Now that you've told yourself—and
maybe a few other people—that you are a writer, you will have to
back up that statement with some specifics. You don't have to have a
long list of clients straight out of the gate (and if you do, please
share your secret). What you have to have is a portfolio of work that
shows your range.
Before you start gathering pieces to
put together a portfolio, you will want to first sit down and think
about the types of writing that you love the most—maybe you think
product descriptions are really fun, or you have a knack for rhyming
poetry that would fit perfectly in a greeting card. Knowing what you
love to write the most will help you tailor your portfolio to show
off these skills.
Portfolio Pieces
If you are a writer with a wide range
of skills, you can put almost anything into your professional
portfolio to help showcase your skills. When it comes to creative
work, you never know what may catch someone's eye. If you don't know
where to start, some of the most common pieces included in a
freelancer's portfolio are:
- Articles (newspaper or magazine)
- Blog posts
- Product descriptions
- Business letters and other correspondence
- Brochures
- Social media posts (for clients, not your own)
- Creative writing (it's best only to include this if it is specific to the job you are trying to get)
That's Great, But...
Now you might be wondering, “If I'm
new to this freelancing thing, how do I build a portfolio without any
clients?” Great question. And you probably won't like the answer.
The best way to keep the whole freelancing scene lucrative for people
who want to be a part of it is to never work for free. However, if
you haven't got a portfolio of work pass around to potential clients,
this can be the one and only time that working for free may benefit
you—as long as you set boundaries for yourself and anyone who is
benefiting from your work.
If you complete some work for a client
for free, make sure that they allow you to include the work in your
portfolio, otherwise you're doing work for free without any benefit
to you. It may also be a great time to ask your freebie client if
they know of anyone else that needs similar work done, and if they
could recommend you. However, you need to make it clear that the next
client will have to pay.
You could also go the John Q. Smith
route if you happen to be a person that has a hard time saying no to
people. Instead of trying to gather real clients and doing a lot of
work for free, you can create writing samples for fake clients and
companies, noting clearly that these are examples of what you can do,
rather than what you've done for a real client. This is also a good
way to build a portfolio for those who have paying clients who do not
want the work included in the writer's portfolio. This will get you
the standard number of portfolio pieces (10-20) and provide you with
a calling card that potential clients can't ignore.
A Quick Note About What NOT to Include in a Portfolio
A writing portfolio can encompass so
much—but take note that you cannot include everything you produce
for clients in your portfolio. Some freelance writers love to stay
under the radar and work for those who have big egos without the
skills to back it up—and they are going to want to take credit for
what you produce. If you have completed a ghostwriting project, you
will need explicit permission from that client to include the work in
your portfolio. Along the same line, if you signed a non-disclosure
agreement you will not be able to include this work either.
A good way to make sure your best work
is getting into your portfolio is to ask the client before the work
starts, letting them know whether this will be on a public portfolio
or a private one that only potential clients can view. If they
decline, you could dangle a small discount in front of them. If they
still decline, it's best to leave it—you don't want to appear too
pushy, especially before a client gets to know you better.
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