If you’re a freelancer, you know how important it is to build your freelance portfolio. A strong portfolio allows prospective clients to see examples of your work and get a feel for your voice, style, and tone as a writer. Without it, they’re working on blind faith—and in the world of freelance writing, that just isn’t going to cut it.
It can seem like a challenge at first, but it’s really not! Here are 12 ways to build your freelance portfolio—without even leaving your house.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Showcase your best work samples |
| 2. Focus on a specific niche or expertise |
| 3. Create a professional and visually appealing layout |
| 4. Include client testimonials to build trust |
| 5. Highlight your unique selling points |
| 6. Provide clear contact information |
| 7. Keep your portfolio updated regularly |
| 8. Offer case studies to demonstrate your skills |
| 9. Seek feedback and improve based on it |
| 10. Use storytelling to connect with clients |
| 11. Demonstrate your problem-solving abilities |
| 12. Keep your portfolio concise and easy to navigate |
1. Offer To Guest Post On Blogs
Guest posting is when you write an article or create a video for someone else’s blog or website, and in return for your content, you’ll get a link back to your own site or portfolio.
Not only does this give you more content to add to your own personal website, but it also makes you look better to potential clients because it shows that other people are willing to vouch for your skills and expertise.
If you’re not sure where to start looking for guest blog opportunities, try searching Google with the query “guest post.” This will bring up all sorts of websites that allow guest posts, as well as blogs that have written about how they accept them.
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2. Work For Friends And Family
Ask your friends and family if they have any projects they need help with. It doesn’t matter what the project is as long as you produce something you can add to your portfolio.
If you do a good job, then your friends and family will likely tell other people to hire you. This is a great way to build your portfolio and find new clients.
3. Write Some Ebooks
One of the easiest ways to build up your portfolio is to write eBooks. You will have to market them yourself, and you’ll probably have to offer them for free, but they will give you a chance to show off your writing in a way that might not be possible with only sample clips on a website.
You can also write for clients that haven’t paid you yet, and then put those pieces in your portfolio. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to get into a very specific niche, like a particular industry or type of writing. The more experience you have writing about something, the easier it will be for you to get hired for it later on.
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4. Write Some Product Descriptions
If you have a friend who operates an Etsy shop or an online retailer, ask them if you can write a few product descriptions for them in exchange for permission to use those descriptions as examples of your work in your portfolio.
If you don’t have any friends who own an online store, find a couple of products on Amazon that don’t have descriptions and write one for the product. Then reach out to the manufacturer or distributor and ask if you can use that description as an example of your work in your portfolio.
5. Write Some Case Studies
If you have some experience working with small businesses in a professional capacity, reach out to those businesses and see if they’d be willing to let you write a case study about their experience working with you.
If you haven’t worked directly with any small businesses, reach out to some companies whose products you love and ask if they’d be willing to let you write a case study about their company or product—you can always turn it into an advertisement when it’s done if they’re not interested in using it as a case study!
6. Write Some Newsletters
A newsletter is a short piece of content that informs the reader about something important happening in the world or in their life. The length of a newsletter can vary from about 100 words (for an email newsletter) to 1,000 words (for a blog post).
7. List Your Qualifications On Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are free and are a great way to connect with new clients who need your services. Make sure you fill out every section of your profile so that clients can see what you’re passionate about and what sets you apart from the competition. Check out this list of top social media sites for freelancers if you’re not sure where to start.
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8. Join Online Communities For Freelancers Like Fiverr Or Upwork
Online communities are great places to find opportunities with new clients, as well as meet other freelancers who can share their experiences with you and help you figure out how to succeed as a freelancer.
Here is a list of the top 10 freelance websites for beginners if you’re looking for ideas on where to get started!
9. Create A Portfolio Website
The most common way to create your freelancing portfolio is to build a website that showcases your work. This has the advantage of being relatively easy, and it also allows you to expand on your projects with more detail than you could on some other platforms.
If you already have a website, simply add a new page dedicated to your work samples. If you don’t have one yet, that’s great! You can start from scratch without having to worry about reworking what you’ve already created. There are many different ways to create your own website, and a quick search will bring up lots of options for getting started—it’s really up to you how much time and effort you put into this.
10. Start A Blog
Not only do you have the opportunity to write about topics you know and love, but you also get to showcase your unique voice in a way that other freelancers may not be able to. You can connect with others through your blog, and even link it to your social media accounts for increased exposure.
If you don’t want to start from scratch, there are plenty of websites that allow you to write posts and get paid per word! For example, Medium pays per post while BlogMutt allows writers to make money based on their skills and experience level.
