top of page

How to Put Together a Portfolio and Attract More Clients

For any inexperienced freelance writer, the road to hell is paved with unsuccessful attempts to attract a plethora of deep-pocketed clients. We get it: you’re talented. Your pen is sharp, and you have the time, energy and talent to fill hundreds of pages, give out expert writers’ tips, and help other people promote their products and grow their businesses with ease. So why isn’t your phone ringing?

Why Are You Still Struggling to Make Ends Meet?

Why are you still contemplating the idea of doing pro bono work just to make a name for yourself and get the attention of the biggest fish in your pond? Why are you still willing to accept ridiculously low amounts of money for your work against your better judgment, defying your talent, skills and everything that you stand for as a freelance writer? Maybe you settle for less than you actually deserve because you don’t know how to use the best customer bait possible to boost your revenues and expand your client database. In this case, you should start by following the best writers’ tips on creating a killer portfolio designed to showcase your most amazing accomplishments.

How to Create a Decent Portfolio as a Novice Writer

By creating and displaying a perfectly organized, overall impressive portfolio, you can build credibility and trust, and land more customers that are more likely to pay the right price for your quality writing.

4 Tips on How to Impress Your Clients with a Great Portfolio

No experience to brag about? No worries! Here are 4 simple tips that you can follow to make an awesome first impression and stun your potential clients with an awe-inspiring collection of your written masterpieces.

  1. Play the Diversity Card. If you want to attract a larger segment of high paying clients, be ready to cater to the needs of a bigger audience. Learn how to write a number of content pieces that are in high demand in the content marketing industry today, including press releases, articles, eBooks and blog posts. This way, no new client requests will ever take you by surprise, since you will be ready to accept bigger, more complex, and better paid assignments.

  2. Create Portfolio Pieces Matching Your Skills, Expertise and Interests. You know what they say: practice makes perfect. Even when you start small and only a couple of paying clients come knocking on your door you can still put together an astonishing portfolio by working on your personal brand. Via a professional looking website and/or blog, you can support your self-branding efforts. Express your personality, personal preferences, style and work-related interests through the content pieces that will go on your website; this is a great way to reveal your determination, talent and passion for quality writing. At the end of the day, based on our writers’ insight we can tell you that these articles and blog posts can serve as first-hand portfolio pieces, and may even help you identify and pursue new business opportunities.

  3. Get Ready for Face-to-Face Meetings. Online samples are great when you can send them to clients over the Internet, or invite them to analyze them on a computer screen. Nonetheless, at some point in your life, you may have to prepare yourself for a less conventional face-to-face meeting with potential clients, taking place in a gadget-less environment without internet access. In this case, a physical portfolio would definitely come in handy. Therefore, don’t limit your options. Select samples of your best writing (less than 10 pieces), print them on quality paper, make several copies, and keep all these materials in a two-pocket portfolio. While working on your samples of choice, you may want to leave out any dispensable design elements that could distract your potential clients from the real substance of your writing.

  4. Prove the Efficiency of Your Writing. While certain types of bells and whistles can enchant the eye and prove your talent as a writer, as a content creator you need more than a few stylistic adornments to create a positive impression and land a new paying client. This happens for a very simple reason: high-paying clients want results. They want to make sure that your writing will lead to increased sales and a bigger profit. Therefore, in order to attract more clients and convince prospects that you are the best candidate for their content marketing job, attach any piece of evidence showing how your writing has helped pas clients achieve their specific marketing goals. Content audit results, client reviews and testimonials are only a few elements that could easily help you separate yourself from wannabe writers, and get one step closer to the employment opportunities and rates matching your skills and expertise.

Bottom Line: Let Your Portfolio Speak for You

Landing the job of your dreams becomes an easy task when your pitch efforts are backed by an outstanding portfolio. What kind of tricks and tips do you use to turn your portfolio pieces into a magnet for potential buyers? What kind of portfolio management and upgrade strategies do you employ to stay relevant and competitive on your niche, as a freelance writer? Please let us know your thoughts in a comment below.

Comments

bottom of page