Building a writing profile – Part 1 (Online)

As the first deliverable of the N2FW project, let us take a more detailed look at promoting your writing and eventually, you, the freelance writer. I would like to break this in to three areas that I would deep dive in to in my blog:
• Building your profile

• Promoting online

• Client relationship
I would cover the first bullet in this blog and will keep adding my notes as and when I have enough analysis done!

Hmm…so how does having a writing portfolio help you? Have you ever seen a model applying for agencies without a portfolio? No? Then how can you, a freelance writer, expect to go around anywhere without a writing portfolio? Just like a model’s portfolio showcases his/her best looks, your writing portfolio is your identity and needs to be built with as much care as you would take for writing the precious articles for your clients.

And one wouldn’t really like to go about meeting clients or advertising oneself without first having a professional profile built. It would not only make your clients leave in a hurry but also leaves a very bad impression about one’s unorganized self. That, useless mention, is fatal to any business. Therefore, the first step in promoting yourself as a freelance writer is to build a professional writing portfolio. I would further divide this area in to two:
Online portfolio
Print portfolio

Since both these topics are vast enough, I would discuss building online writing portfolio in this blog.

So, how to build an online writing portfolio? The first step is getting your website/blog up and running. If you haven’t done it still, please stop reading this and create one (do come back for the next steps!).

Creating an online presence is a no-brainer. We have so many sites offering free websites and blogs that can do wonderfully well to build a profile. With a little or no HTML knowledge, you can play with the fonts and various features to come up with a really neat writing profile. Googling for such sites is easy and most of them work fine for a simple site like portfolio.

Of course, creating a site doesn’t create a presence. It is what you put it in there is what matters. This is where it is important we start thinking like a client. Imagine, if you were to hire a freelance writer, what would like to see in his online writing portfolio?
• Who is the freelance writer?

• The writer’s niche/expertise

• Years of experience and details

• Samples

• Contact information

• What can the writer offer me? Any personalized service?

Though not in the same sequence, above are the features that your portfolio should display. Let us elaborate more on the above points:
• Who is the freelance writer? – This should ideally be the front page of your portfolio website or the side bar of your blog. In this “no-time-breeze-through” internet world, it is very important that your “About me” should be as visible as possible with all critical information. The introduction should not exceed more than five lines though as most chances are your client doesn’t have much time to know your history!

Your introduction might go like this –

A freelance writer since last 10 years, I enjoy ghostwriting fiction for my clients. I specialize in romantic and thrillers and my customers range from magazines to publishers. Please see my samples here (a link to your sample page). If you like to contact me for a quote, please find my details here (a link again!).I would be honored to write for you!

Please note this is not a standard that you need to follow. Try your creative juices and come up with a introduction which you feel describes you and your skills the best!
• The writer’s niche/expertise – Now if there is anything that is more important than an impressive and professional introduction, then it is how you showcase your expertise. Your client would be targeting experts in there are of concern and it is equally important for you to target those businesses that can give you business. Therefore, highlighting your niche becomes critical. There are many ways you can do it, however, there is one way which I prefer and feel is very effective – group your expertise and note down your experience below it. Something like this:

o Content Writing: Have written over 100 SEO articles in last six months. My articles include well-researched content with the correct mix of keyword density that helps my clients reiterate their online presence. Keen on delivery high quality on accepted timelines of the project, I prefer understanding my customer’s business and their objective before I start on any project. My delighted customers include ABC.com, Mr. XYZ, etc.

Add a testimonial from one of your customers below to hit the right spot!

• Years of experience and details: This can be added below, preferably in a tabular format with the time period, company worked for and in what capacity. Giving the designation and the kind of writing you did gives more clarity to your writing profile. The key is not to leave any unanswered questions in your reader’s mind. Unanswered questions mean undecided clients which is not a very good news. Remember your online portfolio is not a mind reader that would pop out answers for them. It is static but still needs to answer everything that your client might want to know!

PS: I know if you are a new freelance writer, adding experience to the portfolio is a big challenge, but your samples should solve that problem for you where you can put in your best foot forward! Research your targeted client and their typical requirements, write down some sample articles and upload them on to the site! That way, not only are you creating some samples to your clients, you would also gain enough expertise in your targeted domain helping you create a niche for yourself.
• Samples: Now, in an online portfolio, you would have the capability to upload the documents on the website. Do not copy-paste them on web pages, because they would not be read. One good way of showcasing your work would be to categorize them on to something that would appeal your audience. For example, if you are a fiction writer, you can categorize your samples in to romantic, fantasy, thriller, etc. If you are content writer, you might want to categorize them by industries. The point is to attract attention of your targeted audience. Another very good way to showcase your work would be give the links of your online published work. That would be a living proof of your accepted work and actually works wonders.
• Contact information: Now this is a very important information that should be as accessible as possible. Make sure you leave links to your contact page in all your pages. And your contact information on your online writing profile should include your email id and phone number if you are comfortable. I know there are many customers out there who might want to just pick up the phone and talk to you rather go through the whole mail trail which might take up some time, especially if they are in a hurry. Quoting your rates on the webpage doesn’t sound too good to me but it is one’s personal choice. Also, ensure that testimonials are clipped right below them to show off your previous successes. Please don’t be shy about it. After all, if you wont market yourself, then who will?
• What can the writer offer me? Any personalized service? – this is a tricky question. A online portfolio which is accessible to everyone around the globe anytime even if you must be tucked cosily in your bed means it is very difficult to personalize it to match your client’s special requirements. However, leaving a note somewhere, especially in your introduction page about your flexibility in catering to their requirements goes a long way in convincing the client that you might just be the one!

Do you think there is more that one can do? Lets share!
In the second part, I would look at how to build your print writing profile/resume that one can send to your clients! Keep reading!

You can also read this article in here!