You’re a solid writer. If someone would just give you a chance, you could show them all of your writing epicness. Unfortunately, every editor and potential client you talk to wants to see your writing samples or portfolio.

Insert nail-biting silence while you try to tell your potential client or editor that you don’t have any to share. YIKES!

There are two ways to turn this “oh shoot” into a “hell yeah” situation. 

The first one is building a writing portfolio FAST (that actually showcases your best work), and the second you’ll learn about in Part Two of this series: How To Get Writing Gigs, Even When You’re Brand New.  (Coming soon!)

How To Set Up Your Portfolio

Before you set up your portfolio, you need to decide what writing projects you’d like to book. 

Are you a content writer, sales and marketing copywriter, ghostwriter, media writer, or a combination? Different writing jobs will require different samples. 

Your portfolio is a collection of writing samples to showcase your voice, expertise, and ability. 

Here’s what a portfolio is NOT: 

• A fancy-schmancy website that you have to spend buckets of money or time on
  
• Published pieces from top media outlets
  
• A three-ring binder of press clips that you send out
  

There are many ways for your portfolio to take shape over time, and it’s important to start with wherever you are right now. 

Here are the kinds of clips you need for each of the above types of writing: 

• Content writing: social media posts, email newsletters, and blog posts
  
• Copywriting: sales pages, opt-in pages, marketing and sales email sequences, website pages, social media posts, etc.
  
• Ghostwriting: a variety of chapter samples or other writing projects in different voices, based on the kind of client you want to work with (e.g. biographies, business books, spiritual books, etc.)
  
• Media/Contributor: article samples (700 – 1,500 words on average; at least one with over 3,000 words) based on the markets you want to write for (e.g. health, wellness, relationships, fashion, beauty, business, relationships, writing, and more)

Keep in mind, the clip types are not rigid requirements. These are suggestions based on the types of writing projects you want to book. So if you want to get paid for copywriting jobs but you think emails are the devil—do NOT include email clips in your portfolio. Only include the types of samples that you want to get paid to deliver. 

For example, my writing portfolio has samples of websites, articles, email sequences, webinar scripts, sales pages, social media posts, and more—all in multiple industries from business to wellness to relationships. My portfolio is designed to showcase my strengths as a writer AND to book the kinds of writing gigs I actually want.

Application: 

Sit down and map out what kinds of writing projects you want to get paid for, starting with only two types of projects.

Do NOT write out more than two. That will make this process much longer and harder than it has to be. The goal is to get yourself a solid writing portfolio fast. Start simple.

If you do not know what types of projects you want to get paid for, start with the things that look the most interesting to you. One of the most dangerous things you can do as a writer is to get hung up on decisions.

Make a choice and move on—you can always revise it later. If you decide blog content looks like it could be fun and then you find out you’d rather eat a bag of Carolina Reaper peppers while rubbing your eyes, then you don’t have to keep writing blog content.

Making a decision will get your momentum going, which is the goal.

Who You Want to Work With

If you saw the above subtitle and said in your head, “anyone willing to pay me”. STOP! As a writer, that one thought will sabotage your success over and over again because it can keep you in a cycle of being underpaid, undervalued, overworked, and barely making ends meet. That’s not what you want. You want to create freedom with writing (see what I did there?)—that’s why you’re here. Working with anyone who will hire you will actually move you away from your goals. So the first thing you want to do is implement a standard for taking on writing gigs, like this: 

“I work with clients that are happy, willing, and able to pay me well for my writing.”

This one standard can help you create massive shifts and avoid problems that often come with “cheap” clients—like not paying their invoices even after you’ve done the work. 

When thinking about who you want to work with, think about the experience you want to have. What kind of flow would you like to experience? Do you want regular, ongoing work, or would project by project suit you better? Do you want someone you can have access to or are you okay with talking to a department head? 

What industries would make you happy dance to write for? Are there certain personalities that you LOVE and others that you don’t? 

All of these things matter when you think of accepting a writing gig. The more thoughtful you are throughout this process, the more likely you are to find great people to work with. 

Application: 

List out only one or two industries you want to write for. 

You may be tempted to overcomplicate this step and write out more than two industries that interest you. Fight that urge like your paycheck depends on it. 

In order to build up a solid portfolio fast, your writing samples need a clear direction. Going beyond two industries while you’re starting can take you longer to land gigs and make your potential clients question whether or not you can handle writing for them. So stick with one or two industries for now. 

Once you’ve got your intended industries laid out, list out your two favorite personalities to work with. Do you like clients who are laid back, sarcastic, on top of things, hyper, positive, authoritative, etc.? List out those two major personality types.

Writing Your Samples

If you’re brand new, then the chances of you having paid work product to show are about as good as sinking the eight ball into the corner pocket blindfolded with one hand (possible but highly unlikely). That’s okay. Your writing samples don’t actually have to be commissioned work. You can create a portfolio of samples that represent your ability to deliver on a writing job. 

In this section, you’re taking the last two exercises and applying them to create your samples. Writing should always be intentional, which means you know why you’re creating your samples, what they will help you achieve, and the types of potential clients that will read them. 

