creative writing portfolio titles

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10 Writers with Portfolios that Stand Out

These freelance writers know an attention-grabbing portfolio is a key factor when it comes to landing gigs. Check out these tips to create a killer portfolio.

A well-made writer website is an important tool for networking online as a freelance writer or editor. Twitter can be useful for making connections and finding gigs or potential clients, but a professional online portfolio is necessary when pitching new article ideas or applying for jobs.

Your online portfolio website can be simple, such as a biography and list of published clips. Or, you can add more depth with a CV, personal projects, and a blog post or two to showcase your writing.

Our Pick of the Best Writing Portfolio Examples

A well-designed writing portfolio is essential for showcasing your work as a writer. Format has compiled a list of some of the best writer websites to help inspire you.

These writers cover a range of genres, from journalism to fiction to fashion, and their online writing portfolios reflect the quality of their work. Format’s website builder and these writing portfolio examples provide a winning combination for success in your writing career.

Our collection of online writing portfolios can provide inspiration and help you think about what to include in your own portfolio.

Find more website design ideas at our round-up of the best online portfolios built using Format .

Jennifer Fernandez

Brooklyn-based writer Jennifer Fernandez uses a grid-based theme to showcase a range of links to writing samples, including a thumbnail image and title for each one. Fernandez has been on staff at Travel + Leisure, Architectural Digest, and Martha Stewart Weddings, and has worked for business clients including Zappos and Brooklinen. She organizes her writing website into categories of Design, Travel, and Lifestyle content to make browsing easy and to showcase the type of writing she has experience in.

www.jennifermfernandez.com Format Theme: Hue

Akwaeke Emezi

Award-winning Igbo and Tamil writer and artist Akwaeke Emezi keeps things simple on their writing portfolio with a text-focused design and lots of information about their work. Their debut autobiographical novel FRESHWATER was critically acclaimed by publications like The New Yorker and NPR, and they also have two new books forthcoming from Knopf and Riverhead Books. Their website is a simple way to put the main focus on their work.

www.akwaeke.com Format Theme: Offset

Kristen V. Bateman

Fashion and culture writer and editor Kristen V. Bateman keeps her online portfolio visually interesting with a theme that introduces each of her published clips via an image and title. Bateman’s extensive portfolio can be browsed by publications (which include Vogue, New York Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, and many more), as well as by category.

www.kristenbateman.com Format Theme: Coral

Elise R. Peterson

The work of New York artist and writer Elise R. Peterson has appeared in Paper Magazine, Lenny Letter, and Elle, among other publications. Her recent book with Feminist Press, How Mamas Love Their Babies, explores an inclusive idea of motherhood along with co-author Juniper Fitzgerald. Including a link to pre-order her book right on her sidebar menu ensures that visitors to Peterson’s site will be up to date on her latest work.

www.eliserpeterson.com Format Theme: Ora

Rebecca Hobson

Freelance journalist and writer Rebecca Hobson introduces her online portfolio with a professional photograph of herself and links to different sections of her writing website. Based in Bristol, Hobson has also lived and worked in India. She has written for publications including the BBC, Vice, and The Times . Organizing her writing portfolio into different sections such as Content Marketing and Current Affairs, her freelance writing portfolio allows viewers to explore all the different facets of her work.

Format Theme: Peak

Alice Driver

Award-winning and widely-published journalist Alice Driver includes a detailed yet concise biography introducing who she is and what she does, a great way of allowing visitors to her site to quickly understand the focus of her work. An additional page of recent clips, organized with titles and thumbnail images, makes further reading of her published projects instantly accessible. Based in Mexico City, Driver’s work focuses on migration, human rights, and gender equality.

www.alicedriver.com Format Theme: Mica

Tara Pixley

Los-Angeles based photojournalist and scholar Tara Pixley was a recent Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Nieman Foundation, and has published her photography and writing on media in a range of publications such as Newsweek, New York Times, and ProPublica. Pixley’s online portfolio features a selection of her photojournalism as well as a section showcasing some of her published writing.

www.tarapixley.com Format Theme: Horizon Left

A Chinese writer and reporter based in Beijing, Qin Chen writes about Chinese society for English-speaking readers. With experiences as a senior video producer for The New Yorker and a documentary producer at CNBC , Qin’s online portfolio showcases her published writing and videography.

www.qinvisual.com Format Theme: Order

Elaine Bleakney

Writer Elaine Bleakney introduces her works on her website with images of the book covers and recommendations from peers and critics. Her simple layout keeps the focus on her work, easily allowing visitors to follow links to her published work or consider purchasing one of her publications.

www.elainebleakney.com Format Theme: Mica

Scott Broker

Scott Broker’s writing website features a headshot and brief biography right on the homepage, instantly giving visitors a feel for who he is. Based in Ohio, Broker is currently an MFA candidate at Ohio State University, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. His writing portfolio includes a selection of publications with a brief description of each one.

www.scottjbroker.com Format Theme: Mica

Tips for Building Your Own Killer Writer Portfolio Website

After reviewing the writer portfolio examples for inspiration, you can build your own portfolio. To effectively showcase your work as a writer, you must also have an eye for design.

Brainstorm Creative Portfolio Titles

A writer’s portfolio isn’t complete without a creative and catchy title. Writing portfolio titles can be difficult to come up with, but they are an important first step in creating a great portfolio site. The title is the first thing a prospective client reads, so you must grab their attention if you want them to continue.

A well-conceived creative portfolio title should be big, bold, and targeted to your audience. Consider the tone you are setting and how it relates to the message you want to convey with your work. Consider including your name in the title so the reader will remember who you are. Also, consider how the title will look before selecting a font for your writing portfolio site.

Portfolio Essentials:

A portfolio typically includes examples of your work, an about me section, and contact information for clients. Using the right writing portfolio format to showcase your work is a great way to attract engaged clients. The best writer portfolio sites, such as Format, offer a range of templates and a drag and drop builder to help you create a professional portfolio.

Creative Writing Portfolios

To create a strong writer portfolio, choose a website builder with customizable features and an easy editing process. Format offers a feature-rich portfolio site builder specifically designed for creative writers. Their range of templates and examples can also help provide inspiration. This allows writers to focus on creating content for their clients, rather than web design.

Creative Writing Portfolio Examples

We’ve compiled some of the most striking creative writing portfolio examples on the web, so you can get your creative juices flowing. Our recommendations above highlight Rebecca Hobson and Elise R. Peterson as creative portfolio writing samples that hit the right level of charm, sophistication, and individuality. Like what you see? Use Format’s website-building platform to set up a beautiful creative writing portfolio that exhibits the best of your work, just how you wanted it to look.

Freelance Writer Websites

The best writer websites express the writers’ flexibility and competency across a broad range of writing contexts. Bringing together examples of work produced for various sectors and requirements is crucial to conveying your writing abilities. However, It is also important to consider your personal skills and tailor your portfolio to highlight your strengths and industry-specific experience. Our pick of great writer website examples, such as Elaine Bleakney and Akwaeke Emezi , find the right balance of personal writing skills and subject-focus.

Journalism Portfolio

An online journalism portfolio should showcase your career highlights and best work as a journalist. Format’s template builder can help you effectively present your skills and experience to news agencies. This is crucial for advancing your career in journalism, whether you specialize in print, broadcast, or online journalism. A high-quality portfolio website is key to standing out and attracting new opportunities.

Journalism Portfolio Examples

Looking for examples of some of the best journalist websites to spark your creative mind? We’ve identified Tara Pixley , a Los-Angeles-based photojournalist, and scholar, as a case in point of a journalist site that uses photography as a method to engage clients with her journalistic competencies.

Similarly, award-winning journalist, Alice Driver , uses her online journalism portfolio to help clients understand more about her career and her areas of focus as a journalist. Both of these journalists, among many others, rely on Format as the best website for journalism portfolios.

An appealing online portfolio for journalists should feature your best and most recent work, as well as a list of the news agencies you have written for. If you haven’t got any published articles yet in your repertoire, that’s no problem at all. You can write several articles right on your new site. Just ensure that they are formatted like a real news article and have no grammar or spelling mistakes.

How to Make a Writing Portfolio for College

A well-formatted writer portfolio can give you that added boost for your college applications and help you stand out from the rest of the competition. Moving your existing portfolio online can make it easy for college admission departments to see the depth and breadth of your work. The best way to do this is to use a dedicated writers portfolio website such as Format, which is built to help writers network put their talents on full display. We have writers portfolios examples and intuitive templates to help you get started.

How to Share Your Online Writing Portfolio and Gain Traction

Once you have built your writer portfolio website and feel happy with the aesthetic, it is time to get the word out. The best websites online writing portfolio examples are also highly integrated with social media and are SEO-friendly. Format benefits from all of the latest SEO tools as well as social sharing features. This ensures that your personal brand stays at the top of the search results, making it easy for potential clients to find you.

Which Writing Portfolio Website Should I Use?

Format offers a comprehensive and user-friendly website builder for content writers. The platform’s customizable templates and digital marketing tools make it easy to create a professional online portfolio.

This allows writers to showcase their work and communicate with clients, while also focusing on writing and advancing their careers. Format is voted among the best portfolio sites for writers, and our customer support team is available to assist with any questions or issues.

Consider using Format to create your online writing portfolio and elevate your writing career.

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26 Inspiring Writing Portfolio Examples

Last Updated January 5 2024

Written By Juhil Mendpara

The best writing portfolios showcase the writer’s work — may it be an author’s book, a copywriter’s print ad photo, an editor’s case study, a screenwriter’s synopses, or a journalist’s news item — in an obvious way yet in the best light.

The words on the writer’s portfolio site undoubtedly matter, but so do everything else that makes a great portfolio website , including images, animations, fonts, color scheme, whitespace, navigation…every. single. thing!

I looked through hundreds of writers’ websites. This is the collection of the best writing portfolio examples I found!

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1. Kelsey O'Halloran

Kelsey is a copy and brand messaging consultant who also provides done-for-you copywriting services. She started as a newspaper journalist and has borrowed the interview-inspired writing style from there in her copywriting career.

Her website is the perfect blend of everything a professional copywriter’s website should have.

The homepage has all the necessary elements:

• A navigation bar with links to important pages.
• Professionally shot photographs of Kelsey.
• Well-written heading and subheading copy (highest priority for a copywriter!).
• A short services section that has CTAs to service pages.
• Testimonials that are on brand with her style of work.
• Call to action buttons (CTAs) spread throughout the page.
• Nice font choice and color palette.

