creative writing writing portfolio examples

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13 Creative Writing Portfolio Examples & How to Create Yours

Just as you need inspiration for writing, it also helps with putting together your writing portfolio . We’re here to provide you with exactly that, in the form of 13 creative writing portfolio examples.

They’re portfolio websites from different kinds of creative writers: some do poetry, some scriptwriting, some copywriting… One thing is for sure though: you’ll leave with ideas, excitement, and a clear vision of how to make your ideas come to life in your own portfolio.

Read until the end because we'll also show you how you can build yours easily, in 5 simple steps.

13 creative writing portfolio examples & why they’re excellent

1. macy fidel.

Macy used Copyfolio's Premier template and "Cardboard Clip" color palette to create her portfolio

This portfolio is great because...

• It has a crystal-clear tagline: you'll know at first glance what Macy does
• The projects are upfront: you don't need to search and click around to check out Macy's writing skills and style
• The homepage has a great about section with a CTA: you can find out a little more about her and know exactly what to do if you'd like to know more
• The bold background color makes it memorable amongst simple white portfolio websites

2. Esa Haddad

Esa's portfolio was made with Copyfolio's "Wallscape" template

• It beautifully shows how a creative writer can do more than just that. He's also a communications professional, doing technical and academic writing next to his creative and poetic endeavors.
• With a black background and white text , this site stands out. Having such a canvas makes it easy for bolder headlines and images to pop, leading the eyes nicely along the page.
• It has an easy way for you to get in touch. All you need to do is click the LinkedIn icon to visit his profile or navigate to the contact page to find out more.

3. Julia Tula

Julia created her portfolio with Copyfolio's "Artboard" template

• It has an aesthetic and consistent design. Using simple squares for thumbnails, in colors matching the color palette pulls the whole site's design together.
• Julia shows a great variety of creative writing pieces in her projects, including discussions about the theory of creative writing, creative non-fiction short stories, and fiction writing as well.
• It showcases Julia's brilliant writing skills with every word she's written on the site. From the tagline, to her about me section, it's all written beautifully.

4. Larissa Vasquez

Larissa created her site with the legacy version of Copyfolio's "Billboard" template .

• It sets the mood for her writing portfolio with a white, beige, and brown color scheme.
• The homepage features a photo of scraps of paper on the top —very fitting for a writer.
• Choosing a photo of herself with similar colors , then creating custom beige and brown project thumbnails really pulled it all together.
• It has a simple layout. On the homepage, Larissa added a short introduction, then dove right into her writing samples . This makes it easy for everyone to read her pieces and see her writing skills shine.

5. Andrea Arcia

Andrea created her portfolio with the legacy version of Copyfolio's "Letterpress" template

• Andrea used a constantly changing, but cohesive layout to keep you interested and engaged, even with a lot of text on the page.
• She started out with three projects in a portfolio grid but then went on to use columns to display text, adding images every second block. This is a great way if you want to introduce projects or showcase longer stories or poems without overwhelming your visitors.

6. Hannah Rogers

Hannah created her writer website using Copyfolio, and the “Typewriter” template .

• You'll know who Hannah is and what she does right away. She's a versatile creative writer and editor, currently sailing with Firmenich.
• It's easy to learn about her background too : after finishing her degree in English and Creative Writing, she perfected her skills, now offering copywriting, concept content creation, editing, and more.
• Her fields of expertise are also clear : creative writing, brand storytelling, and editing. Displayed with short descriptions for each, it's the perfect way to introduce them.
• It has great creative writing project displays . In the title, you can see her role (e.g. writer, creative lead, producer) —then you can check each piece published online if you click through.

Overall, the portfolio flows well, it’s clear at every step where you need to look, and she showcases her expertise wonderfully.

7. Shweta Shreyarthi

A brilliant structure and clear layout, if we do say so ourselves. She created it with Copyfolio .

• Shweta decided to use a crips white canvas, simple black text, and black and white photos as the base of her site. But to shake it up a little, she’s using an orange accent color, and a pastel but colorful background photo for a few of her sections.
• She has an amazing creative writing portfolio page , where she outlines what she does: she’s a creative communicator, using her copywriting and content creation skills in her work.
• Her expertise is illustrated with work samples , and supplemented with short explanations. You can explore her work in different categories: social media, executive communications, proposal writing, website copywriting, and more.
• The portfolio has a great variety of projects. In each category, she included 2-4 samples for visitors to check: illustrating them with a picture, writing a very brief description (with the client + category), and adding a clear CTA with a link.

8. Magd Elzahed

Magd made her creative writing portfolio with Copyfolio, using the “Typewriter” template .

• It has a distinctive and consistent branding , with the black-and-white top section and typewriter-like serif fonts.
• Shows Magd's mission upfront. She makes it clear that her aim is “to bring your ideas to life through the power of language.”
• an on-brand picture to illustrate it,
• a clear title with the name of the client,
• a short description of what the project was about,
• and a call-to-action button.
• Makes it easy to find out even more about each project if you're interested. Clicking on the buttons takes you to a page going into more detail on what exactly the project entailed, what her task was, and how the final results turned out.
• It has a lot more information available on additional pages: you can read about her journey, services, references, and more.

9. Charlie Labbett

Charlie's portfolio website was made with Copyfolio's "Typewriter" template

• The dark background makes it different from most creative writing portfolios. It also helps the lighter text and silver graphics to pop and draw your attention to them.
• Has a clear tagline , from which you'll know that Charlie's focus is writing horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories within the realm of creative writing.
• It showcases multiple types of writing projects: extracts from longer-form pieces alongside some poetry work. This shows how versatile his writing skills are.

10. Melissa Wade

This lovely portfolio website was built with Copyfolio, using one of the legacy templates, “Agenda” .

• It showcases the many talents Melissa has. She’s an Amazon best-selling author, content creator, brand ambassador, and more.
• Right at the start, she grabs readers’ attention with a strong headline. How? By talking not about herself per se —but about what she can provide them .
• She also added a nicely designed banner. On it are the things you’d typically write in that tagline: what it is exactly that you do, illustrated with more pictures of her and her book.
• The portfolio site uses pictures with harmonizing colors. The pink in her blouse matches the background of the banner and the colorful wall. It helped her create a professional look and stylish design.

11. Lara Ramirez

Lara built a fun and creative writing portfolio using Copyfolio’s “Journal” template .

• It sticks to one, cohesive color palette. See how she chose just a handful of colors, all matching her site’s palette, and only used them throughout the site? Follow her lead to ensure a great look for your own creative writing portfolio too!
• It features fun and unique design elements. Using simple blobs and flower shapes as the background of photos and mockups gives the portfolio a youthful and fun personality.
• Lara used mockups in her project thumbnails , which is an amazing way to elevate a portfolio and make it look even more professional.

12. Deeya Sonalkar

This creative writing portfolio website was made with Copyfolio’s “Journal’ template , combined with the “Charcoal” color palette.

• It sets the tone for a true creative writer portfolio with a Hemingway quote: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
• Deeya builds rapport with a portrait and a short introduction talking about her life-long passion for writing.
• It showcases her various projects , with the thumbnails mostly leading to websites and social media profiles she’s worked on. So visitors can see her words live, in action.
• The website has a consistent design , only using black-and-white images, and simple black text on a white background.

13. Genie Smith

Genie created her portfolio with one of Copyfolio's legacy templates, "Agenda"

• Genie uses images intentionally , to set the mood: hands in black and white, a typewriter, windows, etc.
• It has a deeper purpose other than just showcasing creative writing work . Formerly dealing with mental health issues, Genie turned to writing to help her heal herself —and to help others.
• The layout leads you along the page, keeping you interested . First, you can learn about the big picture of her life and work, then learn more about her, and in the end, check her writing pieces.

How to build your creative writing portfolio based on these examples

Checking out examples and getting ideas is an important first step… But then you’ll have to actually get started. Don’t worry, we’ll help you with the building process: we’ll outline how to create a stunning creative writing portfolio in just 5 easy steps.

