Elna Cain

Freelance Writer & Blogger

The Best Way to Build Your Writing Portfolio

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Okay.

You know what you want.

You want to be a freelance writer.

You’ve done your research and you know this is the creative outlet you need and help you quit your 9-5 job for good! But, now, you have no clue what to do to get started.

Do you pitch first?

Do you start a blog?

With anything new, there will be different ways to get to the same end goal. For me, I had absolutely no experience writing for businesses or being online. Sure, I went to Facebook or Pinterest, but I did that for personal reasons, not to market something.

I didn’t know what to do or how to do it once I realized I wanted to freelance write.

I made mistakes in the beginning too and had to learn the hard way what tools I needed to start freelance writing.

But, I’m here telling you what you do need first. You need a writing portfolio.

This is a sample of your writing in the niche you want to get paid for.

Oh, dear. Did I open up a can of worms when I talked about a niche????

Technically you need to have a niche to write samples, but it’s not required.

A prospect typically won’t hire you unless they have read your writing in the niche they require. You can click the image below to view it better.

A recent inquiry let me know that they read my samples on my site. My samples told them that they liked my style and wanted to hire me this year.

Having a solid writing portfolio filled with your best writing can really make or break you as a writer trying to make this a business.

So, let’s dive into all of this and see what the best way is to build your portfolio.

A Writing Portfolio Example

There are many ways you can display your freelance writer portfolio.

It’s typically a page on your writer website.

While you can just add links to your Portfolio page, it’s much more attracting if you use a plugin.

In my course, Writer Website in a Weekend, I show you how to install a plugin for your portfolio:

To me, this is the most professional way to display your portfolio to potential clients.

What Type of Content to Use in Your Freelance Writing Portfolio

So, do you only put blog posts in your writing portfolio?

No. You put the type of content you want to get paid for. This might mean sample emails, mock-ups of white papers, site content for an About page or a blog post.

I typically write blog content, so my portfolio is made up of blog content. I also think this is the easiest type of content to create and to market for your business. You can land regular work as a freelance blog writer.

But, should you just draft up samples in Google doc or is there a better way to build your portfolio? Yes!!

Do This to Build Your Writing Portfolio

The best way to create a sample for your freelance portfolio is to guest post.

This means your post is published on someone else’s blog. It can be paid contributions, but more often than not, it’s a free opportunity for you to market your business in front of a brand new targeted audience.

Guest posting also gives you the ‘street cred’ as a professional freelance writer.

My first three samples were not really in my niche, nor were they at all related to each other.

The first was for A Nation of Moms. I wrote about gut health for toddlers. I thought natural health would be a good niche to get into. My second was for Social Media Today.

This post is in my portfolio currently because it has helped me break into the digital marketing niche – the niche I currently write in.

Free Course on Getting Paid to Write Online

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Finally, the third sample was for Psych Central on how to improve your mood. I was ecstatic for this sample as it was on a very prestigious platform, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to write about mental health.

As you can see, not defining a niche didn’t stop me from writing about things I knew – natural health, mental health and social media (the last one I was learning at the time and wanted to write about it).

So, how do you guest post?

1. Run a Google Search

The easiest is to run a Google search on the niche you want to write for + “write for us.” Here is an example of dog blogs!

You can search for literally anything + write for us to get guest blog opportunities.

2. Read The Guest Blog’s Guidelines

Every place you guest blog will have a different set of guidelines to submit your post. Some may want a Google doc while others want you to send an attachment via email.

There may be strict rules on what types of links to include, who you can mention in your post and how to write your post and the length of the post. Here are Brazen’s guest guidelines.

3. Create Your Guest Blog Pitch

Now comes the fun part – crafting your pitch based on the guidelines you just read!

Again, different blogs want different things. Some want 3-5 topic suggestions while others want an outline of one post idea. Figure out what they want and come up with a great topic or list of topics.

Here is my pitch for A Nation of Moms:

 

I suggest you research how to craft a pitch for guest blogging. It’s important that your pitch comes off personal and sounds like you know the blogger’s content. Simply using a template for your guest pitch, won’t work in landing any guest posts.

Instead, read the blog you want to guest post and learn about:

This information can help you stand out in your pitch. The blog owner will know you did your research.

 

4. Write the Guest Post

When you get accepted, it’s time to write the guest post. One thing to note – don’t pitch the SAME topic and outline to multiple guest blogs.

If you pitch the steps to eat paleo to five health blogs and two of them accept your pitch, you can’t write that post. And you can’t swap another idea either.