The copywriter’s portfolio page is equally good.

• The color palette and all other style elements are consistent with other pages, including the homepage.
• At the top, she briefly & persuasively describes her job profile and the successes her clients have had with her work, implying you’ll have similar results too.

Then, she goes into portfolio items.

• There’s one featured project, and the others are arranged neatly in a three-column layout.
• Each portfolio item has a screenshot of the web page where her work is published, the client’s name, the role she played in the job, a testimonial, and a CTA to the client’s website.
• All testimonials describe Kelsey as the expert she claims she is. Examples: “Kelsey put words to my brand, services, and personality that I’ve never been able to articulate before…”, “Kelsey asks concise questions that really make you think about your service or product in a whole new way during an in-depth interview, and she pulls out slivers of gold from your responses.”

2. Sally M Fox

Sally is a freelance copywriter and brand identity writer. She has worked with massive companies like Dove and SendInBlue.

Her portfolio is excellent. She has neatly displayed her work in a one-below-the-other, single-column manner. Each portfolio piece has a screenshot, the job she did for the client, and a short quote from the client.

I am pretty sure her clients must have given big testimonials, and she cut it down to the core, so the website page doesn’t look crammed. That’s something to learn.

3. Chris Harrison

Chris is confident in his ability to deliver great copy — I don’t personally know Chris, but that’s what his portfolio website communicates. He has been writing for the marketing world for 15+ years, and his results speak for the quality he delivers.

On the homepage: Top of the fold, Chris has a confident-looking, smiling picture. Plus, there’s outstanding copywriting showcasing his writing prowess with the classic problem-solution version of the PAS formula:

• Heading : “Getting traffic but going nowhere?” — a question addressing the potential client’s pain point.
• Subheading : “Get more customers with website copy that converts—keep them coming back with unique content.” — the solution to the client’s problem.
• CTA : “See my portfolio”

Just below, there’s also a testimonial that reads, “Chris was, is, and will be the solution to my problems concerning copywriting and content generation.” What a line to immediately build authority!

The portfolio section has screenshots of his work arranged in a vertical slider layout. I am not a fan of vertical sliders because people naturally scroll horizontally, but Chris’s portfolio works — potential clients see Chris’s work in full-sized screenshots, and they know there’s more because of the thumbnails (that they can click to see the screenshot).

Still, I prefer Kelsey’s portfolio page over Chris’s because it is straightforward, + each project has a testimonial alongside it; Chris’s testimonials are on a separate page.

4. John Green

John Green is a bestselling author well-known for his novels The Fault in Our Stars , Paper Towns , Looking for Alaska , etc. Some of his books are also turned into popular movies.

John’s website is clean, elegant, and modern. Right at the top of the homepage is a concise bio of John (with a picture) and links to his popular books. Those links open a sort of portfolio item page that goes in-depth about the work, including a short description of the book, accolades it’s gotten, and quotes from the book’s reviews.

5. Mai Nguyen

Mai Nguyen graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Ryerson University. Her journalistic works have been published in big-name publications like Wired and Washington Post . Besides being a journalist, she’s also an author and a copywriter.

Her homepage has two main elements in a two-column layout: a friendly, smiling photo and a bio section.

The bio section is in a third person, formal writing style, which suits her website. Personally, though, I love copywriting portfolio websites written in the first person, indicating that the copywriter wrote the persuasive words you are reading.

Mai’s portfolio page is accurately titled “Latest Bylines.” Inside, she lists the latest articles published under her name. They are organized minimally, with plenty of whitespaces highlighting her work beautifully.

6. Joe Coleman

Joe’s website homepage is brilliant. He has created 50+ different versions of his bio and has arranged them in a range from Less Hard Sell to More Hard Sell .

• Less Hard Sell example : “So, yeah. I’m a freelance writer. What of it?”
• Somewhere in the middle : “Hello. I’m Joe Coleman. I’m a freelance copywriter. I come up with words and concepts that can help you win pitches and pick up a few awards. I’ve got quite a bit of experience and can tackle most things from ad campaigns to brand books. My job is different every day, and I work with lots of well-known advertising and design agencies.”
• More Hard Sell example : A very persuasive, almost warning-like copy that tells the visitor if they don’t hire Joe, their competitors will :

I don’t like the blurry images in Joe’s copywriting portfolio, though. The thumbnails could be high-quality:

7. Johnny Harris

Johnny Harris is an Emmy-nominated American filmmaker, journalist, and YouTuber known for his geopolitical series “Borders” on Vox. Post-Vox, he continues exploring global issues on his personal YouTube channel, also contributing to The New York Times, amassing over 4 million subscribers.

This site serves as a portfolio for Johnny, showcasing his work as a filmmaker and journalist. It includes a page about his biography, his works (which include Vox Borders), a link to his Presets and LUTs shop, a contact page for inquiries​, a form to collect ideas (currently 404), and other typical stuff​.

8. Gari Cruze

Gari has converted his passion for words into a profession. He is an advertising copywriter who has created digital and social ads for big brands like Lyft, CES, and P&G, among others.

Gari’s portfolio looks like a typical photography website portfolio — with good quality photos, unlike Joe’s copywriting portfolio.

Note : I expect a copywriter’s portfolio to have persuasive words on the homepage. But Gari’s work is like screenwriting — it’s presented best through a visual medium. And he does a good job of presenting his ideas in full capacity through his images and video-filled portfolio.

He writes a pretty good About page copy, though:

9. Copy Kat Creative Copywriting

I am stunned by the range of things Kathryn can write. To give you an overview, she is both a fiction writer and a copywriter. If you dig into her copywriting services, here are the things she is confident in doing really well:

• About Me pages
• Our Story pages
• Full website copy MOTs
• Back-of-pack copy
• TOV guidelines
• Recipe writing
• Social copy

And she has done these for a range of clients. Her portfolio includes brands in categories like agency, beauty & skincare, fashion, food, homeware, photography, tech & software, etc.

She also runs a book club, a podcast, and her own blog!

How do I know so much about Kathryn? Through the copywriter’s well-structured website!

The homepage has a left sidebar to navigate to important pages - portfolio, about, contact page, podcast , etc. All pages have well-written, scannable copy and a clear hierarchy. She also uses other elements like filters to make the website easy to navigate:

10. Cassidy Horton

Cassidy writes for personal finance brands, specifically those serving women, people of color, and underserved communities. Her services include writing articles, sales copy, and UX writing.

The copywriter’s website is a one-page website / landing page with a clear hierarchy. The sections (from top-to-bottom) are listed in the navigation bar with jump links: Welcome > Clients > Services > About > Portfolio > How It Works > Contact.

Through the page, you’ll learn about Cassidy’s experience with debt and getting out of it, her writing experience and background, client testimonials, and more. At the bottom, there’s her writing portfolio section, in a three-column layout:

Each portfolio item has a suitable title and a minimal description. Some even have numbers/results of her work, which is sort of like mini-case studies. Examples: ‘the open and clickthrough rates increased’, ‘14 of the 16 people I contacted replied — a stellar conversion rate for cold pitches’, etc.

11. Kayla Hollatz

Kayla is a Minneapolis-based copywriter who helps creative entrepreneurs and small businesses with personality-packed, impactful copies.

Her writing portfolio page includes case studies as well as a list of portfolio items. The mentioned case studies showcase trust-infusing testimonials from the clients at the top – example: ““Your website copywriting helped us reach $1.9 million in the following year!””

12. Vibe Copy

James Schlesinger is the creative director, account director, project manager, marketing director, brand strategist, head of new business, finance director, office manager, copywriter, and probably more at Vibe Copy. He is a former actor, so this totally makes sense:

After seeing the about page, his portfolio page looks a bit lame, though, doesn’t it?

13. The Copy Canary

When marketers, copywriters, and authors speak highly of someone’s copywriting prowess, you know they are a darn good copywriter. Adele Costa, aka The Copy Canary, is that someone.

Adel’s writing portfolio page is filled with a range of work in a nice two-column format. You can click each portfolio item to see the case study of the work.

14. Alisha Selena

Alisha Selena is a copywriter with a fun personality and a passion for the power of words. Her copywriting offerings range from blog writing to radio advertisement scripts.

Alisha’s website is more of a copywriter’s resume website , but she also has a nice portfolio page that features her magazine work, sales presentation work, email & social posts, and more.

15. Stuart Writes Copy

“Stuart Writes Copy” — the website title says it all.

“I MAKE YOU SOUND FANTASTIC” — the hero text sells the offering.

And whatever more needs to be said and shown, Stuart says and shows through his portfolio of web, email, social, and print work.

16. Lauren Alejo

Lauren is a Senior UX Content Strategist at NerdWallet. Sometimes she also copywrites for NerdWallet.

I like the different-from-usual-writing-portfolios font, the UX design portfolio , and everything. But I don’t like this dropdown much:

17. MedPenPal

Margaret is an experienced medical writer and writing coach who is passionate about helping readers stay in the loop through simple health news. She has written for Forbes Health, WebMD, Verywell Health, Medical News Today, Healthline, and many similar sites.

The copywriter’s portfolio communicates exactly that with a big list of some of her top posts.

18. Drew Collins

Drew started off as a web content editor and moved up the ladder as a copywriter, senior copywriter, and associate creative director. Now, he is the owner and creative director of bond creative + branding , a creative services, and marketing studio. You can see all the work he has done throughout the years on his portfolio website.

19. Jonathan Wilcock

I love Jonathan’s hero text: “The world’s best freelance brand voice copywriter. And other slight exaggerations.” At the very least, it tells his profession and how good he is at it.

The portfolio of this writer shows just the logos of his clients. You’ll have to hover over the logo to see what he has done for the client and click on the portfolio item to see the case study of his work.

20. Locke Hughes

Freelance writer and health coach Locke Hughes, is the author of “Melatonin: The Natural Supplement for Better Sleep.” Her wellness articles have been featured in popular publishing’s such as Shape and Women’s Health Magazine.

You can see more of her work from the “Recent Articles” dropdown on her site.

21. Quotidian Writer

Quotidian Writer by Diane Callahan offers videos and articles filled with practical advice to assist aspiring authors in improving their writing craft and becoming published. Diane is a developmental editor and ghost plotter, and her niche-popular YouTube channel, Quotidian Writer, provides practical tips for aspiring authors.

22. Andy Mendes

This is the portfolio of copywriter Andy Mendes. It’s made with Format, one of the two best portfolio website builders .

