What You Should Include in Your Copywriter Portfolio
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 91% of B2B organizations use content marketing. To fuel the development of content, businesses need experienced copywriters, but almost more importantly, versatile copywriters. Browse through any job board and you’ll see copywriter job listings looking for candidates who can write in a wide range of formats, and do it all well.
If you are an aspiring copywriter, you need to have something on your resume that sets you apart from the other copywriters on the job board. The best way to do this is to start building a copywriter portfolio.
Why Do You Need a Copywriter Portfolio?
A copywriter portfolio is the gift that keeps on giving. The more quality work you can include in your portfolio, the more robust of a writing resume you create. The more robust of a writing resume you have, the more high-paying jobs you’ll get with brand-name companies. One door usually leads to another in the case of impressive copywriter portfolios.
The key to creating a copywriter portfolio is you have to start somewhere. You’re not likely to land your dream writing gig on your first go-around. But if you get discouraged early on with entry-level copywriter jobs and don’t keep adding to your portfolio, your dream of becoming a professional writer may never be realized. Read on to find out how and why to add different types of copywriting portfolio examples on your resume.
Copywriting Portfolio Examples
When you’re preparing your copywriter portfolio (as many job listings require), choose writing samples that show you have the ability to be a versatile and effective writer, no matter the medium. That means you should include both long and short works that you’ve written, content pieces that range in tone, and copywriting that was done for both editorial and commercial purposes, to throw out a few examples.
Also, employers will generally be more impressed by copywriting examples that have been published, whether in a digital or print format. So basically, the internet is your best friend when it comes to building out copywriting samples for your next writing gig.
Keep reading below for several examples of the types of content to include in your portfolio, and why.
Social Media Content Writing
Social media is one of the simplest methods businesses have to communicate with their customers. Staggering amounts of organizations use social media, including 50 million Facebook business page users.
In your copywriter portfolio, include social posts that you have written for any major network. Do this in addition to profile bio wording and social media ad content to show that you have the ability to communicate effectively with a limited word count. When you’re selecting the content pieces to include, prioritize social posts that got a large amount of engagement and views, or that were done for recognizable brands/entities, as well as any that went viral.
If you don’t currently have any clients like that in your writer portfolio – never fear. Even including posts for local businesses or showing the length of time you’ve been writing social posts for smaller businesses at least show you have writing expertise with the medium.
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Ad Copy
Short ad copy is a great addition to your copywriter portfolio. It’s often tougher to write quality short content than it is longer content, and ad copy can also show off your persuasive writing skills. As this example from Toronto LiveGreen shows, visuals are key for ads, but the words are also necessary to make sure the message hits home. Being able to do more with less is a vital skill in the copywriting profession.
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Next, consider the notoriety of the brand or company that’s being advertised when you’re picking a few copywriting samples. Brand recognition goes a long way to improving your credibility/authority. If you’re just starting to build out your copywriting portfolio examples, you could even include ad copy from Google Ads or other digital marketing mediums. While they won’t be as visually impressive as the portfolio sample above, it still shows you can craft compelling messages in a few words or less.
Ecommerce Content
While ad copywriting is simply a single sentence, you might also consider other examples of short copy like product descriptions or category descriptions when thinking of what to include in a copywriting portfolio. While most product descriptions typically run from 25 to 100 words, the idea is still the same. How are you conveying information and emotional attachment in a limited number of words/characters?
Big businesses may have hundreds of thousands of product SKUs that need to be refreshed/rewritten every year so there is a lot of longevity to this type of content writing – making it all the more important it is represented as one of your copywriting examples.
Website Copywriting
Much of the writing you will do as a copywriter is likely going to be digital. Website copy, such as landing pages, show a writer’s ability to create content that not only informs but also works with the site design to guide the reader through a site in an intended way. The flow of the writing and considering the reader’s interests will help you to craft some stellar copywriting portfolio examples.
Businesses are constantly going through site redesigns and updating their brand messaging to reflect the direction they are moving. Being able to convey that in your website copywriting examples will strengthen potential employer’s trust that you have an eye for marketing in your copywriting.
Freelance Blog Posts and Articles
Blog writing is at the same time ridiculously easy and devilishly hard. Anyone can publish a blog post; few can write a post that actually makes an impact and offers something different than all the other content on the topic. Include links in your copywriter portfolio to several of your top blog posts as well as pageview statistics if those are available to you.
Blogs and articles (in today’s content marketing landscape) are typically considered “medium to long-form” content, meaning you’ll have one to two thousand words to show off your ability to research and explain a multitude of topics. If you can, you might pick both a medium post and long-form blog post to share in your writing portfolio.
It’s smart to diversify this part of your copywriter portfolio to include multiple subjects and different aspects of your writing. You should have some informative/research-heavy pieces as well as some emotional/persuasive pieces. Being able to see your versatility in your copywriting portfolio examples will give you more opportunities down the line.