Instead, think of similar blog topics to pitch. So, for the health example, if you want to guest post on a health site, come up with several ideas that can be similar if you have a hard time coming up with blog topics:

  • 5 Steps to Get Your Family Eating Paleo
  • Why Paleo Eating Isn’t Just a Fad
  • 25 Easy Paleo Snacks to Take on The Run
  • 5 Easy Ways You Can Start Eating Paleo

5. Craft Your Author Bio

One of the best reasons you want to build your writer portfolio using guest posts is you get an author bio.

Your author bio is the place to market your freelance writing business!

A good bio has these components: what you are offering, what type of content you provide, how to reach you and some kind of way to tell your personality.

My author bio has evolved over the years as I’ve grown as a freelance writer. Here is my most current author bio:

6. Submit Your Post And Wait

After you submit your post (via the way the blogger indicated in the guest post guidelines) it’s time to wait. You will probably get a response from the blog owner saying that they received it and give you a timeline of when your post will be published.

Other blogs may want you to edit and revise your content before they publish your post.

Once all of that is handled, you wait until your post is published. During this time you can pitch for more guest spots, work on your writer website and start pitching to job boards.

As a new freelance writer, you gotta hustle every day. Figure out the tasks you need to do to get your business up and running!

It’s your turn – have you started your freelance writing portfolio? Let me know in the comments!

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About The Author

Hi I'm Elna and I'm a freelance writer and mom blogger. I help people just like you become a profitable freelance writer. Within 6 months of starting my freelance writing business from scratch I was able to earn a full-time living as a part-time freelance writer while taking care of my twin toddlers. Check out my free email course Get Paid to Write Online and learn the steps you need to take to be a freelance writer.

Reader Interactions

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Comments

  3. Guia Joelle

    Hi Elna,

    This is awesome advice. I’ve been working as a freelance copywriter on outsourcing sites and have come to realize that I want to write lifestyle blogs instead. I’m currently editing and setting up my WordPress website and was thinking of just directly posting a few blog topics in it. When done, I thought I’d simply link in the website for samples, along with my pitch.

    Is that a plausible way to set up a portfolio, or would I be flat out rejected doing that?

    Reply to Guia

  4. Rosemarie Bishop

    I started my copywriter portfolio using projects I did previously for companies I worked for as well as assignments I had with AWAI. There might also be some I did for other authors and myself, (7 published books). But I’ve been very interested in starting my freelance business with blogs because I have read so much about them.

    Reply to Rosemarie

    • Elna Cain

      Hi Rosemarie,

      That’s great you have credible clips for your portfolio. Guest posting can also help with that when you guest on popular sites or magazines. It think going from copywriter to freelance writer is a easy transition you can make! Good luck!

      Reply to Elna

  5. Unsa

    Thank you Elna for this very practical post. I have been doing freelance writing here and there, but don’t have a solid portfolio. I will definitely follow your tips.

    Reply to Unsa

  7. Sabrina

    Interesting site with some real good ideas and pleased to find one that is current. Thank you for this information. I will be coming back to your site for any new ideas or updates.
    Sabrina

    Reply to Sabrina

  8. Jessica Gonzalez

    Hi Elna,
    I cannot thank you enough for all this useful information. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. I am Brand Spanking New to this and I had a question I hope you can give me your opinion on. I saw a job posting for an unpaid internship for content writing with promise to help build my writing portfolio. Articles average a 500 word count. I have no work or sample writings. Should I take this job to build my work up?

    Reply to Jessica

  9. Jacob Mosier

    I love your website. As a younger writer I love your guides to starting this and I will be using your blogs as a guide 1000%. Your points are very straight forward and I understand them clearly. I am so glad I found your blog to aid me and your posts are what is going to push me to actually go forward with this.

    Reply to Jacob

  10. Charlene S.

    Hello Elna,
    This is great information and more appealing than other freelance writing sites I’ve visited. I made the lovely mistake of pitching to a magazine and submitted the entire article instead of a sample. Over a year later, I have not heard from this company even after I followed up with them. I’m not sure if I can publish this article since they never responded. Is it possible they rejected me without notifying me or kept the article for their use? I’m concerned because they will not respond at all. I would be happy to hear from them even if it’s to say. “We’re not interested.” Can I use Copyscape to find out if it was plagiarized? The rejection of my article is fine with me. However, my main concern is if I publish this article elsewhere and it’s already been published by someone else, then I would be charged with plagiarism. I used to write for a content mill informed me about attribution in their disclosure. Since I submitted the full article, do they now own full rights to it, and, therefore full attribution?

    Reply to Charlene

    • Elna Cain

      Hi Charlene,

      Thanks so much for your compliment! Glad my blog has good freelance writing tips! As for your issue, I’m sorry that happened to you! As for dupe content I would run your post in Copyscape to see if it’s been published elsewhere. From there you can make your decision! Good luck!

      Reply to Elna

      • Charlene S.

