freelance content writing jobs examples

40 Places To Find Freelance Writing Jobs For Beginners

Alana Chase

With over 10 years’ experience in editing and editorial team management, Alana serves as Eleven's Head of Editing, aiding editors in creating top-quality content and overseeing recruitment to ensure only the best of the best join Eleven’s ranks. A seasoned digital journalist and writer, Alana holds an MA in Creative Writing and is accomplished in spearheading content strategy at high-growth media startups.

Deciding to become a freelance writer is exciting, but it can also feel a bit overwhelming and confusing at first.

You’ve explored your passion for writing, dabbled in creating content, and maybe even shared some pieces on a personal blog or self-publishing platform.

But what comes next? How do you bridge the gap between aspiring to work as a freelance writer and landing your first paid gig?

We’re here to answer exactly that question with our guide on where to find freelance writing jobs as a beginner. 

Below, you’ll find 40+ websites, job boards, communities, and newsletters to help you find plenty of new freelance writing gigs. You’ll also find platforms we’ve used to hire freelancers in the past.

Let’s jump in!

Traditional job boards: LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor

(🏅We’ve hired from here)

LinkedIn , Indeed , and Glassdoor are some of the most reliable places to find freelance writing jobs, even for beginners.

Simply sign up for an account (you can use your existing Google account to sign up on LinkedIn, Indeed, or Glassdoor or your Facebook account to sign up on Glassdoor), and then use their job search features to find writing jobs. 

Try search terms like “writing,” “writer,” “blog writer,” “freelance writer,” “entry-level freelance writer,” or “entry-level writer.”

On LinkedIn, you can narrow down your search by setting the “​​​​Experience level” filter to “Entry level” and “Job type” to “Contract” for beginner-friendly freelance gigs. On Indeed, filter by Job type > Contract for freelance work.

Pro tip: Make the most of LinkedIn by creating a compelling profile that showcases your writing skills. Highlight your relevant experience, include links to samples of your work, and add a professional headshot. 

Also, follow companies and individuals related to your niche (such as publishers or content marketing agencies) for networking opportunities. Engage with their posts and consider reaching out with personalized connection requests to build a strong professional network. 

Upwork is a freelancing platform that connects individuals with clients looking for various services, including writing. Writers of all levels can find gigs on Upwork, but it’s especially useful for those just starting out.

First, sign up for an Upwork account and create a profile detailing your skills and experience.

Next, use the search function to find jobs. Filter results by job category (e.g., Content Writing or Sales & Marketing Copywriting), type (hourly or fixed-price), client history (i.e., how many hires they’ve made), project length, and hours per week. 

When you find a job you’d like to apply to, submit a proposal and wait for it to be approved. 

Pro tip: Personalize your proposals by emphasizing your unique strengths — such as your knowledge of SEO, ability to meet tight deadlines, or expertise in a certain industry (e.g., technology or finance).

Freelance Writing Jobs

Freelance Writing Jobs features job posts for freelance writers from all over the internet. Listings are updated regularly, and you can narrow your search by job location, category, and date posted. 

You don’t need an account to browse the site. However, since it collects job listings from across the web, you won’t actually apply through Freelance Writing Jobs itself. As a result, you may need to sign up for an account on a different platform to apply for the gigs that interest you.

Contently is a creative marketing platform that helps freelancers connect with brands seeking top-notch writing services. It regularly posts opportunities from a wide range of industries — from tech to biopharma to medicine and more.

All you need to get started is a Contently account. It’s free to sign up, and you can begin creating your portfolio immediately. Add your best samples, outline your experience and skills, and upload a profile picture. 

Make sure to turn on the “Available to work” setting and set “View as” to “Everyone.” You’ll then be ready to start landing clients. 

​​Guru is a freelancing platform where you can find various writing jobs. 

To get started, register for a free Guru account and create a comprehensive profile outlining your rates, experience, and skills. 

You can then search for jobs, filtering by payment terms (hourly or fixed rate), employer spend (i.e., how much the client has budgeted for the project), location, category, and number of quotes received.

Once you find an opportunity that interests you, tap the “Send Quote” button to bid on the project with your custom rate.

Behance , owned by Adobe, is a platform where creative professionals can showcase their portfolios and find new work. While it’s most popular with graphic designers, illustrators, and other artists, Behance is also great for freelance writers.

The platform shares many job opportunities, including ones in writing that you can find using keywords like “writer” and “content creator.” Behance lets you filter jobs by “Freelance” or “Full-Time” — but we’ve found that some gigs listed as full-time accept applications from freelancers, too.

Simply sign up for a free account and start browsing gigs.

A job board specializing in remote and flexible opportunities, FlexJobs is fantastic for freelance writers of all experience levels.

The site requires a subscription ($9.95/week, $24.95/month, $39.95/three months, or $59.95/year). With it, you can access tens of thousands of job opportunities and search for the ones that fit your exact preferences. 

Filter by job category, work schedule, experience level, location, job type, and more. You can even view opportunities from companies with accolades, such as Great Place to Work Award recipients and those who’ve made the Fortune 500 list.

FlexJobs can also automatically notify you when it posts new listings that meet your criteria.

JournalismJobs.com

JournalismJobs.com is a site that posts jobs in journalism and media — including freelance writing opportunities at digital publications, newspapers, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. 

It’s free to create an account, and you can sign up to receive daily freelance job alerts in your preferred industry and location. 

Robert Half

Robert Half is a recruitment agency that helps professionals find their next opportunity. 

It posts new jobs to its board daily, and we’ve found that the best search terms to find freelance writing gigs are “freelance content writer” and “freelance copywriter.” Robert Half advertises both remote and in-person (within the United States) opportunities, which you can filter by state. 

You won’t need an account to browse jobs, but it’s a good idea to sign up for one (it’s free) before applying. You can also upload your resume, and a Robert Half team member will contact you if you’re a good match for open positions.

ProBlogger is a platform dedicated to blogging and freelance writing. It has a job board featuring writing opportunities from various niches, with new listings added regularly. 

With the Advanced Job Search function , you can filter listings by keyword, location, type (e.g., freelance), category (such as blog writing or ghostwriting), company type (from studios to large organizations), and date posted. 

You can search for gigs without an account, but you’ll need to sign up for a free Candidate account to start applying.

Creative Circle

Creative Circle provides staffing and consulting services to those in creative industries. It also has a job board and various resources for job-seekers, including freelance writers. 

Search for jobs by title, skill, or keyword, and filter by type (e.g., freelance), location (remote or a physical location in the US or Canada), and date posted. 

Creative Circle refreshes its job board daily, and the recruitment process is straightforward:

• Apply for an open role, and Creative Circle will set up an interview if your experience is a match.
• Creative Circle shares your resume and writing work with the client to see if you’re a good fit.
• You await the client’s decision, and if you land the gig, Creative Circle will handle all the necessary paperwork.

Hubstaff Talent

Hubstaff Talent connects freelancers with clients looking for remote talent around the world. The platform has a client network in the thousands, and new opportunities are added to its job board nearly every day.

Start by setting up your Hubstaff Talent freelancer profile — adding your personal details, experience, skills, writing samples, hourly rate, and how many hours per week you can dedicate to freelance work. You can also add your social media links, resume, and profile picture. 

Then, browse the job board for freelance writing opportunities. There are various filters to narrow your search, including experience level, location, and project budget.

Mediabistro

Mediabistro posts career opportunities for professionals in the creative and media industries — e.g., graphic designers, digital marketing managers, reporters, photographers, editors, writers, and others.

Its job board boasts hundreds of listings — including ones from major organizations like Dotdash Meredith and Hearst Communications, two of the largest digital and print publishers in the US. You can sort jobs by type, experience level, duration (e.g., freelance, part-time, full-time, etc.), and location. 

To find freelance writing jobs, you needn’t enter any keywords. Simply click “Writing & Editing” in the “Job Type” dropdown and set “Duration” to “Freelance.” 

Pro tip: Once you’ve set these filters, tap the navy-blue “Create Job Alerts” button to receive an email when Mediabistro adds new jobs that fit the criteria.

You might be familiar with Medium as a publishing platform writers use to share their work. But did you know it’s also a place to earn money for your writing?

You can do this by applying for Medium’s Partner Program , which requires some investment upfront. 

To be eligible, you’ll need to be a Medium member. Membership costs $5-15/month or $50-150/year, depending on your tier preference. You’ll also need to have posted to Medium within the last six months, be at least 18 years old, and be located and file taxes in an eligible country.