SEO Copywriting
SEO continues to evolve, and many businesses want to see SEO proficiency in their writers. Include any SEO content you have written that has been optimized for better search listings.
As SEO changes so rapidly, you may need to include an explanation that a previous piece of content was optimized for SEO best practices at the time it was written. Showing that you can integrate tough keywords seamlessly into content and have it read naturally is an in-demand skill in today’s business writing landscape. Don’t miss the opportunity to include content marketing portfolio examples that highlight your SEO prowess and digital marketing abilities.
eBooks and Whitepapers
You may have heard that people’s attention spans have all but dwindled away, but well-researched, long-form content such as eBooks, white papers, and blog series is still valuable to employers. A well-designed, in-depth document is a great addition to your copywriter profile because it shows research skills and the ability to see a difficult and complex project through to the end.
This is where you can showcase your ability to research and your versatility in crafting content that requires different verbiage, target markets and tone. This sort of writing portfolio example also shows your versatility in product types and formatting, since eBooks usually have a table of contents and specific word requirements per page.
Email Writing
Email writing is a good addition to your writing portfolio because it can be so drastically different than other forms of writing. Email writing needs to grab readers before they even open the email and hold their attention beyond that. As this example of an email from writer James Clear shows, great email writing starts with an intriguing and clickable subject.
In addition to focusing on the quality of writing, include emails that saw high open rates and click-through rates to demonstrate the impact of your copywriting. Being able to convey the analytics backs up the eye test of if email copy looks good or not. Building a copywriting portfolio often includes more than just words – the analytics can really prove why your writing is as good as you say it is.
Customer Stories and Case Studies
Case studies are a very effective form of digital marketing. According to a report from the Content Marketing Institute, 73 percent of B2B organizations that engage in content marketing also use case studies in their content marketing mix. People trust the opinions of people like them and thus case studies with quotes and easily scannable results can be a great way to get new customers. Case studies as copywriter portfolio samples can be long and journalistic like this example from MailChimp:
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USE CASE STUDIES
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Alternately, case studies can be scannable and punchy like this Wishpond example:
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If you have done case studies in the past, make sure to include these in your copywriter portfolio.
Editorial Content
As you are applying for copywriting positions, employers may be interested to see any journalistic or editorial samples you have. Journalism as a discipline maintains high standards for accuracy in writing. This is a hugely important trait for copywriters to possess, especially since copywriters often have to be their own (and other co-workers’) editors. The ability to cite sources accurately proves the authenticity of the writing and gives clients confidence you aren’t plagiarizing or cutting corners in your writing.
Start Adding Copywriter Portfolio Samples Today!
So what does a copywriting portfolio look like? Real, concrete writing samples are key when you’re a copywriter. Employers want to read the content you’ve written and published for other companies in the past so that they can imagine you writing for their brand and really see if your skills measure up to your resume. When you’re gathering your copywriting samples be sure to include as many as possible of the pieces of content listed here in your copywriter portfolio.
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I am trying to change industries from HR to copywriting (English major in college). Although I realize I need a portfolio, I am struggling with whether or not my work is actually correct or presentable? Any advice on how to start this transition? This article was extremely helpful btw!
Hey Maura! I think you’d be surprised at what you’ve already done that would be suitable for a copywriting portfolio. Remember, in the beginning your portfolio won’t be incredibly robust, so I’d look for writing you’ve done that you can highlight specific parts of – even if the medium or “type” of content you’ve written may not fit exactly into the copywriting portfolio box. For instance, including work that highlights your ability to be succinct yet informative can be a good start.
I am creating a copywriting portfolio and would like to put my spec scripts in there. do you think its acceptable to put such samples in my portfolio?
Absolutely! Go for it, Shelly!
Hi I am looking to pivot from SEM to copywriting. What is the best platform to create a portfolio on?
Hi, Balraj:
There are so many different portfolio websites you can choose from, and some are free. I suggest you do an online search for a list of the best portfolio websites for writers and see what perks these sites have to offer. Some are better for journalists, while others may be a better fit for creative writers. However, a simple Squarespace or WordPress site can serve as a great portfolio!
Regardless of the site you use, make sure that your portfolio is easy to navigate.
Good luck!
Amber
Is it acceptable to use completely fictional writing examples at first (if they are VERY clearly marked as such)? What I have in mind is writing up some website or social media/email campaign for a fictional product to demonstrate my skills at first. I wouldn’t portray this as writing I had sold of course! Is this practice acceptable when one is building a brand new portfolio? Thank you.
Absolutely, Mia! Writers have to start somewhere, and that’s a great way to showcase what you’re capable of.
I’m newer to copywriting and am trying to get more clients as a freelancer but much of what I’ve written for the few clients I’ve had isn’t currently published or is only available on apps, and I have some questions.
Question 1) How long is too long when it comes to a portfolio? How long should samples be (some of my writing is longer blogs and fiction of approx 2000 word chapters)?
