Guest Post: Crafting a Freelance Writing Portfolio That Gets You Hired

Sometimes a great idea lands in your email.

This guest post is a prime example, in fact. When Jenn Mattern told me to expect a message from Monica Shaw, little did I know that the message would result in this great little post you’re about to read.

The back story: Monica runs WritersResidence.com, a site that helps writers build a pretty stellar portfolio. A freelancer herself, Monica gets it. The quest to get noticed — and hired — is an ongoing battle for many of us. I know my own website served as an example of how to get hired despite my best efforts at portfolio building.

Monica Shaw is a freelancer and founder of Writer’s Residence, an online writing portfolio site for freelance writers, journalists, copywriters, and pretty much anyone who wants to make a living from the written word. (Full disclosure: I am part of Monica’s affiliate program and will receive compensation should any of my efforts to promote Writers Residence succeed. But that’s not why I do it. If you know me, you know my interest in anything is primarily to help writers improve.) 

Having launched the site in 2008 off the back of her own freelance writing career, Monica’s learned a lot in the last 15+ years about what hiring clients and editors want to see when a writer pitches them for work. She’s also seen a LOT of examples of writer portfolios, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this guest post, Monica shares her top do’s and don’ts for crafting an excellent writing portfolio that gets attention.

Here’s how to make yours shine.

Dos and Don’ts: How to Craft a Freelance Writing Portfolio That Gets You Hired

by Monica Shaw

Flashback to this post from Lori last March wherein Lori highlighted this epic example on LinkedIin (well worth a read) of how to kill your chances for a freelance gig. It came down to a few things… 

• Not following instructions 
• Not sending a link to a portfolio with writing samples
• Not sending relevant writing samples for the job 

We all know that a solid writing portfolio is one of the most critical factors for landing a freelance gig. But it’s how you use it and how you present your work that counts. No matter how good your writing is, if you don’t present yourself well with a professional, easy-to-read and well organized writing portfolio, you’ll blow your chances.  

Here’s how to make your writing portfolio work for you…

The Dos:

• Highlight Your Best Work: Quality always trumps quantity. Select your best pieces for your portfolio. Even if you have a limited number of pieces, it’s better to have a few outstanding examples rather than a large collection of mediocre ones.
• Get Organized: Most of us these days have written in a multitude of niches. This is great because it shows off your diversity and versatility, but potential clients want to see what’s relevant. Categorize your writing samples to make it easy to share the most relevant samples for the particular gig you’re applying for. (See my portfolio for an example.)
• Provide Context: For each piece in your portfolio, offer a brief introduction to the work. Explain the purpose of the piece, the target audience, and any significant results or feedback. This gives potential clients a better understanding of your work and what it can do for them.
• Design Matters: Readability is everything. After all, your portfolio is meant to show off your writing, not your fancy web design skills (and let’s face it, most of us would rather be writing, not building a website). That’s why I designed our Writer’s Residence portfolio themes to be hyper focused on simplicity and user friendly design (which as a bonus makes them super easy to build). Whatever service you use for your portfolio, opt for a clean, user-friendly design that complements your writing and makes it easy to navigate. Always use web-friendly fonts that are easy to read on both mobile and desktop. 

• Show Off Your Success Stories. Include client testimonials and any example of that demonstrates how your work benefited the business. If you can make it measurable, even better, e.g. “My SEO-driven blog copy helped XYZ achieve a 150% increase in organic search traffic in less than 6 months.”

The Don’ts:

• Overwhelm with Quantity: Don’t include every piece you’ve ever written. Quality should be your top priority. It’s better to have a smaller selection of your best work than a sprawling collection of mediocre pieces.
• Use Poorly Proofread Content: This goes without saying but you’d be surprised by how many portfolios I come across with typos! Typos and grammatical errors are deal breakers. Ensure that all the content in your portfolio is error-free and well-edited.
• Forget to Obtain Permissions: If you want to include pieces written for clients, ensure that you have their permission to do so. Some clients may have copyright restrictions that prevent you from showcasing the work.
• Lack Structure and Organization: Make sure your portfolio is well-organized and easy to navigate. Use clear headings, categories, and tags to help visitors find what they’re looking for quickly.
• Overshare Personal Information: I always recommend having an “About Me” section to give a bit of background, but I’d suggest oversharing personal information or including unrelated details. Keep it professional and focused on your writing.

Bonus 3 4 tips for using your portfolio for maximum effect: 

1. 1. Invest in a custom domain name. Whether you’re using Writer’s Residence, Clippings.me, Journoportfolio, WordPress, Squarespace or anything else, I highly suggest hooking up with a custom domain name rather than using the default domain given by the service. It adds that extra layer of personalization and professionalism that clients value.
   2. Share specific examples when you pitch for work. This is something that the aforementioned LinkedIn hiring person brought up. Don’t send people the entire portfolio, link to specific examples that are relevant to the gig, e.g. “I see you’re looking for writers specializing in the << CATEGORY>> the. I’ve written several articles on << CATEGORY >> – I’ve included 3 links below. Hope you like them!
   3. Keep it updated. Wherever possible, regularly update your portfolio with new, high-quality samples. Remove outdated or less relevant work. Show that you are actively producing content and staying current in your field. 
   4. Spread the word. Show off your portfolio link everywhere. Use it on LinkedIn and other social media outlets, add it to your email footer, put it on your business card. You’ve worked hard to get where you are so don’t be shy about putting yourself out there and showing off your successes.

Finally, make no excuses. If you’re struggling to create a top notch portfolio due to time or technical limitations, check out Writer’s Residence where you can create a pro-grade online writing portfolio in five easy steps. Our users get a direct line of contact with me so you can guarantee great support along the way and ultimately a great portfolio that you can use to effectively market your career. 

Learn more about affiliate income and other means of getting paid in Monica’s No-bullshit freelance Income Stream Guide. 

Writers, how long has it been since you’ve revised your portfolio?
Do you include anything unusual on your portfolio on purpose?