Building Your Online Portfolio

Whether you’re a writer or an editor, your portfolio is one of the most important tools you have to make a good impression, boost your online authority, and score more clients. It shows prospective clients what you can do, how you work, and why they should hire you.

A strong portfolio signals two things at once: that you take your work seriously, and that you can deliver the kind of results a client is looking for. Most prospective clients want to know if you can handle the scope of work they need and that you'll be professional and reliable. If you can demonstrate familiarity with their industry, that's a bonus.

A portfolio doesn't have to be a heavy lift. It can be as simple or well-designed as you want, but sometimes less is more. It’s all about curation. Your job is to present a handful of your strongest, most relevant work in a format that’s easy for someone else to scan and understand at a glance.

Below, we’ll walk through what that looks like for writers and for editors.

For Writers

A portfolio is often the deciding factor for freelance writers, whether you're applying to gigs on Upwork, sending InMails on LinkedIn, or even pitching editors at magazines. A strong portfolio not only shows that you can produce good content but also that you know how to present it in a professional way. Clients rely on portfolios to help them sift through the onslaught of applicants they get for any given job. Everyone thinks they're a writer, but not everyone has the clips to prove it.

Why Portfolios Matter for Writers

When a client or editor reviews your portfolio, they are rarely reading every word. Instead, they are scanning for three things:

Industry familiarity. Have you written about topics that overlap with their business or audience?
- A note: We know this one truly isn't as important as clients may think it is. However, our work in contract placements has shown us that clients believe it is; industry experience is the #1 thing most prospective clients ask for. Any time you're applying for something and you have the opportunity to fine-tune your work samples to send something more relevant than the same group of clips you always send, do it. It's worth the extra 10 minutes.
Style and range. Can you write in the tone they want, whether technical and precise or friendly and conversational?
- Check our resource on common blog voices.
Professionalism. Is your portfolio presented cleanly, with samples that make sense together? Does it look like you’ve put care into your career?

This quick scan tells them a lot about whether you’re a fit.

How To Choose Samples

Writers often get stuck deciding what belongs in a portfolio. A few guiding principles make the process easier:

Lead with bylined work whenever possible. Articles that carry your name build credibility fastest.
Include the work you want more of. Don’t just default to what you’ve been assigned. If you want more healthcare writing, showcase that, even if you’ve also written in ten other industries.
Aim for variety without overload. Five to ten strong samples are plenty. A mix of formats (blog posts, white papers, web copy) or industries shows flexibility.
Keep it fresh. A portfolio with only old samples can give the impression you’re not active. Refresh it regularly with recent projects.

Using Your Compose.ly Work

Many of you want to showcase projects completed through Compose.ly, and we encourage this. But you must balance your professional goals with client confidentiality and SEO best practices. Here’s what you can do:

✅ Link to bylined pieces. If your name appears on an article, link directly to the published version.
✅ List the brands you’ve written for. Even if your work was ghostwritten, you may identify the companies you’ve worked with through Compose.ly.
✅ Describe ghostwriting work by industry or topic. For example: “Created blog content for a B2B SaaS company in the HR tech space, covering employee engagement and retention.”

And here’s what to avoid:

❌ Don’t republish full articles. Copying text into your portfolio creates duplicate content, which harms SEO and undermines client trust.
❌ Don’t post PDFs publicly. Drafts or final copies in PDF form are fine to keep, but don’t upload them where anyone can download them.
- ✅ Share PDFs or screenshots privately if asked. Keep a personal record of your work that you can provide directly to a client on request.

For Editors

Editors don’t typically have “clips” with their name on them, but they still need a way to demonstrate their skills. An editorial portfolio is less about showcasing finished pieces and more about illustrating your judgment, process, and impact.

Why Portfolios Matter for Editors

Many clients aren’t sure how to evaluate editorial work. They may not know what a good edit looks like or how to measure editorial value. A clear portfolio helps them answer questions like:

Can this editor handle the type and volume of content I need?
Do they understand how to maintain brand voice and guide writers?
Will they improve my content program’s quality, consistency, and efficiency?

Without a portfolio, these answers remain invisible. With one, you stand out as someone who adds measurable value.

What Editors Can Showcase

Since you don’t usually have bylined articles, focus on other forms of evidence:

Project scope and client types. Describe the kinds of projects you’ve edited. For example: “Edited long-form technical articles for SaaS clients,” or “Oversaw high-volume e-commerce product copy across multiple brands.”
Before/after samples (with permission). Short, anonymized excerpts can show the difference your edits make. Even a single paragraph “before and after” demonstrates clarity and polish.
Testimonials or feedback. Quotes from writers, account managers, or clients can be just as powerful as clips. Keep them short and professional.
Tools and processes. Note your experience with editorial platforms (WordPress, Frase, Grammarly, Airtable) or workflows (QA review, line editing, style guide development).
Roles and responsibilities. Describe responsibilities beyond editing text, such as training writers, building style guides, or managing revision cycles.
Metrics where available. If you’ve reduced revision rates, improved turnaround time, or contributed to client retention, these are concrete outcomes worth sharing.

How To Present an Editorial Portfolio

Editors benefit from a slightly different format than writers:

A simple personal site or PDF. Organize it into clear sections (project descriptions, processes, testimonials).
An opening statement. Lead with a short overview of your editorial strengths, such as “Experienced editor specializing in B2B content, with a focus on clarity, consistency, and brand voice alignment.”
Context over clips. Instead of linking articles, frame the kinds of editing work you’ve done and the results you achieved.

Best Practices for Presentation

Keep the design simple. A straightforward list of samples with titles and links is more effective than cluttered visuals.
Use consistent formatting. For each piece, include the article title, client or publication name, and your role (e.g., “ghostwriter,” “bylined article”).
Add a short introduction. A one- or two-sentence tagline such as “Freelance writer specializing in B2B tech and finance” helps frame your work for someone new.
Proofread carefully. Typos in your own portfolio are a red flag for clients.

Where to Host Your Portfolio

You don’t need a custom domain or advanced web design skills. Simple and free options are often more than enough:

A personal website. Tools like Google Sites, Wix, Notion, or WordPress let you set up a clean, professional page in an afternoon. All you really need is your name, a short introduction, including a strong bio, and links to your samples.
LinkedIn. If you’re already active there, adding work samples to your profile can double as a lightweight portfolio.
A PDF or résumé add-on. For writers just starting out, a single PDF with clickable links can serve as a portfolio you send directly with applications. Over time, you can expand into a full site.

The goal is accessibility: your portfolio should be easy to open, navigate, and understand without extra effort.

Portfolios Evolve as You Do

Whether you’re a writer or an editor, your portfolio doesn’t need to be flashy. What matters is that it gives a clear, professional picture of your skills, makes it easy for someone to understand your range, and aligns with the kind of work you want to do next.

Start small. A single page with a few strong examples can do more for your career than waiting until you have dozens of projects to showcase. Over time, refine and add new work. Your portfolio can and should grow alongside your experience. The best portfolios are not static — they evolve with your career and reflect the professional you’re becoming.

Page updated

Report abuse