As a brand new freelancer, are you questioning the way to create an internet writing portfolio to point out potential shoppers? Preserve studying; we have now 5 straightforward methods so that you can create knowledgeable on-line writing portfolio.
One of many greatest hurdles I confronted making an attempt to carve out a full-time freelance writing profession was discovering a technique to show high quality work to potential shoppers. It’s a catch-22: Most shoppers or media firms wish to see writing samples that showcase your greatest work, however it’s onerous to get these if nobody will rent you till they’ve seen your author’s portfolio.
The excellent news is that sturdy writing samples result in work that, in flip, results in extra revealed writing samples. To kick issues off so you can begin getting paid what you’re value, you could simply must get a bit artistic and create your personal alternatives. To get the ball rolling, I’m sharing 5 on-line platforms my author buddies and colleagues have used to construct their author portfolios.
Why You Want an On-line Writing Portfolio
Put merely, an internet writing portfolio is a devoted net web page the place anybody concerned about hiring you’ll be able to see your experience on full show. Take into consideration your freelance author portfolio as a beefed-up resume designed to land your excellent shopper.
Whereas starting writers typically query why they will’t merely submit writing samples by way of Google Docs or Phrase paperwork when making use of for freelance jobs, submitting hyperlinks to revealed content material is the business customary.
Most shoppers and media firms wish to see a author’s expertise in motion, and people expertise go far past the power to show a great phrase. Relying on a author’s area of interest, revealed samples can showcase a author’s understanding of business fundamentals like search engine optimization and function proof that they wrote their very own content material, one thing that’s more and more extra essential in at this time’s world of content material mills and AI.
Author Web sites for Constructing or Internet hosting On-line Writing Portfolios
For writers who know they will do the job however must create samples, many platforms provide an area to self-publish content material. This may be so simple as selecting a subject that aligns with the kind of jobs you’re on the lookout for after which searching web sites with related content material to study what shoppers are on the lookout for.
Since you’ll be able to all the time change content material as you develop your expertise, an important factor is selecting a portfolio web site and getting began.
Listed below are a couple of of the perfect platforms to construct yours:
1. Medium
Medium is without doubt one of the best locations for brand spanking new freelance writers to share their work or create new content material, to not point out a low-pressure venue to hone your craft and polish your finer freelance author expertise. A self-publishing web site, Medium presents an easy content-uploading interface and a easy template to which writers can add pictures and different media.
It’s free to publish on Medium, and I’ve had a couple of author buddies use the platform to create writing samples they used to land gigs at fairly huge content material websites. Medium additionally presents a Companion Program that provides writers the prospect to learn content material that will in any other case be behind a paywall and doubtlessly receives a commission for his or her content material.
2. Substack
Like Medium, Substack is a platform the place writers can self-publish their content material. Nonetheless, whereas Medium features extra like a social media web site with a concentrate on writers sharing and exploring different creators’ content material, Substack’s platform focuses extra on constructing an viewers of subscribers and permitting customers to monetize their content material with a e-newsletter membership.
Even when you aren’t significantly concerned about making a following, a Substack account is usually a good technique to showcase your writing expertise and show that you just’re in control on the intersection of the content material and tech worlds. It’s extremely straightforward so as to add content material, and the location even permits customers to create podcasts, which could be useful for these of us seeking to break into the scriptwriting world.
3. Wix
In the event you’d choose to have your personal portfolio web site however you’re not but tech-savvy sufficient for HTML or constructing content material with WordPress, Wix is a implausible various. Totally different subscription ranges and a excessive diploma of customizability additionally make Wix a wonderful possibility for writers seeking to share various kinds of content material like weblog posts, essays, or artistic writing.
With a great deal of templates and instance pages, Wix has all the time supplied a fairly simple-to-use web site. However the integration of AI, together with the platform’s step-by-step information, has made making a portfolio web site even simpler. When you’ve designed your homepage, you’ll be able to simply arrange a weblog to self-publish content material or create pages to hyperlink your different revealed work.
4. LinkedIn
When you’re in all probability acquainted with LinkedIn as a technique to share your skilled portfolio or add your resume, not everybody realizes that customers can publish content material on the platform. As soon as logged in, customers can entry the choice from the highest heart of their touchdown web page, the place they’re given the choice to “Begin a publish, attempt writing with AI.” Right here, customers can add media, add an occasion, or write an article.
Like Medium, LinkedIn’s “Write article” characteristic permits customers to add pictures and add H2 subheaders, which supplies job-seeking freelancers a technique to present they perceive search engine optimization greatest practices. When you’ve revealed your content material, it’s straightforward to share along with your skilled community or LinkedIn’s skilled teams.
5. Authory
Authory is just like LinkedIn in that customers can create a profile with a customized header and tagline beneath their identify. However as a substitute of making a resume, customers add hyperlinks to their revealed content material that show with a preview picture, title, publication date, and writer identify. The paid subscription value is cheap, and there’s a free model for writers who aren’t able to spend money on paid skilled subscriptions.
Authory customers can create a customized URL that includes their identify or enterprise identify to share on their resume or social media. The platform will even mechanically add newly revealed work to subscribed customers’ portfolios and provide you with analytics on linked content material that let you know, for instance, what number of Fb feedback a weblog publish obtained.
When you can’t publish writing samples straight on Authory, the platform presents writers an area to drag collectively content material they’ve revealed on different websites in a clear, enticing structure. That is particularly useful for writers with content material that doesn’t have a byline (like enterprise blogs) or share weblog content material in a extra professional-looking house.
Making a Killer On-line Writing Portfolio Web page
Even when they’ve racked up a couple of writing samples, writers can show their versatility by sharing the various kinds of writing they’re able to on their portfolio. An internet writing portfolio web site might also embody issues like social media hyperlinks and testimonials from earlier shoppers.
To create the very best on-line writing profile and begin filling it with sturdy writing samples, attempt drawing inspiration from the websites you hope will rent you or different writing portfolio examples. Most significantly, proceed to construct out your writing portfolio each time you add a brand new ability or achieve a brand new publishing credit score. Lastly, don’t overlook to take away older, lower-quality content material as you develop professionally.
Listed below are a couple of extra issues to contemplate:
- Ensure that your content material displays business requirements.
- Showcase the kind of work you’re hoping to get employed for.
- Proofread your work, learn it out loud, after which proofread it once more.
Creating an On-line Writing Portfolio Wrapup
Irrespective of what sort of author you might be, a fiction author, an online content material author, or somebody who produces technical writing reminiscent of case research, having knowledgeable on-line writing portfolio can result in higher (and extra) jobs. In the event you don’t have one, creating one needs to be on the high of your to-do record.
When you’ve actually began to construct out your portfolio, a paid subscription for a web site like Authory or Medium is usually a helpful funding by way of serving to you land higher alternatives and join with different shoppers and business professionals.
Do you’ve a favourite platform for sharing your on-line writing portfolio, or have you learnt of any good self-publishing websites we’ve ignored? Tell us within the feedback!