The freelance writing industry is a competitive one and you want to stand out. You’re looking for the best ways to showcase what you got, and in return find excellent opportunities. Thus the question: how do you choose which freelance writer portfolio sites to go with?
Here are some tips and a list of the best free freelance writer portfolio sites to start you in the right direction.
1. Figure out your Niche
2. Find the Right Site for Me
3. Look at Reviews and Testimonials
4. Narrow Down Your Search
5. Creating Your Freelance Writer Portfolio Sites
6. What to Include in Your Freelance Writer Portfolio Sites for Writers
We live in a digital world, and it is no longer optional to have a presence online. Nowadays, it’s not enough that you simply create content because everybody is doing that. There are thousands of other freelancers just like you who are too. However, clients want to see your work and understand what you can offer them before they choose to work with you.
Freelance platforms are making it easier for new writers to stand out and introduce themselves online while showcasing their creative work. Using multiple platforms can be beneficial and help you grow your reputation.
Freelance writers can be many things. They can be copywriters, content writers for blogs and social media posts, journalism specializing in writing feature articles, technical writing for manuals, and ghostwriting for someone else.
With a free online portfolio for writers creating a writing portfolio is an essential part of starting your freelance writing career. The good news is, you don’t have to spend a fortune on it. You can create a basic portfolio that will be the foundation for your future writing endeavors.
Free Freelance Writer Portfolio Sites
Journo Portfolio
You can create your free modern writing portfolio easily with this site, which includes a limited number of themes to use. You can also integrate with Google Analytics to keep track of traffic.
You can also create multiple pages like About Me or Contact Me pages that allow viewers to see what you are made of! As the name suggests, this is a great option for an online journalism portfolio or a portfolio for journalists.
I like that they have a blog connected with this site where you get tips and advice for writers and portfolio builders.
With the free version, you get 10 articles, a home page, and yourname.journoportfolio.com domain.
WordPress.com
With WordPress, you can create a blog to showcase your work alongside multiple pages. You can pick from hundreds of free themes. You could dedicate one page or multiple pages to anything from writing, photography, or examples of work you like to create.
With the free version of WordPress, you have access to your dashboard but, you have to install the right plugins that you want, for example, a contact form or gallery for your pictures.
Kinsta has this post about the 12 best WordPress portfolio plugin options if you decide you like WordPress as an option.
Freelancer
You can create a profile, select the skills of projects you are interested in and receive project notifications. You can discuss project details with potential clients and bid on projects you want. (free members receive initially 8 bids per month) and enter contests.
Wix
A Lot of freelancers build a portfolio website using Wix. This website builder is one of the easiest to use and allows you to rearrange elements on your pages exactly as you like.
You can choose from hundreds of themes to find the perfect one; however, if you choose a different theme midway through the building process, you will have to start over from scratch.
While Wix’s templates aren’t mobile-responsive, which is super important, you can edit the mobile version of your website in the special editor to make it look good on any device.
You can take a look at some of Wix’s examples of other freelance portfolio websites built on the platform to get a good idea of what can be possible for you too.
Squarespace
Creating a freelance portfolio with Squarespace is easy. When you choose a template that has all of the features you want, it’s just a matter of swapping out the placeholder text and images with your content.
The portfolio website builder helps narrow down the best templates to use based on your niche or interests.
Squarespace is known for its modern, sleek, professional, and well-designed templates and has enough storage for images.
You can explore which tools you want to add—whether it’s setting up an online store, booking services, or adding your favorite third-party extensions.
Now that you know what the best portfolio sites for writers are, we can move on to some other categories.
Free freelance writer portfolio sites for Designers
Behance
Behance is one of the most widely-used online portfolio websites for designers and photographers. It’s also extremely simple and easy to use.
It’s essentially a social media platform for designers, so you can follow other designers and get inspiration from them.
This Youtube video by Lindsay Marsh helps explain how it works and how to set up your portfolio on Behance’s platform.
You will be able to organize your work based on the project. You can also list projects under construction. Additionally, the site allows you to link your portfolio to your social media accounts so you can ask followers for feedback.
Crevado
Allows you to use a simple drag-and-drop tool to rearrange your projects. The platform also allows you to sell your work online, thanks to the platform’s integrations with PayPal and Fotomoto.
All of Crevado’s website designs are responsive and adapt to mobile devices.
You can also set your projects to private. With the free version, you can have 30 max images and up to 5 galleries.
Here is a list of what you can expect from the free version to create your portfolio.
Free freelance writer portfolio sites for Photographers
Portfoliobox
This one is specifically designed for photographers at any skill level. You’ll be able to craft a professional-looking responsive gallery of your best work. Furthermore, the platform allows you to sell your prints or other artwork directly from the site (without paying any commission).
