A writing portfolio is vital for every writer’s career. For a writer with no experience in writing an online portfolio, do you know what it means and how you can benefit from it?
An online portfolio is a professional way for a writer to present his or her work to potential clients near and far. It will have articles and other pieces of writing that the writer puts together to show their ability. It performs different styles and types of work they can do so that they don’t have to talking about it.
Anyone who wants to become a professional writer needs to know how to create a freelance writing portfolio. In order to get clients interested in your work, you must have a way to display your talents that is easy to see and that shows you are a professional they can depend on. The portfolio does exactly that. Below are 6 easy steps that can help you create a writing portfolio that will get attention.
1. Choose Your Best Work
You may be new at creating a portfolio, but you must have articles you’ve wanted to showcase. Organize your work and choose your best pieces. Go through all of your articles and search for the best ones in each style of writing that you have. This is very important. The more styles you can present will show potential clients that you can adapt to different ways of writing. This is significant because it means that you have the qualifications needed to be flexible and that you can change suit their needs.
You can ask your friends or colleagues to review if they are as good as you think they are.
2. Edit Your Work
Before using any work for your portfolio, make sure that you take the time to go through the articles and look for mistakes. Being certain there are no errors in the grammar or punctuations is vital to your success. Clients don’t want to hire a writer that can’t spell correctly or that uses poor grammar. You can speed up the process by using tools like Grammarly or ProWritingAid. Ability to use these tools effectively is also a good indication of your editing abilities.
Once again, ask your friends and colleagues if they are perfectly perfect. External reviews help you understand a different perspective than your own.
3. Create a Website
You’ve organized your work. Now, how are people going to find your portfolio? It’s create a personal website for your freelance writing portfolio. Social media is un-intuitive for demonstrating your writing prowess. If you can create visually eye-catching short form content, then social media will work too. But a website is something you have more freedom with.
The website can be a blog about writing, reading, reviewing literature or your writing journey. There are many websites that offer a free blog. Wordpress, Tumblr, Medium, Substack are popular with writers from every field.
It is an easy and convenient way for potential clients to see exactly what you offer. They can go to your website and review your credentials to see firsthand what type of work you can do. It also provides a way for anyone interested in your work to get in touch with you so you can begin discussing business.
4. Be Organized and Professional
A portfolio website that is easy to navigate through is essential to your success. It needs to be organized and professional looking. Otherwise, it will not get the attention that you are searching for. If your website is professional and organized, it will get more attention and people will take you more seriously. Now that you have your website set up and ready to go, don’t neglect it. You need to add new work, delete old samples and do anything else needed to keep your website up-to-date regularly.
5. Market Yourself
Self-promotion isn’t merely a matter of adhering to the aforementioned guidelines; it necessitates assertive marketing strategies. Multiple avenues exist for achieving this. You can use social media platforms, writing groups, writing-focused fediverse instances, or online discussion forums as viable alternatives.
Writing and sharing your original articles on different websites can boost your online presence. Many platforms allow you to add a summary of yourself. You can also include a link to your personal webpage at the end of your submissions. Don’t be shy when talking about your skills. Be open and honest about what you can do. It’s crucial to exude confidence, making prospective clients aware of the helpful skills you bring to the table.
6. Create a Newsletter
Newsletter is how you connect with your writing peers and viewers. As a freelance writer, you need as many eyes on yourself as you can get. A newsletter provides you with a platform to showcase your latest work, share your writing journey, and offer tips and advice to your readers. It is an effective way to build your brand and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
A newsletter allows you to stay connected with your writing peers and viewers. You can use it to announce upcoming events, collaborations, and new projects. It also provides an opportunity for your readers to engage with you, offer feedback, and ask questions.
A newsletter is crucial for freelance writers who want to expand their audience, build their brand, and interact with their peers and readers. So, if you haven’t started one yet, now is the time to do so.
A freelance writing portfolio is a necessity if you want to become a professional writer. Any other type of marketing process can’t match the exposure that you will receive on your own website. You can literally reach potential clients located all over the globe. It’s the best way to display your work in a professional manner so others can see what services you offer. Using the 5 easy steps listed above will help you create a freelance writing portfolio that can help jumpstart your career.