10 Strategies for Creating a Successful Writing Portfolio
Many people still dream of starting a career as freelance writers in 2026. You can be your own boss, work with clients from around the world, and earn a living doing what you love most — writing.
However, it is quite difficult to start a new writing career without any examples of your writing proficiency. That's why you need a writing portfolio. For many newcomers, building a writing portfolio is the hardest part of starting a freelance writing business. Everyone knows they need to stand out online - and your digital portfolio needs to showcase who you are.
In our blog, we'll write about how to compile your writings and how to present yourself as the most qualified candidate through examples of successful freelance writers. We'll give you examples of portfolios and how you can use your texts to develop yourself as a freelancer.
Content writing portfolio - all you need to know
A freelance writer can easily present his work to potential employers with an online portfolio. In addition to samples of your writing, your portfolio should include a short, interesting, and not too self-promotional biography as well as a number of testimonials from past clients about your writing skills. You might want to add a resume to your online portfolio, but it should be matched to the style of the entire document or portfolio site.
Since the purpose of your portfolio page is to highlight your copywriting skills, it should include only the best texts you've written. Many freelancers who are just starting out in this business make the mistake of including every piece they've ever written in their portfolio website .
This is not the worst thing to do, but it immediately marks you as a beginner. If you are an experienced freelance writer who has written for various companies, you should highlight only your best work in your online writing portfolio.
The details depend on the industry, but the tone of your portfolio page should be quite professional. If you have a track record in a less formal industry, like creating comics or writing for children, you can use a writing portfolio that is fun, colorful, and lightweight. However, if your writing samples are more general and professional work, stick to a matter-of-fact tone.
All in all, you should choose work that demonstrates your writing style, sense of humor, flexibility, or other desirable qualities to showcase in your writing samples.
Create your writing portfolio with Publuu
An online portfolio should be a compilation of your work that showcases your creative skills and presents them online. That's why you want it to stand out from the crowd, showing your professionalism, enthusiasm, and uniqueness as a freelance writer.
Publuu allows you to create an online portfolio from PDF format. You can easily prepare a document containing your best works, formatted in a beautiful way with a nice layout and well-chosen fonts, enhanced with illustrations and not only these. Thanks to this innovative writing portfolio format you can attach videos, GIF files, or image galleries to your texts, which a PDF portfolio does not allow.
Publuu’s online portfolio example
View more online portfolio examples
Your portfolio will look great on any device and can be easily shared with clients using a simple link. Plus, Publuu’s built-in analytics show you how many people viewed your portfolio, which pages they read, and how long they stayed — helping you understand what catches attention the most.
In 2026, interactive portfolios are the new standard. With Publuu, your writing portfolio can combine your best works, media, and personal branding — all in one professional digital presentation.
Writing portfolio - examples
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to present your writing portfolio in 2026, here are a few examples of professional writers who showcase their work effectively online.
Elaine Bleakney
Elaine Bleakney, a writer, provides an overview of her texts and poems on her website , complete with cover art, reviews, and praise from her contemporaries and critics. The simple design of her WordPress site keeps the focus on her writing and makes it easy for readers to find her published works and, if they like them, buy them.
Kelsey O'Halloran
Kelsey O'Halloran's portfolio is a model of professionalism for a copywriter's website. On her homepage , she highlights her most impressive piece of work. Calls to action are an integral part of her professional writing portfolio. People who go to her portfolio website will see that she actively asks them if they want to know more about what she has to offer.
Evan S. Porter
Evan S. Porter's site is very accessible and from the get-go, you can get samples of his writing on this excellent writer website. He is eager to share his creative writing samples and showcase his most useful pieces of work. You can easily contact him and read his blog posts.
We can find many more writer portfolio examples online - but it's important to be creative and not just copy portfolios you find online! Consider the presentation of your work and look at how other writers promote themselves.
How to make a writing portfolio - helpful tips
A good writer's portfolio is simply about telling a story about you and your work, and showing the potential customers samples of what you have achieved.
With an online writing portfolio, your potential clients should be able to effortlessly browse through writing examples and learn everything they need to know about you.
In addition to samples of your own writing, you need to provide them with an easy way to take the next step and contact you again. Here are some writing tips to help you create the right writing portfolio website.
