One thing all pitches and responses to advertisements have in common is the demand for a writer’s portfolio. You could compile samples from your hard drive as a substitute if you don’t have one. While that could be effective if you’re presenting to a niche business and need specific topic samples, over time this tactic can get boring. However, in this post, we will be looking at how to create a creative writing portfolio and an example of a UX writing portfolio.
Writing Portfolio
The best writing samples from a freelancer are included in a writing portfolio. It serves as a fantastic marketing tool for a writer by showcasing their credentials and a strong body of work. While pitching to potential clients, a writer might “make their case” by showcasing their skills in a portfolio.
What Information Should Be Included in a Writer’s Portfolio?
While it’s easy to merely include writing examples in a freelance writing portfolio, they must feature much more than that. Include a biography, client endorsements, a call to action, and links to your social media accounts in this area. Here are some more specifics on this as well as recommendations for what to include and exclude from your portfolio.
What to Incorporate
Make sure your author’s biography is thorough but not overly promotional. It gives the wrong message if it is overly promotional.
- Call to action: Throughout your portfolio, insinuate calls to action that include your contact information.
- Customer recommendations: Provide quotes from those recommendations along with other testimonials if you obtain them from past clients.
- Links to your social media accounts: Prospective customers want to know where you are, how you promote yourself online, more background information, and more. They may find a lot of this information on your social media pages.
- Writing samples: Review your best pieces of writing from the past two years or more. Create a niche-specific organization for your writing samples using tags, titles, or other techniques.
What Not to Put in
- Linking to less than your best or out-of-date material should be avoided.
- Avoid linking to every post you’ve ever published if you’re attempting to build a particular following; otherwise, you’ll come across as a “generalist.”
- When you want to demonstrate your experience as a long-form content writer, short-form content isn’t the ideal example.
Example of Writing Portfolio
Reviewing the work that other writers have produced for themselves before you start creating your portfolio may be helpful. These are some examples of writing portfolios with some discussion on their design:
#1. Jennifer Fernandez
Jennifer uses a grid-based style to present links to her writing portfolio example, utilizing a title and a thumbnail photo for each. She divided her writing samples into groups on the basis of her lifestyle, design, and travel content specialty. In addition to making the search simple, Jennifer highlights the kind of writing she has competence in.
#2. Elna Cain
You can tell from Elna’s writing portfolio example that she is the writer you need to satisfy your company’s needs. She provides a list of publications where readers can access her work as well as feedback from previous customers. If you want to talk about business opportunities or keep up with her online, there are several methods to get in touch with her. In order to keep up with her work, she also includes a link to her blog.
#3. Tyler Koenig
With the help of his email list, courses, webinars, and blog posts with advice, Tyler leverages his website to give value. He highlights his knowledge to potential clients with tools that are both paid and unpaid. The site is well-designed and easy to migrate
How to Create a Writing Portfolio
The following steps will help you to create a writing portfolio that will attract readers’ attention and potential clients:
#1. Choose a Portfolio Host.
The majority of creatives today must have an online portfolio in the virtual realm. You have the choice of hosting your portfolio on your website or having it hosted by a different business. You can use a platform like Wix, Weebly, or WordPress to construct your portfolio. Also, you can choose from sites like Clippings, WriterFolio, or JournoPortfolio if you’d want to have your portfolio hosted on a website that specializes in online portfolios.
#2. Choose Your Niche
If you’re having trouble deciding what kind of writing to concentrate on, it might be a good idea to go back on your earlier work and see which pieces generated the greatest impact, reaction, and audience. Clarify what kinds of content you can produce if you wish to concentrate on ghostwriting. This can be anything from holistic health care to real estate, gardening, or another field in which you’ve written before.
Your author bio should serve as an introduction to you to any potential customers who like your writing and are interested in finding out more. Your bio information should adhere to the website’s formatting and style. In addition to highlighting more of your writing, social media connections are OK to incorporate. While building your website for the portfolio, you can decide whether to put the bio on an “about” page or make it the main page.