Medium will pay you for your articles based on “​​​​member read and listen time” and engagement signals such as “claps, highlights, replies, and new follows.”

You might not earn thousands of dollars per month (though some writers do ), but this is a decent way to make money while building up your writing portfolio as a beginner.

Check out the complete guide to Medium’s Partner Program here .

ClearVoice is a content creation and marketing platform that connects freelancers with clients. Sign up to freelance with ClearVoice, and the company will match you with the perfect job opportunity. 

Getting started is easy and relatively quick. Follow these steps:

• Enter your name and email address and create a password.
• Add basic personal details and a professional bio. 
• Set your per-word rate. 
• Select the content types (e.g., newsletters, blog articles, website copy, etc.) and categories (e.g., Advertising & Marketing, Family & Parenting, and others) you’d like to focus on.
• Add up to six samples of your work. 
• Wait for ClearVoice to approve your profile.

Companies can then contact you for work. A ClearVoice team member might also reach out to you directly about completing writing assignments.

Freelance Writers Den

Freelance Writers Den is a membership-based site designed exclusively for freelance writers.

Membership is a bit pricey, at $40/month, but it gives you access to a supportive community, resources to help you navigate your freelance writing career, and, of course, various job listings.

We Work Remotely

Catering to those seeking work-from-anywhere opportunities, We Work Remotely shares hundreds of jobs in various fields, with new gigs posted daily. 

Searching the job board is easy. Enter a job title, such as “content writer” or “technical writer,” and use filters to narrow the results. Advanced filters include job category, time zone, company size, industry, and more. 

You can also sign up for daily email updates on new job listings in your preferred category, such as Sales and Marketing.

Where to Pitch

Where to Pitch provides freelance writers with a curated list of publications accepting article pitches. 

Just type in a vertical — such as personal finance, beauty, or politics — or use the Categories dropdown to search for places to submit your writing. Click on opportunities that interest you to read the publication’s unique content requirements and pitching guidelines.

Who Pays Writers?

Who Pays Writers? is a crowdsourced list of publications that pay freelance writers. It includes publications’ rates, how quickly they pay, and reports on writing projects from specific outlets.

You can search reports by publication or date posted. New reports are posted regularly, and publications get added to the Who Pays Writers? list as soon as they have a report. 

Newsletters

Subscribing to newsletters is an excellent way to discover freelance writing opportunities. Many share curated lists of writing gigs — sent straight to your email inbox. 

Here are some free ones you can sign up for:

• Best Writing’s Newsletter
• The Write Life Newsletter
• Coffee & Go Newsletter
• The Writer’s Job Newsletter
• Kat Boogaard’s Newsletter
• Freedom with Writing Newsletter
• Peak Freelance Newsletter

Eleven has its own newsletter, too: the Freelance Writing Roundup. Every two weeks, we share tips to improve your writing, the latest job openings at our agency, and more. Sign up here .

Online communities

Joining online communities related to freelance writing can help you discover potential job leads. Many digital forums and social media groups have community job boards and regularly share announcements for freelance opportunities. 

Here’s a list of some you can join:

• r/freelancewriters on Reddit
• Upwork’s Community forums
• The Writing & Blogging topic on Quora
• The Freelance Writers’ Connection LinkedIn group
• #FreelanceWriting , # FreelanceWritingJobs , and # WritingCommunity on X
• Freelance Copywriter Collective
• Writers Helping Writers
• The Write Life Community
• ProBlogger Community
• Digital Copywriters
• No-Fluff Freelance Writing Group
• Absolute Write Water Cooler
• The Copywriter Club

Beginning your freelance writing journey can be thrilling, but you’ll need to know where to look for jobs to get your career off the ground. 

We’ve shared 40+ great places to find freelance writing jobs as a beginner — from established platforms like Upwork to writer-specific sites like Freelance Writers Den and plenty more.

You now have a range of options at your fingertips. All that’s left to do is start applying!

‍ Hungry for insights on improving as a writer? Dive into Eleven’s writing and editing guides , and consider signing up for our upcoming Freelance Writing Mastery course .

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24 Content Writing Samples Examples & How to Create Yours

Can you show us some samples of your writing? If that’s something you keep hearing but cannot say a confident yes to, you’re at the right place. We’ll show you 24 examples of how others write and present their content writing samples and answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

So the next time a potential client wants to see your samples or HR requests them for your job application, you won’t have to worry about it anymore. You can just send your writing portfolio over with all of your best projects included.

Looking for a quick and easy way to build your portfolio? Try Copyfolio and create a stunning website that’ll look good on every device. It’s free, no credit card required.

Read until the end, because we added free content writing sample templates for you!

Content writing sample examples

1. Kevin Anderson

Kevin created a page for his writing samples that's both visually appealing and informative. It shares details of the project while also allowing you to actually read the piece. He built his content writing portfolio using Copyfolio .

2. Shanice Perriatt

Shanice displays her social media content samples with screenshots and mockups.

3. Astor George

Astor used Copyfolio's "Charcoal" color palette to let the images shine, and added CTA buttons under each sample's description for better conversions.

4. Allana Schwaab

Allana did two things to present her content work for Hilton Supply Management: she wrote a short summary of the project and she also included large images of the final piece. Allana featured these writing samples on her portfolio website, built with Copyfolio .

5. Margaret Reeb

Margaret created a case study page for all her meditation-themed blog posts. She starts with a short explanation of their background and her process, then introduces and links out to each of them.

6. Sera Ozkivanc

Sera created neat visuals of browsers and mockups to illustrate her writing samples on her project page about her work for Loggle. She created it using Copyfolio .

7. Hazel McLaughlin

Writing samples that Hazel did for the Governor of Alabama. She featured them on her portfolio website made with Copyfolio , including all important details as text next to images showing the content.

8. Julie Yuen

A screenrecording scrolling through Julie Yuen's content writing portfolio, clicking on one of the project thumbnails, which opens a PDF writing sample on a new tab.

9. Halle Snavely

Similar to Shanice, Halle features multiple samples on one page, including screenshots and summaries, linking out to the full pieces. She created her content sample page using Copyfolio and the "Letterpress" template .

10. Robin Catalano

A magazine piece sample Robert wrote, with a little bit about the project background.

11. Tania Lewys-Lloyd

Blog samples by Tania, with a link to the blog and some background information.

12. Caitlin Wright

Caitlin follows the summary and a screenshot with a button linking to the piece published online.

13. Nidhi Pathak

Nidhi chose to add her content sample as a PDF with its preview and short summary.

14. Kelsey Ray

Kelsey listed multiple samples categorized by industry —and included a case study for more information.

She also wrote about the objectives and gave some additional information about the projects.

15. Angela Rodgers

Angela wrote short case studies for each of her samples, and displayed the finished results as screenshots.

16. Hannah Smith

Hannah included the excerpts of her content writing samples on her site as blog posts, with a link to the full article.

17. Leah Presser

Leah also added her writing samples as PDFs —each on their own page, with a short summary included.

18. Paul Maplesden

Paul added a screenshot with a title and short description to display his samples in his portfolio, followed by links to more of his blog posts.

19. Marijana Kay

Marijana writes a comprehensive case study when adding her writing samples, giving you a good idea on how the content she writes performs.

20. Laura Howarth from left field.

21. Yvonne Reilly

Similarly, Yvonne also added each project as a card, linking out to the pieces on different websites.

22. 3rd.Life

The content writing samples on the 3rd Life website pop up in lightbox windows, so you can take a better look and read the whole piece.

23. Julie Gabriel from Copywriter.world

Julie displays her writing samples with different CTAs depending on the format: some are linking to the published piece, while some offer a PDF download.

24. Shoaib Marfatiya

Why do you need to have content writing samples?

Okay, yes, these are great… But why do we need to have the content writing samples again? Isn’t it enough to just list all the previous clients and work experiences?

Not really.

Even if you worked with some big brands, it doesn’t mean that your next client or employer will like your writing style. Or that they’ll think you can adjust your tone of writing to their brand’s.

Getting to see multiple samples of your work in your writing portfolio , even if they’re not very long, will help them decide if you’re going to be a good fit or not. It’s kind of like trying an exotic new dish. You like how it sounds, but you’d still want to try it first before you can say that you actually do like it.

And that’s all the more true with clients working in complex industries. When it comes to highly technical topics, people like to see that you not only thoroughly understand it but can explain it in an interesting, easy-to-understand way.

What kind of jobs do you need content writing samples for?

First of all, you’ll need them if you’re a freelance writer, offering copywriting, or content writing services. Your prospective clients will want to check out your writing style before they hire you, that’s for sure.

But if you’re applying for an in-house or agency position that involves content writing, you will also be asked for it. It can be called a copywriter, content writer, SEO writer/specialist, or even a digital marketing position. So make sure you check the job description carefully and get your samples ready before you hit apply.

Types of writing pieces to include in your content writing samples

Now that you’re pretty sure you indeed need to collect your content writing samples, the next step is to decide what type of writing pieces you want to collect. If you’re an experienced writer, this will be a given.

But if you’re just getting started, choosing certain types of writing for your samples could help guide your projects later on. Because logically, for example, if you have a lot of podcast script samples, you’ll feel like a great candidate for the podcast writing gig. Just as a client would happily hire a writer to write for their blog if the said writer has loads of amazingly written article samples.

Blog posts and articles

One of the most common and popular types of content to write nowadays are blog posts and articles. As content marketing is becoming more well-known amongst companies, the need for writers who can write highly converting content is on the rise as well. So you’ll find that most content writers have blog posts or articles as samples in their writing portfolios.

Long-form webpage copy

Another type of written content all businesses need is copy for their website. With everyone trying to get their pages to rank on Google, if you can write SEO-optimized content for websites, you can get yourself ahead of the competition. Knowing at least the basics of SEO is a valuable skill for writers, so if you have it, don’t be afraid to show it off.

Content for social media

Do we even need to get into why businesses need to have an active social media presence? We all know that by now. But what many people often don’t think about is that writing content for social media is not something that just about anyone can do.

Yes, many social media platforms focus on the visuals - but without outstanding copy to go with it, even the best visuals will fail to convert. You need to know how to reflect on the consumers’ pain points and how to lead them to take the action you want them to take with the right CTAs.

So if you know the popular social media platforms and their requirements like the back of your hand –and can write content for them that will convert… Consider social media specific getting content writing samples and creating a social media portfolio .

Scripts for podcasts or videos

Blogs and websites have been around for ages, but it was in the last couple of years that the popularity of podcasts took off. So much so that now many podcasts are looking for writers to help out with their scripts, especially when they are starting a video podcast series . Since scripts for those need to be more versatile and well-thought-out. And the same goes for video content too.

It’s an exciting new genre, but also one that requires lots of time and effort. Podcasts tend to be quite long –and in most cases, you’ll have to do some research to be able to write a whole podcast script on a topic.

But if that’s something you’re interested in, add podcast or video script pieces to your writing samples to establish yourself as a promising candidate for these types of projects.

If you don’t mind ghostwriting (meaning that your name won’t be displayed as the author), writing eBooks for businesses that sell them is a great way to earn money as a writer. Similarly to podcasts, they’re lengthy and require lots of research –but the compensation usually matches the effort.

So if you’ve written eBooks –or want to get into writing them–, then samples or case studies to show your expertise will come in handy for your writing portfolio website .

How long should your content writing samples be?

The length of your samples will depend on a few things. Let’s start with the easiest.

If you’re adding a piece that was a previous project, the length is what it is. Although, for your portfolio, you can choose whether you want to showcase and publish the whole thing, or just an excerpt of it.

And that’s the second factor. Whether it’s a finished project or you’re just writing it now for your portfolio, you can always include just an excerpt of it. If it’s good enough that it shows your writing style, and your expertise in that specific type of writing, your sample doesn’t have to be thousands of words long.

Of course, if reading the whole piece is needed to assess your skills, write and publish it all. But showcasing only an excerpt can make reading it less overwhelming for the viewer. And as we all know, HR managers and potential clients often don’t have much time to review each content writing and copywriting portfolio . So making it easier for them by keeping the reading material shorter is a great idea.

How to format your content writing samples – a guide for freelancers and in-house content writers

This is another “it depends” kind of situation. Why?

Because if you’re applying for an in-house or agency position, the writing sample requirements might be very specific. They might ask you to send a certain number of samples that have specified length and format too. Or might even ask you to write something replying to a prompt or topic they gave you.

But if there are no such requirements, or you’re just putting your content writing portfolio together, you have more freedom in choosing the format. Our recommendation? A portfolio website , with each sample a separate project page.

Having your personal website with all of your content writing samples on there won’t only make you feel instantly more professional, but will also make it super easy for anyone to review your samples.

When each of your writing samples has its own project page, you have space to not only showcase the finished product but to also talk about how it came to be. Oftentimes the background information such as

• what the initial brief or your task description was,
• how you researched the topic and went around writing it up, and
• the impact it made, the conversions it drove,

...are just as important – and this format will enable you to write about all that.

Free content writing sample presentation template s

To make it even easier for you, we put together two free content writing sample templates. These templates will show you the ideal structure that a content writing sample project page should have.

If you follow one of these templates, your projects will be easier to review, will give insights into and background information on the project, and will convert better.

Create content writing sample pages based on this template easily with the help of prompts and guiding questions, and the super-fast page builder in Copyfolio — get started for free today, it's free, no credit card required!

This first template is for previous projects that are already published. Start out with your project title and follow up with a screenshot. It doesn’t have to show the whole piece, just that it exists and it’s out there.

People often simply link to the blogs and websites where their writing was published, but they forget one thing. It’s not guaranteed to stay there forever, unchanged. It happens that a company goes out of business, unpublishes some blog posts, or decides to change things in the copy you originally wrote. See how just linking to it becomes problematic?

But by providing a screenshot you can prove that it’s a real project that was published online.

Following the screenshot, write a few sentences about the project background. What was the task you were given? The brief or prompt you got? Who was the client you wrote for? Then, if you can, go into the creative process too.

In the end, show the final result. You can add large-enough images containing the content you wrote so that people can read it there - or even type it out. Additionally, you can link out to the live version of it online.

To maximize your conversions, always end with a clear CTA and your contact information. For example: “If you liked my writing and would like to work with me, email me at [email protected]”

This template is for you if you’re writing samples just to go in your portfolio. Because if you do that, you won’t be able to start out with a screenshot of your writing published online. You can still add a photo to make the whole page less overwhelming and easier on the eyes.

Next to the image, write a few sentences about its background and your process. Even if it’s a project you made up, you can still write about why you chose that topic and format, and how you got around to working on it.

For the final result, feel free to just type it out, or attach a screenshot of the document you wrote it in.

Collect your samples and add them to your portfolio with Copyfolio

The easiest way to create an online writing portfolio where you can add your content writing samples is using a website builder like Copyfolio.

Copyfolio was designed specifically for writers and will not only let you create a stunning website with just a few clicks but will help you with prompts and questions to write your case studies.

Just choose a template, write the copy, add your projects and you’re ready to go! Start building your professional writer website with Copyfolio, sign up today!

Dorka Kardos-Latif

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

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Freelance writer portfolio: The best examples and how to build one

As a freelance writer, your portfolio is one of the most critical factors in landing new clients. It shows who you are, and what you’re capable of doing. But if you don’t do it right, you could just as easily turn potential clients off from working with you.

In this guide, we’re covering everything you need to know about freelance writing portfolios, whether you're a beginner or advanced freelancer.

What is a freelance writer portfolio?

In the traditional sense of the word, a freelance writer portfolio is a collection of your past work that you can show to potential clients.

In the modern sense of the word, portfolios do three things:

1. Introduce you and your work

Your online portfolio (along with a cover letter ) is one of the first things a potential client sees when they are considering working with you. Because of that, it’s one of the best ways to introduce who you are, the type of work you do, and explain what someone will see in your freelance writing portfolio.

2. Demonstrate your expertise

Share examples that make it clear you know what you’re doing. You can post any example that you feel best demonstrates a specific type of expertise. For example: experience with a certain type of writing, a certain topic, or with a certain publication.

3. Begin the sales process

The best portfolios encourage potential clients to reach out. They make it easy to contact you and highlight the best possible examples of your work—the stuff that makes customers excited at the prospect of working with you.

The two kinds of freelance writer portfolios

Freelance writers will often have two different kinds of portfolios, both used in different times and for different purposes: the general portfolio and the specific portfolio.