1. Choose a platform & create an account

The first and maybe most important choice you’ll have to make is choosing a platform to build your portfolio website. Our recommendation is Copyfolio, a portfolio website builder that was designed for writers. It’s incredibly fast and easy to use, giving you all the help you need to create something powerful.

When you sign up, you can pick your profession (e.g. creative writer) and the goal of your site. Based on these, Copyfolio will generate a starter site for you.

The page and types of sections on them will be determined by your goal, while all the content inside the sections will be based on your profession. And yes, the latter applies to newly added sections too!

This will give you lots of ideas about what to write and where. All you'll have to do is personalize the text here and there and upload your own pictures. This leads us to the second step, to...

2. Personalize the content of your pages

You'll have an almost-complete site on your hands, but you still have to make it yours. So go over your pages and personalize their contents.

The most important part will be the top of your homepage. That's what everyone sees at first —and whether they'll keep checking your portfolio will depend on it too.

If you chose a writing portfolio template with a photo at the top, then try to find a nice picture of yourself to upload there. That'll help build rapport with your visitors.

If you're not comfortable putting yourself out there like that, you can choose a template with no picture, or upload a decorative one like Macy or Julia did above.

3. Add your creative writing samples

Once the basics are done, it’s time to add your projects. Creative writing samples give viewers a chance to see your writing skills in action and as such, they’re an essential part of your portfolio.

(Need a little help with writing yours? Check out our writing sample templates !)

Make sure you choose thumbnail images for them that all go together color- and design-wise, and add 4-6 of them for a good variety.

In Copyfolio , you can add 3 types of projects: case study pages, PDF files, or external links. Whichever you choose, we'll add a thumbnail image for you. When someone clicks on it, the project will open, in the case of PDFs and external links, in a new tab.

4. Set a custom portfolio URL

To put the cherry on top of a professional creative writing portfolio website, you should set a custom URL for it.

If you're not a freelancer, you can simply customize the ending of your URL. In that case, it's going to look something like this: https://copyfol.io/v/dorka —that's the link to our writer's own site, actually.

If you have bigger plans for personal branding, expanding your career, or going freelance, it's best you get a proper domain. You can buy one right in Copyfolio that'll be automatically connected to your site. Or if you've bought one already somewhere else, you can easily connect that too.

+1: Customize your extra settings : SEO, favicon, and more

This 5th step is not essential —that's why we named it a +1. But these little things can add a lot to the overall feel and performance of your portfolio. So if you have the time, we recommend you to go through them and customize each to your brand.

Extra things you could do are:

• Optimizing your SEO settings. You can write custom meta titles and descriptions for each page + upload a preview image that appears when the page is shared online.
• Set a custom favicon. It's the browser icon that appears next to the name of your page and it helps people to recognize your site amongst all the tabs they have open.
• Write a blog. All it takes is adding a blog section and clicking the "Add new blog post button" and your blog is ready to go. It's amazing to showcase your writing skills and share your musings with the world.
• Finetune your design. In Copyfolio, you can switch up the look of your site in one click, using global palettes and presets. Play around with the colors and fonts to see which one matches your brand the most.

Create your creative writing portfolio with Copyfolio!

Sounds pretty easy, right? And even if you have questions along the way, the blog and the in-app prompts and guiding questions will be there to give a helping hand. The Copyfolio Team is also always just an email away.

Give it a try, create your creative writing portfolio for free with Copyfolio today!

Dorka Kardos-Latif

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

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WEBSITE ESSENTIALS

12 best writing portfolio examples and how to create your own

• Brandi Hunter
• Dec 18, 2023

Get started by: Creating a website →  | Getting a domain →

When it comes to starting a business  around your writing, visibility is everything. The more well-curated and attention-grabbing your writing is, the higher the chance that potential clients and publications will notice your talent. Making a website  that presents your writing portfolio can help introduce the industry to your talent and invite new work.