11. Try Applying For Low-Level Jobs
You might feel like you’re selling yourself short, but this is an opportunity to gain valuable experience and add samples of your work to your portfolio. In time, you’ll be able to move on from entry-level positions and market yourself as an experienced freelancer with a solid body of work in your portfolio.
12. Consider Working For Free
If you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, this might seem like a strange suggestion at first—but hear me out. When I was getting started, I volunteered my writing services to a few local organizations that I believed in. Not only did this give me some very valuable experience and practice, but it also helped to establish my credibility in the community. In fact, this is where I met one of my very first clients!
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How To Build A Simple Website To Showcase Your Portfolio?
Building a website to showcase your portfolio is not a daunting task. In fact, it’s really quite simple!
1. Pick A Domain Name
Think of a domain name that reflects you and your work. If you’re open to taking on any kind of freelance job, then [name].com might be a good choice. If you’re more specialized and are looking for specific kinds of projects, pick something like [freelance designer name] + “design” or “graphic design,” or “[freelance designer name] + “web design.”
2. Buy The Domain And Hosting
A domain name is simply the address of your website – something like ‘www.unleashcash.com’. When choosing a domain name, you should try to keep it as short and memorable as possible and make sure it relates to your work.
Next, you will have to purchase hosting for your website. Hosting is basically space on a server where your website lives. You will be able to find plenty of companies offering web hosting services for very reasonable prices.
3. Choose A CMS (Content Management System) To Build Your Website
The first step in building your website is choosing a CMS (Content Management System). A CMS is a software that lets you create, edit, publish and manage content on your website without writing any code or hiring developers for updates.
There are many CMS options out there, but we recommend using WordPress because it’s easy to use and offers a ton of customization options through themes and plugins. Plus, it’s completely free!
4. Get The Best Themes And Plugins For Your Site
There are hundreds of ready-made themes that you can use on your website. These themes are free and they were created by professional designers from all over the world. You can choose any theme from our list and it will work perfectly on your site. We recommend that you use WordPress because it’s easy to use, flexible, and most importantly it comes with thousands of free resources that you can use on your site without spending any money at all!
5. Find Out What Plugins Are Available For WordPress
Plugins are like apps for your website. They allow you to add additional features to your site without having any coding experience or knowledge. There are thousands of plugins that you can use on your site including social media sharing buttons, contact forms, shopping carts, image galleries and so much more.
6. Add Valuable Content To Your Site
What you should include on your web page:
Your Name: This is the first thing anyone will see when they visit your site, so make it count.
A short bio: Give yourself some personality! Write a short bio about yourself and your skills.
Links to your social media profiles: Social media is where people connect these days so don’t forget those links.
Contact information: It would be helpful if you listed your email address or phone number so that potential clients can contact you directly. You should also consider adding your LinkedIn profile link as well because many employers are now using this platform when hiring new employees.
Create a Portfolio: You can create a portfolio by uploading images of your work and writing descriptions for each one or just uploading PDF versions instead (if applicable).
7. Optimize Your Website For SEO
Website optimization is the process of using various techniques to improve the way your site interacts with web browsers and search engines.
There are a variety of reasons why you might want to optimize your website, but the most common include improving your site’s SEO and increasing its speed.
However, it can be difficult to know where to start when optimizing your website.
The first step is to understand what SEO is and how it works. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and refers to the process of making sure that your website shows up in search results when someone types in a relevant keyword or phrase.
So how do you optimize your website for SEO? You need to make sure that all of the keywords on your pages match what people are searching for when they look for those terms.
In other words, if you have a page about “how to build a simple website,” then you should include the phrase “how to build a simple website” somewhere on that page so that search engines will pick up on it.
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8. Ensure Your Website Is Responsive And Secure
If you want visitors to trust you, your website needs to be safe and secure. When someone visits an unsecured site, they get a pop-up warning them that this isn’t safe and they should leave immediately—not very appealing when they’re trying to check out your work! To fix this, you need an SSL certificate, which verifies that all data sent between you and the visitor will be encrypted.
If you’re using a hosting company like Bluehost or Hostgator, this will usually cost between $10-$150 per year, depending on which plan you choose.
9. Connect With Your Visitors Using Social Media
Make sure to include links to your social media pages and accounts on all of the pages of your website. This ensures that your visitors can find you and follow you on social media and vice versa!
10. Make Sure Your Website Has An About Page
This page is an opportunity to tell your story, explain why you’re a great fit for the job, and show off what you’ve done in the past. If you’re just starting out, you might choose to use this page instead of a portfolio page, perhaps including links to your best work and other pages where you’ve done good work (like blogs or other websites).