23. Ally Denton

Ally Denton is a freelance writer located in Indianapolis with a portfolio in editorial, copywriting, and content writing. She’s also a musician performing at live events and a yoga teacher offering group and private lessons.

I like the simple design of her portfolio pages. It’s just a test list of her works with links to them.

24. Rod Moore

Rod offers copywriting, content strategy, and ghostwriting services. His website is different than your typical copywriting portfolio site, and I dig it.

25. Austin Copywriting

Ryan has over 25 years of experience in IT and Medical Simulation support. Now, he is a healthcare and technology copywriter. He uses a one-page Carrd website to introduce himself and then has a CTA to his notion page for portfolio.

I am not a fan of having the portfolio page separate from the main site, but maybe Ryan realized that he couldn’t have a solid portfolio on Carrd after he made the site.

Side Note : Ryan’s website title is Austin Copywriting. It’s probably for SEO purposes to rank for copywriting-related local search queries in Austin. But people may confuse the site as if it’s from a person named Austin (like the one below).

26. Austin Powe

Austin is a Brooklyn-based copywriter who has worked with brands like Starbucks, YouTube, and Google Maps. He doesn’t have a dedicated portfolio page; instead, his website’s sidebar acts as navigation to his best work.

I tried every email marketing tool — this is the BEST

I tried every FREE website builder — this is the best

I made $2,000 selling used burlap sacks

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Home » Planning & Creating » How to create a writing portfolio

How to create a writing portfolio: 7 fundamental steps

The point of a portfolio is to give viewers a sense of what you can do for them. And portfolios can look very different while still getting that job done. Some of our Blurb writers have gotten hired by emailing screenshots of Facebook posts—while others have opened up professionally bound layflat photo books during interviews. Keeping in mind your end goal (selling yourself) will help ground you in this process.

Here are seven steps to help you create the perfect writing portfolio:

1. Introduce yourself

If your portfolio is your full sales pitch, think of your introduction as your elevator pitch. This sets the tone and context for your work. State your name, the type of writing you do, and any relevant background information that describes who you are.

Remember, this is a writing sample, too.  Make it unique, valuable, and memorable—and from your natural voice. This is your chance to tell your story from your point of view. Make it count.

2. Organize your writing samples

Gather up all relevant writing samples you have. These can be everything from Super Bowl ads you’ve scripted to op-eds you’ve written for your high school newspaper. And if you don’t have enough, you can create hypothetical projects for brands that exist or that you make up to showcase your skills—just make it clear they’re examples and not paid work.

Once you have all your writing samples gathered, it’s time to organize them. Keep in mind who you’re showing your work to and include the type of samples they’re most interested in. If you’re angling to carve a niche, consider grouping your work into topic or format clusters. If you’re showing off versatility, group them by medium.

Here are the top ways to organize your writing portfolio:

• Chronologically: If you have a wide range of writing samples or a linear progression in your career, consider arranging your work chronologically and share how your skills have evolved.
• Topic: If you specialize in particular types of writing, you could group your samples by topic. For example, you could organize your work by industry for your technical writing or trade book writing—or by sections dedicated to industries, verticals, or genres.
• Medium: If you write for various mediums and channels, be it journalism stories, ad creative, UX writing, storytelling, or blogging, organize your work by these key pillars to help readers understand your versatility as a writer.

No matter how you organize your work, start and end with your strongest samples. Recruiters spend less than three minutes per portfolio , whereas most hiring managers spend five to 10 minutes. Either way, that’s not a lot of time. Make sure your portfolio makes a splash to start and is easily scannable.

3. Cull your writing samples

Once you’ve compiled all relevant writing samples for your portfolio, now comes the difficult task of narrowing them down. If you’re in the early stages of your career, you may not have a lot of work to distill. But for experienced writers, it’s important to whittle down your samples to showcase only your best work. 

When making the final selection of samples to include in your writing portfolio, consider the following:

• Diversity: Depending on the structure you envision for your portfolio, consider choosing samples that capture your range and versatility as a writer. For example, creative writers might want to include a mix of short stories , screenplays, essays, or novels .
• Relevance: Your writing samples should reflect the type of writing you want to do in the future. If you’re interested in writing for a particular publication, highlight samples that overlap with that publication’s style and tone.
• Quality: As a rule, only include your best work when creating a writing portfolio. It can be helpful to recruit a mentor, friend, or colleague to get different perspectives on what others view as your highest-quality samples.

4. Craft your navigation

As you organize and narrow down what work samples you’d like to include, you can start identifying patterns for structuring your writing portfolio. In doing so, think about how you’d like viewers to navigate your book.

A table of contents, menu, or sections can provide guideposts for viewers to better travel through your writing portfolio and understand what it includes. In addition to thematic structure and the general flow of your portfolio, consider design elements like thumbnail images for each piece or major section. This adds a visual appeal and a touch of creativity that goes a long way in grabbing your prospective readers. Other fundamentals include:

• Sections: If you have ample writing samples to include, divide your portfolio into sections or chapters. This will make it easier for readers to find the pieces they’re most interested in.
• Navigation: Make sure your table of contents or website menu is simple to understand. In a digital context, you can include links to each section or piece of writing for easy navigation.
• Design: Your portfolio should be clean, clear, concise, and easy to read. Set the mood appropriately and use a consistent font, color scheme, and design elements for your sections, headlines, and menus to make them cohesive with the rest of the portfolio.

5. Design a layout

Once you have all of your writing samples selected and organized, you’ll need to think about how to best present your work in a way that’s visually appealing and on-brand with your particular style and tone. This is where the design of your portfolio comes in. When designing your portfolio, consider the following:

• Choose a format that’s creative yet easy to navigate. Whether creating a hardcopy portfolio or a website portfolio, you want to choose a format that aligns with your writing style and the context of your samples but also one that’s easy to navigate. Be creative but don’t let the design distract readers from your portfolio’s content. 
• Use a clear and readable font. Make sure that the font you choose is easy to read, both in print and digitally on the screen. It’s best to stick with very simple, legible fonts that won’t distract from your writing.
• Incorporate images or graphics. Consider adding visuals to your writing portfolio that capture the context of your work. Whether they’re symbolic photos or images that truly correspond with your samples, consider imagery that relates to your writing and engages your readers. Just be sure that they don’t detract from your copy.
• Keep it consistent. While you want your writing portfolio to be visually engaging, you also want to ensure that it’s professional and on point with your personal brand. Often, less is more. So, avoid using too many colors or fonts , and put together a design layout that’s consistent and aligned.

6. Summarize your work

Depending on the length of your writing portfolio, it can help to provide some context for your samples—especially if you can prove your worth with impressive stats. Similar to a novel’s blurb shown on the back cover of a book, these could be short summaries that introduce individual samples, case studies that outline your business results, or thematic sections of your portfolio that add color to your writer’s journey.

Writing short summaries or blurbs of your work gives readers a sense of what they can expect from each piece of writing. While not a requirement for writing portfolios, these blurbs can help guide the overarching story behind your experience. When writing these short summaries, consider the following elements:

• Overviews that summarize your work. You can include the genre , topic, purpose, brand, or writing style.
• Your intentions or goals. Break down the problem you solved with your writing pieces, like whether your objective was entertaining, educating, or persuading your readers, and who the project was for.
• The scope of the project and your role as a writer. Make sure you highlight whether your work was part of a larger publication or your own personal blog. Talk about timelines, titles, and how you contributed to any large-scale projects or group work.
• Any key performance indicators (KPIs). Hiring managers on marketing teams will be very interested in the results of your work, like how much traffic a piece earned, how much engagement it received, or how your work led to a particular business outcome.

7. Include your resume and contact info

When using your portfolio to land your dream job, including your resume (or a version of it) is a good supplement to showcase all your experience. You could include it at the beginning or end of your portfolio. In any case, it should be easy to find and relevant to your target audience.

You’ll also want to include a way for viewers to contact you, like your professional email address or social media account. Depending on the context of your portfolio, you may even consider adding a link to your LinkedIn or Instagram profile so employers can see more information about you and easily get in touch. If you print your portfolio, add links or QR codes to your professional website or digital portfolio, too.

Tips for creating a writing portfolio that wows

Now that you’re familiar with creating a writing portfolio, several additional points are worth calling out. These are general best practices and things to consider when bringing your portfolio to life.

Quality over quantity

Less is often more, as it’s generally better to showcase a small collection of high-quality writing samples rather than inundating your readers with numerous less-than-stellar pieces. Be selective with the work you choose, and aim for a diverse range that emphasizes your strengths and genres of focus.

Know your target audience

Identify your target audience for your writing portfolio, as this can help determine the specific writing samples you include and how you organize them. Keep in mind that you should tailor your portfolio to suit the needs of your potential clients or employers. Print on demand allows you to swap in and out samples that best align with each client or employer—or you can tailor your digital portfolio with specific landing pages for each application or industry.

Keep it clean, simple, and error-free

Your writing portfolio should be easy to navigate, visually appealing, and error-free. Use a simple design and make sure your writing samples are well-organized and clearly presented. Your portfolio’s overall design layout and format will help readers digest its contents. 

And since you’re a writer, typos are usually unforgivable. Get a friend or mentor (or both!) to proof your work before you send it out.

Create digital and print writing portfolios

There are many pros and cons for digital and hardcopy portfolio books . While having a digital writing portfolio might be needed for digital applications and remote positions, a print version will definitely have you standing out while attending in-person meetings and interviews. Ultimately, the decision should depend on your personal preference, the needs of your target audience, and your intended usage of the portfolio.

However, we’d suggest both. You’ll need digital samples to get through the initial stage of most applications, but few things are more impressive than a perfectly bound physical portfolio in face-to-face interactions.

Keep your writing portfolio up-to-date

Your writing should always be fresh and relevant, so don’t forget to regularly update the contents of your portfolio with new pieces or achievements. Also, it’s a great idea to tailor your portfolio for each interview. Doing this will help demonstrate your interest and commitment to the company or client.

What makes a strong writing portfolio?

Certain characteristics make for standout writing portfolios. Consider these five cornerstones of strong portfolios:

• Showcase the depth and diversity of your writing ability, including various genres and styles, to help demonstrate your versatility and range as a writer.
• Maintain consistency in your tone and presentation throughout your portfolio, even if you showcase work with different styles for different brands.
• Feature work most relevant to your primary target audience and the type of writing jobs you want to land in the future.
• Choose the most engaging writing samples that reflect your style and focus, highlighting your marketable attributes and unique skillset.
• Assemble your portfolio in a clear, cohesive, and organized manner, making it easy for readers to navigate and absorb your content.