#4. Choose your Best Work
You can analyze your completed work and select the best material that fits that specialization once you’ve chosen the topic on which you want to concentrate your efforts. You can mention the job that previous clients have given you positive feedback for. Your prospective clients want proof that you can create well-written material regarding the subject matter you claim to be your area of expertise. Verifying the conditions of the work you’ve written may be useful to ascertain whether you can upload the complete piece as a part of your portfolio or whether you must give links.
#5. Split Your Work into Sections
By utilizing precise descriptions, you can categorize the work you want to put in your portfolio by niche or article type. When you group your projects according to their type or specialization, categorizing your work makes it simpler for prospective clients to locate samples of the job they’re trying to hire you for.
#6. Make Sure It’s Simple to Locate Your Contact Information
Potential clients must find it simple to contact you through your web portfolio. Finding your phone number or email address shouldn’t be difficult, whether they want to thank you for an article you produced or want to talk to you about a business opportunity. Whether they are using a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, the information must be accessible and visible. If you choose to reveal your email address, you might wish to open a new account because having your email address made public can leave you open to a lot of spam.
Creative Writing Portfolio
Just as you need motivation for writing, it also helps in setting down your writing portfolio. We’re here to give you today that inspiration-boosting boost. One thing is certain, though: you’ll leave with inspiration, enthusiasm, and a real understanding of how to create your concepts a reality in your own portfolio. There are portfolio sites for all types of creative writing writers, some of whom write poetry, some scripts, and some of whom write journalism.
#1. Hannah Rogers
Hannah is a skilled editor and writer who is currently working at Firmenich. She honed her abilities after earning her degree in English and creative writing and currently provides copywriting, concept content creation, editing, and other services. She immediately establishes her field of work with a simple three-word phrase at the top of her webpage, followed by the logos of the three most significant companies she works with. Also, she goes into further detail about her experience with editing, brand storytelling, and creative writing right underneath.
#2. Larissa Vasquez
Larissa used a white, beige, and brown color scheme to create a mood for her writing portfolio. She chose a photo of bits of paper on the top —very fitting for a writer. It was pretty well put together by picking a picture of herself with complementary hues, then making unique beige and brown project thumbnails. She provided a brief introduction to her homepage before diving directly into her writing portfolio. This makes it simple for everyone to read her work and appreciate how strong it is.
#3. Melissa Wade
Melissa is a multi-faceted person who writes best-selling books on Amazon, creates content, serves as a brand ambassador, and more. Immediately at the outset, she attracts readers’ attention by talking not about herself per se —but about what she can bring them. Utilizing photographs with harmonizing colors, such as the pink on her blouse, in the background of the banner, and on the colorful wall, enabled her to achieve a professional look and elegant design.
#4. Magd Elzahed
With the black-and-white top part and typewriter-like serif fonts, the page of Magd has a whole distinct atmosphere to it. Clicking on the buttons takes you to a page going into more details on what exactly the project entailed, what her task was, and how the final results turned out. And although she doesn’t label herself as a specific kind of writer, it’s clear that her aim is “to bring your ideas to life through the power of language.” The thumbnail images that appear below the projects that have been featured also link to these pages.
#5. Jessica Duryea
She starts with a smaller photo of herself, followed by her tagline: “I’m Jess. She is described as a “creative communicator, inspired storyteller, and tenacious strategist,” which suggests that she is much more than just a talented writer. If you go down to her projects, you can find more particular information on them. She added the logos of the brands and social media platforms to her project thumbnails in three complementary yet distinct colors for a perfectly clear overview.
UX Writing Portfolio
A UX writing portfolio is a summary of who you are and what you do, exhibiting your abilities and methodology through examples of your work and case studies. UX writers use UX writing portfolios to show off their work and describe their working processes. A UX portfolio is typically posted online as a group of web pages or as a section of a larger site. UX writing case studies, etc., in your portfolios generally help potential clients or recruiters interested in hiring you and allow you to stay current in your career.