        Thanks for your prompt response and the helpful advice. I logged into my Linkedin account the other day and was wondering if I could use it for a writer’s platform. I wasn’t sure if I could, so I logged out of my account. I recently subscribed to your Youtube channel and watched your video on using Linkedin for your writer’s platform and finding your niche. Do you offer one-on-one coaching for writers? I could really use some help!

        Reply to Charlene

        • Kacey Hayes

          Hey Charlene! Just reading Elna’s helpful article and saw your note. I know of a great 1:1 coach for new and growing freelance writers. Her name is Heather Deveaux, and she runs The Freelance Writing School. I was one of the first people to take her course and become a coaching client. I really loved the foundation and support I got from her. Hope it’s okay that I’m suggesting her coaching here!

          Reply to Kacey

  11. Benazir

    Hi Elna,
    It’s a perfect help you are doing to a great difference in make people’s life. I am a new comer in this field. I thank you so much for this much motivation. You are wonderful.😃

    Reply to Benazir

  12. Christina L Buendia

    Along the top of my web browser I have 9 tabs open, all are different posts from your website. I learned about freelance writing quite recently, about 6 months ago, and have been trying to imitate a sponge and soak up everything I can find about how to become a freelance writer. Discovering Elna’s site was like striking gold! These articles are so helpful, I’ve taken classes on Udemy and Skillshare and while they do provide a ton of useful information, I feel like Elna’s posts are more personal, practical, and are more tailored for answering the questions I have as a newbie/wannabe freelancer.
    Elna, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! Thanks to you I feel like I really can earn an income doing this, it’s not just a fantasy anymore it’s an actual goal for me to achieve! Your information really is changing lives, when I put everything I’ve learned to use and start making money writing you will have helped me (a widowed mother of 4) find a way to support my family on my own and for that I am deeply grateful!

    Reply to Christina

    • Elna Cain

      Hi Christina!

      Wow! Thank you for your wonderful testimony! I love helping people learn more about freelance writing. Thank you for stopping by. Make sure to enroll in my free writing course! You can also email me too! Good luck!

      Reply to Elna

  13. Shannon

    Hi Elna. I loved reading this post. It’s always been my dream to be a freelance writer. I went to school for it and everything but I’ve gotten so caught up in the daily grind I feel like I’m getting further and further from my goal. Like my “wheels are spinning”. I really liked your post because not only did it get practical and simple steps but also it renewed a certain level of hope that with a little more focus I can achieve my dreams. Thanks so much! ^_^

    Reply to Shannon

  14. Laurence

    Hi Elna, Thank you very much for sharing tips you have learned about writing and finding new clients. I can’t believe I never used this exact method to find work. Sure I Googled different combinations, but this is perfect. Now to put your tips into practice.

    Reply to Laurence

  15. Leanette

    Elna these tips are WONDERFUL. I spent a small fee a while back on a different online accredited course ‘How to Submit for Magazine Articles’ but the outcome was no where near what your tips suggest here. Fingers crossed your helpful insights here further me to freelance writing success!

    Reply to Leanette

  16. Jacqueline

    I recently completed the Writer Website in a Weekend course. A very BIG thank you to you Elna for the awesome content and the easy to follow actionable points. Would highly recommend this course to anyone who needs clarity on how to go about creating some online presence, especially if you have no real tech background.

    Reply to Jacqueline

  17. Monica Akinyi Odhiambo

    These tips are very helpful. I have been thinking of what else I can do other than what am currently doing which is writing for a blogger who edits the articles. All part of gaining experience. Reading your post has given me a direction I can think along to get started. Thank you

    Reply to Monica

  18. Iris Bakalar

    Hi Elna,
    This post was really helpful, esp with giving an outline in your guest posts etc. I never knew that was even needed. I’m still trying to figure out what I need to do and what’s the most efficient way of doing it all. Not least of these include building my portfolio! I’ve uploaded two posts on my LinkedIn and I’m pretty much writing samples as I apply for jobs. Steep learning curve!!! Thank you for all your advice 🙂

    Reply to Iris

    • Elna Cain

      Hi Iris!

      That’s fantastic to hear! You’ve accomplished the first step, which is usually the hardest for 95% of those wanting to freelance write! Good luck on finding potential jobs and pitching!

      Reply to Elna

  19. Jacqueline

    Thank you Elna for this post. I need to work on my pitching techniques after reading yours. I have a few clips under my belt, but they did not require any pitching only submissions. This post came at the right time because I am trying to do more guest blogging.

    Reply to Jacqueline

  20. Lizzie

    As usual, this blog post is a gem! Thank you so much, Elna! I’m working on getting steady contributorship along with one-time opportunities for guest posts in my niche. I am so glad I decided to focus on this – this post came at the right time!

    Reply to Lizzie