Above all, remember that your writing portfolio reflects you and your abilities as a writer. Take the time to create something unique and memorable. We believe in you!

If you’re interested in creating a print version of your writing portfolio, Blurb offers the tools to make a professional, bookstore-quality portfolio book that will impress. 

Get started using a beautifully designed portfolio template, or create your own custom layout. Not only can you print as many books as you need on demand, but you can choose from a variety of formats, from large layflat portfolio books to smaller and more affordable options that make great leave-behinds.

portfolio , writing portfolio

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Table of contents

• Made with Copyfolio
• Portfolio Tips

The Ultimate Guide to Academic & Professional Creative Writing Portfolios

Building a creative writing portfolio that gets you accepted into your dream writing program is a challenge in itself. But did you know that when you graduate, you’ll have to throw everything you know about portfolios out the window and start the process all over again?

Whether you want to get into a great school to work on your craft, or you’re freshly out of school trying to land your first job, this guide has all you need to know.

We’ll review how to build a creative writing portfolio for a course or degree program and what career paths you can choose from once you graduate from it. Then we’ll show you how to create a professional creative writing portfolio and show you a tool that makes it super quick and easy.

Creative writing portfolio for college and university

Let’s go in chronological order. Before you go after a full-time writing job or try to land some freelance clients, you’ll probably want to study writing. It would be a little harder to become a writer without mastering the craft of writing, after all.

And when it comes to writing programs, whether it’s a creative writing course or a full-on degree program, most schools expect you to hand in a creative writing portfolio alongside your application.

Always check the guidelines

The very first thing you’ll have to do is checking the creative writing portfolio requirements that your desired program has. They tend to be very specific about the format, length, and contents of the material, so make sure you get it right. Let’s check some examples to see what you can expect when looking at these guidelines.

Creative writing portfolio requirement examples

Example for creative writing portfolio requirements

University of the Arts

When you apply to the Creative Writing program at the University of the Arts, you’ll have to submit a portfolio of your original writing and an essay that answers a creative writing prompt. They give the following requirements for these two:

• Portfolio : 10-15 pages in length, including at least two different pieces. It could be short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, or excerpts from novels.
• Essay : 150-200 words in length with the topic of describing an important window.

University of Portsmouth - MA in Creative Writing

“We don’t prescribe an ideal portfolio,” they write at the requirements for this program. There are still some requirements that applicants have to follow though:

• Maximum 4,000 words in length
• No more than 3 pieces of writing
• Except for poetry-only submissions, there they recommend about 5 poems
• You have to write a short description of each piece

Apart from the portfolio, you’ll also need to submit a personal statement, talking about your ambitions and your writer’s journey so far.

Belhaven University - Creative Writing BFA Program

For applying to the Creative Writing program at Belhaven, you have to send your application via email with the following:

• Portfolio: Minimum 12-15 pages of creative writing (fiction, poetry, scripts, or creative nonfiction)
• Essay: 3-4 pages, discussing your history as a writer or reader OR explaining why you want to study creative writing
• A cover letter

Tips for your academic creative writing portfolio

Once you have the guidelines for your portfolio, it’s time to actually sit down and put it together.

Pick your writing pieces carefully

It goes without saying, but your choice of writing pieces will make or break your creative writing portfolio. Don’t be afraid to spend a longer time rereading your work and evaluating if the pieces hit the standard you want your portfolio to have.

It’s also a good idea to choose the ones you’d like to add, then put them aside, wait a few days, and assess them again. When you’ve been focusing on something for hours on end, it gets harder to see them clearly, so a little break can help a lot.

Once you’re done selecting them, double-check it with the requirements again and read through them one more time.

Get someone to review your portfolio

Another tip to make sure your portfolio is as good as it can get is to get someone to review it. It can be another writer or an avid reader who can evaluate your pieces from a literary point of view, or even just a friend or family member to check it for typos and other grammatical mistakes.

Similar to picking your pieces, when you wrote something and have read it a hundred times already, your mind will slip over typos naturally, knowing what you intended to write there. So giving yourself a break and getting someone to help can make sure there are no mistakes left in it when you hand it in.

Because as an applicant to a writing program, you really can’t afford to have typos and grammar mistakes in your creative writing portfolio.

What can you do with a creative writing degree?

When you’ve been obsessed with writing all your life, deciding to go for a creative writing program is a no-brainer. You’ll probably have the time of your life getting your degree too. But what happens when you graduate and actually have to figure out what you want to do for a living?

It might take a little more thinking than choosing your education, as you have many more options for a writing career , so it’s not as straightforward. We’ll quickly review the different career paths that are all open for you, once you graduate with a creative writing degree.

Publish books and become an author

Becoming a published author or poet is probably what most students with a creative writing portfolio dream of. It’s definitely a logical and super suitable direction, but unfortunately, it’s not as easy as one might expect. You’ll have to do a lot of pitches to get signed with a publishing house. Alternatively, you can set up a site using an author website template and publish books on your own.

Choose marketing or advertising, become a copywriter

A field that’s easier to get into for writers is marketing and advertising. More specifically, copywriting. Creative directors often emphasize how important it is for copywriters to master the craft of writing. So much so, that they would rather recommend taking a creative writing course than going to a portfolio school.

Copywriters can work freelance, in-house, or at agencies and they write advertising and/or marketing materials. It can be anything from slogans for advertising campaigns, TV and radio spots, copy for Facebook and Google ads, or even complete email marketing campaigns.

The career path in this profession is usually the following: junior copywriter, copywriter, senior copywriter, associate creative director, creative director, global creative director

Write long-form pieces as a journalist or magazine columnist

If selling products and services is not your thing, writing for newspapers or magazines could be another option for you. It probably won’t pay as much as a job in advertising, but you get to write longer pieces about topics you’re (ideally) interested in. And after all, no matter what happens, we’ll always need and want to read about what’s going on in the world.

Interested in this field? Read our tips for creating a journalism portfolio !

Get into content marketing and SEO

If you don’t mind that you won’t be exclusively writing all day every day, content marketing and SEO (a.k.a. search engine optimization) would be a great option for you. You’d still be writing, namely long-form articles and blog posts that are preceded by thorough keyword research.

With SEO comes a more technical side of the job, but that only balances out the work and makes your daily routine more versatile. Not to mention that you’ll always have data of how well your content does, so you can measure your performance effectively.

Make writing impeccable as an editor or proofreader

If you’re the kind of writer that loves reading and is bit of a perfectionist, you’d make an amazing editor or proofreader. Although these professions don’t need you to actually sit and write a ton, the job couldn’t be done if you didn’t know all the ins and outs of writing.

How to make a professional creative writing portfolio

Once you graduate and decide which way to go, you’ll need a portfolio to get started. Not the kind of standard “15-page-document” they asked you to write for school. Oh no, nobody wants to read through that now. Instead, you’ll need something that stands out, something that’s easy to browse through while showcasing your excellent writing skills.

The best format for your creative writing portfolio

The best format for your real-life, professional creative writing portfolio is actually a website. Realistically, whether you’re applying for a job or looking to land freelance clients, you’ll get in touch with them online.

So handing over your good old “book” won’t be an option. Just like presenting them with a lengthy document won’t be either. Why? Because it’s essentially a big wall of text that would be way too overwhelming to read through.

A website on the other hand is easy on the eyes, has lots of visuals, and organizes all the materials you want to present nicely.

The three main essentials you need to have on your website are an eye-catching home page, a well-written about page and separate pages for each of your writing projects, whether it is advertising copy, poetry, or a published book.

The heart of it all: the home page

Your home page will be the most important page of your website. This is where everybody lands at first and thus where they get their first impressions from. To have a great first impression, turn it into genuine interest, and make your visitors convert, your home page will have to check some boxes.

• What website are they looking at? Looking at the home page, visitors have to be clear about what website they landed on. They should know at least your name and what you do by just looking at the very first page.
• How do they find out more? You should have a navigation bar that makes it easy for people to find what they are looking for: your work, your about page, your contact information.
• Who are you actually? Although you have your about page to elaborate on that, it's best if they can find out a little bit about you right on your homepage. Adding a photo of yourself and a short bio will immediately help them make a more personal connection with you.
• Why should they keep on reading? Now they know who you are and what you do, but they still need a reason to spend their precious time on your site and keep on reading. Feature your most impressive projects on your homepage to prove the quality of your work right away.

Crafting the perfect about page

The about page is your place to shine: it gives you a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself more in detail and get creative with your writing. What would be a better way to flaunt your storytelling skills than telling your own, after all?

But if possible, make sure it’s still not just a big wall of text: try to break it up with images to make it easier to read and to illustrate what you’re writing about.

The about page is also a great place to feature your writer resume . Some writers like to link to it as a PDF, some embed it as a picture, while others simply have theirs typed there as part of the page.

Project pages for books, poetry, and beyond

The way your project page should be structured depends a lot on the type of project you’d like to add to your creative writing portfolio. But there’s still a general formula you can follow to introduce the “behind-the-scenes” of your writing:

• What was the task you had or the reason why you decided to write this piece?
• What was your creative process of writing the piece? Did you face any challenges while writing? And if so, how did you overcome them?
• What was the impact your piece had once published?

These are pretty general questions, but it’s exactly because of that that they can be applied to many different forms of creative writing.

It’s also expected to feature the finished result so that people can actually read your writing and evaluate your skills. When it comes to shorter pieces like poetry, feel free to publish the whole thing.

But for longer writing like novels, nobody expects you to publish it from start to finish in your portfolio. You can add an excerpt - or if it’s been published and has received positive feedback, you can feature some quotes on what people said about it.

Build your creative writing portfolio with Copyfolio

If you want to create a beautiful website that has everything we outlined above… and you don’t want to spend hours upon hours figuring out the technical side of it… Your best bet is using a website builder or portfolio builder tool that was designed specifically for writers.

Don’t worry about coding or design

The good thing about using a tool like Copyfolio is that you won’t have to worry about the technical side of things. Or whether you can design it to look good or not.

Having the templates, palettes and presets makes sure you can build the foundations of your site in just a few clicks. And it will look good, no matter what you add to it.

Create professional images in the editor, with a few clicks

You don't need to have Photoshop or any other design program to have images that'll wow your site's viewers. Place your image into a magazine, laptop, or TV with a single click and have a portfolio that looks like it was professionally designed.

