Many Australians who wish to launch a career as a freelance writer erroneously assume they must have a professional history in the field to get started.
Those considering freelancing are under the misapprehension that they must have completed paid assignments before they can showcase their skills and have a provable portfolio of work from authentic clients at hand.
While many established writers with such a CV do receive briefs, it is also possible to present a sample body of work developed for the sole purpose of proving your writing prowess.
In this blog, we’ll explore some of the ways that writers in Australia can produce a portfolio before securing a single client. We’ll look at rewriting existing content and improving it, penning a blog on a personal website, creating speculative samples and pitching article ideas to other bloggers. We’ll also offer a way to get started with writing without a portfolio at all.
Understand the purpose of a freelance writing portfolio
A strong writing portfolio can demonstrate core writing abilities like grammar, structure and vocabulary. However, it can also illustrate versatility, an understanding of language and tone and even your expertise in a niche subject.
Consequently, when you create a portfolio without clients, you must show these skills in the pieces produced under your own steam. As you start to build a body of work, focus on displaying what makes you a desirable writer to hire in each article you write.
Rewrite existing content
One of the swiftest ways to highlight your talent is to take old content and imagine you have been hired to rewrite it. Presenting an “after” article that can show progression from a “before” piece is an ideal way to prove what you can do. Look online and in your inbox and identify weak adverts, web copy and marketing emails and improve on them.
Write blog posts
Penning your own blogs is a tried and tested way of constructing your portfolio.
Consider the type of professional work you seek to secure, and create blogs that hit this target. Show that you can write blogs of different lengths, from short 250-word daily and weekly articles to 1,000-to-2,000-word feature articles posted monthly.
Use the samples to illustrate that you can write news and non-news blogs, as well as your ability to research topics in detail with checkable facts and valid sources.
Today, there are several user-friendly platforms you can use to host a personal website filled with your work like WordPress, Substack and Wix.
Create fake briefs
Some writers select companies they would enjoy working for, create fake briefs for themselves and then complete them. To get started, look at the kind of content these companies already put out like case studies, whitepapers and blog posts, and pen similar pieces that present a unique angle.
Set yourself wordcounts, specific keywords to include, target audiences to write for and weblinks and call to actions to add. You can also underscore your SEO (search engine optimisation) skills by displaying your knowledge of meta titles and tags.
Publish on platforms
You can publish your work on your own website and drive engagement via a connected social media account and interacting with comments. This can help build your levels of social proof and experience.
Another way to accomplish this is to connect with organisations, institutions and individuals operating existing blogs. Networking can secure you a guest blog spot, but you can also pitch ideas for niche or smaller blogs to get a writing credit, sometimes referred to as a byline.
Tailor your portfolio
Creating a digital writing portfolio for your sample work offers you greater flexibility and complete control of what potentials hirers see.
As a result, you can produce sample portfolios that only show pieces pertinent to the company you would like to work with. Remember that agencies looking to hire writers have limited time, so keep your portfolio relevant, relatively small and always lead with your strongest work.
Interested in freelance writing without a portfolio? Contact Words of Worth Australia
Whether you are an established freelance writer or just cutting your teeth in a new career, we have opportunities for dependable content creators. At Words of Worth Australia, we are proud to work with dedicated writers at every stage of their professional development. Apply to write with us today – you might be just the person we are looking for.