You may be thinking, “I’m a writer, not a website designer”—that’s where Wix can help. Its templates and beginner-friendly website builder make getting started as straightforward as it can get. To get the creative juices flowing, here are 12 writing portfolio examples from Wix users. Later on, we’ll provide a more straightforward step-by-step guide to building your own.

Start building your online portfolio  with Wix today.

12 writing portfolio examples

Jed Donahue

Sam Carlson Creative

Lauryn Higgins

Jessica Van Devanter

Madison Gray

Jane-Ellen Robinet

Christina Sterbenz

Bryn Dippold

Charlotte Kho

Emma Newell

Maddie Pfeiffer

Rachel A.G. Gilman

01. Jed Donahue

Jed Donahue’s website is a great example of how speaking to your client’s pain points can compel them to reach out. The homepage header copy, “When you need great content, I’m here to help,” focuses on the customer’s needs. Testimonials from previous clients provide proof that Jed can deliver results. Meanwhile, the “What I can do for you” section gives a practical breakdown of the workflow and services that clients can expect.

02. Sam Carlson

Sam Carlson takes his writing portfolio a step further by putting his client work front and center. He highlights his creative flair and prowess as a copywriter by including engaging introductions for each case study. Every project page boasts a concise and clever summary, followed by the client's logo and key project assets. Additionally, his "Fun" page, which presents his personal projects, offers a glimpse of his hobbies and talents outside of writing.

03. Lauryn Higgins

If you, like Lauryn Higgins , have an extensive writing portfolio that includes several bylines with well-known media companies, you can strategically add publication logos to your website and link them to your author pages to show off your credibility. On her “Awards and Publications” page, she features snapshots of some of her best clips, along with several awards.

04. Jessica Van Devanter 

If you don’t have any visual content to display and don’t want to go through the process of finding a set of free-to-use visuals that match your branding and content, take a look at Jessica Van Devanter’s writing portfolio. By making the site’s design the focal point, she bypasses the need for external graphics or images that may not align with her branding. 

Her logo, a shrewd-looking fox, serves as the background for the large header, which captures the viewer's attention upon arrival. Below it, a mountain graphic underlays the main content area, providing a sense of continuity without overpowering the text. 

The structure of each page is reminiscent of a timeline, with her written works positioned as milestones, guiding visitors through her professional journey. The bright green and white font colors provide a deliberate contrast against the muted blue background, ensuring readability and drawing the eye to her written work.

Use Wix’s logo maker  to start building out your personal brand.

05. Madison Gray

As a writer and an artist, Madison Gray masterfully demonstrates both skill sets throughout her portfolio. Pairing her highlighted works with original images draws visitors in and creates a visually engaging narrative of her talents. Each project page indicates which skills she utilized to complete the project, offering a comprehensive understanding of her multifaceted abilities.

06. Jane-Ellen Robinet  

Jane-Ellen Robinet limits her writing portfolio to a page to help website visitors get the information they need quickly. The above-the-fold section summarizes her unique value proposition (“INSIGHT + PERSPECTIVE + EXPERIENCE”) and provides specific job titles for the services she provides (“Editor | Writer”). The header features anchor links to each section of the page to ensure easy navigation. 

07. Christina Sterbenz

Rather than categorizing work by publications, Christina Sterbenz structures her portfolio page around writing topics and pairs each section with a compelling image from one of the relevant clips. This strategy adds visual appeal and gives each topic a personal touch, making the stories more approachable and intriguing to visitors. The images, paired with informative captions, humanize the subjects, enticing readers to delve deeper into her work.

In terms of website design, the portfolio benefits from a clean layout and a modern, minimalist font, which together enhance the site's readability and aesthetic appeal. Visitors can effortlessly scan the pages, finding what they are looking for without feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, the consistent use of design motifs—such as circles and lines throughout the site—contributes to a cohesive and memorable brand identity.

Like this format? Use this creative CV website template  to get started.

08. Bryn Dippold  

Bryn Dippold uses Wix’s blog maker  to showcase her work samples. This approach of republishing content directly on her portfolio, rather than merely linking out to external publications, serves as a strategic method for keeping visitors on her site for longer and providing a comprehensive view of her work.