A solid portfolio showcases your ability and range in a cohesive manner. This is why knowing your industries and potential client personalities are vital. You create your portfolio tailored to their needs, voices, and awareness so that when they see your samples, it’s easy for them to imagine you writing well for them.

For example, if you wanted to write in the medical industry for plastic surgeons, it’s important that the content in your portfolio isn’t speaking to non-GMO farmers in the midwest. It needs to represent your intended recipient because most clients struggle to see themselves in your words. Think about it like going into an empty house with a realtor. The house can be everything you’ve ever dreamed of, but without furniture, it’s hard to see it as somewhere to live. That’s why staged houses sell faster and for more money than houses that aren’t staged. Your portfolio is staging the experience for your potential client so they can see themselves working with you. 

When writing your samples, remember to take extra care with your editing. These are not fluff pieces that don’t matter. Approach these pieces with the same care you would as if someone was paying you $20,000 to deliver them. Some writers will only need to do one editing pass. For others, you may be like me and need multiple passes. Refining your writing is what helps you become a stronger writer, and it will help you attract higher-paying clients. 

Application:

List out your notes as follows: 

Types of Projects	Industry	Personalities
1.	1.	1.
2.	2.	2.

Now that you’ve got this all sorted in one place, you can see exactly what pieces you need to create. Here’s an example:

Types of Projects	Industry	Personalities
1. Blog content	1. Medical	1. Funny & contemporary
2. Newsletter content	2. Dental	2. Warm & nurturing

According to this example chart, the writer would need eight sample pieces in their portfolio: 

• Blog content for the medical industry with a funny and contemporary voice
  
• Blog content for the dental industry with a funny and contemporary voice
  
• Blog content for the medical industry with a warm and nurturing voice
  
• Blog content for the dental industry with a warm and nurturing voice
  
• Newsletter content for the medical industry with a funny and contemporary voice
  
• Newsletter content for the dental industry with a funny and contemporary voice
  
• Newsletter content for the medical industry with a warm and nurturing voice
  
• Newsletter content for the dental industry with a warm and nurturing voice

This is why sticking to only one to two industries and project types are important in the beginning. Get your base samples done first and then expand. 

Here’s the best part, you don’t need all eight of these pieces done to start getting paid writing gigs and to show off your work. You can easily start with two to four pieces and catch the interest of your potential client, continuing to fill out your portfolio as you go. This matrix is helpful because it creates instant clarity for where you need to start and exactly what you need to build. 

Your Portfolio Platform

Simplicity is key. The more difficult it is for your potential client to see your work, the more likely you are to lose the gig. Many writers choose to build out their own websites to showcase their work. If you don’t have the time or money to dedicate to a website right now, you’re in luck. There are other ways to share your writing. 

The method I use (because it’s the simplest method I’ve found), is sharing via Google Docs. There’s one document I have for myself that’s a master document, listing out the different samples I have and their topics or industries. Here are a couple of examples of how you can set up your master document for yourself: 

This master document allows you to cherry-pick the samples that are right for your potential client. Clients don’t want to fight to see themselves in your words. They need to feel like you can take on their voice and project with ease. That’s why organizing your portfolio and only sharing the links to samples that would work for your potential client are so important. It can be the difference between a “HELL YES!” and a “we decided to go in another direction”. 

I highly encourage you to work in Google Docs and not in Word. Many potential clients will not open attachments from their emails, and whenever you require a file download, you run the risk of their computer incorrectly displaying the document’s format. Google Docs is a simple way for you to give your potential clients a link to your samples that doesn’t require anything software-wise for them. All you need to do is make sure your document is set to be able to view, and your potential client can see your epic work in no time. 

Application: 

Create your master document in Google Docs, so you can quickly and easily sort writing samples to send your potential clients.

Final Pieces of Advice

It can be easy to get lost in all of the choices when you’re looking at your writing career—especially if you’re an eclectic writer. Personally, I’ve written for many industries and done many different types of projects. But I didn’t start out that way. 

I started writing focused on one industry—personal development. Because I was focused and made the decision to write for that market quickly, I created momentum. It was from that success that I was able to leverage into other industries and different types of writing jobs. 

Make the decision on where you’d like to focus fast so you know exactly what you need to build for your portfolio. That way, you’ll have the samples you need to go after the writing gigs you want. Tell me in the comments which industry you’re most excited about so I can cheer for you.

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PollyAnna Brown uses her 10+ years experience in entertainment, communication, and personal development to help business owners and entrepreneurs grow their audience, impact, and income. She is the founder of Storytelling Marketing® and co-owns a Business Growth & Publicity firm where she specializes in profitable publicity™. PollyAnna’s on a mission to help entrepreneurs and business owners leverage their time, make more sales, and create a positive impact using publicity and storytelling. Her work has been seen in Thrive Global, Kindred Spirit Magazine, Wake Up World News, and more. To connect with PollyAnna, check out her LinkedIn here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollyannawrites/