6 Tips to Start Your Writing Portfolio

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If you’re just at the start of your writing journey, it can be hard to know where to begin. You might be looking to change careers or you might want to write for a big magazine.

But before you do any of that, you need to start a writing portfolio. This is a space to share your experience, including samples and previous experience writing for clients or publications.

It could be as simple as a PDF document with a list of your experience – or you could create your own portfolio website to showcase your skills. Let’s take a look at the best ways to build up your experience and share it with prospective clients!

How to start your first writing portfolio

In this blog post, I’ve put together 6 tips to start your own writing portfolio, including:

1. Just start
2. Share your passion projects
3. Create your own blog or newsletter
4. Start small
5. Make regular updates
6. Stay open

Let’s take a closer look…

1. Just start!

Even if you have nothing to add to your portfolio, the first step to getting started is just that. Start! Create your portfolio document or website so that you have everything in place for when you’ve started to build up your experience.

Look back over all your old jobs and experiences to see if there’s anything you can add to your new portfolio.

If you’re switching careers, is there anything from your current role that applies to your new career? Have you ever had to write anything for your job, even if it’s a one-off press release or company newsletter?

Don’t dismiss anything. From a random blog post on your own site to something you wrote for fun, think about how you can curate your past writing experiences in your portfolio.

Finding your first freelance writing gig can be a very daunting process, so pushing yourself to actually get started is a great first step for any writer.

2. Share your passion projects

Passion projects are a fantastic way to show off your writing. These are projects you work on in your own time to practice, hone and demonstrate your writing skills to potential clients.

Write something purely for yourself or write a “spec” piece that you can pitch further down the line.

Creating a blog post or article just for the sake of it can help you practice your skills and try out different forms of writing. Add these pieces to your portfolio before you find paid clients or writing gigs.

3. Create your own blog or newsletter

Just like working on a passion project can help you share your writing style with prospective clients, creating your own blog or newsletter is a great chance to do whatever you want with your writing.

You can express your thoughts, connect with readers and learn more about the ins and outs of writing in a space that’s just your own. If you’re working on your business website, you can use it to bring in clients, too.

If you don’t fancy starting a blog, you could look at different options like Substack to send out a newsletter to your readers.

It’s all about building a writing platform for yourself. Potential clients can read your writing – and your online space acts as a portfolio in itself.

4. Start small

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely you’ll go from no writing experience to a big-name client. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s difficult. Instead of jumping ahead in your career, think about the opportunities available to you now.

• How can you best build on the experience you already have?
• Who is your ideal client?
• Where is the best place for your writing?
• Who do you already know that could help?

Answer these questions and approach smaller publications for work. Look at the contacts you already have and consider the best place for your writing.

You could try writing for a charity, family member or small business to get things started.

5. Make regular updates

As you start to build your writing portfolio, things will change and develop. You might alter your focus or get a new by-line to add to your writing samples.

Make regular updates to your portfolio to help you demonstrate your experience and knowledge.

Your portfolio isn’t just about the work you’ve done. It’s also about sharing testimonials from happy clients or professional awards you’ve received. Anything that showcases your writing and tells new clients why you’re the right writer for the job.

As you gain more experience, you may also want to break your portfolio down into different sections, such as your experience writing for a certain industry or type of client.

6. Stay open

Building your freelance writing portfolio is all about staying open. You never know when an opportunity is going to come your way – whether it’s a gig or a helpful connection.

Some freelancers work for free before securing their first paid client. For example, I published articles in a couple of online magazines and local publications. I didn’t get paid for these articles, but they allowed me to get a few good by-lines and showcase my writing skills.

You shouldn’t let a client take advantage of you. However, if there’s an opportunity to further your experience and add a sample to your portfolio, weigh up whether it’s worth reducing your rate to kickstart your career.

Do you have a writing portfolio? Have you ever switched careers? Do you have any top tips for newbie writers?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x