Many Wix website templates already come with an integrated blog. Alternatively, you can choose to add the blog feature to any template, tailoring it to fit your unique style. Wix allows you to customize the blog settings, enabling you to curate and present your best work in a manner that aligns with your professional image and goals. 

09. Charlotte Kho 

Charlotte Kho uses neutral colors, layered design elements and striking imagery to introduce herself as a digital and creative storyteller. The “Resume” page provides a lot of information, but its clean layout is easy on the eyes, and you have the option to download her CV. On the “Work” page, Charlotte offers a small selection of her best work, plus links to view more of her published pieces.

Like this layout? Make it your own as Charlotte did by customizing this business CV website template .

10. Emma Newell 

Emma Newell's website demonstrates a balance of simplicity and engaging elements, creating a visually appealing and user-friendly experience. The site employs subtle animations that add a dynamic touch without overwhelming the visitor. Notably, when you click on any link in the menu bar, the content below appears to swipe out of view as new content takes its place. This seamless effect maintains the homepage's structure and provides an uninterrupted browsing experience.

11. Maddie Pfeifer

Maddie Pfeifer effectively leads with her experience by featuring her resume on the homepage. It details her past work, highlights her skillset and lists the awards she has received in the course of her career. We appreciate that she prominently placed her contact information above the fold for easy accessibility.

Her website is a model of organization, making excellent use of Wix’s advanced menu features . The dropdown functionality in her navigation bar allows for an expanded array of options, enhancing the user experience. Visitors, when exploring the “Portfolio” page link, are greeted with the option to select content categories like “Event coverage” or “Crime & courts,” tailoring their browsing to their interests.

12. Rachel A.G. Gilman 

Rachel A.G. Gilman elevates her homepage's simplicity with a playful, animated headshot, contrasting colors and a classic font choice, creating a dynamic first impression. Under the “Writing” tab, her comprehensive archive is meticulously sorted into distinct categories, making it easy to sift through her published work and accomplishments.

How to make a writing portfolio of your own

After exploring some of the best portfolio website examples , you’re probably eager to get started on learning how to make a portfolio  of your own. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just getting started, these tips will help you present your work in a way that captivates and communicates your unique voice and skills. 

01. Identify your target audience

To properly tailor your site design to your audience, you need to identify who you’re looking to impress. For instance, if you’re using this type of website  to pitch to editors, you might consider spotlighting your best features or most impressive bylines. On the other hand, if you’re cultivating a professional portfolio  for freelance clients, you might want to put testimonials or a list of services front and center.

02. Establish your goals 

Setting clear goals is crucial to track your progress and success. If your objective is to boost engagement with freelance clients, you might measure this by the number of inquiries or project offers you receive through your portfolio site. On the other hand, if increasing your visibility as a writer online is your goal, you could focus on monitoring website traffic, page views, or how long visitors stay on your site. Regularly assessing these aspects will help you understand what's effective and what needs improvement in your portfolio.

03. Choose the right platform

When looking for a platform for your online presence, choose a portfolio website builder  that aligns with your technical ability and the amount of time you can dedicate to maintenance. Although creating a bespoke website might be impressive and a simple clippings curator (such as Muck Rack) would be convenient, it’s a better idea to go for a builder that combines the best of both worlds, offering both customizability and convenience. 

With Wix, you’ll have hundreds of customizable templates to choose from and AI tools that make designing and filling it with images a breeze. Furthermore, Wix enriches your website with features like built-in forms, custom email addresses, and newsletter capabilities, ensuring you can easily connect with your audience and maintain those connections effortlessly.

Check out this selection of Wix website templates for writers .

04. Decide how you want to structure your showcase

When building the “Works” or “Clips” section of your online writing portfolio, your focus should be on showcasing your writing as well as highlighting the outlets you've collaborated with. Select pieces that represent your best work and reflect the type of work you aspire to continue doing. Remember, it's always about quality over quantity. A handful of outstanding pieces will have a greater impact than a multitude of average ones.