1. The general portfolio

This kind of online portfolio acts as your CV, showcasing as much of your work as you can possibly fit in. You might also categorize or tag the content based on what it is: the topic, the outlet, the style of article, or the type of writing.

This is an internal document. Use this kind of portfolio to capture all your work that you can pull from later, but you don’t often send this to a client.

2. The specific portfolio

In contrast to the general portfolio, a specific portfolio is an external document that’s aimed at helping you sell more as a freelance writer. It’s where you showcase your best work or specific examples tailored to a pitch you’re making. That way you can show the most relevant work samples to help you close a deal.

Why do freelance writers need a portfolio?

Portfolios can do a lot more for freelancers than just sharing some work samples. Here are four key reasons why every freelance writer needs a portfolio:

1. Personal branding : Your online portfolio—and how you build it—says a lot about you as a freelancer. It demonstrates not only your visual style, but also your organizational process and what you feel are your best work samples.

2. Demonstrating topical expertise : Portfolios offer definitive proof that you know how to write about a topic (because you actually wrote about it). You might still get questions about how much editing went into the piece, but the portfolio provides a foundation.

3. Showcasing your range as a writer : If you’re great at different kinds of writing—nonfiction, fiction, long form, interviews, research, etc.—you can showcase that in portfolio navigation.

4. Avoiding the need to share references : Many clients will want to know that you can deliver the work they want. In the absence of a portfolio, they may ask for references, which is time-consuming and uncomfortable for you to find a previous client, ask if they will serve as a reference, then make the introduction and hope for the best.

What makes a good freelance writer portfolio?

The strongest portfolios have four key elements:

Introduction : Every portfolio should introduce who you are, what kind of work you do, and any other relevant information (such as awards or accolades).

Categorization : Good portfolios make it easy to see your range of work, whether that’s topical or type of content.

Good flow : Your portfolio is part of your overall sales experience, so a visually-appealing flow that’s easy to skim or click through is critical.

Comprehensive but not overly long : You need to include enough samples to prove that you’re good at your job, but not so many that you confuse or inundate a potential customer.

Amazing examples of freelance writer portfolio sites

Need some inspiration for your portfolio? Here are 10 online writing portfolio examples that you can steal ideas from.

Shayna Conde

Shayna Conde is a freelance writer that focuses on storytelling around diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

Portfolio style : Shayna built a minimalist portfolio that showcases her as a person. It’s part of her personal website, so you can learn more about her on other pages—but this portfolio page is succinct and easy to share with potential clients.

Why the portfolio stands out : Her portfolio stands out because it’s curated. She doesn’t just throw out every article she’s ever written. Instead, she’s hand-picked the writing samples that encapsulate her writing style and range, so potential clients know exactly what she might produce for them.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you have one key focus that you want all potential clients to know about.

Hank Herman

Hank Herman is a humorist writer that has written multiple books, articles, and even teaches seminars on writing.

Portfolio style : Hank’s portfolio is also part of his personal site, but the design is very focused on being brand-relevant. It’s sleek for its own sake, and feels very custom to Hank and his personality.

Why the portfolio stands out : His portfolio is a great reflection of his personality. It’s lighthearted, comprehensive, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. This gives potential clients a bit of a chuckle when they first land on the page—which is precisely what Hank can deliver for his clients.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you have a style of freelancing that’s highly influenced by your personality—especially if that personality trait is difficult to showcase when you’re not face-to-face with someone.

Charlane Oliver

Charlane Oliver is a writer and designer that uses Pinterest as her portfolio base.

Portfolio style : Charlane went for a visual-first focus, but using Pinterest as the platform evokes a sense comfort and ease (since a lot of people know what Pinterest looks like).

Why the portfolio stands out : Using Pinterest for her freelance writing portfolio, she’s able to combine the visuals from her design eye with easy click-through to read the text. This helps a great deal with visual style. Despite Pinterest having a very well-known visual style, Charlane is able to make it her own and showcase the writing samples she wants to.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you have visual-first freelance work that is highly complex, so the simple template of a Pinterest board makes it easier for potential customers to digest everything.

Scott Broker

Scott Broker is an American writer who has won multiple awards for fiction and creative writing.

Portfolio style : Scott went for a minimalist site that focuses on who he is as a writer: his identity, his accolades, and his explorations.

Why the portfolio stands out : His portfolio is highly identity-focused, which is critical for Scott’s work as a fiction writer. He demonstrates not only his credibility on his landing page, but also offers numerous examples of his award-winning writing samples under the “Publications” tab of his personal site and portfolio.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : For freelance work that is exploratory in nature, or when you use awards and certifications as a key part of your pitches (for example: journalism).

John Espirian is a technical content writer that specializes in B2B blogs, copy, and web writing.

Portfolio style : This website and portfolio feels very much like an agency, which is sleek, copy-focused, and features a clean design.

Why the portfolio stands out : John created a site that is purpose-built for his intended audience. When B2B companies look for technical copywriters, they want to feel like the writer knows their pains and goals. By designing his website to look like a B2B website, John directly demonstrates he knows what he’s talking about.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you are producing content for a specific type of business.

Anita Chauhan

Anita Chauhan is a marketer and content writer with a niche helping startups.

Portfolio style : This freelance writing portfolio site has serious “tech” vibes, where Anita’s website feels almost like a startup’s website.

Why the portfolio stands out : By having different categories that apply to startup marketing—content marketing, writing, lead gen, newsletters, etc.—Anita demonstrates she knows the different content challenges that her ideal clients might have. Further, it’s a super clean way to demonstrate her range as a writer, since she has examples of each type of writing within the portfolio.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you offer a wide range of writing services.

Neville Medhora

Neville Medhora is an American copywriter in the sales niche who posts his numerous blog posts and other work samples.

Portfolio style : Unlike many freelancers that use Wordpress or Squarespace, Neville used a template in Google Docs to create a journalism portfolio site with different sections. By including the left side navigation, he makes it easy for people to look at whichever section they’d like to see.

Why the portfolio stands out : Most people expect a flashy website, so a Google Doc automatically stands out. And because he formatted it well, people don’t get lost in the document.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you don’t have technical skills but know you’re good at writing.

Elaine Bleakney

Elaine Bleakney is a freelance writer who uses video and visuals as part of her niche storytelling.

Portfolio style : She picked a simple, clean freelance writer website theme, yet created enticement with a video at the top of the page (instead of immediately diving into links).

Why the portfolio stands out : Its visual elements and clean design make it simple to navigate.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you want to communicate simplistic elegance as part of your writing style.

Laura Sutton

Laura Sutton is a B2B copywriter and content marketer.

Portfolio style : Laura chose a shareable PDF that feels almost like an agency pitch deck rather than a freelancer sharing a portfolio.

Why the portfolio stands out : As a B2B copywriter, Laura regularly works with companies that might otherwise consider using an agency. By creating her portfolio to emulate what an agency might send in a pitch, Laura stands out as more professional and up to the task when compared to other freelancers that might only send personal websites.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you want to create a freelance writing portfolio that looks like a piece of content you might produce for your clients.

Akwaeke Emezi

Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian creator, artist, and writer that focuses on the freelance writing niche of the Black experience. Their work (and art) engages with what it means to inhabit certain identities.

Portfolio style : This freelance writer website is very visual on the main page, but minimalistic navigation on the left side. It makes it easy to send the whole site to a potential customer, highlighting one specific URL page so you can show them exactly what they want to see.

Why the portfolio stands out : Their freelance writing portfolio focuses on demonstrating this balance of art and writing—meaning it shows range very well. Akwaeke has written and created multiple different works, and having an easy menu on the side of the page is a great way for potential clients to click into what they want to see, but also know that Akwaeke is capable of more.

When to take inspiration from this portfolio : When you have either a visual component to your freelance work or you take one thing (for example, writing) and apply it across multiple disciplines (like Emezi who writes books, TV, essays, and video scripts).

How to build a portfolio as a freelance writer

If you want to build your freelance writing business , you need a good portfolio. Here’s how to build both a general and a specific portfolio:

Building a general freelance writing portfolio

Step 1 : Write down all the types of writing you do in a Google Doc or Sheet.

Step 2 : Collect links from all your published work to date—for yourself, for clients, or volunteer work—and paste them in the document or sheet in a list. Add information about:

• Who the writing was for
• What the writing was about (topic)
• What type of writing you did (article, longform, interview, etc.)

Step 3 : Find your best 2-3 examples for each type of writing you want to highlight (based on topic, structure, or client), and put those links at the top of your portfolio.

