The Unofficial Hierarchy Of Writing Samples
Do you want to do journalistic writing? These writing samples will get your foot into the door.
Quality writing samples are your most valuable currency as a writer — especially a new writer. Adequate skill can take you far — even if you don’t have a lot of experience — if you can get your writing in front of the right person.
With that said, it cannot be denied that professionally published writing samples hold more weight than something that you self-published. You see, editors have this funny thing about liking you more if another editor has already vouched for you.
And when I say vouched, I don’t mean sending a letter of recommendation — though that definitely can’t hurt — I mean publishing your words. It says to them that your writing is worth their peers risking the credibility of their organization to have your words included. It also says that your writing warranted a slice of the often limited funds they had to allocate.
Simply put, professional writing samples are invaluable.
However, they aren’t the end all be all.
Some of my early writing samples were from niche websites and/or my personal blog and still helped me land various writing gigs.
So whether you have a few bylines under your belt, or the only place you’ve written is a self-hosted WordPress blog, keep reading for the *unofficial hierarchy of writing samples.
Print Magazines
We all grew up idolizing those fictional writers like Carrie Bradshaw who earned $1 a word writing for Vogue. Thirty years after Sex & The City first aired, the prestige of print magazine writing prevails.
As the industry shrinks (and therefore becomes even more exclusive than it already was) prints samples are becoming an extra hot commodity. So even as the print magazine industry struggles to keep up with a digital-first world, the impact these samples hold is far-reaching. Eventually, there may be a time when print samples lose their value. For now, they’re still sitting pretty at the top of the food chain.
Newspapers
Newspapers are pretty much going the way of print magazines, but for now, they’re still associated with prestige writing. Because most news reporters and columnists had to obtain higher education — usually a Journalism or Communications degree — and had to cut their teeth with internships, editors hold more faith in their ability to deliver quality work. Besides, the process of getting newspaper bylines is more rigorous than some other writing avenues, and writers who’ve gone through the steps are well-versed in the amount of work needed to take an idea to a published article.
Digital Magazines
Most mainstream print magazines have a digital counterpart but many indie magazines are digital only. In a few years (or decades depending on how optimistic you are), when print is nearly obsolete digital magazines will still be here. And while many digital-only writers don’t make as much money as print-only writers, the clips will take you just as far. Okay, nearly as far.
Staff Writer Clips
If print isn’t your end goal, and you have no interest in writing for magazines, then there are still a million other ways for you to make money writing on the internet. Rather, a million websites. Think entertainment rags, gossip sites, factoid sites, comedy sites, dating sites, science sites, pet sites + nearly any other topic you can think of on the internet.
All of these websites require articles, listicles, reported pieces, and op-eds to stay afloat. This labor isn’t free. Of course, not all of them pay — and you should steer clear of those — but for those that do, the options are plentiful. Having a few consistent clips on websites like this is nearly invaluable.
Guest Posts/Freelance Pieces
If you’ve never had a staff writing job, you can still get a byline on a website either by writing a guest post (for lower-ranking websites) or having a freelance piece commissioned.
Every website that offers guest posts won’t be worth your time. And it should be noted that many of these don’t pay. There are some, however, that do. You’ll have to weed through to find opportunities that are worth it and decide whether or not the writing sample is worth it.
Freelancing, usually, comes with a one-off payment and the barrier of entry is usually harder. Therefore, freelance pieces usually hold more weight.
Personal Blog Posts
When all is said and done, the most important thing you can do as a new writer is to get your words in front of an editor.
If you haven’t been able to get published anywhere else, then creating your blog posts is the way to go. In this day and age, there are countless tools you can use to create them. WordPress, Wix, Squarespace — even Medium — are wonderful platforms to publish your work and get it in front of the masses. And while they’re great ways to create a stockpile of writing samples, you can also monetize your work in the meantime and create income for yourself. Win/win.
Quora Answers
Believe it or not — your Quora profile can serve as a handy hub for writing samples. Quora answers often require extensive research, proper outlining, and a basic understanding of how to structure the written word. If you look around, you’ll notice that the top-ranking Quora writers have learned to present complex ideas in simple-to-understand language. Do that, and you may be able to build up a credible reputation as a researcher.
Note: There are many different types of writing. These samples would best fit writers who want to work in journalism or an adjacent field.
