As a new freelancer, are you wondering how to create an online writing portfolio to introduce yourself to potential clients?Keep reading. Here are 5 easy ways to create a professional online writing portfolio.
One of the biggest hurdles I faced while trying to build a career as a full-time freelance writer was finding a way to demonstrate quality work to potential clients. This is a catch-22. Most clients and media companies want to see writing samples that showcase your best work, but samples are hard to come by when no one will hire you until they see your writing portfolio.
The good news is that strong writing samples lead to jobs, which in turn lead to more writing samples being published. You may need to get a little creative and create opportunities for yourself to start getting paid what you’re worth. To get you started, I’m going to share with you five online platforms that my writing friends and colleagues use to build their writing portfolios.
Why you need an online writing portfolio
Simply put, an online writing portfolio is a dedicated web page that showcases the best of your expertise to anyone who wants to hire you. Think of your freelance writing portfolio as an enhanced resume designed to attract your ideal clients.
Beginning writers often wonder why they can’t simply submit a writing sample via a Google Doc or Word document when applying for a freelance job, but it’s also helpful to include a link to your published content. It is the industry standard to send
Most clients and media companies want to see a writer’s actual skills, and those skills go far beyond the ability to phrase well. Depending on the writer’s niche, published samples can demonstrate the writer’s understanding of industry basics like SEO and serve as proof that they wrote the content themselves. This is becoming increasingly important in today’s world of content mills and AI.
Writer websites to build or host your online writing portfolio
For writers who can work on their own but need to create samples, many platforms offer space to self-publish content. All you have to do is choose a topic that matches the type of work you’re looking for and browse websites with similar content to find out what clients are looking for.
The most important thing to do is to choose a portfolio website and get started, as you can change the content at any time as your skills improve.
Here are some of the best platforms to build your own.
1. Moderate
Medium is one of the easiest places for new freelance writers to share their work and create new content, not to mention honing their skills and becoming a better freelance writer. It’s a low-pressure place to hone your skills. A self-publishing site, Medium offers an easy content upload interface and simple templates where writers can add images and other media.
Publishing on Medium is free. Also, some of my writer friends have used this platform to create writing samples that they use to showcase their work on fairly large content sites. Medium also offers a partner program that gives writers the opportunity to read content behind a paywall and receive compensation for their content.
2. Substack
Similar to Medium, Substack is a platform where writers can self-publish content. However, whereas Medium functions more like a social media site focused on helping writers share and explore content from other creators, Substack’s platform builds an audience of subscribers and allows users to We focus on allowing you to monetize your content with newsletter memberships.
Even if you’re not particularly interested in growing a following, a Substack account is a great way to showcase your writing skills and show that you’re up to date at the intersection of the content and technology worlds. Adding content is incredibly easy, and the site also allows users to create podcasts. This is helpful for anyone looking to step into the world of screenwriting.
3. Wicks
If you want to have your own portfolio website but don’t yet have enough technical knowledge to build content in HTML or WordPress, Wix is a great alternative. Wix’s various subscription levels and advanced customization features make it a great choice for writers who want to share different types of content, including blog posts, essays, and creative writing.
Wix has always provided a very easy-to-use site with plenty of templates and sample pages. But with AI integration and the platform’s step-by-step guide, creating a portfolio site has become even easier. Once you’ve designed your homepage, you can easily set up a blog to self-publish content or create pages that link to other published work.
4. LinkedIn
You’re probably familiar with LinkedIn as a way to share your professional portfolio or upload your resume, but not everyone is aware that users can publish content on the platform. Not. Once logged in, users can access the options from the top center of the landing page and see the option to “Start Posting and Have AI Write It for You.” Here users can upload media, add events, write articles, and more.
Similar to Medium, LinkedIn’s “write an article” feature allows users to upload images and add H2 subheaders, allowing job-seeking freelancers to demonstrate their understanding of SEO best practices. Masu. Once you’ve published your content, you can easily share it with your professional networks and professional groups on LinkedIn.
5. Authority
Authory is similar to LinkedIn in that users can create profiles with custom headers and taglines under their name. However, instead of creating a resume, users add a link to published content that displays a preview image, title, publication date, and publisher name. Paid subscription prices are affordable, but there’s also a free version for writers who aren’t ready to invest in a professional paid subscription.
Authorized users can create custom URLs featuring their name or company name to share on their resume or social media. The platform automatically adds newly published works to subscribed users’ portfolios and provides linked content analytics to show, for example, the number of comments a blog post receives on Facebook.
Although you can’t publish writing samples directly on Authory, the platform provides writers with a space to organize content they’ve published on other sites into a clean, attractive layout. This is especially useful for writers who work with content without a byline (such as business blogs) or who share blog content in a more professional-looking space.
Create a Killer Online Writing Portfolio Page
Even if writers have collected a few writing samples, they can show their versatility by sharing the different types of writing they are capable of in their portfolios. Online writing portfolio sites may also include things like social media links and testimonials from previous clients.
To start creating the best possible online writing profile and filling it with strong writing samples, try finding inspiration from the sites you’re looking to hire from and other writing portfolio samples. Most importantly, continue to build your writing portfolio as you add new skills or earn new publishing credits. Finally, don’t forget to remove old, low-quality content as you grow professionally.
There are a few more things to consider.
- Make sure your content reflects industry standards.
- Introducing the type of job you are looking for.
- Proofread your work, read it out loud, and proofread it again.
Creating an online writing portfolio summary
No matter what type of writer you are, whether you’re a novelist, a web content writer, or someone who creates technical writing such as case studies, you’ll get better (and more) work if you have a professional online writing portfolio. may lead to. If you don’t have one, creating one should be at the top of your to-do list.
Once you start building your portfolio in earnest, paid subscriptions to sites like Authory and Medium can be a valuable investment when it comes to getting better opportunities and connecting with other clients and industry experts. there is.
Do you have a favorite platform for sharing your online writing portfolio? Or do you know of a great self-publishing site that we’ve overlooked? Let us know in the comments!