With the free plan, you can create a blog alongside your portfolio to further attract visitors and potential customers to your site.
They want you to sign up with one of the subscriptions but you can simply sign up and then create your free portfolio. I know this because I signed up.
It was pretty easy to navigate and set up.
YouPic
Another site specifically designed for photographers. YouPic enables you to craft a free stunning portfolio to showcase your work. Allows you to buy and sell prints from other photographers.
You can socialize with others and even share your images.
Furthermore, YouPic offers interactive courses to improve your photography skills. The “Explore” page lets you check out popular photographs, new artwork, and stories to inspire your gallery.
Figuring Out Your Niche
If you already have your niche picked out, that’s great, but if you don’t, here are a few ideas.
There are so many niches out there to choose from, but here I’ll give you some good examples. Maybe there’s a specific topic you like to talk about or you know a lot about?
Some examples are travel, parenting, relationships, food, animals, or maybe even marketing.
Figure out what you love to write about or simply talk about for days! Have a yearning to learn more about that topic and genuinely want to offer your advice about that topic.
Which Freelance Writer Portfolio Site Is Right for Me?
Whether you are looking for one or a few different platforms to showcase your skills, your online writing portfolio has to be top-notch.
Your online portfolio is the first portal for a first impression in which both clients and readers learn about you and your work — and one of the best ways to land writing jobs.
Finding the right freelance writer portfolio sites that allow you to create your writing content and highlight your personality is the key to gaining traction and adding a clientele. With any of these free freelance portfolio sites, you will be off to a great first impression.
Ask yourself if you like the drag-and-drop feature to easily implement a more visual appeal, or does that matter?
Figure out how many pages you think you need. You might want at least 4 pages to start with, for example, About Me, Home Page, Contact Me Page, and maybe an Example Page of what you can offer.
Don’t get too hung up on the design aspect because you can always tweak it as you continue to add more content, and almost all of these portfolio websites offer beautiful templates that make it that more appealing for your potential clients.
Pick one or two platforms and play around to see which of those you’re comfortable navigating through.
Look at Reviews and Testimonials
You can always do a quick Google search for reviews and find out what others are saying about any specific platform you’re thinking of creating your freelance writer portfolio on.
You can also take a peek at the websites themselves and take a peek at how others are creating their online writing portfolios and look at some online portfolio examples.
You can get a good idea of what you are looking for or not looking for when you read reviews. Looking at other online portfolio examples can help you in creating your own. Freelance writers that are starting will often seek out portfolio examples first.
Narrow Down Your Search
You can narrow down your search by your own needs. How many pages do I need? How many blog posts or articles should I create? Does the platform offer enough freedom for me to create how I want?
Most freelance writer portfolio sites will let you create your portfolio for free but, If you want more freedom and control over your portfolio, then you need a self-hosted site.
With self-hosting, you create your website, and then you purchase space through a hosting company like Namecheap for your portfolio to store your site and make it available to the public. Another great option is Bluehost, where I have my hosting from.
This just means that you’ll have to figure out keywords and SEO so that you can drive traffic to your portfolio. If you like that idea, check which option you like best.
With the free versions, you can still share your portfolio with whomever you choose to and promote yourself through social media; you just won’t be searchable through Google if anyone is searching.
I think creating your portfolio on any of these free options will suffice, especially if you are using it as a step toward applying to any freelance writing jobs; this post by The Write Life explains where you can find well-paid freelance writing jobs.
Creating Your Freelance Writer Portfolio Sites
Keep in mind when creating your freelance writing portfolio what to include in your portfolio content. Don’t be afraid of starting with something basic like “What’s my name?” or “Can I use this image?” especially if they’re looking at your website but would rather see some detail about your writing style before reaching out to you.
A writer’s portfolio can make it possible to see the personality behind your writing, so it’s safe to say, show that personality!
Consider putting it on your LinkedIn profile (especially if you’re talking about freelance writing), as this helps promote an online presence for yourself when searching out clients/colleagues across various platforms such as Tumblr, Facebook & Twitter.
What to Include in Your Freelance Writer Portfolio Sites for Writers
At least 10 writing samples will give your prospective clients a good idea of your writing style.
Your biography should showcase who you are and what you do. Keep it brief and short but try to include something personal about yourself.
Make sure your site is easy to navigate.
Add your social media, as this can be a great way to build your credibility and network.
Conclusion
We talked a lot about choosing the right freelance writer portfolio sites as well as some good places to start your search based on your freelance writing portfolio needs.
Becoming a freelancer takes courage. More remote jobs are becoming desirable because most of us want to work for ourselves.
I hope I helped you narrow down the overwhelm you may be feeling because It’s a big step toward starting your freelance writing business.