Building a writing portfolio to get actual clients (With Rates)

Know your who and your why

Starting out with the basics, you gotta know your goals and why you want to write.

Is it to earn money? To build a brand? To share your knowledge? Have too much to say but have no one to say it to?

Personally, I started writing because I enjoyed it and someone was willing to pay me to do it. But here I am, not getting paid and still writing.

You can get paid writing for yourself, but chances are, that’s a little unstable and will take awhile before seeing actual results.

Here is something that I personally find a little misleading:

Now, I’m not saying that it’s impossible, but personally, I wouldn’t start writing to try to chase the numbers. Chasing numbers should be step 2. I would just write to build a portfolio first.

Why is this important?

It determines your level of motivation. Writing for yourself with no deadline, no editor pushing you or no money is difficult. It will take awhile for you to get into the groove of things. Having actionable goals and deliverables will give you the push you need to get started.

Okay so how do we form actionable goals? Glad you asked, here’s how:

Know thy platform

Depending on who you aim to write for, your portfolio will vary. Of course, beggars can’t be choosers so I’d start with writing for whatever comes your way. Here are some examples of platforms that typically require content. Knowing where you want to write can give you laser focus on building the portfolio that will land you these jobs.

Usually, I would separate the job descriptions for a content writer and a copywriter, but since we’re writing for beginners, range is key.

Sources 1 & 2

Choose A Niche

This is not to say you cannot write about other things, but building thought leadership and having authority on a particular topic can bring in more clients. For example, if you’re interested in social media trends and analysing them, you can write about stuff and pitch to publications that cover this niche or apply to companies that need these pieces to bump up their SEO. Later.com, Hootsuite and Hubspot do this very well.

To keep things simple, I would write listicles and educational topics. Especially when you first start out and have no street cred, you need to show these people that you know how to structure an article for the digital age.

Or if you’re going for volume, look for which industries need content writers the most.

Form Topics around the niche

Now that you know what you want to write about, show off your range.

Think of your potential clients, what would they look for?

💡Tip: Look for content writer jobs and look at the job description, visit the company website and look at their content, mirror your articles to what they’re covering

Do a keyword search to see what people are looking for and asking.

Write an article that answers those questions.

Explain tough concepts in simple ways.

I wrote an article explaining simple ways to get started in DeFi. These types of articles demonstrate your understanding and show off your expertise. Even if you have not officially written for anyone, coming up with your own topics and writing them shows potential clients that you understand the landscape and can execute on ideas.

Copy, Paste, Paraphrase

I know this may sound controversial, but nothing out there is entirely “original”. When it comes to writing on topics that are not necessarily opinion based, it can get quite boring to write about. So, to increase your speed and dedicate more energy to creative spins, learn how to “borrow” content and make it work for you.

Step 1: Look for inspiration

start by looking at your favourite influencers, blogs or anywhere that has writing, what are they talking about? Is this a trend you could get on board of and write something special?

Step 2: Come up with an angle that is different but fitting to your niche.

For example, I wrote this when Inventing Anna came out on Netflix. I basically looked at what people were talking about and looked for ways I could fit it into my niche.

Step 3: Share your tips

You never know when someone might find what you say helpful. If you struggle with structure, google it, learn, edit and give credit where credit is due. Building rapport and network with fellow writers can take you far.

For example, lets say we’re writing a piece titled “5 Tools for Writers”, take inspiration from 4–5 blogs and see which resonate with you, mix them up and you have your own list. Of course, do this with discretion and write about things you’ve used or feel passionate about. If not, take a recommendation, test it out and give your thoughts on the product. People like reviews.

Ever feel stuck? Google what other people are saying, learn how they write, model your initial draft after them and turn it into your own later.

💡Tip: Do not get paralyzed by perfectionism on the first cut. You can always cut, refine and edit later.

Resources and tools

Now that you know what and where a content writer can thrive, you need to start grinding to produce a portfolio.

Step 1: Use google sheets to plan out a few content ideas. They don’t have to be fully fleshed out, just brain dump it all, organise it strategically later.

Step 2: Open up google docs and start writing. Use Grammarly first, use Hemmingway next and finally, use Content Analysis. All these are free tools to help you in the editing process.

Step 3: Publish your damn writing. Here is a comparison on the three platforms I would recommend for beginners.

Creating A Portfolio

The key here is to get clients. We’re building a brand, but I would not necessarily be hindered by it not being perfect at first. Remember that this is an iterative process and things can always be changed/updated.

I’ll be publishing a more detailed piece on this, but for those that kinda already know how this goes and want the quick tips:

• Link all your articles on a sheet
• Look for notion templates to showcase your writing
• Put all your written work together
• Google freelance writer jobs
• Pitch using your portfolio, here’s mine if you’re interested

I wrote this to be as concise as possible, but there will be future pieces that dive deeper into becoming a successful freelance writer. Hope this helps anyone looking for that push. Becoming a freelance Writer takes discipline, persistence, and constant improvement. On those days that I don’t have jobs or fail to close on certain clients, I write for my own blog, like what I’m doing right now! This helps me make better use of my time and captures future opportunities. You never know who might pick up on it.