(Optional) Step 4 : Create a visual portfolio. Because you don’t have to general out a general portfolio, you don’t need to spend time designing one. This is especially true if you’ve had ongoing clients and written hundreds of pieces of content for them over multiple years.

Building a pitch-specific freelance writing portfolio

Step 1 : Ask what kinds of examples your prospective client would like to see.

• A specific type of writing
• A specific topic
• Highlighting your style or personality as a writer

Step 2 : Refer back to your general freelance writing portfolio, pulling 3-5 examples that you feel best capture what your prospective client wants to see.

Step 3 : You have three options

• Create a sub-page or category in your portfolio website dedicated to that pitch.
• Create a portfolio with multiple categories, and send a link to the one category the potential client asked you to highlight.
• Post relevant links via email directly to the content samples, bypassing a portfolio for that pitch or including it as an addendum.

Freelance writing portfolio building tools you can use as a freelance writer

There are many tools that help freelance writers host their portfolios. Here are a few to consider:

Clippings.me

Pros : Clippings.me is easy and quick to use. Reports also say that customer service is really friendly.

Cons : The free version has limited features. For example, you can’t use a spam-protected contact form in the free version.

Price : The premium plan is $9.99 per month.

Link : https://www.clippings.me/

Pressfolios

Pros : The page design is sleek and you can organize stories by section. You also get a full backup included in your plan.

Cons : There is no free plan, only a free 14 day trial.

Price : Lite is $9.99 and Pro is $14.99 per month.

Link : https://pressfolios.com/

Journo portfolio

Pros : You can pick from multiple different themes to build a custom design—almost like Wordpress for freelance writer portfolios.

Cons : No networking component—it’s just a hosting site and nothing else.

Price : There’s a free plan, a $5 monthly (Plus), and a $10 monthly (Pro) plan.

Link : https://www.journoportfolio.com/

Pros : It’s one of the biggest social media networks in the world, so you get discoverability built in (especially with LinkedIn’s “Open To Work” feature).

Cons : There’s very limited customizability and it’s hard to know where to put your work—in your profile, as posts, or as articles.

Price : Free

Link : https://www.linkedin.com/

Pros : Visual and easy to use, so you can focus on content creation instead of platform set up.

Cons : Millions of people post different types of content on Pinterest, so your portfolio could get lost in all the images.

Link : https://www.pinterest.ca/

Pros : Twitter is an easy platform to gain followers on, which means you can actually bring freelance work to you while you display your work via your feed.

Cons : Like all social media platforms, you have no control over your Twitter account's look and feel.

Link : http://twitter.com/

Pros : Muck Rack is professional-looking and highly regarded in the journalism industry.

Cons : No way to customize the look and feel.

Price : Free for having a portfolio page account.

Link : https://muckrack.com/

Your personal blog or writer website

Pros : You get total customization and control over the look and feel with your writer website in a way you can't get with any other platform or social media. You can also connect it to tools like Google Analytics to track visitors and improve your site over time through data.

Cons : You have to build it yourself—which means learning how to use builders like Wordpress themes or Webflow—or pay someone to do it for you.

Price : Varies.

Portfolio pitfalls to avoid

When building your portfolio website, here are some pitfalls to make sure you avoid:

General portfolio pitfalls

Working for free just for a portfolio sample : Outside of nonprofits and volunteer work, never work for free just to get a work sample. You can create a sample for yourself, but for-profit businesses should pay for your labor and writing service. If you want to build your brand, you could try guest blogging and guest posting on other websites. That way you get your blog posts on someone else's domain name, you get feedback from their editor that you can use to improve your craft, and you can share your expertise and skills in different freelance writing niches.

Sharing too much or too little : If you’ve written hundreds of pieces of content, keep those links somewhere private. Only post about 10-25 samples in a public portfolio. If you keep writing a lot, curate your work over time to only highlight your best work.

Not having permission to post client samples : One of the worst things you can do is post client work on your website without their knowledge or permission. You can include this permission in your contracts to save you the hassle of asking, but you should always be transparent with your clients.

Obsessing over the portfolio : This is just one piece of your overall sales and marketing plan as a freelancer. Don’t obsess over it to the point where you don’t spend time on other things that matter.

Pitch-specific portfolio pitfalls

Sharing irrelevant samples : Only share the types of content that a prospective client asked for. Don’t bombard them.

Not customizing your pitches : You may have a lot of examples of longform articles. You should always curate and customize, hand picking the best samples that make sense for any given pitch.

Not having any welcome text : Don’t just send links. Whether in an email or through a portfolio page, have a quick introduction to you. This makes it easy for other people to know who you are if your prospect shares your email or writer website link with colleagues.

Your portfolio is the foundation you stand on

As a freelancer, being able to prove you can do the work you say you can is critical. A portfolio does that and so much more: With a good writer website, you can express your personality and style on top of your writing ability. It’s the perfect place for prospective clients to get a sense of who you are, what you can do, and get excited about the thought of working with you.

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How to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (2024)

I’ve been a freelance writer for nearly ten years. That’s a decade of ups and downs—having a full client roster, applying to 70 gigs a day, and having ZERO clients on the books.

Today, I’m running a six-figure freelance business and managing the writing community over at Peak Freelance.

Freelance writing is a growing space. Zippia found that in the US alone, 82% of freelancers are freelance writers. There’s good money in writing, if you know where to find the right gigs.

To save you the trial and error, I put together this guide to help you figure out the most in-demand writing opportunities, the skills required, and tips on landing more freelance gigs.

How do you get into freelance writing?

Freelance writing is a super rewarding career choice.

You can work your own hours, express yourself creatively, and make good money. Hell, I’ve moved countries and haven’t kept a normal nine-to-five in years!

But, despite these awesome benefits, it also requires dedication and a strategic approach to both writing and business.

If you’re just getting into freelance writing, here’s what to do:

• Take stock of your writing abilities. Write down what areas you know best or are interested in. If you’ve worked in the tech industry, you might rock at technical writing or technology-focused content creation.
• Practice your writing. Start a blog about something you love. Posting regularly improves your writing skills and serves as a portfolio. If you’re into sustainable living, for example, start a blog about eco-friendly practices.
• Educate yourself. I started freelance writing from scratch. I don’t have a degree in journalism, communications, or English. Online courses and workshops provide enough value to start you off the right way.
• Build a portfolio. You’ll need a way to showcase your work to potential clients. Use tools like Authory or Contently to present your work online. Make a personal website, too, so you can have a digital space that you own.
• Network. Join writing groups like Peak Freelance and connect with other writers on social media. Networking opens you up to referrals. For example, a fellow writer might refer you to a project they heard about from a friend but can’t take on themselves.

Those are the basics of freelance writing. Next, you’ll want to pitch to clients. Many freelance writers (myself included) start on Upwork or Fiverr. These platforms make the job search easier and connect you with clients looking for writers. You can find remote jobs and send proposals to potential clients to land them.

Alongside pitching on freelance marketplaces, you can also pitch directly to publications or companies. This involves finding an editor or manager’s email address and showing them why your content is worth publishing.

But what remote writing jobs are available out there on the interwebs?

Popular and in-demand freelance writing jobs

Now that you have a good idea of how to start a freelance writing business, let’s look at some of the popular jobs and the skills required for each.

Entry level

The roles below are the most common ways beginners get into freelance writing:

• Blog writing
• Social media content
• Product descriptions
• Ghostwriting
• Rewriting and editing

1. Blog writing

Think of writing cool, fun web content for websites about particular topics. You’re actually reading a blog article right now.

🏃Skills required: Strong writing and grammar skills, basic SEO and content marketing knowledge, ability to engage readers, and adaptability to different subjects or industries.

🏅 Qualifications: Although a degree in communications, English, or a related field can be helpful, it’s more important to have strong writing samples.

2. Social media content

Social content is all about coming up with those catchy posts and comments you see on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. The ones that make you want to click “like” or “share” right away.

You need to be witty, write in a way that catches attention, and be up-to-date with the latest internet slangs and trends.

🏃 Skills required: Strong marketing knowledge, understanding of different social media platforms, and ability to convey messages succinctly.

🏅 Qualifications: A background in marketing or communications is helpful, but experience and a history of successful social media campaigns might carry more weight.

3. Product descriptions

This role involves writing content for ecommerce brands that want to sell products online.

