👋🏽 What clients want in a portfolio

“Do I need a polished website for my portfolio?”

I get this question at least once a week.

Short answer: No, you don’t need one.

Longer answer: It helps. A lot.

Let me explain.

My first portfolio was a Google Doc.

Here’s the link if you want to make a copy.

It wasn’t a fancy website on a custom domain, but it worked for the most part.

I sent that doc to potential clients, and some of them hired me. Not because it looked impressive, but because they could see I knew how to write for their audience.

Turns out, clients don’t really care if your portfolio could win design awards. They care if you can write content that they don’t have to spend all day editing, more importantly, one that helps them meet their KPIs.

You’re a writer after all.

That said, having a proper portfolio, even a simple one, makes you look more professional. It gives you one place to send people instead of frantically searching through your email at 11 PM trying to find that one link.

So let’s talk about how to build one that works.

When clients ask for your portfolio, they’re really asking one question:

“Can this person write content that would work on our site?”

That’s it.

They want to see:

Everything else is just noise or a bonus.

Don’t wait until you have 10 perfect samples. Start with 3-5 of your best pieces. Most applications typically require three samples anyway.

If you don’t have published work yet, we’ve all been there 😅:

My first samples were a mix of guest posts, Medium articles, and one piece I wrote for a company that went out of business months later. Great timing, Nathan.

They weren’t perfect, but they showed I could arrange the alphabet and string sentences together without making people angry.

That was enough to start.

You have options. Please choose the one that doesn’t make you watch hour-long tutorials before you can set it up.

Here are some options:

Option 1: Google Doc. 

It’s free, simple, and unglamorous

Option 2: Simple portfolio sites. 

Some of these sites are free, while others have a monthly cost. Examples include:

Option 3: Custom website ($)

I currently use a custom website to host my portfolio. And I’m doing it for a couple of reasons.

The point is to start simple. You can always upgrade later when you’re making enough money to care about domains.

Here’s what to include, and I recommend keeping it simple.

Brief intro (2-3 sentences)

Don’t write a novel here. Most people reviewing your portfolio are already interested in what you do, so simply provide them with what they want.

Here’s an example of what this might look like:

Your samples

Organize them by format or industry. Include:

If you don’t have results, that’s fine. Just say what the piece was meant to accomplish.

Ayomide’s portfolio is one you can learn from. Here, he also adds case studies that make a case for his content.

Ask clients after successful projects. Most people will say yes if you make it easy for them.

Here’s a simple script you can use:

Hi [name], given that we’ve worked on a couple of projects together, would you be so kind as to write me a testimonial?

Any thoughts you can share about the quality of writing I deliver, the experience of working with me, my process, or any specific results (if applicable) would be absolutely wonderful.

I can also send a quick LinkedIn recommendation request if that’s easier.

If you don’t have testimonials yet, skip this section. Don’t make up fake ones. (I hope I don’t need to say this, but the internet has taught me otherwise.)

Make this painfully obvious. You don’t want to leave a prospect without a way to reach you.

Here’s a pro tip that took me way too long to figure out: You don’t need to send your entire portfolio every time.

When pitching a SaaS company, send them 3 SaaS samples. When pitching a fintech company, send them fintech samples or the closest thing you have.

Clients want to see that you understand their space. So show them what’s relevant and leave out the rest.

I used to send my full portfolio to everyone. Then I realized clients would see my travel writing and wonder if I actually knew anything about B2B software.

Now I curate. You should too.

This week, do this:

That’s it.

You don’t need a perfect portfolio. You just need something you can send when someone asks, “Can I see your work?”

Stop overthinking it. Build something simple. Ship it. Then go pitch some clients.

P.S. Clients care more about whether you can deliver than whether your portfolio looks fancy. Focus on the work.

And if you’re still worried your portfolio isn’t good enough, remember: my first portfolio was a Google Doc.

I still got hired.

You will too.