Question 2) I created the writing style guide at a romance fiction app I used to work at that writes romance fiction– is that okay to include and how much of said guide (about 9 pages) should I include?
Question 3) Is it ok to only have the content I’ve written without links to said content in the portfolio? For context, I wrote content for two apps, but one has had funding fall through and they are holding rollout on publishing content, and the other is a socializing app for which I wrote blogs about socializing in Berlin, which is currently on full lockdown due to COVID, so we’re hauling publishing until restrictions are lifted. So I’m trying to figure out if I should just put my samples all in a google drive folder and link to them within the portfolio or if they should just be written like a multi-page document that includes all of the content within the portfolio pages.
Hi, Bethany:
I know that there is a lot to consider when building a portfolio, but I wouldn’t overthink it too much. Every client is looking for something different, so having a variety of samples you can link to directly is helpful.
Your portfolio should contain your best work, so take some time to carefully think about what you want to add. Keep each sample to one or two pages. Also, understand that most clients won’t spend a lot of time reading your portfolio. You have to wow your readers right away.
One last thing: Whether your portfolio is on a website or in a series of Google Docs, make sure the portfolio is well organized and easy to access.
Best of luck!
Amber
Wow! it was an amazing article. I am a freelance copyeditor and have experience of 8+ years in copyediting. To move with the trend and with the editing experience, I wish to change my field to copywriting with Digital marketing. I am not sure whether I should include my works on copyediting only. Any suggestion on how to start this transition with a portfolio for copywriting.
Hi, Priya:
Your portfolio should contain examples of work that is relevant to whatever industry you want to get into.
Amber
Hi Jon. Thank you for the post. Valuable information as I research what to add to my portfolio as I’m about to graduate design school and would love to include copywriting in a professional, intelligent way. Also, there is a spelling error in your paragraph above the wishpond example, FYI. Studies is missing the “i” … 🙏
Best!
Thanks for catching that, Tressa!
Amber
Hi there-
I’m curious. I’m currently an e-commerce b2b copywriter for a textile/home goods company and I’m looking for another job (hopefully also in a writing/editing field). I’ve created a portfolio and started building pages for freelance work as well as my blog that I’ve been writing for years. I started building a page for copywriting where I had hoped to include the 3+ years of writing and experience I have from my current employment. However, these are not my products. I’m just an employee and don’t own the rights to the products or images.
I wanted to be able to just upload the URL links for specific listings shown on various markets (eBay, Target, Amazon, Walmart, etc), but for legal reasons, I obviously want to handle this in the correct way to display my abilities. What are the best approaches/practices for this? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi, Elizabeth:
You’re smart to tread carefully here. The best move is to ask your current employer for permission to share your work in a portfolio. This only serves you if you’re allowed to freelance outside of work. If you cannot ask for permission, do not use the content in your portfolio.
Best of luck!
Amber
Is it acceptable to include copywriting you did for your own entrepreneurial ventures as samples in a copywriting portfolio?
Definitely! A portfolio is just meant to highlight your writing skills. You can even include pieces for fake clients. Of course, some companies will put more weight on published material, but any writing sample helps.
Best of luck,
Amber
Hi Amber! Thank you for this article. I’m a senior content/copywriter. Along with the Labor Day holiday, I decided to take the rest of the week off from work, take a step back, and organize certain aspects of my life. Am now up to updating/streamlining my professional material. Question is, how long should you hold on to samples of your work? I have over 20 years of print and digital experience, with writing samples ranging from original word docs to final design. I’m fortunate to have worked in the publishing, healthcare, and hospitality industries, have a lot to show for it, and switch things up depending on the industry I’m applying to. However, for a while now, I’ve been asking myself if I really need to show a brochure, product description, e-blast, or script from 2004. I mean, could it work against me? Plus, it’s a drag to store it all… lol… I appreciate your input. Regards.
Hi, Julie:
This is a great question. Yes, your portfolio can work against you. It’s tempting to include everything you’ve ever written, but clients won’t spend the time to look through everything and may become overwhelmed if your portfolio is too vast. You want to control what potential clients or employers see, so pick only your best work to include in your portfolio. Make sure you have enough variety to showcase your range. It’s OK to indicate that you can provide additional samples of your work upon request. If a potential client/employer wants to see more, you can have a conversation about what they are looking for, which will allow you to pick the best samples to showcase.
Best of luck!
Amber
I have a quick question…I am looking to explore copywriting, but it is a totally different field than where I’ve been working—I’ve been an English teacher for 13 years! I know I have the skills and lots of experience with writing & editing, but I’m not really sure what I should try to put into a portfolio. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much!
Hi, Lauren:
I understand your concern. You can write sample pieces specifically for your portfolio. Consider the industry/niche you’re interested in, and write content with that in mind. Often, employers or companies will state what kind of sample they are looking for, so you can use that as a starting point.
Best of luck!
Amber