So, right now, I’m putting together a module for my freelance writing course about how to put together your freelance writer portfolio. [Edit to update, the freelance portfolio building mini course is now available here]

So, naturally I was digging around legit everywhere on the internet for some cool freelance writer portfolio examples, and I found some I needed to share with you.

These were the stand-outs.

The ones that didn’t look like everyone else’s.

The ones that clearly stated by their design “I’m not like everyone else, and there’s no doubt I’m good at what I do.”

These are the kind of portfolios that make me want to virtually high-five their creators!

It took awhile, but I found a few gems that will help you rethink your standard portfolio.

Hold up…if you think a “standard portfolio” is a typewritten, tangible portfolio inside a leather case a la Mad Men, you need to flash forward about a half a century.

Your writing portfolio must be digital.

Now that we have that squared away…

 

These examples I’m about to show you demonstrate the amazing possibilities you have with your online portfolio.

If you’ve ever wondered what “be unique” or “find a unique selling proposition” mean, these are it. They all have very unique approaches. (So, don’t copy them, be your own unique self!)

While you may not have the tech skills to make your website look as good (I sure don’t), these examples should give you a moment’s pause to consider how you can un-vanilla-fy and personalize your own portfolio.

Cuz, c’mon, how vanilla is your portfolio right now, really?

And invest in a website designer to make it look good. Trust me on this one.

 

Let me just say, before I show them to you, how long it took me to put this chock-full-of-information post together.

Hours upon hours, I tell you.

Because I had to wade through dozens of vanilla portfolios to find the rare impressive ones.

So, pay attention;)

 

Without further ado, the best freelance writer portfolios I’ve come across!

 

The Visual Writer’s Portfolio

As a visual person, I just love and appreciate Jaime Endick’s visual portfolio. Her Visualize.Me portfolio gives her prospects a quick view of her best features at a glance. As we become more and more a culture of scanners, this type of portfolio becomes more and more relevant.

 

The only thing I’d be cautious with here is that her timeline may betray her age. And although age discrimination is against the law, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It doesn’t mean your age isn’t being judged.

Also, this visual doesn’t really have a clickable portfolio, which you definitely need. But it has a lot of amazing visuals to consider for your portfolio.

Next, her visual skills section beats a plain old A4 resume any day. We could all make a chart like this to emphasize the extent of our skills rather than the boring old resume way.

 

I love how the colors, words, font size, and size of the rectangles in the next section demonstrate her personality and skill levels all the more!

 

 

Steal-it tips:

Add a few visuals to your portfolio page aside from the logos of all the kick-butt places you’ve been published. Add a graph or a little comic to show your expertise, something to interest your visual readers and create visual relief on the white page.

 

 

The Funny Guy’s Writing Portfolio

I just knew I could count on a humor writer to have a good portfolio. Hank Herman’s writing portfolio did not disappoint when I Google searched for “comedy writer portfolio.”

Just the top of the page makes me like him already.

 

This whole thing says: “approachable, likeable, funny, and professional.”

He obviously hired a great graphic designer to make this page look spectacular.

 

 

Then, he has his portfolio section, with filters and clickable links to make it really user-friendly. Prospects that are looking for a good speaker can peruse just the “speaking” portfolio examples without wading through the rest.

 

This looks so cool, doesn’t it?

 

Steal-it tips:

• Make your portfolio page more of a dynamic story than a static page on your website.
• Make your portfolio a reflection of who you are, whether it’s a funny guy in a convertible with his dog or a momma bear writing in bare feet at her kitchen table.
• And did I already mention…hire a website designer?

 

The action-oriented freelance portfolio

What I like about Alex Sayers’ writing portfolio is that it has strong CTAs built into every corner of it. Starting at the very beginning.

If you’ve ever wondered what to put at the very top of your portfolio page? This is a great example. Your name, what you do, and a clickable call to action above the fold.

Then, he introduces himself and what he can do for his clients. Always remember, it’s about your clients, not about you. Your clients don’t really care that you’ve been writing since before kindergarten. They want to know what kinds of results you can get for them. Alex does a nice job of this.

Also, we see another call to action here: “scroll down, keep reading, and get in touch.”

Then, he adds his portfolio as a separate clickable link beneath a very descriptive explanation of his copywriting services. By doing so, his portfolio becomes less of the main focus. The main focus is what his writing does for his client. Much more compelling than just spewing all of your published articles over a page, no?

 

The bottom of the page contains a bunch more calls to action. Maybe you don’t need to give your prospects that many options to pussy-foot around, but you do want to nudge them in the right direction and make it super easy for them to contact you.

Steal-it tips:

• Before you jump right in with your portfolio, let your audience know what you can do for them. You need to “tell” them and let your portfolio do the “showing.”
• Take a look at your portfolio and make note of all the places where you talk about yourself. Rewrite the copy to focus on how your talents help your client.
• Again, the running theme here is to use visuals, such as icons and pictures, to break up the text, and use calls to action with clickable links.

