How to Write a Writing Sample for a Job

Can’t escape it, eh?

The dreaded writing sample.

Also known as writing clips – if you wanna get all fancy.

You need it to show prospects you can write and prospects use writing samples to ensure the person they hire for content writing is knowledgeable in their industry topic.

It’s a tall order to fill, especially if you’re a new online writer. Having a writing sample is one of the tools you need to start freelance writing, and without it, it’s going to be hard to land gigs.

A writing sample also has a lot of requirements too like the writing topic and – how long should a writing sample be anyways?

In this post, I’ll dive deep into writing samples – from what it is to why you need them to how to create a writing sample for your job and more.

What is a Writing Sample?

A writing sample is the best representation of your writing skill and writing ability that shows your expertise in a topic.

A writing sample comes in many different forms – blog posts, emails, brochures, landing page copy, books, magazine article, or ad copy.

As an online writer, having a writing sample blog post would be ideal because it’s one of the best representations of online writing there is.

But, if you want to be a copywriter, then providing a writing sample email or ad copy for a shoe store can be a better show of copywriting.

Why You Need a Writing Sample for a Job

You might be wondering why writing samples are needed for a job anyways.

A while back, I had a kid tech company reach out for content writing.

They wanted a writing sample because they weren’t confident that I could write about tech stuff. Made sense since the content they knew me about was about parenting and digital marketing.

So, I chose to do an un-paid 300-word writing sample on the Gro Clock.

If you know my story, then you know that product description writing is something I loathe! But, now I only dislike it.

But, this writing sample I did for the Gro Clock was extremely fun for me. Why? Because I had a Gro Clock and the story I shared is a legit true story.

My twins love their Gro Clock, and they do not get out of bed until the sun shows.

So, I had a strong feeling towards this product, making it a cinch to write about it. And, since it was less than 500 words, I felt it unnecessary to get paid for this sample.

From this example, if a client isn’t sure you can write for them, they may seek out a writing sample. I highly suggest you ask for a paid writing sample instead of opting for a free one.

Why would I say this when I clearly showed you I produced a free sample of my writing?

Because I was at a point that I could pick my clients and I mostly work with profitable businesses that value content marketing. So, there was no doubt that they would pay for my writing, if they hired me.

But, if you’re a new freelance writer with no writing samples and a prospect asks for one – get paid for it!

Another reason why you need writing samples is simply to show prospects you are a legit writer and not a hobby blogger.

If you visit any mom blog or home decor blog out there, they most definitely don’t have a writing sample’s page. That’s because they are a blogger and not a writer.

To stand out from other bloggers, have a portfolio page, or writing sample page with your writing samples.

This immediately makes you look more professional and experienced.

Can’t I just use my blog as writing samples?

Yes, you can, but there are some exceptions to this.

I was able to land some gigs with my passion blog, Twins Mommy, but they were few and far between.

So, if you have a blog with audience-driven content and you don’t need to make a living as a writer, then go ahead and start a blog, have fun and see if you can land some writing work.

However, most of you out there want to make a living writing! If so, having a dedicated writer website is what will get you to that point. Guaranteed!

And yes, you can have a blog on your writer website. This is just supplemental, however, and shouldn’t be the only writing samples you showcase.

Finally, having a writing sample can prove to prospects that other people “hired you” or published your work.

A great way to create writing samples is to guest post. This shows easily that other people love your writing so much, they decided to publish your work on their blog.

How Long Should a Writing Sample Be?

As you can see from my example, I wrote a 300-word sample piece.

But, in general, your writing sample should be between 800-1200 words if you are writing a blog post. For other forms of content, it can be shorter or longer – emails are less than 500 words and books start at 10k words.

Remember, employers or blog owners don’t have time to read lengthy blog posts. So, it’s in your best interest to provide valuable content in around 1,000 words.

Jobs that Require a Writing Sample

For jobs that need strong writing skills or journalism-type jobs, writing samples are a given.

So, as a freelance writer for hire online – having writing samples on a portfolio page just makes sense.