🏃 Skills required: Storytelling, persuasive writing, and understanding features and benefits of products.

🏅 Qualifications: No specific qualifications required.

4. Ghostwriting

A ghostwriter writes articles, books, speeches, or other texts credited to another person.

🏃 Skills required: Strong writing skills, the ability to adapt to different voices and styles, and discretion.

🏅 Qualifications: Diverse writing portfolio and references are helpful.

5. Rewriting and editing

This involves rewriting existing articles to improve them or tailor them to a different audience, and editing content for grammar, clarity, tone, and style.

🏃 Skills required: Attention to detail, understanding of different writing styles.

🏅 Qualifications: A degree in English, journalism, or a related field is helpful, as is experience with content writing and editing.

Experienced

These roles are for more experienced writers. They involve having a specialty or skill that takes time to develop:

• Copywriting
• Technical writer
• Grant writing
• Ebook/whitepaper
• Script writer
• Medical writer
• Legal writer
• Financial writer

6. Copywriting

Writing copy means crafting persuasive content that encourages people to take a specific action, like making a purchase, inquiring about a product, or engaging with a company.

🏃 Skills required: Persuasive writing skills, understanding of marketing strategies and consumer psychology.

🏅 Qualifications: A degree in marketing, advertising, or communications can be good for a freelance copywriter, but a solid portfolio showcasing successful campaigns is better.

7. Technical writer

A technical writer communicates complex information (like user manuals, technical specifications, and process documentation) in a clear, accessible way.

🏃 Skills required: Ability to understand and simplify complex technical concepts, communication skills, clear and concise writing style, and attention to detail.

🏅 Qualifications: Often requires a degree in a related technical field or significant experience in the industry.

8. Grant writing

This job involves writing proposals to get funding from institutions like government departments, foundations, and charities.

🏃 Skills required: Strong research skills, ability to write persuasively and descriptively, and understanding of the grant application process.

🏅 Qualifications: While there’s no specific degree required, courses in grant writing and experience in the nonprofit sector can be beneficial.

9. Journalism

These writers report on news and current events, often requiring interviews, investigation, and fast turnaround times.

🏃 Skills required: Strong research and interviewing skills, communication skills, objectivity, and ability to write under tight deadlines.

🏅 Qualifications: A degree in journalism or communications is common, though not always necessary with a strong portfolio of published articles.

10. Ebook/whitepaper

This job type involves producing detailed, authoritative reports or guides about a specific topic, often used for B2B marketing, lead generation, or establishing thought leadership.

🏃 Skills required: Deep knowledge of the subject matter, research skills, and ability to write long-form content engagingly and informatively.

🏅 Qualifications: Expertise in the subject matter is often more important than formal qualifications.

11. Script writer

These writers create scripts for TV shows, movies, commercials, or online videos, requiring a unique format and storytelling technique.

🏃 Skills required: Strong storytelling ability, understanding of script writing format, and creativity.

🏅 Qualifications: No specific qualifications required, but courses in creative writing or filmmaking and a portfolio of written scripts are helpful.

12. Medical writer

These speciality writers create content for the medical, healthcare, or pharmaceutical industries, such as research papers, drug information, and medical education materials.

🏃 Skills required: Ability to convey complex medical information clearly, strong research skills, and understanding of medical terminology.

🏅 Qualifications: Often requires a degree in a health-related field or substantial experience in healthcare.

13. Legal writer

These writers produce legal documents, contracts, and articles on legal subjects.

🏃 Skills required: Precise and clear writing, understanding of legal concepts and terminology, and strong research skills.

🏅 Qualifications: A legal background, such as a law degree or experience working in a legal environment, is typically necessary.

14. Financial writer

These writers create content related to finance, such as market analysis, personal finance advice, or explanations of economic concepts.

🏃 Skills required: Understanding of financial concepts, clarity in writing, and ability to interpret and explain complex financial reports.

🏅 Qualifications: A background in finance, such as a degree in finance or economics, is usually required.

Tips on finding and applying for freelance writing jobs

• Know your niche and strengths
• Hunt for new jobs
• Perfect your pitch
• Set a fair rate
• Negotiate your rates
• Prepare for rejection
• Continually network
• Build a portfolio
• Get active online

1. Know your niche and strengths

Writers specialize in a niche based on their expertise, passions, or backgrounds. Focusing on a specific niche helps you find clients, establish yourself as an expert, and command higher rates for your skills.

For example, the health writing market has many different segments or niches. Product writing for healthcare software would be a freelance writing niche, as would patient educational materials or academic writing for charities and organizations.

But what makes a good freelance writing niche? Here are some criteria to consider:

• Demand: How many clients in that space are looking for writers?
• Skill: What skills do you have that other people don’t?
• Talent: What do you have a natural talent for writing about?
• Budget: Can clients in that industry afford your rates?

Regardless of your niche, continue to educate yourself and deepen your knowledge to become invaluable to clients.

2. Hunt for new jobs

Freelance job boards for writers are a good place to find freelance writing work. If you’re just starting out in freelance writing, you can use these sites to build your portfolio.

Some places to discover freelance writer jobs are:

• Peak Freelance Job Board
• Freelance Writing Gigs
• Blogging Pro

Job boards like LinkedIn also let you set job alerts, so if a job posting comes through that you’d like, you will receive an email to check it out. You can filter by job type and browse the best opportunities for your business.

Many clients posting on job boards will ask for a portfolio. So, as mentioned before, you’ll want to keep yours fresh with recent examples and current contact information.

Use your existing network

Whether you’ve just left your full-time job, or you’re building a new audience on social media, your network is a great place to find your first client.

For example, Steve Toth, founder of SEO Notebook , was once the full-time SEO Strategy Lead at FreshBooks. But he never really left the company. Instead, he turned them into a client for his freelance consulting business, SEO That Ranks.

Use your business network to build relationships and schedule discovery calls as a new freelance writer. The following tactics could be used to let them know you’re available for freelance writing:

• Sending personalized messages to your LinkedIn connections
• Emailing previous co-workers
• Tweeting about your freelance writing availability

💡 FACT: Word of mouth referrals is the most common way for six-figure freelance writers to find gigs.

Content mills

Content mills aren’t a bad place to start finding clients. Over time, however, you’ll want to go out on your own to find clients. Why? It’s cheaper. Content mills take a cut of your earnings for helping you find a client.

The top content mills to try include:

• WriterAccess
• The Content Authority
• Constant Content

3. Perfect your pitch

There are two types of pitching: cold and warm.

Cold pitching happens when you contact someone out-of-the-blue and ask them to hire you. That person doesn’t have any idea about you, nor the work you do. You’d have to make an incredible first impression to convince them to hire you. How can they trust you’ll do a good job if they’ve no idea who you are?

A warm pitch, however, means you get on a potential client’s radar before asking them to hire you. It works by finding the content manager strategist at the company you want to write for, and:

• Responding to their tweets
• Sending a LinkedIn connection request
• Commenting on their existing blog posts
• Joining their brand’s community

…before you reach out with your pitch.

Each of these tactics means your name starts to become familiar when it appears in their inbox. You’d be much more likely to open an email from someone you knew rather than a complete stranger, right? Never mind trusting someone with your money to write content for your brand.

4. Set a fair rate

Setting your rates involves a few factors, like your freelance writing experience, industry, and living expenses. I’ve tried every billing model possible (by word, by hour, per project, retainer, revenue share), and retainers have worked best for me.

Retainers are monthly fixed fees for a set amount of work. For example, your client will give you four articles every month for $2,000. It’s stable and helps you predict how much you’ll earn in a year.

To set your rates:

• Calculate your monthly living expenses, business expenses (software, subscriptions, office space, equipment, etc.), and taxes. Include your emergency savings, retirement, health insurance, and other benefits you won’t receive as a freelancer.
• Determine the annual income you want to earn. Divide this by the year’s workable hours (considering holidays, potential sick days, and vacation) to get your minimum hourly rate.
• Choose a billing model and match your hourly rate. For example, if your hourly rate is $75 and it takes you 4 hours to write an article, make sure you’re earning a minimum of $300 for your work.

Different projects may require different rates. So keep your rates flexible, understand the value you provide a client’s business, and charge accordingly.

For a benchmark, the average freelance writer charges between $250 and $399, according to a recent survey . Respondents wrote for various niches, like lifestyle, health, and more.