Add graphics to the text
Many portfolio sites are not aesthetically pleasing - freelancers simply pick a ready-made professional online portfolio template and call it a day. However, proper use of graphics can make your portfolio page very visually appealing.
For starters, we suggest you use appropriately sized thumbnails that symbolize each of your writing projects. You can use a screenshot or a completed piece of text - a screenshot of your blog site will look quite professional. However, you need to make sure you have permission to use this graphic.
In 2026, visuals and interactive elements help your portfolio feel more modern and dynamic.
Quality, not quantity
You don’t need to include a huge number of writing samples to show your skills. Most people visiting your online portfolio won’t have time to read everything, so focus on your strongest work.
Share four or five pieces that highlight different styles or topics, depending on your specialization. If you have award-winning articles, highly popular posts, or samples that best demonstrate your writing ability, make sure they’re easy to find.
Fewer, carefully selected samples always make a stronger impression than dozens of random texts.
Your biography
Your author bio should introduce you as a person to potential clients interested in your writing. Tailor it to your personal style and the overall design of your website.
You can include where you’re from, where you live, and how or why you became a writer. More experienced authors can mention notable publications, awards, or areas of specialization.
Keep it short and natural — most clients prefer a few sentences that reflect your personality and make you memorable.
Add recommendations from readers
Showcasing testimonials or short recommendations from real clients adds credibility to your writing portfolio. In an online world where anyone can say anything, genuine feedback helps readers trust you and feel comfortable reaching out.
Ask your previous clients or partners for a short, quotable sentence about their experience working with you, and feature it on your portfolio page.
Well-chosen testimonials make your portfolio more engaging and convincing — and in 2026, short quotes from happy clients still work perfectly to build trust and attract new opportunities.
Add a contact site and a call to action
Once your writing portfolio encourages readers to take action, make it easy for them to contact you right away. Create a contact page and link it in the top menu of your website. Add social media links if you use them for your writing work.
Keep your contact page up to date and include a clear call to action — a short phrase like “Let’s work together!” can motivate potential clients to reach out.
How to build a writing portfolio with no experience?
Everyone has to start somewhere - including any freelance writer. A well-built writing portfolio is one of the basic elements by which you can get good gigs, yet you need already existing work to build a good writer's portfolio.
It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? How can you build a writing portfolio when clients won't hire you because you don't have a good writing portfolio?
So how do you build a writer's portfolio without experience? Although it takes some creativity and hustle, it's entirely possible; in fact, countless writers start this way. Here are a few strategies to help you do it.
Reuse any experience
First, you need to realize that you definitely have more creative writing experience than you think. Think about your work and personal experiences, including volunteer or hobbyist work - surely, if you want to become a freelancer, you've written something for them. Maybe you created content for a company newsletter, wrote guest posts on a friend's blog, or created reports or biographies of workmates.
Maybe you were responsible for a website or social media profile at school. Or maybe you even made up bedtime stories for your children. All of this can have a place in a writer portfolio if it's properly edited and processed.
Write for free - only if it's useful
Is it worth adding free samples to the portfolio? Rather not.
A freelance content writer should always charge a fair market rate for their work. Free texts spoil the market. Even if you have no experience, you should value your time and not just do hard work for free.
However, you can do free services for other purposes - free work for NGOs, content marketing for religious organizations, or working on open-source software is not only laudable but helps you gain experience as a freelance copywriter or editor. If you must work for free, at least let it be useful.
Writing on spec - just in case
A better option is writing on spec - that is, with no guarantee that the work will be published or paid for. This is quite a good option for novices who need to build their personal brand, but we advise against it for experienced professionals.
Create a lot of texts related to the self-chosen topic - including the necessary research, interviews, and proper preparation. Then you can put it up for sale - sometimes, if you have direct contact with editors, you can present it to them in person, or use a text marketing website.
Writing on spec works especially well if you have an idea for a niche topic that you feel would be a great fit for a particular publication. And if editors reject the text, you can just as easily move on to the next one, or put the text on the open market. At worst, you'll have a high-quality writing sample for your writing website.
Write for yourself
The easiest way to build your writing portfolio when you have no experience is to write something for yourself. Do you have an uncle or grandfather with an interesting story? Interview them and write a feature article. Watched an interesting movie? Write a review - as if you were writing it for a daily newspaper.
