Build an online writing portfolio with these 5 platforms

As a new freelancer, wondering how to create an online writing portfolio to show potential clients? Continue reading; we have five easy ways for you to create a professional online writing portfolio.

One of the biggest obstacles I faced when trying to carve out a full-time writing career was finding a way to showcase quality work to potential clients. It’s a catch-22: Most clients or media companies want to see writing samples that showcase your best work, but it’s hard to get them if no one hires you until they see your writer’s portfolio.

The good news is that strong writing samples lead to work, which in turn leads to more published writing samples. To kick things off so you can start getting paid what you deserve, you may need to get a little creative and create your own opportunities. To get you started, I’m sharing five online platforms that my friends and fellow writers have used to build their writer portfolios.

A woman is sitting at the kitchen table at home and writing in a notebook.

Why you need an online writing portfolio

Simply put, an online writing portfolio is a dedicated website where anyone interested in being hired can see your expertise in full. Think of your freelance writing portfolio as an enhanced resume designed to land your ideal client.

While aspiring writers often ask why they can’t simply submit writing samples via Google Docs or Word documents when applying for freelance jobs, submitting links to published content is an industry standard.

Most clients and media companies want to see a writer’s skills in action, and those skills go far beyond being able to turn a good phrase. Depending on the author’s niche, published samples can show the writer’s understanding of industry basics like SEO and serve as proof that they’ve written their own content, which is increasingly important in today’s world of content mills and artificial intelligence.

Websites for creating or hosting online writing portfolios

For writers who know they can do the job but need to create samples, many platforms offer a space to self-publish content. This can be as simple as choosing a topic that matches the type of job you’re looking for, then browsing sites with similar content to find out what clients are looking for.

Since you can always change the content as you develop your skills, the most important thing is to choose a portfolio website and get started.

Here are some of the best platforms you can build:

1. Medium

Medium is one of the easiest places for new freelance writers to share their work or create new content, not to mention a low-pressure place to hone your craft and hone your finer freelance writing skills. Medium, a self-publishing site, offers a straightforward interface for uploading content and a simple template for authors to add images and other media.

It’s free to publish on the medium, and several writer friends have used the platform to create writing samples to use in pitches on some pretty big content sites. Medium also offers an affiliate program that gives authors the opportunity to read content that would otherwise be behind a paywall and possibly get paid for their content.

2. Substack

Like Medium, Substack is a platform where authors can self-publish their content. However, while Medium functions more like a social media site with a focus on authors sharing and researching other creators’ content, Substack’s platform focuses more on building an audience of subscribers and allowing users to monetize their content through newsletter memberships.

Even if you’re not too interested in building a following, a Substack account can be a good way to showcase your writing skills and show that you’re at the intersection of the content and technology worlds. It’s incredibly easy to add content, and the site even allows users to create podcasts, which can be useful for those of us who want to break into the world of screenwriting.

3. Wix

If you’d rather have your own portfolio website, but aren’t quite as tech-savvy with HTML or content creation with WordPress, Wix is a fantastic alternative. Different subscription levels and a high degree of customization also make Wix an excellent choice for authors who want to share different types of content, such as blog posts, essays, or creative writing.

With tons of templates and demo pages, Wix has always offered a pretty easy-to-use website. However, the integration of artificial intelligence along with the platform’s step-by-step guide has made building a portfolio site even easier. Once you’ve designed your home page, you can easily set up a blog to publish your own content or create pages that link to your other published work.

4. LinkedIn

While you’re probably familiar with LinkedIn as a way to share your professional portfolio or upload your resume, not everyone realizes that users can publish content on the platform. After logging in, users can access an option from the top center of their landing page where they have the option to “Start a post, try typing with AI.” Here users can upload media, add an event or write an article.

Like Medium, LinkedIn’s “Write article” feature allows users to upload images and add H2 subheadings, giving freelancers a way to show they understand SEO best practices. Once you’ve published your content, it’s easy to share it with your professional network or professional LinkedIn groups.

5. Author

Authory is similar to LinkedIn in that users can create a profile with their own header and tagline under their name. However, instead of creating a bio, users add links to their published content, which appear with a thumbnail image, title, publication date, and publisher name. The price of the paid subscription is reasonable and there is a free version for writers who are not ready to invest in paid professional subscriptions.

Authory users can create a custom URL with their name or business name and share it on their bio or on social media. The platform will even automatically add newly published work to logged-in users’ portfolios and provide you with analytics on linked content, such as telling you how many Facebook comments a blog post has received.

While you can’t publish writing samples directly on Authory, the platform offers a space for authors to put together content they’ve published on other sites in a clean and attractive layout. This is especially useful for writers of non-byline content (such as business blogs) or for sharing blog content in a more professional-looking space.

A woman who works from home is sitting at a desk in front of a laptop and writing in a notebook.

Creating a Killer Online Writing Portfolio Page

Even after accumulating several writing samples, writers can demonstrate their versatility by sharing the different types of writing they are capable of in their portfolio. An online writing portfolio can also include things like social media links and testimonials from previous clients.

To create the best online writing profile possible and start filling it with strong writing samples, try taking inspiration from sites that hope to hire you or other writing portfolio examples. Most importantly, continue to build your writing portfolio each time you add a new skill or earn a new publishing credit. And finally, don’t forget to remove older, lower-quality content as you grow professionally.

Creating an online writing portfolio package

No matter what type of writer you are, fiction writer, web content writer, or someone who produces technical writing like case studies, a professional online writing portfolio can lead to better (and more) jobs. If you don’t have one, creating one should be at the top of your to-do list.

Once you really start building your portfolio, a paid subscription to a site like Authory or Medium can be a valuable investment, helping you get better opportunities and connect with other clients and industry professionals.

Do you have a favorite platform for sharing your online writing portfolio or know of any good self-publishing sites we’ve overlooked? Let us know in the comments!