How to Build a Successful Writing Portfolio
Decide which clients you want to attract., Decide what kind of projects you want to work on for your clients., Define your selling point to your clients., Determine your best work in your specialty., Impress with size and scope., Know what to...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide which clients you want to attract.
What kind of freelance writing business do you want to specialize in? A technical writer generally produces different kinds of writing (help files, user manuals) than a copywriter (sales and marketing letters, advertising copy), and a ghostwriter usually writes something still different (memoirs or works of fiction).
Your writing portfolio needs to be built around the kind of writing you want to market.
If you write in more than 1 area, you'll need to build a separate portfolio around each type of client you want to sell your services to.
If some of your sample clips can be targeted to more than 1 type of client, you can include them in each relevant portfolio. -
Step 2: Decide what kind of projects you want to work on for your clients.
If you want to improve the quality of your intended client's Web copy, look through your past work for instances where you've done the same for previous clients and make them part of your portfolio.
If you're negotiating to write a white paper, have examples of previous white papers you've done. , What skills, experience or personal qualities do you offer that set you apart from other freelance writers? How did your previous clients benefit from these traits? Your portfolio can reflect these skills and qualities in several ways:
Through a 2- or 3-paragraph mission statement that defines your abilities and relates them to your goals for your business Through a selection of clips of previous writing that highlight these traits, along with quantifiable results they achieved for past clients.
Through copies of relevant diplomas, certificates, licenses and letters of reference , How you define your "best" work is up to you.
Get opinions from friends and colleagues as to what impressed them, look at any formal honors you may have received, or look at your own opinion of where you went above and beyond the call of duty.
You'll want to build your portfolio as a showcase of your best work.
Remember to temper your admiration of your own work with an understanding of what your prospective clients' needs are.
Often, your definition of your "best" work is not "best-suited" to what your client needs from you. , This doesn't mean to overload your portfolio with a large number of clips, even if they all represent the skill set you're trying to sell.
Instead, it means to consider whom you've worked for in the past and what you've done for them.
Previous work for a large, well-known client can reassure prospective clients that you can meet their needs as effectively as you did for the larger client.
Displaying an impressive scope of work shows that you can meet a client's immediate need and what that client might need in the future. , Building a successful portfolio means knowing what not to include in it.
Here's a partial list of what to exclude:
Proprietary documents of a previous client Items that are critical of your work Writing that depicts you as overly critical of others News clips not relevant to your work or where you and your past work are not the focus of the story Affiliations (e.g., club memberships) not relevant to the work you're seeking Irrelevant personal information , Keeping your portfolio updated shows clients that you're continuing to do good work and that it keeps getting better.
Not updating may make them think your best days are behind you. -
Step 3: Define your selling point to your clients.
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Step 4: Determine your best work in your specialty.
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Step 5: Impress with size and scope.
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Step 6: Know what to exclude.
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Step 7: Update your portfolio regularly.
Detailed Guide
What kind of freelance writing business do you want to specialize in? A technical writer generally produces different kinds of writing (help files, user manuals) than a copywriter (sales and marketing letters, advertising copy), and a ghostwriter usually writes something still different (memoirs or works of fiction).
Your writing portfolio needs to be built around the kind of writing you want to market.
If you write in more than 1 area, you'll need to build a separate portfolio around each type of client you want to sell your services to.
If some of your sample clips can be targeted to more than 1 type of client, you can include them in each relevant portfolio.
If you want to improve the quality of your intended client's Web copy, look through your past work for instances where you've done the same for previous clients and make them part of your portfolio.
If you're negotiating to write a white paper, have examples of previous white papers you've done. , What skills, experience or personal qualities do you offer that set you apart from other freelance writers? How did your previous clients benefit from these traits? Your portfolio can reflect these skills and qualities in several ways:
Through a 2- or 3-paragraph mission statement that defines your abilities and relates them to your goals for your business Through a selection of clips of previous writing that highlight these traits, along with quantifiable results they achieved for past clients.
Through copies of relevant diplomas, certificates, licenses and letters of reference , How you define your "best" work is up to you.
Get opinions from friends and colleagues as to what impressed them, look at any formal honors you may have received, or look at your own opinion of where you went above and beyond the call of duty.
You'll want to build your portfolio as a showcase of your best work.
Remember to temper your admiration of your own work with an understanding of what your prospective clients' needs are.
Often, your definition of your "best" work is not "best-suited" to what your client needs from you. , This doesn't mean to overload your portfolio with a large number of clips, even if they all represent the skill set you're trying to sell.
Instead, it means to consider whom you've worked for in the past and what you've done for them.
Previous work for a large, well-known client can reassure prospective clients that you can meet their needs as effectively as you did for the larger client.
Displaying an impressive scope of work shows that you can meet a client's immediate need and what that client might need in the future. , Building a successful portfolio means knowing what not to include in it.
Here's a partial list of what to exclude:
Proprietary documents of a previous client Items that are critical of your work Writing that depicts you as overly critical of others News clips not relevant to your work or where you and your past work are not the focus of the story Affiliations (e.g., club memberships) not relevant to the work you're seeking Irrelevant personal information , Keeping your portfolio updated shows clients that you're continuing to do good work and that it keeps getting better.
Not updating may make them think your best days are behind you.
About the Author
Anthony Perez
Specializes in breaking down complex cooking topics into simple steps.
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