Post it on your blog or social media website, see people's reactions, and rewrite it for your writer portfolio. Having a blog is a great way to hone your writing skills - and whoever doesn't like writing doesn't become a writer!
Write what you like
If you don't have anything to write about... write what you would like to write about. Consider what are you good at, what are you interested in, and what is easy for you to write about, then build your portfolio around this writing niche.
Maybe you like to cook, play video games, or are curious about electronic gadgets? These are all great ideas for a blog - and you can add some of your best posts to your freelance writing portfolio.
You might also consider experiences you want to revisit. Write about your family life, places you've lived and traveled to, or about your future.
However, don't write it like a regular blog post - simply think about how can you sell it. Every thing you put in your writer portfolio should be a part of your personal digital marketing scheme. Would a potential client buy it?
Use tools like Answerthepublic or Google Trends to see what topics are popular. Write about yourself - but for a prospective client.
The best writing portfolio sites in 2026
Your online profile is increasingly important to the success of your business as a freelancer. This matters especially in the early stages of your career when most clients will find you through search engines. You want to position yourself well and raise the visibility of your writer portfolio online.
Potential clients who don't know you yet need to be able to evaluate your work, style, and professionalism in a short period of time. You'll need more than just a social media presence to serve as your online business card (although a large number of Twitter followers certainly can't hurt when you're trying to become a writer).
That's why most writer portfolio examples online use a dedicated website. Here are some simple portfolio sites that you might find useful for creating your own gallery - and you can also embed an online portfolio from Publuu on them.
Clippings.me
This platform is mainly designed for freelance journalists. It allows you to upload videos, PDFs, and embedded media such as podcasts, helping you create an attractive and professional online portfolio.
It’s also a great choice for beginners thanks to its helpful resources and open journalism directory that can assist in finding new contacts. The tool is ideal for users who aren’t very tech-savvy but still want to customize the look of their portfolio. The free plan includes up to ten published articles.
MuckRack
This platform serves as a media database that connects journalists with public relations professionals and helps them collaborate more easily. Besides networking, it’s also widely used as a space to host online writing portfolios and professional profiles.
The system automatically builds and updates your portfolio, allowing you to showcase a curated selection of your best work. It’s promoted as one of the simplest tools for presenting your writing and growing your audience without unnecessary limitations. You can also track how many people share your posts on social media or link to your articles. The free version includes all the essential features to get started.
WordPress.com
70% of the world's sites use WordPress - because it's free, easy to use, and beautiful - so you can use it too. You can choose a free, simple blog, a premium version with extra features, or a just use the free option if you can find affordable hosting and a domain.
There are plenty of plugins and themes in the WordPress store to build your own writer portfolio - whether for free or by shelling out a bit of cash. If you're looking for a lot of flexibility and freedom in your projects (and don't mind tinkering with HTML and CSS), this is the platform for you. You can use free wordpress.org hosting or set up a wordpress.com blog with your own domain.
Contently.net
Contently, a content marketing and technology company founded in 2010, also allows freelance writers to create portfolios. Using the service, clients looking for freelancers can find writers with the experience and portfolios they need. However, anyone can simply open their own portfolio using this service and publish writing samples.
Wix
This tool is a general platform for creating websites - not just for freelancers. However, you too can create your own site to publish content. The platform provides a wide range of customizable theme options. The coolest feature of Wix is the wide range of add-ons or modules you can use to expand the capabilities of your online portfolio. It's easy to design your site using the drag-and-drop interface. You can save all your media files and photos in the media library, which has up to 500 MB of space.
Weebly
This popular and user-friendly website builder is perfect for creating all types of sites, including online writing portfolios. To begin, simply choose one of the many available templates and add your text files or links to external documents such as Google Docs, OneDrive, or Zoho Writer.
Its drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to include additional elements like forms, image galleries, and buttons. The platform also offers a free plan, though file uploads are limited to 100 MB.
Summary on creating a successful writing portfolio
Starting a freelance writing career is never easy, but having a strong portfolio makes it much easier to attract the right clients.
Your online writing portfolio should tell your story, show your skills, and highlight your personality. Use smart tools to present your work beautifully and make it easy to share.
In 2026, creativity and presentation go hand in hand — and an interactive portfolio created with Publuu helps your writing stand out from the rest.
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