If you're at the beginning of your career and lack professional bylines, don't hesitate to include your best work from college or independent projects. Additionally, consider starting a blog that reflects the kind of work you aim to do professionally. 

05. Build an archive

Imagine losing your most valued work if a website goes down or a publisher removes your article. To prevent this, create an archive on your portfolio site. By uploading and publishing posts using the Wix content management system, you not only safeguard your work but also boost your site’s SEO and engage visitors more effectively. However, remember to check your contracts, as some publishers may restrict this. If time is limited, consider downloading your articles as PDFs and linking to them on a dedicated page. It's best to maintain this archive separately from your featured works, ensuring they continue to be the main attraction.

06. Flesh out the rest of your site

Your writing portfolio is more than just your work; it's a complete presentation of your professional persona. Each page on your site plays a critical role in telling your story. Here's how to make them count:

Home: The homepage is your portfolio's front door, welcoming and guiding visitors. It's crucial that this page clearly communicates what you offer as a writer. Make sure visitors can instantly understand your area of expertise and writing style.

About: On your “About” page, detail your professional journey, educational background and skill set. This page is an excellent place to infuse personality into your resume. Consider including a PDF version of your resume so hiring managers can add it to their databases.

Contact:  The “Contact” page is your open invitation for communication. Offer multiple methods to reach you, such as a contact form and an email address. Consider using scheduling software  to make it easy for potential clients to set up consultation calls. 

When writing the copy for these pages, make sure your tone is consistent, engaging and speaks to your desired audience. If incorporating imagery, make sure they’re high-quality, complement the text and reinforce your professional image. Each element should seamlessly blend to form a cohesive and inviting online presence.

07. Test and publish

Broken links, grammatical errors or faulty contact forms may lead visitors to doubt the quality of your work or discourage them from reaching out. Make sure to do a thorough assessment of your site, and consider sharing your writing portfolio with others to get their feedback.

08. Update your website

Regularly update your portfolio with your latest work. This keeps your site fresh and shows potential clients your active involvement and range of skills. A current portfolio can also inspire new project ideas among visitors.

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6 mins read

12 Top Writing Portfolio Examples to Inspire You

A collection of 12 best writing portfolio examples — draw inspiration from these to create your writing portfolio to solicit more work.

Protim Bhaumik

Written by Protim Bhaumik , edited by Shreya Bose , reviewed by Eric Hauch .

6. Oct 2022 , updated 9. Jan 2023

Creating a writing portfolio is challenging. To that end, I've written an extensive guide on how to create the perfect writing portfolio.

For now, let's get you inspired by a collection of writing portfolio examples that I've carefully curated. These contain examples from writers, authors, copywriters, and content marketers built on a variety of portfolio builders or websites.

For each example, I have highlighted my favorite aspects — something that can be used in your writing portfolio when you create yours.

With that in mind, let's look at the top writing portfolios.

The top twelve writing portfolio examples

Gari Cruze is an associate creative director and copywriter . His online portfolio website —which uses a grid layout with all his work — is filled with humor, and I love it! He's divided his portfolio into sections called "About" (fairly normal), "17 Random Things", and "Oh Yes, They're Talking" instead of the usual "Get to know me" or "Testimonials."

Moreover, even in the About section, he uses copy that brings out his creative writing — words such as "the full blah blah" and "pink squiggly stuff in people's skulls" strike a chord. He also has a "testimonial" from his dad that finishes with "... Gari's like one of the slower primates."

So, all in all, it's an excellent representation of his work and who he is!

Kayla Lewkowicz

Kayla Lewkowicz is a writer, content marketer, and teacher . Her writer website landing page is about who she is and what she does — like "turning great ideas into compelling stories" and, more importantly, "arguing about the finer points of the Oxford comma." Hear, hear!

When you scroll down on her landing page, you see various photos of her travels accompanied by client testimonials and service offerings. The portfolio section has been categorized by topic and what's great to see is that each topic has three posts highlighted for the reader to look at first.