Get help with writing about your projects

Apart from the daily portfolio tips that you’re going to get in email after signing up, you’ll also find tips and prompts in the website builder itself.

Built with insights from successful freelance writers, hiring managers, and creative directors, we’re guiding you through the process to help you create a portfolio that has exactly what people are looking for.

Sign up today and create a stunning creative writing portfolio for free, in a matter of minutes!

9 creative writing portfolio examples

Joanna zhang.

Joanna created her portfolio using Copyfolio

Eve L. Ewing

Safia Elhillo

Tomi Adeymi

Ocean Vuong

Bethan Woollvin

Morgan Parker

Isaac Garza

Isaac created his portfolio with Copyfolio, using the "Billboard" template

Want to see more? Check out our article all about creative writing portfolio examples !

Dorka Kardos-Latif

Digital marketer & portfolio expert, the face behind all content on Copyfolio 👋

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5 Creative Writing Portfolio Examples To Get You Started

As a creative writer, you’re versatile. You’re skilled at weaving narratives that are compelling and inventive. When you’re in the zone, it feels like the words just flow from your fingers and onto the page… well, except when writing your own portfolio. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Sometimes, the hardest writing to do is the kind promoting yourself and your own skills. Yet, it’s an essential task if you want to make a living as a creative writer. To help clear up the writer’s block that can happen when creating your portfolio, take a look at these five creative writing portfolio examples. They showcase a range of different types of writers and will give you fresh inspiration to draw from. 

Sarah Jayne Kipling

UK-based creative writer and literary editor Sarah Jayne Kipling has been published by the likes of The Evening Chronicle and The Sunday Sun. She also works as an editor and proofreads literary manuscripts and academic journal submissions. Kipling does a great job using her portfolio to highlight the breadth and diversity of her work, with sections for news stories, features, blogs and even poetry.

With such a heavy background in journalism, it makes sense that Kipling’s portfolio takes a formal tone, with a bio that’s centered around her literary achievements and accreditations. The tone you use in your bio should be reflective of the work you’re looking to land. For example, if you’re a humor columnist, your bio might be lighthearted and use playful language. If you’re a PR professional, you might take a more conservative approach, and so on.

Laventry Repin

Laventry Repin is a creative writer who has published more than 400 bylines across three countries. He uses his bio to outline his interests, which cover everything from ancient history to adventure travel. Here’s the key–the interests he mentions in his bio are directly tied to the samples in his portfolio, like a clip on hiking the Fish River Canyon in Namibia. Your bio should function not as a standalone item, but as an introduction and segue to the samples you’ve chosen to showcase. 

Though conventionally, the clips in your writing portfolio are meant to link to examples of your work, Repin gets creative and uses one of his clips to link to a PDF of his resume. This is a nice way to give viewers access to more extensive information and professional background than what’s listed in the writer bio. Finally, he invites the viewer to connect with him on other platforms, linking to his website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles along with sharing his email address.  

Cale Anthony Boudreau

The work of creative writer Cale Anthony Boudreau encompasses many different mediums, from blogs and short stories to video games and comics. His creative writing portfolio is not only a great example in and of itself, but an important reminder of the many different ways there are to make a living as a writer. 

In one clip, Boudreau showcases the work he’s done creating character profiles and back story for an upcoming illustrated comic. This is noteworthy because we tend to assume that everything in a writing portfolio needs to be a piece of published work. In fact, that’s far from the truth. Your creative writing portfolio can be used to feature work that is still in progress, pieces that you’re working on getting published and even writing you did just for fun. It’s also a useful way to give readers a sneak peek of a project before the full version of a piece is widely available. 

Giaco Furino

Giaco Furino is a screenwriter, entertainment journalist and branded content creator. His work has been featured by outlets like VICE and Popular Mechanics. Furino is a great example of how you can use your creative writing portfolio as a tool to generate interest and show off buzz about your latest and greatest project. In his bio, he begins by announcing the premiere date and location for his new screenwriting project. Then, he uses the topmost section of his clips to link to news coverage and reviews of the film itself. Genius!

Not everything in your creative writing portfolio has to be written by you. If there are third-party publications where you’ve been interviewed as an expert or your work is covered, don’t neglect the opportunity to promote them in your portfolio. 

Furino uses additional portfolio sections to organize his work both by category (news, branded content, reviews, etc.) and by date range. This is a useful way to help visitors easily skim through all of your work or find a specific piece they’re looking for. 

Carolyn Jung

There’s a saying in the business world: “the riches are in the niches.” Sometimes, it pays to go deep on a single topic. Food writer Caroyln Jung is a shining example of this. She writes about one thing–food–and uses her online writing portfolio to demonstrate that she’s an expert at it. 

Though Jung writes about a narrow subject matter, the samples in her portfolio show us that it doesn’t limit her versatility. She’s covered food for all kinds of media, from newspapers and magazines to public radio and podcasts. Further, she doesn’t just write about recipes or restaurants. Her portfolio showcases creative food-based topics like profiles of noteworthy chefs and food-centric travel pieces. 

If you’re an expert in your niche, be it football or fashion, use your portfolio to prove it. As we mentioned earlier, not every writing sample has to be a byline in a publication like the New York Times . Works in progress, articles for niche online publications and posts on your personal blog are all viable ways to demonstrate your writing skills and subject matter expertise. 

Clippings.me

Now that you have some inspiration on the content for your creative writing portfolio, where should you host it? For a free and easy solution to create your online writing portfolio, check out Clippings.me . 

Clippings.me is an online service that helps writers, journalists and bloggers showcase their best work and share it with the world. With Clippings.me, you can build your bio, add writing samples and customize your page without writing a single line of code or handling any complicated tech setup. 

First, begin by registering for a free Clippings.me account here . Follow a few simple prompts to fill out the content of your writer bio and choose from a variety of design templates. Then, add your writing samples by linking to clips on the web or uploading them from your hard drive. Categorize them so they’re easy to browse. Finally, share your portfolio link far and wide to invite others to check out your work. 

Clippings.me is the highest-ranked writing portfolio website, which ensures your portfolio shows up prominently in search results. Its superb support team answers support inquiries within 24 hours, while upgraded options like custom domains and unlimited clips are available for a low monthly fee with no contract. The free tier of Clippings.me has no strings attached and no credit card is required to sign up. 

Join more than 80,000 writers who use Clippings.me to host their portfolios by signing up here . For more useful information to build your online writing portfolio and jumpstart your writing career , check out the Clippings.me blog . 

Musings and updates from the content management team at Clippings.me.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

80+ Creative portfolio names

Choosing the best portfolio website  name when you’re learning  how to make a portfolio is a crucial step in establishing a strong presence in the creative industry. Your portfolio name is the initial point of contact for potential readers and can significantly influence their decision whether or not to view your portfolio and use your creative services.

A successful portfolio name should possess several key qualities. It should be memorable, easy to pronounce, and relevant to the type of creative services you offer. Additionally, a catchy and distinctive name can help your professional portfolio  stand out in a competitive market.

80+ portfolio name ideas to get you started

Unique portfolio names, catchy portfolio names, professional portfolio names, location-based portfolio names, modern portfolio name ideas, timeless portfolio names, clever portfolio names, funny portfolio name ideas.

1. Creative Odyssey

2. Artful Trends

3. Visionary Escapes

4. Design Delights

5. Aesthetic Adventures

6. Imaginative Soirées

7. Visual Fusion

8. Creative Chronicle

9. Art Gala

10. Inspiring Affairs

1. PortfolioJoy

2. Vision Bliss Designs

3. Image Fables

4. Design Carousel

5. Savvy Creations

6. Showcase Bonanza

7. Eye-Catching Portraits

8. Visual Nectar

9. Creative Gaiety

10. Epic Art Events

Many of these would work great for a writing portfolio , for example.

1. Elite Designs Portfolio

2. Creative Craftsmen Studio

3. Visionary Excellence

4. Artistic Gurus

5. Precision Portfolios

6. Design Guild

7. Creative Connoisseur Studio

8. Professional Creations

9. Visual Creators

10. Executive Artworks

1. [City/Neighborhood] Art Curation

2. [City/Region] Elegance Portfolios

3. [City] Visual Gatherings

4. [City/State] Designs & Traditions

5. [City/Neighborhood] Showcase Bites

6. [City] Visual Canvas

7. [City/Region] Artful Feasts

8. [City/State] Imaginative Engagements

9. [City/Neighborhood] Vision Pleasures

10. [City] Art Connections

1. Urban Art Experience

2. Creative Chic Studio

3. TechArt Designs

4. Trendy Visual Treats

5. Digital Imaging Delights

6. Edgy Art Events

7. Modern Creative Co.

8. Art Innovation Hub

9. CyberVisions Studio

10. Trendy Designs Gatherings

1. Classic Artistry

2. Time-Honored Designs

3. Heritage Visuals

4. Art Classics Collective

5. Vintage Venue Creations

6. Nostalgic Art

7. Traditional Design Treats

8. Art Legacy Studio

9. Evergreen Creations

10. Ageless Expressions

1. Artful Finesse

2. Creative Charades

3. Portfolio Brainwaves

4. Visionary Enigma

5. Savvy Design Solutions

6. Witty Art Networks

7. Crafty Creations

8. Design Twist Studio

9. Portfolio Brainstorms

10. Artistic Enchantment

1. ArtComedy

2. Laughable Designs

3. Visual Belly Chuckles

4. Chuckle Creations

5. Giggles Gatherings

6. Funny Art Fables

7. Laugh Lines Studio

8. Whimsical Visuals

9. Grin and Graphics

10. Chuckle Creations

Examples of great portfolio names

The paper bakery.

This eye-catching portfolio portrays a business that specializes in customized design branding and paper goods. The portfolio name brings a fun and unique twist of wording to its brand, making it clear to the public that they are a creative and approachable brand to work with.

Chipie Design

This design studio focuses on helping small businesses grow their brand. The portfolio name gives off a jolly feeling to clients and focuses on creating a friendly, professional brand image.

This design portfolio uses its adventurous and exciting name to showcase their high level of creative expertise, depicting that anything clients demand, is possible to create.

How to choose the right portfolio name

Choosing the name of your portfolio involves thoughtful consideration. Follow these tips to make an informative but professional decision that will better help portray your portfolio and brand.

01. Consider your target audience

Understand your target clientele and tailor your name to appeal to their tastes and preferences. For example, if you’re targeting a corporate audience, you might choose a more professional-sounding design portfolio name than if you’re targeting a younger, more creative crowd. All of this should be taken into account when creating an online design portfolio .