 

The Built-in Portfolio

Jay Crisp Crow’s portfolio is built into her about page and media kit. I love this approach. I also love how approachable she seems.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last year as a self-employed businesswoman is that “fun” and “professional” aren’t mutually exclusive. You should definitely showcase your personality, but also, you know, make your dang deadlines too.

Jay’s personality and writing flavor shine through bright on this page. You can feel her excitement emanating from it. I tell ya, if I wasn’t already a copywriter and needed one? I’d be looking for Jay.

There’s a story woven all throughout this page about singing, singing your praises, singing on stage, belting your brand voice, etc. This thread makes the whole page flow together.

Jay also has a crystal-clear picture of exactly who her audience is. She even spells it out:

Only after she has used her words to capture your attention, captivate your imagination, and made you love her does she show off her portfolio. It’s just sort of another example of her writing after a clear demonstration of her quick-witted wordsmithing skillz.

Steal-it tip:

• Write out a crisp, clear description of your ideal client. Then, write your portfolio page as though you’re talking only to him or her. Don’t worry about excluding anyone. The people who are “just right” for you will be drawn to your page.
• Take a look at how your portfolio page flows. Is there a way you can make it flow better with a story or an analogy woven through? Is there a way to make it a little more fun and flavorful? Put a pinch of a spice-named-after-you into it.

 

The Everything Portfolio

The next portfolio is everything you’d expect from the kreator of the kopywriting kourse. It’s full of big names and a “metric shit-ton” (his words) of examples of his writing.

The first thing I noticed?

This portfolio is in a Google Document.

If you think a portfolio has to be some sort of extravagant digital production, think again. If you know how to use Google Docs, you can make a helluva portfolio.

This portfolio is very easy to navigate and has very clear sections to separate his podcasts from his sales pages and such.

He starts with an introduction of his services and tells you exactly what he does and doesn’t do.

Ninja tip: Notice how he only works with people who generate over $50,000 in sales per year? That’s one way to ensure you make good money as a freelance writer. Work with people who have the capital to pay a copywriter.

 

The next few pages are screenshots of praise he’s gotten for his work. All really excellent social proof. Then, he has this really nice, organized chart with a bunch of articles listed. If I were you, I’d read some of these!

 

He lists some of the results his work has gotten his clients, products, and companies he’s worked with, and all the big-name sites (basically all of them) he’s been published on.

Then, at the end, he gives clear instructions on how to work with him.

This is definitely one of the most impressive portfolios I’ve ever seen. The depth and breadth covered, the major publications he’s published in, and the demonstration of skill here is phenomenal. And it’s all formatted really nicely too.

There’s no doubt people seek him out for his exceptional skills.

The only thing I would say about this portfolio is that it might not be the kind of portfolio you want to send to every client because it could be a bit overwhelming. You may want to keep a complete list of all the copy you’ve ever written for yourself and a few more condensed versions of your portfolio for each niche you serve.

Steal-it tips:

• Create a new Google Doc and add links to every article you’ve ever written. Try to create sections for different types of content such as blog posts, product copy, etc to keep it organized. Add to it each time new content gets published.
• Copy that same Google Doc and make a more concise document for each of your freelance writing niches. Put only your top 3-6 examples of relevant niche-specific copy in that document. Add a few visuals, statistics, and testimonials like we mentioned earlier to send to the appropriate prospects.
• Take screenshots of some of your best work and copy it into a Google Doc too, so if the copy disappears off the interwebs, you still have proof. (Believe me! This has happened to me numerous times already).

 

The Pinterest Writer Portfolio

I’ve heard of people creating freelance writer portfolios on Pinterest, but hadn’t really seen any notable examples until I searched for them. Charlane Oliver does a nice job with her visually-enticing portfolio (although Pinterest kinda makes it pretty for you).

She also uses the description box to tell her prospects what she created such as “I created this 12-page Host Media Guide for participating organizations during Mobility Week.”

If, like Charlane, your skills extend beyond writing and into social media and graphic design, Pinterest is a great way to showcase all your work.

Steal-it tips:

• Pinterest is a great way to improve your searchability. Even if you don’t make Pinterest your main portfolio, it doesn’t hurt to create one there anyway since Pinterest is fast becoming one of the highest ranked search engines.
• Use the description box to your advantage. Include a brief description of the piece, your name, and your business name to bulk up your SEO reach.
• Use the board description to your advantage too. Include a link to your website, what you do, and who you serve. Don’t forget to include keywords.

 

Stat-Supported, Client-Oriented Portfolio

I’ve been following John Espirian on Twitter forever, so I decided to peek at his portfolio and I’m glad I did! I love it! It tells you exactly why and how to work with him. Basically, this page takes all the work out of working with him. His clients don’t have to search for his contact information or wonder whether or not he’s competent enough. It’s clear right away.

