Need a Modern Writing Portfolio?
The 4-Step Method for Success…
Let me get this straight, you’ve applied for several writing jobs and no matter what you do, you just can’t catch a break?
I understand.
I’ve been THERE in your shoes, but your career isn’t set in stone…
I’ve applied for several writing jobs in the past and the ONE thing that got me ahead of everyone else who applied is presenting a portfolio.
That portfolio was my medium profile to be more specific.
Your writing portfolio is a collection of the bodies of work that you’ve produced and published.
When you present your work, you’re showcasing your skills, style and experience as a writer. You’re basically saying you know what you’re doing, you’ve done this before.
And the good thing about the internet is you can have your entire portfolio at your fingertip. Every website you’ve published to, how many articles, how reads and followers.
No more lugging around cutouts in a big folder.
A portfolio is how you attract clients, apply for publications and land freelance gigs.
I used to struggle to get into publications until I produced a lengthy portfolio.
But how do you create a writing portfolio that stands out and impresses your target audience?
1. Hosting Your Portfolio.
The first step in building your online writing portfolio is to decide where you want to host your portfolio.
I see lots of people using their own websites to show off their portfolio and I can say from an outsider’s perspective, that this certainly looks more professional.
I usually take my medium profile and can say from experience this works fine too.
Whatever you chose, as long as you can show that you’ve not only published for yourself, but you’ve published for numerous publications and people are reading the stories, then it shows experience.
If you’re creating your website a good rule of thumb is to use your name and “.com” or “.co.uk” at the end.
This makes it easier for clients to remember but if this isn’t available, you can get creative and expand it to “yournamewrites.co.uk” or something similar.
Next, you link the platforms where your portfolio is being hosted (Medium, Vocal, Flipboard etc.).
Each option has its features, and benefits so the more you include the better.
2. Review Your Portfolio.
Once you have the space where your portfolio is being published, it’s important to pick out specific pieces that you want people to see first.
Ideally, you should try to find at least 10 pieces of work that represent your best and most relevant writing.
If you don’t have enough samples or if they are outdated/ irrelevant it’s important to try and produce some quality work quickly to back yourself up and help bulk up your portfolio.
Examples of work you could use are:
- Blog posts
- Articles
- Essays
- Reports
- Case studies
- E-books
- Newsletters
- Social media posts
- Scripts
- Poems
- Stories
TIP: Create new pieces of work by posting a blog to your website (this can directly be seen by whoever clicks on your website) or by writing for one of the platforms you’ve linked to.
3. Highlight Your Best Work & Organize It.
After you have produced and gathered enough pieces of work the next step is presenting your work in a way that gives you the best chance of landing that job.
Start with your most ‘successful’ work at the top of your page.
The chance is that anyone looking at your portfolio will have a lot of people to get through so making your best work accessible first will do you a huge favour.
This will showcase what they can expect from you.
Make sure they’re impressed.
You can use different criteria to choose your best work, such as:
- The quality of the writing (grammar, spelling, punctuation, style, etc.)
- The feedback or results that the writing received (comments, shares, views, conversions, etc.)
- The relevance of the writing to your niche or goals (audience, topic, tone, purpose, etc.)
If you know any else that is into writing or has experience under their belt it would also be good to ask for their help to decide which pieces to include.
Once you’ve organised your page to show what you’d like them to see, then start organising your work into categories.
Make them clear and easy to find for visitors.
TIP: you can do this by having different categories on different pages on a website or in different folders.
Different methods to categorize your work are:
- By genre (e.g., fiction, non-fiction, poetry)
- By format (e.g., blog post, article, e-book)
- By topic (e.g., health, travel, education)
- By client (e.g., company name, publication name)
- By date (e.g., newest to oldest)
4. Highlight Achievements & Awards.
The final step in creating a strong writing portfolio is to highlight milestones that you’ve achieved.
Now, I know everyone reading this wouldn’t have gotten awards for their work. I haven’t either, but something you can do is highlight publications you have written for, websites/ pages that have published segments of your work or even if your work has been used as a source/ reference.
All these methods show credibility, experience and that your work is reliable.
Writing a small biography about yourself is a great way to introduce your achievements.
In a short introduction, tell your visitors who you are and what you do as a writer.
It should include:
- Your name and location (where you’re based).
- Your niche or specialties.
- Your experience and qualifications.
- Your goals and values.
- Your contact information.
Your introduction should also be concise, professional and engaging.
You can add a photo of yourself to make it more personal.
Clients want to connect with you, even if it’s just over a screen.
If you’ve done any previous work in the past, it can also help to add testimonials and reviews to this page as they can help boost your credibility and reputation.
You can include:
- Quotes from clients or editors who were satisfied with your work.
- Ratings or reviews from platforms or publications where you published your work.
- Awards or recognitions that you received for your work.
Conclusion:
A writing portfolio is ESSENTIAL for any writer who wants to showcase their skills.
The more work you produce, the more opportunities you attract.
Everything online is about image and by following these steps, you can create a writing portfolio that not only reflects your best work but impresses your audience and potential clients.
TIP: Don’t forget to add links to your social media profiles/ websites where you have an online presence. The more information you give your clients, the more they feel they can trust you.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you found it helpful and think someone else could too, please share it📣📣.
A writer mainly on self-development. I occasionally write on personal experiences, interest and other topics too. If you are interested in self-development, then please read some of my other articles (linked below). Enjoy.
Sources:
https://www.upwork.com/en-gb/resources/how-to-build-a-writing-portfolio