02. Consider your brand identity

Showcase your desired brand image in your portfolio name, whether it's high-end, casual, or a unique niche. If your portfolio specializes in a specific industry or style, like if you have a fashion portfolio or a portfolio that caters towards food and restaurants, you should consider incorporating it into your portfolio name as it could be a smart choice for branding purposes.

03. Be creative

Embrace creativity to make your portfolio name stand out and be memorable. This might mean a lot of brainstorming, combining words and working with a website name generator  for further inspiration when choosing a name for your online portfolio website .

04. Test your name ideas

Gather feedback from friends, family and potential clients to refine and select the best name for your portfolio. Consider what appeals to them, and what doesn’t, and use that information to make an informed decision when coming up with a name for your portfolio website. 

For more inspiration, check out these portfolio website examples made on Wix.

Remember these additional tips:

Avoid generic names.

Keep the name easy to pronounce and remember.

Check name availability for trademarks and domain registration.

Once you've chosen your portfolio name, you'll want to choose the best portfolio website builder to create your site. Explore these Wix portfolio templates to get started.

Looking for a creative name for another business idea?

Trucking business names

Consulting business names  

Real estate business names  

Food truck business names  

Marketing business names  

Construction business name ideas  

Boutique business name ideas  

Photography business names  

Craft business name ideas

Portfolio names FAQ

Why is choosing the right name so important for my portfolio.

Choosing the right name for your portfolio is crucial because it serves as the first impression for potential clients. A well-crafted name sets the tone for your brand, aids in marketing efforts and significantly influences how customers perceive the services reflected in your portfolio. A memorable and relevant name can contribute to the success and growth of your portfolio.

Should I think about scale when choosing my business name?

Can i change my portfolio name in the future, can i use my own name for my portfolio, related posts.

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• Case Studies

How to create a killer writing portfolio for freelancers

by Emily E. Steck

Posted on June 23, 2015 in Community by Emily E. Steck.

How To Be A Writer is a series that is titled exactly as it sounds. In the digital age, writers are facing new issues on top of the old. As publishing continues to shift and change, not only are writers forced to change as well, they’re establishing themselves entirely differently, making breaking into the scene even more challenging. In this series, we offer up tips, tricks, and general commentary on the journey (or slog) that is being a writer.

Let’s cut to the chase: you’ve been told over and over and over again that you need a writing portfolio (you do). Now you need to examine what you want from it. Writers create portfolios for three reasons:

• To get more work. Because money.
• To sell work. Freelancers for hire sometimes like to sell a story on spec, and then work with the editor/brand/publisher/agent to modify and tweak the article.
• To build an online presence (to get more work). This is where your personal brand comes into play.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to create a specific portfolio, here’s an in-depth guide to creating a killer writing portfolio.

Choosing your writing portfolio pieces

Here comes the agonizing part: what do I include in my writing portfolio? How many pieces do I include? A portfolio is how you become a writer and agonizing over it earns you your writer’s stripes.

Your portfolio needs to represent what you want and your personal brand. For example, if you’re marketing yourself as a finance writer who can explain complicated ideas in a fun, engaging way looking to do more of the same, you’ll want to include your best pieces; ones that reflect your unique voice and ones that are straightforward.

The number-one myth of creating a portfolio is that you have to include everything you’ve ever written. The reality: not in the slightest. The truth is, you should only include the very best of your recent work (no older than two years) in your portfolio. The best portfolios are lean, focused, and represent your specialty/field as a writer .

This is where newbies fall into a trap, as they want to show some evidence that they can write (and write well) and/or have been published. But that article you published for the college newspaper that took you 15 minutes to write? Don’t bother unless it’s good.

I too have fallen into this trap where I put everything in my portfolio, racking up a few hundred pieces no sane person would ever take the time to read. Because the top pieces in your portfolio are what people read most. Shake off the urge to dump everything in your portfolio.

Pro tip:  compile a simple spreadsheet of your published works, whether they be articles, listicles, e-books, documents, etc. Make sure to include links to the articles, titles, publication dates, and other relevant information for your own personal records.

All that said, you still need to choose what to include of your published works, which can be quite challenging for newbies or generalists (that is, writers who are willing to write about anything). In this case, go for quality and range of writing pieces, including (but definitely not limited to):

• A blog post on a topic you are passionate about
• A piece of writing for a community group, club, or campus publication
• A press release, newswire, and/or other promotional material
• An essay dissecting a controversial topic
• A profile on an interesting person or place
• A short-form piece of breaking news
• A long-form reporting piece
• A research paper
• An editorial and/or op-ed
• A personal essay
• Multimedia storytelling (including Quietly content!)
• Collaborative writing of some kind

The types of pieces you include should also reflect the work you are going for (obviously). An academic would want to concern herself with including research papers, academic essays, and analysis while a journalist would focus on reporting, breaking news, and editorial pieces. Same with bloggers, content marketers, etc.

Typically, the number of pieces to include varies. Some prefer to keep it lean (eight to 10 pieces) while others prefer to have plenty of options (upwards of 30 and beyond). This should be no problem as you’re sure to add even better pieces to your portfolio the longer you stay in this crazy profession.

Pro tip (for generalists or newbies):  categorize your content and make different portfolios for each vertical you write in, such as a portfolio for science writing and a portfolio for entertainment writing. (This is where multiple portfolios can come in handy, but more on that later).

Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies (i.e. we just don’t know how to write about ourselves). But here’s a friendly reminder: the purpose of the biography portion of your portfolio/site is to sell yourself without selling your soul to the devil . Okay, that’s dramatic, but your biography should sell why they need to hire you all the while keeping your integrity. Besides, a good biography here is practice for when you cold pitch editors.

The musts to include:

• Professional pen name.
• Job title. Are you selling yourself as a “freelance writer,” “journalist,” or “content marketing specialist?” Decide on a BS-less title.
• A short description that summarizes what you do and how you do it. Don’t be afraid to use either first or third person for this part ( I am a writer vs. Emily E. Steck) and make sure this part really flaunts your writer’s voice. But not if that voice is boring—be creative! Sell your soul a little bit! But don’t use exclamation points!
• Social media links. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn—whatever is incorporated within your personal brand and that you’re comfortable sharing with potential employers.
• Experience. Some biographies are longer than others, just as some careers are longer than others. If you’ve been doing this for 10+ years, take the time to rewrite your accomplishments and drop some humble brags.

The must-nots:

• A pampering of buzzwords. Speak English, not résumé-speak.
• Age. No one cares how old you are. Literally—no one. You can add, however, how many years you’ve been writing.
• Bad grammar/spelling errors. ‘Cause that won’t impress them!
• A lack of confidence. Remember: they’re trying to hire you. You want them to hire you, and people don’t want to hire someone they feel isn’t up for the task. Steer clear of self-deprecation, even if it’s a core part of your personality.
• TMI.  Professional > personal.
• Cliché. “I was just born to be a writer!” No, you weren’t. Stay far from cliches about writing and your origin story as one.

Design and hosting sites

The fun part! Some writers will dive in head first to creating and designing their own websites; others will stick to portfolio-based sites. And some people (like myself) will do both. To each their own.

If you’re going the self-made route, register a domain name that works with your personal brand. There are plenty of options to choose from to manage and host your site; WordPress.org and Blue Host work fine for me, but do some research to know what fits with your budget (as it costs money). Keep things as simple as possible when it comes to the design. Use crisp, clear, and professional fonts, eye-friendly colors, clean copy, and a responsive design so you can satisfy the overlords at Google .

For writers choosing to use a portfolio site, you are in luck. Most of them are free and design-ready; you can even purchase a domain name for some. Here are seven great free and freemium ones you can use.

7 Great Free Portfolio Sites for Writers

By Emily E. Steck

Quietly offers a portfolio features for writers, where you can easily upload PDFs or scrape links to compile your content. You can add a biography section, social media links and interests as a writer. 

Contently tracks how many stories, words, shares and followers you have based on your portfolio. It's easy to upload new stories, but difficult to rearrange the order once you've added more than 30 or so. 

Clippings.Me

Create a beautiful portfolio to showcase your work as a journalist, blogger or writer. You can customize the look and feel and add multimedia works to your portfolio. You can also track how often your work is shared and who's visited. 

An often overlooked choice, Pinterest is a great way to gather your content in one place and to organize your verticals into different boards. Plus, there's a greater chance for content discovery.

Journo Portfolio

Journalists dig this very simple site to display recent articles, biography and social links all in one place. Choosing from multiple themes, you can upload 12 articles for free. Plus, it's easy to upload CVs and other pages.

LinkedIn allows for a section where you can add professional content to your profile page as well as publications you've written for. It's a great way for you to fill out your professional page with professional work, though it probably isn't the best for a standalone portfolio. 

Pressfolios

With Pressfolios, you can easily build and manage an online portfolio of clips; you can add up to 12 stories a month for the free version or upgrade for unlimited plus your own URL. It's designed with journalists in mind, but other writers are welcome to give it a shot. It's great to use if you'd like to organize by section.

Final pro tip: create portfolios with more than one site, especially if you have more than one niche. The chance of finding you and your work is higher, although you’ll have a bit more work to do…

I’m almost finished with this post, but you’re never finished with your portfolio

The end’s not here—it’s never near. As a writer, one of your main responsibilities is to update your portfolio/website frequently. After starting from scratch you may have to start from scratch again and again until you find the site that works for you at that specific moment in time. You’ll need to update your portfolio often because your goals and objectives will change.

Sharing is caring and if you really care about your livelihood, you’ll advertise yourself ad nauseam. Mention your portfolio on social media, post to appropriate job boards, have it on your business card. Show off your hard work! Tinker with any of these tips and resources I’ve outlined and get to work.

For more writing tips, in-depth posts, product updates, and industry insights, follow us on  Facebook and  Twitter .

Image: Aleks Dorohovich/Unsplash

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12 of the Best Online Writing Portfolio Examples – Updated for 2024

Jessica Michael

Sometimes when it comes to how to create a writing portfolio, we can all use some inspiration. With that in mind, I've gathered 12 of the best writing portfolios I've seen. We will go over what makes them so great and great lessons that you can use for your own writing portfolio website .

But first, let's make sure we're all on the same page by answering the question, what is a writing portfolio and how can you have one of the best?

What is a Writing Portfolio?

