Showcase Your Skills With a Writing Portfolio

If you’ve ever wanted to give yourself a competitive edge when vying for a new writing position, pitching to a publication or applying for a school (or you just want to see all your best work in one place), a writing portfolio can help. 

What Is a Writing Portfolio? 

You may already be familiar with the concept of an artist’s portfolio. Whether physical or digital, it’s a collection of the artist’s works they’ve carefully selected to shine a spotlight on their strengths and skills. 

A writing portfolio accomplishes the same thing, but it does so with writing samples rather than drawings, paintings or photographs. 

Crucially, a writing portfolio is more than a chronological collection of the writer’s work. Instead, it serves as a showcase of only their most polished and exemplary pieces. That’s what makes a writing portfolio an indispensable tool for any writer looking to secure a new job, have their work published, be accepted into a school or receive a scholarship. 

Writing Portfolio Examples 

No two writing portfolios are the same, but examining real-world writing portfolios can help you gain a better understanding of what they can look like and contain. 

Widely-published copywriter Kelsey Ogletree has organized her portfolio by each of the topics she specializes in, including travel, wellness, home and lifestyle. Beneath the list of categories, individual articles are arranged in a three-column grid. Each article features a cover image, publication, title, snippet and link to read more: 

On the other hand, technical writer Chelsea Palmer has structured her portfolio to be simpler but equally as effective. It consists of three standout samples of her work, as well as an explanation of her writing process in general: 

Some writers keep it even simpler by limiting their portfolio to a brief introduction followed by a bulleted list of articles. 

The bottom line is that when it comes to writing portfolios, there is no one “right” way to format them. As long as it showcases the writer’s best work, the portfolio’s mission is complete. 

How to Create a Writing Portfolio 

Want to create an impressive writing portfolio of your own? You can do so in a couple of ways, neither of which involve pushing your printer to its limits. 

Build a Website 

If you’re more of a DIY type (us too!), you can build your writing portfolio from scratch by creating a portfolio website using Squarespace, Wix, WordPress or another website builder. 

This will enable you to choose the exact layout, color scheme, design and font you want, a process which is made even easier with website builders’ template libraries. With their help, you can simply pick a template you like, customize it to your liking and take your site live. 

When creating your website, be sure to take a few key elements into consideration.  

• Number of pages: Do you want your website to be a minimalist one-page site? Or do you want to have a central homepage that links out to an “about me” page, a “contact” page, a “portfolio” page and so on? 
• User-friendliness: Remember to put users first and prioritize ease of navigation and reading. 
• Mobile optimization: Well over half of the web’s traffic comes from mobile devices, so use a tool like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure your site will function well and look great on smartphones and tablets. 
• Visual appeal: Your writing might be the star of the show, but beautiful visuals can make a great first impression on your site’s visitors. In other words, channel your inner graphic designer and strive to make your site’s design clean, appealing and thoughtful. 
• Marketing: The object of a writing portfolio is to market its author (in this case, you!), so don’t be shy about calling attention to your strengths, skills and personality. Just remember to keep it confident, not cocky. 

Use a Portfolio Platform 

For writers who want to make the process of creating their portfolio as streamlined and straightforward as possible, portfolio platforms are a welcome solution. 

Such tools make it a snap to showcase your work without the hassle of creating an entirely new website. 

• Clippings.me: Founded in 2011, Clippings.me now hosts portfolios for thousands of writers, bloggers and journalists. 
• Journo Portfolio: If you want to create a writing portfolio that looks like a custom website without actually making a custom website, Journo Portfolio is the tool for you. 
• Muck Rack: Made specifically to help connect journalists with public relations professionals, Muck Rack offers an easy way for journalists to display their best stories to potential clients.  
• Format: Though it’s primarily geared towards photographers, designers and other visual creatives, Format’s stunning templates can also be used to create eye-catching writing portfolios. 

Types of Writing Portfolios 

There are as many types of writing portfolios as there are types of writers, which is to say an abundance of options exists. 

Creative Writing Portfolio 

Designed to highlight the writer’s originality and artistic flair, creative writing portfolios can include: 

• poetry; 
• fiction; 
• memoirs; 
• screenplays; 
• scripts; 
• speeches; 
• graphic novels; 
• children’s books;
• creative nonfiction; and
• any other type of creative writing. 

If you include longer format pieces such as novels or screenplays in your writing portfolio, make sure to trim them down to a page or two at maximum. Remember, the goal of a creative writing portfolio is to demonstrate your skill and creativity to readers as quickly as possible, not provide a storage space for your entire body of work.

Technical Writing Portfolio 

Technical writers may not typically create traditional written works such as stories or essays, but that doesn’t mean they can’t use a writing portfolio to put their best work front and center. 

For instance, a technical writing portfolio can include samples of: 

• instruction manuals; 
• reference guides; 
• how-to guides; 
• employee handbooks;
• standard operating procedures; 
• legal disclaimers;
• user agreements; 
• annual reports;
• training materials; and
• other types of technical documentation. 

And since snippets of technical writing can be time-consuming to understand without the proper context, you’d be wise to offer a brief explanation of each sample in your portfolio. 

Content Writing Portfolio 

If you’re a content writer, then you already know how many different types of content there are. And in your writing portfolio, there’s no limit to which ones can be included. 

For example: 

• short- and long-form articles; 
• blog posts; 
• infographics; 
• quizzes; 
• e-books; 
• press releases; 
• email campaigns; 
• newsletters; 
• social media posts; and
• anything else that falls under the umbrella of written content. 

Because content writing is such a broad field, don’t forget to clarify your specializations and strengths in your portfolio’s introductory paragraphs. 

Ghostwriting Portfolio 

For professional ghostwriters, a writing portfolio is a rare opportunity to step into the spotlight. 

If you’re a ghostwriter, including a portfolio clause in every contract will enable you to include samples from real projects in your portfolio. 

But if you’re unable to include such a clause (or if some of your clients object), you can still flesh out your portfolio with: 

• client testimonials;
• sample pieces written for fictional clients;
• detailed descriptions of your projects; and
• lists of the types of clients you enjoy working with most. 

UX Writing Portfolio 

Arguably the newest category of writers, user experience (UX) writers craft short snippets of copy to be used in apps, websites and other digital tools. The purpose of those snippets is to give users the best and most seamless experience possible. 

When creating a UX writing portfolio, follow the same principles you would when creating a UX portfolio of any kind. That means: 

• defining your area of expertise or interest, such as a particular type of mobile app; 
• filling your portfolio with examples of your best work; and
• explaining how you crafted and perfected each piece of work. 

And don’t sweat it if you don’t have enough paid UX experience to populate an entire portfolio — it’s perfectly acceptable to include personal projects and snippets from UX writing challenges too. 

Give Your Writing the Attention It Deserves

A portfolio can do the same thing for your writing that it does for an artist’s paintings: Put your very best work on display, help you wow potential clients and demonstrate your talents to the world. 

So if you’re a writer thinking about creating a writing portfolio but aren’t sure if it’s worth it, consider that doing so isn’t just for the purpose of landing a new gig—it will also give your top-tier writing some well-deserved time in the limelight. 

Written By

Carrie Buchholz

Carrie Buchholz is a freelance writer who lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and dog.

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