So, typical content jobs that need a writing sample might be:

Blogging jobs
Copywriting jobs
Magazine jobs
Remote writing jobs
Jobs that require writing

Writing Sample Template

The writing sample template I’ll share is for a standard blog post. Again, I feel this makes a great writing sample for your portfolio page.

For your writing sample blog post, the set up is:

Introduction – provide a hook and promise of what your reader will learn in your post
Body – this is where you break down your blog post into subheadings and actionable ideas
Conclusion – All writing samples should have a conclusion paragraph. Clients like to see this!
CTA – this is your call-to-action. Give your readers something to do like share your post.

Remember, this is a mock-up sample of what a blog post would be. Of course, you can use this writing sample template for all your blog writing and guest posting.

This is the template I use for my blogs too!

Here are some writing sample examples:

How to Create Writing Samples

Let’s dive deep into the steps for creating writing samples.

Headline

The headline you choose should be optimized for engagement. You want to use superlatives (if appropriate) and use powerful words that convert.

If you need help try Coschedule’s headline analyzer.

It will help you craft a good headline that will get clicks. Remember, you want your writing samples to signal to prospects that your blog post could potentially be on their website.

So when crafting that headline, think about a prospect’s website and brand and how you can infuse that personality in your headline.

Introduction

The introduction of your writing sample needs to hook a reader in immediately.

Prospects don’t have a lot of time to read your content, so if you can draw them in at once, they will stick around and read your writing sample. Some ways to start your introduction are:

Use a question
Use a shocking statistic
Use a bucket brigade

You should also frame your introduction as a top-down process – you introduce the broad topic and narrow it down to the problem you are discussing and the solution you will share.

Body

The body of your writing sample should be anchored with subheadings.

This shows prospects you know how to write for an online audience since this is mostly specific to online writing. When creating your outline, each point in your blog post should be a subheading.

For example, if you want to talk about whether or not Instagram is great for business, I may talk about these ideas:

What is Instagram?
Businesses already using Instagram
How can you get started using Instagram
Instagram bio
Instagram stories
etc.

As I think about my blog post idea for my writing sample, I can pinpoint the discussions I want to cover. As I’m writing, I can decide if these topics warrant a subheading.

Conclusion

Your conclusion paragraph should artfully summarize your blog post. This conveys to prospects they will get an entire blog post when they hire you.

CTA

As an added bonus to your writing sample, add a CTA. This call-to-action makes your writing sample legit and real. You can have readers share your post or you can ask a question to elicit comments.

Where to Display Your Writing Samples

Now that you have your writing samples, where do you house them?

Let’s look at some popular places you can showcase your writing samples.

1. Your Portfolio Page

Your blog, or writer website, is a great place to house your samples. You want one central hub online to promote and share with prospects. Your writer website fulfills that job!

On your blog, you can set up a Portfolio page or Samples page and display them there.

An easy way to share your samples is by using links. This is what Jen Mattern did:

You can also show them with a feature grid. I show you how to do this in Writer Website in a Weekend.

2. Contently

Contently is a portfolio platform where you can upload your content or links to make your portfolio.

Here is what mine looks like:

If you can’t sport a writer website right now, then go ahead and use Contently. It’s a professional portfolio platform, and it’s free to use.

3. Contena Publishing

Contena is a job board but they also have a free publishing platform for writers.

You can use this platform to write your first writing sample even if you don’t yet have a blog. It’s super easy to set up your profile and start writing.

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media platform for businesses. You can create a profile on LinkedIn and attract prospects to hire you. Your LinkedIn profile is also your online resume.

So for under experience, you can showcase your samples from your writer website.

LinkedIn also has a publishing platform, which means you can write your sample directly on LinkedIn and generate a link to your sample easily.

5. Medium

Medium is a free blogging platform where you can start writing immediately. Set up your profile and get to it!

Once you publish your writing sample on Medium, you get a live link which you can use for your pitch emails.

What’s great with Medium is you have the ability to make money with your writing by signing up to their Partner Program.

By submitting your pieces to publications with a larger audience, you can gain some money for views and engagement. It’s not a lot, but it’s something!