You want to start a freelance writing career but are unsure how to get clients and don’t have a portfolio of writing samples. No problem! In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to create a writing portfolio to get clients…

Let’s dive right in. 

• What is a Portfolio? 
• How Do Clients Use Them?
• How to Start With No Portfolio?
• 5 Ways to Create a Writing Portfolio
• Do Free Work For Business 
• Do Free Work For Charity 
• Promote Your Services
• Create Your “Ideal” Sample
• Start A Money-Making Website 
• What to Do When Clients Ask to See Your Work…

What is a Portfolio?

A writing portfolio is a collection of writing samples that showcases your skills and expertise to prospects or employers. The portfolio is a way to evaluate your talent. It talks with clients on your behalf. Make sure your portfolio stands out. 

How Do Clients Use Them?

It depends on clients how they judge and use your portfolio. For better understanding, I’ll pick two hypothetical names: David and Ricky.

Client 1 – David

Client 2 – Ricky 

• While hiring a copywriter, DAVID wants to be sure that the person can write and put sense together. 
• And there is a flow and conversational tone in his writing that I (David) want for a sales copy. So, I look for punch headlines, excellent structure, and correct format and want to see all the combinations in writing. I also want to know that you (copywriter) understand what the particular project looks like, what’s the correct format and how you put it together. 

        When you see the sample, you’ll get a sense of where they are in their level of writing experience. 

• RICKY, I don’t see samples. I don’t ask for them. If it is attached, I’ll take a look at it. What I see is the email that they are sending to me. 

I could see their communication style, like did they present the triggering ideas and offer the benefits of working with them? If the communication is clear and the email is friendly and has a great tone, I’ll see if there is a sample.

How to Start With No Portfolio?

• You don’t need samples to get started.
• Most clients want to talk about their projects or the exciting ideas you come up with.

    So, when you have the conversation with any prospect, you say;

Hey, I have a great blog idea. Hopefully, it will work for you because I’ll put some exciting things that your audience loves to read and increase consumer engagement rapidly. Following conversation will not be like showing me your work and samples because your email was well-written, and the correspondence was so good that he already likes you, loves what you do, and wants to work with you. 

Enthusiasm is a massive thing for the company you’re going to work for. He is going to come back to you and say, great, go ahead around the blog. I want you to write 800 words. 

• Portfolios are helpful – not vital. 

Those are not going to break your relationship and your chance to get clients. But creating a professional writing portfolio to get clients will give you an early advantage to prospects to get YES. 

• You can create them now… even without clients.

One of the most important things is you need to research the client. You know the client’s business. Look at their content on the website, their sales letter, blog posts, and their ads. You can have an engaging conversation with a client who loves to talk about their projects. And you can say; Hey, I saw you had a blog post on this. What if we had a follow-up blog series that covered x topic. It’ll show clients that you care about them and their business because you have taken the time to do a little bit of research to get familiar with their company.

Now you’re helping the client, building value, and establishing a perfect relationship because you’re showing your knowledge about them. 

5. Ways to Create a Writing Portfolio

1. Do Free Work For Business 

 Help them, help yourself!

• The local business you use
• Family member’s business
• Friend’s business

We have friends who work at companies. We have friends who own companies. You could go to a friend you visit frequently and say, hey, I am starting my business as a copywriter. I love to do some free work for you in exchange for a sample.  

I want to have a sample. So, I love to spend 30 minutes interviewing on some particular things. I have an idea for your company. You can approach business owners and say; hey, I found some areas in your website that could be improved. Is it ok if I do that work for you? You didn’t need to pay me. I’m just doing a sample or case study. I like to see the results and how it feels to you. You don’t have to say that you’re new. Just saying I’m venturing into a new area of copywriting. I hope it can help you get a free sample.

2. Do Free Work For Charity 

If you’re a part of any non-profit organization, you can help them. You’re helping them for yourself. You can do free work for local events and support someone in need. 

What does “Free Work For Business” mean? 

Let me clarify this is a marketing game, and this is not your business. So, the only reason you’re doing free work is to create samples. It’s an intentional marketing practice. So, I want to predefine in your head that you have to do free work to gain experience, confidence and get the writing samples you want. This proves to yourself that you have the value and you can do it. Do three or four free works for business. When you get it, you’re done. It’s a marketing technique to build the samples and grow your writing portfolio. 

3. Promote Your Services

Create materials to market yourself

• Sales letter
• Email
• Linkedin profile
• Publish your niche-related content on Linkedin
• Your freelance site 

Your website could be a great sample. Or if you optimize your LinkedIn profile, headline, bio, relevant experience professionally and everything is clear and focused, then clients don’t ask for samples and hunt you immediately. If you send any prospect an email, your email is like a sample even though you’re not intentionally thinking of using it as a sample. They’ll judge your email, writing structure, format, flow, tone. 

4. Create Your “Ideal” Sample 

• Write website copy for the “type” of company you want.

If you find any areas on the website that could be better persuasive, tell them, hey, is it ok to rewrite your web copy for better conversion? You don’t have to pay me. 

• Write blog posts in your industry [niche].

If you have expertise in blogging, check the client’s blog section, and tell them there are some valuable blog topics on that niche that you can write for free. It’ll increase their engagement and sign-up rate. 

• Write a series of ads that drive traffic to a specific landing page.

Check their ads and offer to rewrite their ads to increase their conversion rate. 

5. Start A Money-Making Website

• Instant Portfolio

If you’re not familiar with this, it’s an info site on a specific topic that people are searching for, i.e., Marketing, Health, Technology, or you can write on any niche you enjoy most.  

• Continued writing practice 

• The more you write, the more you become better. You don’t need to rely on others to publish your content on their site. It’s better to focus on one industry to get authority and credibility and become an industry leader.

• Maybe a separate revenue stream. 

If you upload content regularly, you’ll grow gradually. To get more visitors, you need to focus on specific keywords that people are searching online. Provide as much value as you can on content and structure it so the audience can read easily. When you’re getting more than one thousand visitors per month, you can apply for Adsense to make money. This is one of the most popular ways to earn money. 

• You become a “peer.”

You publish so many articles on fitness and health products within a few months, and you’re getting thousands of visitors per month. Your website got attention online and is growing massively. Now you’re a “peer”. You can go to manufacturers or companies who sell health products and say, look at my website. I got reviews and comments on your stuff, blog posts that talk about weight loss and fitness. There is a high chance that they will contact you to advertise on your website, and you can go for sponsorship to make extra money. 

Now It’s Your Call

I hope this post showcased to you how to create a writing portfolio to get clients. Now I would like to hear from you: which method are you going to follow first? Are you going for free work for a company or creating your sample? Or maybe you want to use Linkedin to promote your content to attract clients. Or perhaps you have a question about creating a portfolio.

Either way, let me know in the comment below right now.