Are you a freelance writer, or do you aspire to become one? Or do you feel the need to showcase your writing prowess and make a lasting impression on potential clients? If yes, having a content writer portfolio is the best thing you could have for yourself.
Imagine the effect you will put on your profile when you send a link to your portfolio while showcasing your work to your potential clients or during a client interview.
Having a defined portfolio sets off a fine first impression, all the while creating your personal brand and improving your career graph. This sets a very fine first impression. A content or freelance writing portfolio will greatly improve your career and create your personal brand.
What is a content writer portfolio?
A content portfolio is a website that showcases your best content work. It can include a listicle of your past experiences and projects you’ve worked on. You will display your best writing skills and your unique writing niche in your portfolio.
What value does a content portfolio hold?
Your content writer portfolio is a crucial part of your personal brand and plays a pivotal role in landing your next gig. With a well-crafted portfolio, you can demonstrate your expertise and stand out from the competition during job search.
It will persuade potential clients that you're the solution to their content creation needs. In short, your portfolio is the ultimate tool for persuasive marketing to add value to your expertise and skills.
When your employer asks you for work samples, a link to your portfolio is a better idea than forwarding them a bunch of google docs links.
This article is meant for anybody who wants to develop a portfolio to stand out from the competitive content market. We’ve included the basic steps and tips & tricks required to build a portfolio, platforms to choose from, and examples of the best freelance writer portfolio websites.
Keep reading and keep knowing!
The 5 basic steps to build a portfolio
Step 1: Collecting all your information
Keep everything on the table, like education details, work experience, achievements, best projects, etc. Decide what you want to put in your portfolio carefully. Make sure it brings added value to your profile.
Step 2: Organizing your information
The categories and road map will define the portfolio's accessibility and approachability. How you organize your information and sell your projects to the visitor/reader will define if they like you as a professional.
Step 3: Deciding a format
Portfolios can be offline or online, but an online portfolio is the most suitable option for a writing career. Investing in an online website portfolio would be the better alternative to showcase your talents in a single location.
Step 4: Updating the portfolio
Making a portfolio is a continuous process. It’s no good if it’s not up-to-date. An outdated portfolio will come of no use to your employer as it does not include your recent work. Plus, updating it with new skills and competencies exhibits career growth.
Know exactly what to include in your portfolio: Secrets To Writing The Best Portfolio Table of Contents
Step 5: Filling the gaps
If you feel like there are fewer things to include in your portfolio, create mock workpieces and projects to add. Having too few projects does not look good on a portfolio. Even if you’re a beginner, showcasing mock projects displays that you’ve put in effort.
To understand the details that fall under the above steps and the importance of having a portfolio, read: All About Work Portfolio.
There is another key step that falls under Step 3. You must choose a platform to host your website if you decide to have an online website as your portfolio. We got you covered on this too.
Choose a platform to hold your portfolio
Creating a website is no rocket science. Several platforms present you with no-code solutions to create websites and ready-to-use templates. Here are some of the best to choose from.
- Free Trial: Yes
- Pricing: $16/mo
- Free Trial: Yes
- Pricing: $16/mo
- Free Trial: Yes
- Pricing: $10/mo
- Free Trial: No
- Pricing: $6.99/mo
- Free Trial: Yes
- Pricing: $4/mo
Things may initially seem a little black and white. However, once you start creating and inserting information into the templates, you’ll get the hang of it. Take it slow.
Your portfolio page will be a gateway for your potential clients to discover your skills and competencies. Hence, a little investment is called for. List down “developing a portfolio” as a professional development goal for yourself to keep you motivated.
We’ve created a list of freelance writing portfolio examples to inspire you further with ideas to steal and use in your own.
5 Best Content Writer Portfolio Examples
1. Kayla Lewkowicz
Kayla’s portfolio has everything you need to understand her work and capabilities. Apart from her work, she has also focussed on the fact that she likes to travel. Indulging a hobby softly along with your talents makes you more intriguing.
Along with her services listed on the website, she has also included a content marketing course. This validates her as a professional content marketing expert.
Let’s skip to the best part.
Kayla has divided her blog posts niche-wise. A clean organization of your writing samples falls easy on the eyes of the visitor and allows them to spend more time on the site.
Ideas to steal:
- Positioning of work samples.
- Scattering quirky lines in and around the website to show off copywriting skills.
- Separating the blog section from the writing samples.
2. Jennifer Fernandez
This has to be one of the cleanest portfolios you’ll ever come across. Jennifer did not pay much attention to the website's design, which ended up pretty well. Her minimalistic design makes the portfolio stand out.
Her website is easy to navigate, and like Kayla, she has also categorized her blogs.
Let’s skip to the best part.
As a writer for Architectural Digest, Jennifer has realized the importance of simplicity, and that’s very well reflected in her portfolio.
Ideas to steal:
- Listing blogs with company names on the side.
- Displaying blogs with images and external links.
- The clean design.
3. Tyler Koenig
Being a content strategist, Tyler knows what his ideal clients are looking for. His added visual efforts have made his portfolio stand out from the crowd of regular online writing portfolios.
Just like Kayla, Tyler has also focused on being a basketball enthusiast. His detailed ‘About’ section not only showcases his excellent writing skills but also exhibits that he’s a passionate person.
Let’s skip to the best part.
Tyler has made sure he developed a website with strong copywriting skills. And this shows on this home page, with the content well aligned with the designs and images.
Ideas to steal:
- Using creative images and colors.
- Selling yourself like a product.
- Writing blogs for the portfolio. (Tips on content)
4. Elise Dopson
This is a great example targeted for freelance writers. Elise has included everything your clients want to see, along with content creation. Her portfolio website clearly shows what industries she works in and her niche.
When you visit the “Work with me” section, you’ll find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at the end of the page.
Let’s skip to the best part.
Adding numbers to your portfolio is one of the best ways to flaunt your skills. While your potential employer knows how well you write, they understand the type of writing you use, but how do they know whether your content works? Numbers!
Ideas to steal:
- Use of client testimonials.
- Scattering client reviews all over the site.
- Displaying all the brands you’ve worked with.
5. Alice Lemee
Alice has done it all. Her portfolio contains everything important that you should include on your website. It’s like social media but for her career.
She has created a full-fledged website and has not kept it minimal. She even has her resource section! Her website is well-categorized, and the choice of colors is easy on the eyes too.
Let’s skip the best part.
She has included a portion on her portfolio website's homepage explaining how she would take things forward with the client. This is a brilliant method to entice customers into working with her as they get the idea that she will take good care of their content.
Ideas to steal:
- Using client testimonials.
- “Trusted by” section. (Showcasing previous brands)
- Segregating the work- type of content: Long form, website copy, short copy.
Browse through our collection of blogs focussing on various portfolios:
Stand out!
The above portfolio examples must suffice your requirements for developing a terrific and impressive content writer portfolio. Here are points to remember when crafting your portfolio:
- Avoid unnecessary information
- If you include graphics, invest in them.
- Choose a specific color palette.
- Include more than just your work examples.
- Add something unique.
- Target your audience carefully.
What do you do once you’re done creating one?
Publish it everywhere on social media. Show it to your friends, colleagues, ex-colleagues, managers, and everyone. Get reviews and suggestions to make improvements.
Set a date every 6 months on your calendar to update your portfolio. Updating the portfolio is as important as creating it.
This article has been written by Pansy Thakuria. She works as a Content Marketing Specialist at Vantage Lens. Her areas of interest include marketing, mental well-being, travel, and digital tech. When she’s not writing, she’s usually planning trips to remote locations and stalking animals on social media.