5. Negotiate your rates

Negotiating rates is a scary thing in freelance writing. But to earn a living, you need to know your worth and stand by it no matter what.

Here’s how a mentor taught me to approach rate negotiations:

• Set a minimum rate to accept. Consider your experience, skills, and unique offerings.
• Communicate value. Explain how your work can improve the client’s business. Can you get them more search traffic? Free trials? Paid conversions? Provide examples of your past work to show off your track record.
• Offer options. If a client has a smaller budget, offer to adjust the scope of work instead of lowering your rates. For example, suggest a smaller project or fewer revisions.
• Be confident. Negotiation is an art, and confidence plays a significant role. Practice your negotiation conversation, be clear on your points, and maintain a professional, calm demeanor during the discussion.

Once you’ve agreed on terms, get everything in writing. A contract or written agreement should detail the scope of work, payment terms, timelines, and any other pertinent details.

6. Prepare for rejection

Being told no is a natural part of freelancing. It can be tough to handle at first, especially when you’re excited about your work. Not every client will be a good fit for your services, and that’s okay.

Try to separate your emotions from any rejection. It’s often not about you personally, but more about the client’s specific needs, budget, or situation. If possible, ask for feedback on why you weren’t chosen, and use it to improve your skills.

If you keep a positive mindset, focus on your successes, and remember the clients who were happy with your work, you can push through any rejections.

7. Continually network

Have you heard the saying: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”?

Freelancing follows the same principle. Relationships are the key to gaining long-term, high-paying clients. Solid friendships with people in your niche means you’ll become the go-to person for the type of writing you do.

Make friends with other freelancers, content managers, and agency owners to build similar relationships (and sometimes find a job at the end of it) by:

• Interacting with them online
• Becoming a guest on podcasts
• Guest posting on popular publications
• Organizing coffee chats

To find your crew faster, sign up for freelancer communities like Peak Freelance and Make a Living Writing to connect with like-minded folks.

8. Build a portfolio

A writing portfolio is a collection of your work. It showcases your writing style and accomplishments.

Your portfolio is a marketing tool, attracting potential clients and setting you apart from competitors. You can put it on your freelance website (highly recommended) or use a tool like Authory , which creates a self-updated portfolio as you publish new articles.

Here’s an example of freelance writer Elise Dopson’s Authory profile . She uses it alongside her website portfolio to give clients more options to view her work online.

Examples of writing work you put in your portfolio are:

• Past online writing jobs
• Writing samples
• Guest posts
• Your own blog

Here’s an example from Ashley R. Cummings that shows what a great freelance writing portfolio can look like:

Building a writing portfolio is not only an excellent way to find new clients, but also a great way to keep track of what you’ve accomplished. Having everything in one place can be useful for doing a yearly review of your business. When job hunting, keep it updated so you can quickly and easily send it to prospective clients.

9. Get active online

Connect with colleagues in your niche, such as freelancers, content managers, and people in your industry, to start building relationships.

Here are some ways to get active on social media:

• Commenting on potential clients’ posts : Want to work with a brand like Wix or Shopify? Follow people from their content team and start liking or commenting on the stuff they publish. It doesn’t matter whether you have 5 or 500 followers, they’ll start seeing your name pop up in their notifications.
• Sharing posts: If you see an interesting post on Twitter or LinkedIn, share it. Similar to commenting, it can build awareness with potential clients and get you on their radar.
• Chatting with fellow freelancers. As a freelance writer, networking is super important to your personal growth and business development. Find freelancer friends on your preferred channels (we find Twitter particularly helpful!), and start having discussions with them. You can comment with funny GIFs, send them a DM, or invite them to a Zoom chat to discuss ideas and have a coffee chat.
• Posting original content. Another way to get noticed on social media is by posting original content. It doesn’t always need to be an article on your Medium account or website. You can also share quick tips, infographics you find, or an interesting article you think followers will like.

📚LEARN: 12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Blog

Finding online writing jobs

While it’s great that there is no short supply of online writer jobs; the flip side is that with demand comes competition.

While you no longer have to work for a publisher in New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles to get your writing out there, there are more freelancers looking for work than ever before.

Therefore, in order to truly stand out and land high-quality projects, you need to build a credible portfolio of work and learn how to market yourself as a content writer, journalist, or content editor.

Whether you just want some extra writing gig money part-time, want to make a living writing, or become a major business journalist, your options are endless.

So, check out these best websites and tips for finding online writing and proofreading jobs, start gaining experience as a blogger, and you never know how this could grow into a writing career someday.

Editorial Process:

Our reviews are made by a team of experts before being written and come from real-world experience. Read our editorial process here .

Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to us at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. These are products we’ve personally used and stand behind. This site is not intended to provide financial advice. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy .

Adam Enfroy

We test and review software products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. If you use our links to purchase something, we earn a commission. Read our editorial process and disclosures .

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Such a amazing blog thanks for sharing this blog

Very comprehensive and informative. Thank you!

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It’s a great source of knowledge; I think it will be helpful for a lot of people who are looking for learning more about the freelance writing jobs. Thank you very much for sharing this article was really looking forward for something like this.

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Peak Freelance

The Community for Freelance Writers

How to Create Freelance Writing Samples (as a Complete Beginner)

posted on 21 December 2020

Has a client asked to see a freelance writing sample?

You don’t have to scratch your head and put together an off-the-cuff writing sample to prove that you can write. A good writing sample doesn’t just prove that you’re a good writer. It convinces them to hire you, too.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a writing sample as a complete newbie. 

What is a freelance writing sample?

A freelance writing sample is a document that proves to a client that you can write. A writing sample can take many forms, and usually depends on the type of writing services you specialize in–be that blog posts , emails, whitepapers, short stories, or landing pages. 

A writing sample is key if you’re new to freelance writing . Potential clients want to see that you’re worth hiring (and spending their marketing dollars on) before they ask you to start writing for them.

Why do I need writing samples?

Still unsure on why you need a writing sample, anyway?

The most important reason is that potential clients want you to prove that you know how to write. Clients will only invest in writers they know can do their job properly. They’ll get that confidence by reading your writing samples beforehand. 

(If you’re finding writing gigs on freelance job boards , most prospective clients will ask to see a sample before they hire you for this reason.)

Not only that, but writing samples give people a good indication of your writing style. They’ll see how you format your content, whether you use statistics, and if your tone of voice fits with their company’s. 

7 types of writing samples

Writing samples form part of your freelance writing portfolio.

It’s a library of your best work that contains links and snippets of of content you’ve written for real companies or websites–be that: 

• Guest posts
• Landing pages
• Creative writing
• Short stories

The good news is: even if you’re not a freelance writer with an existing library of content to highlight in your portfolio, you can create writing samples in the form of content for fictional clients.

You’ll just write content for a client you’ve made up (similar to those you want to target.) 

Let’s put that into practice: Say you’re a new freelance writer who wants to write blog posts for software companies. You can create a fictional client who sells sales software, and create a sample blog post that would attract their target customers. Something like “How to Manage Your Sales Pipeline” would do the trick.

The key to a good writing sample is to create one similar to your target client. Think about the content they’d want on their website–and create it, in the form of a writing sample.

How long should a writing sample be?

The length of your writing sample depends on what type of content you’re writing.

Remember: a freelance writing sample shows a potential client that you’re a good hire. It should match the type of content you’re offering, too–something that has a huge knock-on effect on the length of your writing sample.

Say you’re a copywriter specializing in emails, for example. Most of your writing samples will fall between the 250-500 word mark. A copywriter specializing in landing pages, however, might have writing samples averaging around 1,000 words.

The bottom line is: don’t get too caught up in the word count of your freelance writing sample.

Just think about the type of content your ideal client would want to read, and match it with your sample. It’ll prove to them that you know how to write the content they’re looking for.

How to create your first sample for freelance writing clients

Are you ready to create your first writing sample? 

Not only will you convince potential clients that you’re a great writer, but it’s a superb way to get your freelance writing career off the ground and find your first few clients.

Blogging is a freelance writing niche set to skyrocket this year. So, let’s take a look at how you can write a blog post sample that lands clients. 

(You can use a similar process for other types of content, too.)

• Prepare a content brief
• Write a headline
• Hook them with an introduction
• Break the content into subheadings
• Add statistics and data
• Write a conclusion
• Make the Google Doc shareable

1. Prepare a content brief

When preparing a writing sample, it’s smart to create a brief.