UX writing portfolios, in a nutshell, outline your accomplishments and highlight your abilities. It’s where potential clients or employers can contact you after learning more about you and your qualifications.
Why Do You Need a UX Writing Portfolio?
Whether you are looking for a full-time job or a freelance gig, you will need a UX writing portfolio. The portfolio gives hiring managers a quick glimpse into how you work and solves problems, as opposed to a resume, which provides a checklist of years of experience, pertinent degrees, and proficiencies.
The need for portfolios is occasionally mentioned in job postings. It is also a great asset if you use a direct approach to contact the businesses you want to work for. A portfolio demonstrates your commitment to your profession. For just that reason, many prominent UX writers keep a digital portfolio.
Key Components of a UX Writing Portfolio
A portfolio is a UX problem, and a good UX writer is a good problem-solver. You have a tremendous opportunity to succeed in interviews by how you construct your UX writing portfolio. You should include the following fundamental elements in your portfolio:
#1. Individual Statement
Overall, the UX authoring in your portfolio should be able to speak for itself. Yet, it is beneficial to include some details about you. A brief biography can provide some insightful information about your personality and working style.
#2. Contact Details
Make it simple for prospective employers or clients to contact you if you want people to find you and possibilities to work with you. As much as it is comfortable given how you intend to share your UX writing portfolio, including your basic contact information.
#3. Testimonials
Provide endorsements from your former companies or clients if you have prior experience writing for the user experience. Include written recommendations from clients and employers in your portfolio.
#4. Case studies and Work Samples
The most valuable component of your UX writing portfolio is your work samples. Hence, compile all of the writing you have done so far, such as screen titles, buttons, menus, labels, placeholder texts, error messages, notifications, sign-up pages, forms, descriptions, and confirmation modals, and include the finest of it in your portfolio.
Top Examples of UX Writer Portfolios for 2023
For inspiration, look into the following examples of successful experts’ 2023 UX writing portfolios:
#1. Ian Bamford
Ian Bamford is a UX writer at Google with more than eight years of experience writing for well-known brands, creative agencies, and forward-thinking businesses. His portfolio contains examples of content that has been optimized for user experience, including chatbot scripts, app pages, essays, and blogs. Every project details the author’s position and methodology, the goods and tools he utilized, and screenshots of his work.
#2. Dan Adams
Dan Adams is a copywriter and user experience writer for New Bank in London (TBA). Everything in his portfolio will interest viewers. From case studies and before-and-after samples, you can discover everything in Dan’s portfolio that displays his talents to produce clear and concise copy for optimal user journeys.
#3. Marina Posniak
Marina Posniak is a well-known UX writer with prior expertise as an information architect and content strategist. With a concise explanation, in-depth analysis, and numerous graphic examples, she presents everything in her UX portfolio in an organized, clean, and fashionable manner.
#4. Andrew Schmidt
There is considerably more to developing a user interface than just button labels and error messages, according to Andrew Schmidt, a UX Writer at Figma. He is renowned for giving a product voice and life. A brief bio, project descriptions, and screenshots are all included in Andrew’s portfolio. It is a fantastic illustration of voice and how much can be spoken with little text and straightforward design.
What Does a Creative Writing Portfolio Look Like?
No less than five and no upwards of seven examples of original work that you’ve recently written or altered should be included in your portfolio. The maximum word count for your portfolio is 4,000 words or 20 pages.
What Should a Writing Portfolio Include with No Experience?
Your portfolio should contain a variety of writing examples that highlight your abilities, including case studies, white papers, and site content. A succinct bio, your contact information, your fees, and any references or testimonials you may have are also acceptable additions.
How Many Samples Should Be in a Writing Portfolio?
While 10–20 writing samples are a fair quantity to aim for on average, don’t limit yourself to that range.
How Long Does It Take To Write a Portfolio?
That will depend on the timing and subject matter. How much time you give will be a factor. The creation of a portfolio can take up to 5 days.
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