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, after reading our suggestions you might feel inspired to build your portfolio – there are thousands of ways to do it, but hopefully, these ideas give you a few simple ones to start with… and in return, we promise that you will soon have an amazing freelance portfolio you can be proud of.
Further Reading
How to Create an Outstanding Freelancer Portfolio: Learn essential tips to craft a standout portfolio that showcases your skills and attracts potential clients effectively.
Building an Amazing Freelance Portfolio: Discover the key elements to include in your portfolio to leave a lasting impression on clients and land more freelance projects.
How to Build the Ideal Freelance Portfolio from Scratch: A comprehensive guide on creating a freelance portfolio from the ground up, tailored to impress and win more freelancing opportunities.
FAQs
What Is A Freelance Portfolio?
A freelance portfolio is a selection of the best work you’ve done for clients, along with other information about you and your professional life. It’s a way for potential clients to learn about who you are and what you do. Some freelance portfolios include client testimonials, as well, but it’s completely optional.
How Do I Create A Freelancer Portfolio?
You’re in the right place! Just follow our 10 simple steps above and you’ll have your freelance portfolio up and running in no time.
When Should I Make A Freelance Portfolio?
As soon as possible! The sooner you can start building your freelance portfolio, the better. It’s never too early to start setting yourself up for success!
What Is A Simple Website?
A simple website, like the one you see here, is a website that does not have complex images or animations. It is basically just text and links so that visitors can easily navigate to different pages of your site.
What Should I Include In My Freelance Portfolio?
The focus of your freelance portfolio should be on the work itself, but you may want to include contact information, samples of your writing or other services offered, a summary of what it is you do, or any other information that will help potential clients decide whether they want to hire you. You may also consider including client testimonials
How Can I Learn How To Build A Website?
There are plenty of tutorials and walkthroughs that you can use to start building your own website. However, if you don’t have the time or energy to learn how to code or build a site from scratch, there are plenty of services like Squarespace and Wix.com that will help you build a simple page with drag-and-drop functionality.
How Do I Create A Freelance Portfolio?
You can create a freelance portfolio in various ways: as a Word document (although this can be cumbersome to send around), as a static website (not necessarily recommended), or through one of the dozens of free online tools available.
What’s The Best Way To Showcase My Portfolio?
There’s no “best” way to showcase your portfolio – it depends on what kind of work you do and who you’re showing it to! For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you might want to use your portfolio website to link out to your social media profiles so people can see the work you’ve done on those platforms. But if your work is more visual (like photography), then it makes sense for them not only to show their work on their own personal blog but also link back to Instagram and other social media sites where they have accounts.
How Can I Make My Website Look Professional?
The best way to make your website look professional is by using a minimalist and clean design without unnecessary ornaments. You can also use professional templates to avoid making the design process harder than it should be.
Which Platform Should I Choose?
WordPress is a pretty good choice as it allows you to quickly launch and edit your page as well as save your time on web design and development.
Where Can I Get A Freelance Job Without Experience?
You can find a freelance job without experience by starting small. Try taking on small projects on an online platform, like Upwork. If you’re looking for in-person jobs, try networking through local events or connecting with clients in person.
What Is The Best Free Website Builder?
WordPress is one of the most popular web builders, and with good reason (it’s free). WordPress powers over 28% of all websites on the internet, making it the most popular CMS in existence today. WordPress is also extremely flexible and easy to use. In fact, its flexibility is what makes it so easy to build a website.
How Many Gigs Do I Need Before I Can Start Looking For Clients?
We used to think you needed at least five gigs under your belt before you could start marketing yourself as a freelancer. But now we know that a good portfolio is the most important part of building a thriving freelance career. It doesn’t matter how many gigs you’ve done—your portfolio should always be stronger than your resume.
Do I Need A Portfolio To Get Freelance Work?
Yes. You don’t need to have one ready before applying for jobs, but you do need to be able to show examples of your work at some point.
What Is A Portfolio?
A portfolio is a collection of your best work, whether it’s writing, design, programming, or something else. This can be part of your website or on a separate page that you link to in the application. Your portfolio should contain 10-20 pieces of your best work and a little information about each piece (what it is and why you chose it).
Should I Charge For My Work As A Beginner?
It’s up to you. Some people prefer to do free work to get experience, and others like to charge from the start. In any case, you should always have a contract so that everyone is on the same page about the parameters of the project, payment, and other expectations.
Why Is It Important To Put Together A Portfolio?
You need to show prospective clients what you can do! If you don’t have a portfolio, how will they know that you can deliver what they need?
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.