John’s portfolio page convinces you to work with him without having to “try to convince” you.

 

 

John’s obviously got a firm grasp on SEO and demonstrates it on this page. The phrase at the top of the page “hire a technical copywriter” is definitely a keyword-rich phrase that people are searching for on Google. And obviously he knows his SEO if he’s “Google’s #1 ranked provider of technical writing services in the UK.” (See how he slips that “technical writing” keyword in there again?)

At the same time, his “hire a technical writer” statement is also a call to action.

Actually, John has calls to action all over his portfolio page.

• “Brief me here”
• “Hire me”
• “Get a free quote”

You have to tell your client exactly what they need to do to work with you, and your directions need to be simple. If you don’t tell them, if you don’t make it easy for them to contact you, then you may never hear from them.

Next, John uses cold hard facts to demonstrate the benefits of working with him, and they’re not even stats about his own personal results. He uses updated statistics about B2B behavior in 2018 to tell his prospects why they need content. Then, he uses testimonials to show how he’s the right person for the job.

Somewhere on the page, he provides actual content examples he’s written. But do you see how his portfolio is only a small part of this overall picture? He’s got statistics, testimonials, articles, and all kinds of other information to back up his work before he ever gets to his own clips.

Steal-it tips:

• Add a few calls to action to your portfolio page. They can be as simple as “contact me at…” or “fill out this quick questionnaire” or “DM me here.” I love John’s idea of offering a free quote. You probably do that all the time anyway, so offer that as a service to your prospects.
• Up your SEO game. This is another post in itself, but make sure your portfolio page ranks for your niche and your area. For example, make sure to include keywords like “freelance fitness copywriter” and “Milwaukee copywriter” in your meta title, titles, and subtitles so you show up in search results.
• Include testimonials and statistics. Don’t copy John’s, but find some interesting statistics about content and add them to your page. Ask your past clients or coworkers for a few words about your talent and add those testimonials too.

 

The Portfolio Sales Page

I love how Lucy makes a sales page out of her portfolio. Her samples are really only one of a handful of criteria she meets. Let’s take a look.

The very top of the page is a really compelling visual, a simple question, and an introduction to her unique selling proposition. Lucy helps you and clients speak the same language.

Although this idea seems to be key since it’s at the top of the page, it’s not really woven into the rest of the page. I would probably make more references to speaking the same language.

 

Like any sales page, this one is broken up with icons, brief descriptions, pictures, and other visuals.

Further down the page, she has this helpful FAQ section. How many people do you think visit your page and wonder these same things? You can help them out by spelling it out. Keep it really simple!

Finally, we come to her portfolio. She says “ask for more,” so her prospects know there’s more where that came from. Her samples are laid out in a nice, organized way with visuals. She only includes 8 of her best examples. No need to overwhelm.

 

Finally, she includes some of her credentials, a testimonial section, and a simple contact form. The whole page follows a natural process from an introduction of services to examples of services to a contact form.

Steal-it tips:

• Think about what your clients need to know about you to work with you, beyond just a handful of samples. Include your credentials, testimonials, unique approach. Also clue your audience in to the process of working with you so they know how it works.
• Try the sales page approach and see if it works for you. You can find a bunch of sales page templates online. Choose one that suits you or pick bits and pieces from several of them. Just make sure your page follows a natural progression and flows together.

 

[Are you itching to put your own portfolio together? Check out the freelance portfolio building mini course with step-by-step instructions for creating your portfolio online]

 

As you’ve seen by these examples, there are plenty of ways to make your portfolio more enticing and memorable.

If you’ve scrolled all the way down here, here’s a recap:

 

How to make your freelance writer portfolio stand out

• Make your portfolio visually compelling. Add visuals like graphs, icons, and pictures. Don’t bore people with blocks of text. Break it up with color and images.
• Include more than just your writing samples on your portfolio. Add other compelling pieces to your portfolio page such as testimonials, statistics, FAQs, results, and other helpful information.
• Get clear on your exact audience and make your portfolio more about your specific audience and less about you.
• Allow your personality to shine through on your portfolio page. Professional doesn’t mean sterile.
• Make your portfolio “different” than everything else out there.
• Name drop like a son of a gun! If you’ve been printed in Washington Post, claim it! Add one of those “Featured In” strips across the bottom of your website. Those strips say, “I’m competent AF.”
• Oh, and hire a website designer already!

 

***The next installment of my freelance writing course is about how to set up a freelance writer portfolio in one of four places. It has screenshots and a detailed breakdown of exactly how to put your portfolio together. Check it out here!

If you’re not sure where to start, grab my free 7-day Freelance Freedom from Corporate series!

 

What about you?

What do you think of these portfolio pages? Any other stellar freelance writing portfolio examples you’ve seen lately?