A writing portfolio is an online website where you promote your writing skills and expertise. In addition to samples of your past writing, your writing portfolio might also include an About Me page, a Contact page, and a Services page.

There are a few different ways that you can create a writing portfolio online.

You can always use a website builder like Squarespace or Wix , or even build it yourself with Wordpress. These are a great option if you have specific design needs and are comfortable with platforms like these.

A quicker, easier way is to use a writing portfolio website like JournoPortfolio . Sites like this are specifically designed with tools for writers and anyone else who needs a writing portfolio. You will be up and running in minutes, with quick article upload tools that allow you to import all of your writing samples in just a few minutes.

Why You Need an Online Writing Portfolio

Your writing portfolio is not just a place to house your writing. It is a strategic tool that you can use throughout your writing career to attract clients.

Whether you are a freelance journalist , copywriter, content marketer, or ghostwriter, your writing portfolio will always be a place where you can send potential clients.

Once there, your portfolio is a one-stop-shop where clients can get an idea for your writing style, your character, and your experience.

Without your portfolio, they would most likely have to piece together what they could from your social media and whatever else they could find online. And, after a few aggravating minutes, there's a very real risk that they will give up entirely and move on to someone else.

So now that we all understand what a writing portfolio is and why it's important, let's look at real-life examples of writers who are absolutely killing it on their portfolio. These are the best writing portfolios online right now, in no particular order.

12 of the Best Online Writing Portfolios Examples

1. ann friedman.

As a freelance journalist, Ann Friedman has written for such big-name publications as The New York Times , Elle magazine , and The Los Angeles Times , to name but a few.

But it's more than just her bylines that make this portfolio a stellar example for freelance writers and journalists.

Let's start with her minimalist design. Because she has so many projects going on – writing, a newsletter, and a podcast — she uses her home page strategically to filter you where you need to go.

Depending on your own writing portfolio and business goals, you might want to follow suit. Remember, less is sometimes more. After all, you don't want to overwhelm your website visitors with too much information up front.

2. Brittany Berger

I must say, I rather love the fact that this writer/content marketer greets you on her home page in a T-shirt and headphones.

It goes to show that you don't have to fit into a certain mold to be a freelance writer. It actually pays off to be unique and stand out from the crowd. Whether that's with your visuals, your color palette, or your witty writing style, it's up to you.

As you create your writing portfolio, ask yourself…

• What makes me different?
• How can I make my writing portfolio stand out?

In addition, she backs up her tongue-in-cheek writing style with evidence of her writing and strategy chops. Every bit of content on her site backs her up, from her Services page where she goes in-depth into content strategy, to her About page where she shares her background and press mentions.

So, even if you want to stand out on your page, make sure that you can back up every claim with hard evidence.

3. Tyler J. Koenig

I must say, I always love when portfolios greet you with a healthy dose of personality. And Tyler Koenig does that, with mix of confident and casual vibes that are completely in-line with his brand.

While he exudes a casual confidence, you can clearly see the amount of work that he puts into his portfolio. There are tons of content that showcases his expertise, as well as a solid block of experience that he discusses in his About section.

Another aspect that I enjoy about his profile is that he's not afraid to talk about his personal life and interests. You can see it on his home page where he gives a nod to his love of basketball, as well as his About page, where he goes deeper into how the love of the sport has shaped his career path. These details clearly enhance his portfolio.

You, too, can take your writing portfolio one step further by including relevant details that speak to your life experience and how you've been molded you as a writer.

4. Susan Shain

As a freelance journalist, I love how Susan Shain breaks through many stereotypes in her portfolio. From her down-to-earth photos to the engaging backstory on her bio page, she showcases her witty writing and her adventurous spirit.

You can tell right out of the gate that Shain is a natural storyteller. In everything that she writes, she pulls you in, including into the journey that she took to become a freelance journalist.

In her writing portfolio, she shares her vast catalog of past work, including bylines in The New York Times , The Atlantic , and NPR .

As you build your writing portfolio, you might also look for ways to expand your bylines – perhaps guest posting for prominent blogs or checking out industry publications. They'll usually have a page that outlines what they require of freelance writers and journalists who write for them.

5. Alice Lemée

Alice Lemée uses the space on her home page to warmly welcome her audience. She doesn't have a bold statement or an outrageous claim. She simply introduces herself and lets you know in the very first paragraph what she does and for whom.

Plus, let's take a second to talk about her picture. It's not a classically professional photo – and that's a good thing! It fits her copywriting brand, is high quality and clear, and includes a beautiful smile.

She also uses her portfolio website to feature many samples of her work, both in her blog and her portfolio itself. It gives ample proof of the consistent quality of her work.

And she also has a newsletter – which is a wonderful strategy to nurture interest in your brand. It's definitely something to consider if you have the time to contribute to it in a meaningful way!

6. Allie Decker

I love how the first image you see of Allie Decker is an animated version of her photo. It is a playful, creative way to greet her audience.

Her intro deals with the whimsical and the practical. She goes from describing her writing as the "intersection of SEO and storytelling" – both major commodities in the writing world – and then goes on to tell you about the major websites and publications where she has written. If you have similar bylines, putting them on the topfold of your homepage is a great way to showcase your expertise.

I also enjoy her Contact page. In addition to her form, she also outlines the various reasons you might contact her, including hiring her as a freelance writer or editor, working with her marketing brand to develop a content strategy, or even to invite her as a speaker on a podcast. This is a subtle way to let people know exactly how she can help their brand.

7. Tiffany Regaudie

You know what Tiffany Regaudie does as soon as her page loads – freelance copywriting. This saves you time. Now you only have to scroll down to publications where she is published, samples of her work, and testimonials from past clients.

Having a bold statement up top like this can really draw in your audience and make them want to learn more.

And we see another example of a call to action, this one for a free, 30 minutes chat. Even the word "chat" is very unassuming and straightforward, as opposed to words like "strategy session" or "discussion," which can intimidate your audience.

If you want to use a similar CTA on your portfolio, take the time to analyze your word choices to make sure you hit on the right tone for your brand.

8. Sara Clemence

This freelance writer leads with her writing, with samples of her writing right on her home page.

And, instead of including a photo of herself, she introduces her with a simple, one-liner that grabs your attention: Award-winning freelance journalist, travel writer, author, editor.

Many of the examples we've seen so far include a photo or a bold statement, but this one intrigued me because of its straightforward, down-to-business feel. It's professional and gets right to the reason why you're there – to see her work.

She also separates her site into sections where you can learn more about her as a writer, editor, or author of a book. If you have several different services you would like to offer, this is a great way to showcase each one individually.

9. Jolene Cheok

Jolene takes client engagement to the next level on her portfolio. Not only does she offer a direct line through her Contact page, but she also strategically places a button beneath her biography, inviting visitors to book a 15-minute consultation via bookk.me. This approach stands out as a top-notch conversion strategy for copywriter websites, exemplifying how to craft a copywriter portfolio that provides clients with diverse avenues for connection.

10. Allen Wildes

Allen Wildes stands out as a B2B/B2C copywriter and content expert, boasting collaborations with renowned entities like Nike, Architectural Digest, and Trendhim. His portfolio meticulously highlights his elite experience, showcasing the prominent brands he has partnered with right on the homepage. Each brand is clickable, leading to a dedicated page that narrates the projects he's undertaken, complemented by carefully selected images. Additionally, his highest-ranking blog posts are showcased on a distinct page, with the site's minimalistic design ensuring a professional atmosphere throughout.

11. Gracia Kleijnen

Gracia Kleijnen, hailing from the Netherlands, melds her talents as a freelance copywriter and Medium blogger into an engaging portfolio. The homepage welcomes visitors with captivating images that reflect her personality, offering a glimpse into her journey and professional focus. Additionally, she provides a Tools and Resources page, outlining the essential platforms and apps that power her copywriting ventures, complete with affiliate links for a touch of entrepreneurship. Gracia's portfolio is further enriched by a blog, blending personal insights with her professional facade.

12. Adriana Calado

Adriana Calado, a freelance copywriter and digital marketer, specializes in human rights, sustainability, and cultural topics. Her portfolio's homepage features an extensive About Me section, offering insight into her background and passions, along with links to other site areas for easy navigation. The services page breaks down into six subpages, each detailing Adriana's offerings in copywriting and digital marketing.

This layout simplifies the process for potential clients, providing them with precise information they're seeking without unnecessary searching.

Concluding Thoughts About the Best Writing Portfolios

If there's anything I want you to take away from this article, it's this: Writing portfolios come in every shape and size. Don't tie yourself down to imitating any one portfolio.

Of course, there are certain things that all portfolios should have:

• Writing samples, so people can actually see your work.
• A bio , so people can learn about you and your background as a writer.
• A contact page so people can easily get in touch.
• Images, to break up the text and connect with your audience.

But outside of these things, you have a lot of creative freedom. Create something that not only displays your writing chops, but also, infuse it with your individual personality.

I hope you've enjoyed this sampling of the best writing portfolios I've seen on the internet and that they inspire you to go forth and create your own great portfolio .

Happy writing!

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13 mins read

Writing Portfolio 101: What It Is, What It Should Include & How to Build One Really Fast

Are you creating your first writing portfolio? Or, updating it to meet current trends & impress modern clients? Either way, this article has you covered.

Shreya Bose

Written by Shreya Bose , edited by Protim Bhaumik , reviewed by Eric Hauch .

24. Jun 2023 , updated 20. Nov 2023

Writers, I’m not going to pretend you don’t know that you need a portfolio. Unless you are literally starting out with your writing career (and you've been chilling under a rock so far), you know a writer is defined by their work... and a professional writer shows their work in their professional online portfolio.

But not every portfolio is equal. Some don't make the cut when potential clients are evaluating them, and their failure is only sometimes because the actual work in the portfolio is sub-par. Sometimes, the portfolio design, its non-navigability, or the lack of relevant information disqualifies the portfolio and its owner.

So, in this article, I'll detail the essential elements of an online writing portfolio that actually gets you hired. I'll also throw in some writing portfolio examples, and introduce you to a tool that lets you collate your writing samples into an industry-best portfolio website within minutes.

So, what should go into your writer's portfolio?

A succinct but comprehensive introduction.

Keep things short, unless you're a winner of multiple major awards or you've studied in two different Ivy League schools. Otherwise, briefly mention what you do, who you've worked with, and any outstanding achievements (awards, Guinness Book Record for deep ocean diving, etc.).

