. But it’s not always straightforward. These are some of the most common queries I hear:
What if my best work is behind a paywall?
It’s becoming more common for publications to insist on you assigning all intellectual property (IP) in a proposed article to them. I was recently presented with a contract which stated, ‘Any request to republish or use the article is subject to you first obtaining permission in writing from (this publication)’. It literally meant I’d have to ask permission to post my own work to my portfolio. I pushed back and suggest you’d do the same – at the very least so you can post a pdf of the piece to your website. That way, even if a story lives behind a paywall, you can upload it as a media item to your website, generating a link to that pdf (or screenshot).
Should I include personal projects in my portfolio?
Honestly, work we want to do is not always the work we’re paid to do. Personal projects can showcase your initiative and interests in a way that professional projects don’t. They can also provide a window into your passions and other drivers, which helps set you apart from other writers.
How do I keep my portfolio up to date?
Update your portfolio regularly to reflect your latest work, skills and interests. If I’m particularly excited about a story that’s just appeared, I’ll update my portfolio on the spot, but if you’re less enthused by administrative tasks, then you might need to set a reminder to tackle updates every few months. A fresh, forward-facing portfolio signals that you’re engaged and energised by the work you do.
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