A writing brief details what the end blog post should look like. A client usually gives them to freelance writers before the start of each project. It includes things like:

• Who the content is targeting
• The goal of the content
• What keyword it should try to rank for  
• How it plays into their wider content marketing strategy 
• What product features to mention
• The client/website’s style guide

(If you’re basing a writing sample off a previous client project, make sure you get their permission to include it in your portfolio.)

But even if you’re creating a writing sample for a fictional client, you could always make your own content brief and base the sample off it.

It’s an easy way to prove that you know how to follow instructions, and write a blog post based on a keyword, targeting a specific audience, and discussing certain product features.

2. Write a strong headline

A headline is what convinces readers to click through and read your blog post. Nobody will see it if the headline isn’t enticing enough to make them want to click it.

It’s why most clients look for freelance writers who know how to write strong headlines. 

Show you can do this by writing a strong headline for your writing sample.

It should be directly related to the blog post itself (without any clickbait), and have a smart play on words that stand out in Google’s search results. 

For example: “How to Write a Blog Post” can turn into “10+ Actionable Steps to Write Blog Posts Your Readers Will Love.” Much better, right?

Don’t just stop at one headline, though. Brainstorm 5-10 headlines and list them at the top of your writing sample. It’ll show your client that you’re creative enough to think of headlines, and aren’t afraid to play around with them to find the most click-worthy headline.

One you have your shortlist, run your headline options through a writing tool like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer . It’ll give pointers on how to make a good headline even stronger. 

Run with the highest-scoring headline for your writing sample:

(Depending on how good you are at writing headlines, you might want to do this step last once you know exactly what the blog post covers.)

3. Hook them with an introduction

Once you’ve got someone to read your writing sample, a strong introduction will convince them to stick around and read the entire thing.

I like to use this introduction formula:

• Aggravate the problem a reader is experiencing
• Elaborate on things they’ve already tried (and have been unsuccessful with)
• Promise a solution if they keep reading

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Use a similar formula to write the introduction to your writing sample. 

Prospective clients will be hooked from the first few sentences–and stick around long enough to convince them to hire you.

4. Break the content into subheadings

Did you know that most people don’t read your content word-for-word?

More people than ever skim-read content they find online. They might read the introduction, the first section…and then skim read the rest of the content until they see something that grabs their attention. 

Subheadings make it easy for readers (and the prospective clients reading your writing sample) to scan. They can see, at a glance, what’s covered in your writing sample. 

Plus, headings help optimize your content for SEO. Search engines use headings to understand what a page is about, without reading the entire thing. It gives them a good indication of whether your content is comprehensive enough to rank for the keywords you’re targeting.

Most word processing software has heading tags built into their tool. Use them in your writing samples to prove to a potential client that you know how to use them.

5. Add statistics and data

It’s not just writing skills that potential clients want to see in your sample.

They also want to see that you’re a good researcher that can dig into reports to pull relevant statistics, data points, and survey results. 

So, find some relevant statistics to add into your writing sample. For example, if you’re writing about online marketing, find a statistic that shows how online marketing is gonna explode in 2021.

If your writing sample talks about the best publishing platforms for your client to consider, find out how many websites are hosted on each.

Adding these extra statistics doesn’t just make your writing sample more interesting. It proves that you have concrete evidence to back up the points you’re making–and that you’re not afraid to get in the trenches and research the topic at hand .

💡 Top tip : Create a copywriting swipe file and bookmark interesting data in there. Over time, you’ll have a personal library of data points to fall back on.

6. Write a conclusion (and call to action)

A conclusion tells a reader what they should do once they’ve read your writing sample. 

It wraps up the key points you’ve talked about, and inspires them to take action.

That action isn’t always to act on the advice you’ve given, though. Companies who publish blog content want their readers to do something related to their product–and pitch that as the final call to action (CTA).

Do this for your writing sample by thinking about the fictional client you’re writing for. What would they want their audience to do next?

If that fictional client has digital marketing calendar software, they might want people to take a demo of their product. If the fictional client has a healthcare practice, they’ll probably want readers to register as a patient.

Good content understands the people a company wants to target. Crafting a solid conclusion and matching CTA proves you can do that.

7. Make the Google Doc shareable

You can prepare a writing sample in any type of Word processor.

We prefer Google Docs because unlike Microsoft Word, you can share the link to your live writing sample. You don’t need to download the document, attach it to your email, and constantly remember which is the updated version.

Google Docs simply creates a live document that you create a link for. You send that link to your client and they’ll have access to the latest version of your writing sample.

Once you’ve added your writing sample to a Google Doc, you’ll need to make sure that the link works for the people you’re sharing it with. 

Do this by going to File > Share, and hit the “Change link to [your name]”:

You’ll then want to change the permissions so “anyone with the link” can “view”:

Finally, copy the link and share it with any prospective client that asks for a writing sample. It’ll take them to a document they can’t edit (only view), so they can see how great of a writer you really are. 

How to use your new freelance writing samples

Now you’ve created your first writing sample, you might feel like the content is just too good to sit in a private Google Doc.

Here’s how you can make the most out of your freelance writing samples.

1. Add them to your portfolio page

We’ve already touched on the fact that clients want proof that a freelance writer can write.

They’ll look to a portfolio for this. So, whether you have your own freelance writing website on WordPress, or use a platform like Authory make sure your writing samples take pride of place inside your freelance writing portfolio.

2. Create an email template to respond to enquiries with

Do you have clients enquiring about hiring you?

They can find you through social media, your own blog, or a byline you’ve got on another website. Regardless of how they came your way, make sure prospective clients have easy access to your writing samples by responding to their emails with one.

We put together this free email template to help you do this:

3. Publish the samples to your blog

A blog is a superb way to attract freelance writing clients. 

It goes a step above a writing sample because you can demonstrate how you’d promote the content you write–be that distribution through social media, or optimizing your content for SEO . 

(That promotion could be what brings them to your freelance writing website, in the first place. A well-optimized blog post can crop-up in their Google search when they’re actively looking for it.)

If the content fits within the industry you target, there’s no reason why you couldn’t upload the writing sample to your blog. 

Here’s how I do that on my own writer website. I wrote a blog post about how SaaS companies (my target clients) can use content marketing (the thing they’ll hire me for) to improve retention (their goal):

The best part? You don’t need your own blog to do this.

Blogging platforms like Medium give you a way to publish your writing samples and get them out into the world. They already have an existing audience and SEO power, too. Posting your writing samples could bring clients your way organically.

4. Publish guest posts

Guest posting is a fantastic way to land freelance writing jobs–especially if you’re pitching them to an ideal client. 

It’s so successful because it proves to a client that you can actually write. They have first-hand experience not just of your writing sample, but of working with you, as a whole. They’ll know that you meet (or beat) deadlines, can work to a brief, and are happy to accept any revisions . 

(Guest posting is actually how I got one of my biggest clients. I pitched a guest post for them back in 2018. Six months after they published it, they got back in touch to say they now had a budget for freelance writers and wanted to hire me to create the same type of content for them.) 

So, take one of your writing samples and pitch it to a client you want to work with.

Remember that the sample itself needs to fit perfectly with the type of content they’re already publishing. Make note of their average word count, structure, and find a topic/angle they haven’t covered before.

Then use the template inside your email template bundle to pitch that guest post, and make your writing sample work harder.

5. Share them on social media 

Clients are always scanning social media. 

But even if they’re not there to hire freelance writers , you could use social media to share your writing sample. You could:

• Share your writing samples to your LinkedIn profile
• Tweet about your content
• Post the link in Facebook Groups your target clients are active in

Laura Bosco does this using the Featured section of her LinkedIn profile :

Doing this consistently over time means you’ll build a reputation for yourself. 

Chances are, you’ll be one of their first choices when they come around to hiring a writer.

Grow your freelance writing business with Peak Freelance

There’s no doubt that creating a good writing sample will help you land your dream freelancing clients.

If you want to take your writing career to the next level, Peak Freelance is here to help. 

Freelance Writing Essentials walks through how to set up a sustainable, profitable freelance writing business. Taught by two six-figure writers, you’ll learn how to create a portfolio, find your first client–and everything in between.

About Elise Dopson

Elise Dopson is a freelance writer leading B2B SaaS companies. She has bylines on sites like Shopify, Content Marketing Institute, and Business Insider. She's also the founder of Help a B2B writer, a service that connects B2B writers with top-quality sources.

More posts from Elise 👉

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