If you're a freelance writer or you run a freelance writing business, you can include a line or two from a notable client testimonial.

ALL your work in ALL formats (text, audio, video)

This is the heart of all portfolio sites. If you're a writer or journalist, showcase your articles. If you're a photographer, display your best photos. If you're a graphic designer, exhibit videos, websites, animated elements, and still images you've worked on.

If you've produced content across different formats (text, audio, video), include all of it in your own portfolio. This is especially true if you have a creative writing portfolio. It indicates that you're comfortable working with multiple content avenues and makes you an asset for companies looking to expand their presence on numerous social channels.

A portfolio builder like Authory lets your import your work in different formats (text, audio, video, and social media posts).

Potential employers want to see writing portfolio sites showing off that you stay good at your job over time and aren't just a one-hit-wonder. The fact that you've written one great article a year isn't as great as writing one great article each month or week

Your digital portfolio should display this, and the best way to do so is to import ALL (or most) of your work in ALL formats — and display them accordingly on your portfolio.

Read More : Why your portfolio should include ALL your work in ALL formats (audio, video, text)

Real-world results

Nothing speaks like real-world results. Writing portfolios that showcase some real-world results are usually the ones that get more attention.

If you've got a few years of experience, you should have some numbers to indicate your competence. Have you written 50 articles in a year, perhaps? Have these articles driven organic traffic up 34% during that year? As a content marketer, have your skills driven greater engagement with a site or an even higher number of signups or purchases?

What to look for in your ideal portfolio builder

No matter what domain you work in, your portfolio page builder should come with the following essential elements:

1. Easy to set up & use

Writers need a portfolio builder that's super easy to set up and maintain because our focus needs to be on the actual writing. You cannot spend days copy-pasting links to your published work, and structuring headers, footers, section descriptions, and adjusting imagery for your portfolio.

For example, Authory’s setup process is exceptionally low-effort. All you do is enter the URLs of the sites on which your work is published, and Authory will find & import all your bylined content to its own database. That way, you have a complete repository of all the work you've ever done, at your fingertips.

2. Should look good

A portfolio showcases your best work, and it needs to look amazing. It also needs to load quickly, be searchable, navigable, and look great on any device, desktop or mobile.

You don't need award-winning designs gracing your portfolio, but your portfolio should be easy on the eyes and easy to look through.

Your portfolio should also look great on desktop and mobile screens, so pick a portfolio builder like Authory that automatically makes all portfolios responsive.

3. Should allow categorization

Typically, writers work for various organizations, publications, and clients. Since a prospective client is unlikely to go through work unrelated to their industry, it makes sense to share only what's relevant.

For example, let's look at Marijana's freelance writing portfolio: authory.com/MarijanaKostelac

Marijana is a content marketer who has written for different domains, all of which are on her portfolio. In order to showcase her work in some sort of order, she showcases them in different Collections: e-commerce , creator economy , email marketing , content marketing , and video marketing . She can share each of these Collections separately so that the client only sees what she has achieved within the relevant field.

4. Should support different content types

Creators produce content in many formats, and a good portfolio builder should be able to include all of them. Your portfolio should be able to flawlessly showcase content in text, audio, and video formats, as well as from different platforms like podcast sites, social media platforms (like LinkedIn and Twitter), etc.

5. Should be up-to-date

Keeping your portfolio up-to-date is extremely important, as recent work is usually the most relevant to your audience. As a writer, more often than not, my portfolio site is a little dated because I am more focused on my day-to-day rather than updating. But this oversight always impedes my ability to get more work as potential clients miss out on my latest pieces.

And that's why a self-updating portfolio — a portfolio that automatically updates itself with your new work — is a game-changer.

Authory, by default, offers you a self-updating portfolio. Once you add your sources (URLs of sites where your work was published), Authory automatically updates your portfolio whenever you publish on those sites again. So, anytime a new bylined piece shows up on any one of the sites you previously fed into the system, it'll show up in your Authory database (and you'll get an email notification notifying you every single time).

6. Should back up your content

Sites go down, files go missing. But, as writers, few things are as bad as losing our writing, published or unpublished. While a portfolio doesn't necessarily have to act as a backup tool, your professional life will be so much easier if it does.

Losing my work is something I've dealt with more than once, and I do not recommend the panic I felt every time I realized that work I've done for a client was taken down from their website. And... I hadn't backed it up.

Authory backs up your content automatically. Just add your sources, and anything Authory imports will be automatically backed up. The original site may go down, but you'll always have your copy on Authory.

How to efficiently create a portfolio with ALL your work (and very little effort)

Authory is a dedicated portfolio-building platform, which allows users to create a professional work portfolio in literally a few minutes. To create a portfolio with ALL your content (in different formats), follow the steps below:

• Sign up for Authory (for FREE) using this link .

Once I choose “Continue with Google” and enter my email ID, the tool automatically fills in the fields for my name (taken from my email data).

• I chose my profession as “Writer” and then click “Next Step.”

In the next screen, I see that Authory has already automatically found the “sources” — websites where my bylined articles are published ( nytimes.com & washingtonpost.com , for example). Of course, if it has missed a source, I can add it manually (just the site URL), OR I can choose to add all my sources manually.

• Click “+ Add.”

Authory will take up to 48 hours (often less) to import every bylined article to its database. Once the process is complete, you can segment your articles, videos, podcasts, audio files, and social media posts into relevant “Collections” — think of them as folders within your Authory database.

Creating a Collection on Authory

Once all your work has been imported by Authory, go to the “Collections” tab on your Authory dashboard.

• Click “+Create Collection.” You’ll see that I already have a set of Collections in the mix.

• Add a name and description to your new Collection. Click “Add.”

• You’ll be taken inside your new Collection. Click “Go to Content” next to the “Manually” option.

• Once you click “Go to Content,” you’ll be taken back to your main content dashboard. Since Authory has already imported your pieces, you can select the ones you want to slot into this particular Collection.

• Select the relevant files (articles in my case), click “+ Add to collection” to the bottom right (highlighted above), find the name of the Collection you created, and click on it.
• Go back to the “Collection” tab you clicked before on the dashboard. You’ll see your new Collection.

Adding your Collection to your Authory portfolio

• Now that you’re done creating a Collection(s), it’s time to add it to your portfolio. Go to the “Portfolio” option on your dashboard.

• Click the “Content” drop-down to the left. Click “Add collection.”

• Choose the Collection you just created — “New Collection,” in my case.

• And voila! Your new collection has been added to your portfolio.

• To check the final product, click “Go to portfolio” on the left.

• You’ll be taken to your portfolio in a separate window. This is what clients will see when you send them your Authory portfolio.

If you’d like to explore this example portfolio, feel free to do so: https://authory.com/shreya-bose

Writing portfolio examples that deserve your attention

David pogue.

David Pogue is a six-time Emmy winner, a New York Times bestselling author, and a five-time TED speaker. He is also a correspondent for "CBS Sunday Morning", a periodic host of "NOVA"; as well as the host of the “Unsung Science” podcast.”

Erin Rupp writes about productivity, well-being, and self-development. Her work stands out because of her depth of research, as well as insights from her own experiences.

Alex Hargrave

Alex Hargrave is a Reporting fellow at E&E News. Her portfolio page showcases a number of impressive writing samples (some of them in PDF).

Mary Ann Gwinn

Mary Ann Gwinn is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and book reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Seattle Times, Kirkus Reviews, and other publications. She is also a Pulitzer jurist.

Why use Authory over other portfolio builders?

As demonstrated above, Authory doesn’t just give you the space to copy-paste links and assemble a digital portfolio. It literally does over half the work: finding all bylined content you’ve ever published, importing it automatically, saving it permanently (again, automatically), and enabling you to organize your pieces into different collections.

A self-updating portfolio (no need to keep adding new work manually)

Authory will AUTOMATICALLY import a copy of every bylined piece from every site into its own database.

These sites are called "sources." You add as many sources as you want, and every single bylined piece from every single source will be imported automatically.

You don't have to track down links to your published work (especially older pieces). As long as you remember the URL of the site where your work exists, Authory will collate all your content for you in one dashboard.

Authory can import content from behind most soft paywalls (as long as it is a bylined piece) and some hard paywalls. However, it cannot be used to import copies of articles, podcasts, and videos you haven’t created or featured in.

There isn’t any need to manually upload/copy-paste your content. That said, if you happen to have any non-bylined content, you can always do so manually in those cases.

Automated backups (never lose your content, ever)

All the content that Authory imports from different sources is saved permanently. You'll never have to worry about losing any of your published work. Even if the original website where it's published goes defunct for any reason, you'll always have a copy safely stored on Authory's server.

All backups are in the original format — text and/or media. No screenshots. This is super important because it lets you search through your content database, making it a valuable research tool.

Continued importing of past and future content (less effort for a 100% updated portfolio)

Once you enter a source, Authory won't just import your existing publications. Anything you publish on the same site (after you've fed its URL into Authory) in the future will also be imported automatically. In other words, Authory will import your past and future content.

Authory also sends email notifications for every new piece it imports, so you'll always know if something you submitted has been published.

Many Authory customers have also observed that Authory notifications reached their inboxes faster than Google Alerts .

Apart from these, you also get a slew of miscellaneous but necessary features:

• Ability to search through both your portfolio and your content database to find articles/audio/videos based on keywords . Prospective employers and hiring managers can use this to look for topics on your portfolio, and you can use it to find specific pieces within your Authory content bank.
• Ability to create a custom domain with a click.
• All imported content can be downloaded as high-res PDFs or exportable as HTML files — no lock-in period.
• Get a custom domain and personalize your portfolio even further.
• Multiple, low-effort options for customization to make your portfolio visually appealing and easy to navigate.
• In-built analytics that provides real numbers on content performance (engagement, readership) across the web and popular social media sites every 30 days . You get to see how your readers/viewers are responding to your work.
• Allows creation of newsletters with a couple of clicks. After setup, Authory will automatically send your newly published content to subscribers.
• Widgets to display your personal portfolio on other sites, such as your personal website (if you have one).

Authory has been chosen by quite a few well-known names in my domain, people who could have picked any tool in the world, but decided that Authory best met their needs. There's 6-time Emmy award winner David Pogue , Steven Levy, Editor at Large, WIRED , and Brian Fung, a Technology Reporter at CNN , to name a very few.

Get started with Authory for free and see for yourself what works for you!

Seasoned writer & editor working with B2B & B2C content since 2017. Writes about music on weekends. Trying to overcome caffeine addiction.

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