Jennifer Fernandez

Jennifer Fernandez is a writer and editor on staff at Architectural Digest , Travel + Leisure , and Martha Stewart Weddings ; her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal , Elle Decor , House Beautiful , Afar , Departures , and more.

Her beautiful writing portfolio follows a super minimalist style, and her writing samples are divided into three sections so that it's easy to navigate.

Qin Chen is a Beijing-based writer , journalist, and news editor at TechNode and has spent the past two years helping English readers make sense of the top news from the world's second-largest economy.

Her portfolio opens with a quaint picture of a riverboat that's both calming and intriguing. From the off, her work is collected into two sections: writing and video. And her writing samples are arranged into an easily parsable format divided by year.

Ann Friedman

Ann Friedman is a journalist, essayist, and author and currently a contributing editor to The Gentlewoman, having written for places like The Cut , The Los Angeles Times , The New York Times , ELLE , and The Guardian , and has co-written the best-selling book Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close and co-hosts the pioneering podcast Call Your Girlfriend .

Her portfolio is a favorite of many lists like these because of its minimalist, friendly vibe. Her writing samples are collected under headings such as books, essays, interviews, and more, making it super easy to go through.

Tyler Koenig

Tyler Koenig is a copywriter and content strategist living in the Bay area after having traveled the world copywriting for various brands. He's currently the content lead at CapitalG , Alphabet's independent growth fund.

His portfolio is clean and straightforward, and his main landing page says who he is and what he does through both the visuals and the copy, while his work is tucked under the "Content" section.

Alice Lemée

Alice Lemée is a creator, freelance content writer, and copywriter and writes on freelancing, the creator economy, and personal development.

Her portfolio page is an excellent example of how a single landing page can accomplish a lot — intelligent copy coupled with beautiful imagery and call-to-action buttons interspersed in just the right areas.

Muriel Vega

Muriel Vega is a writer and editor living in Atlanta , writing about tech, culture, and food with bylines at Delta Sky Magazine , The Guardian , Apartment Therapy , Eater , VICE , Splinter News , The Washington Post , Atlanta Magazine , The Bitter Southerner , Outside Magazine , and more.

Muriel's clever use of colorful icons in a simple white background for her portfolio evokes a sense of friendliness, approachability, and creativity. Also, her creative writing has been astutely collected under relevant topic headings for easy perusal.

Hank Herman

Hank Herman is an award-winning author, humorist, and writing instructor whose memoir, Accept My Kid, Please! A Dad's Descent Into College Application Hell has led to speaking engagements throughout the Northeast, and his 15-book series of basketball novels, Super Hoops , is read by grade-schoolers everywhere.

His is one of the few portfolio sites to use a comic (of him and a beagle zooming around on a car!), which certainly lends an air of whimsy to an excellently organized website.

Shayna Condé

Shayna Condé is a writer, model, and actor who looks to create spaces that build community, share valuable information, and foster discussions behind brands.

Her beautiful portfolio website is a collection of photos of her, as well as sections for her writing, modeling, and acting.

Colleen Fisher Tully

Colleen Fisher Tully is a content writer & editor working in the health, food, cannabis, nutrition, finance, and family spaces.

Her minimalist portfolio has been separated into easy-to-read collections on the numerous topics she writes on.

Pamela Rosen

Pamela Rosen specializes in creating long- and short-form content for B2B and B2C audiences .

Her portfolio is divided into the various types of content that she writes.

How to create an online writing portfolio with ease

Now that you're adequately inspired let's learn how to create one of these portfolios easily. We highly recommend reading our guide on creating a writing portfolio from scratch .

What we've seen above has been created on an eclectic mix of builders for portfolios, website builders, and more. A lot of these solutions are time-consuming and quite complex to set up.

Authory for all your content needs

And that's why a portfolio builder like Authory makes so much sense. It's super simple to set up, is good-looking, and gives you a portfolio out-of-the-box. Not only that, Authory is self-updating, which means that you don't have to keep track of all your work actively — Authory does that for you! Authory also backs up all your content forever — there's no need to fret about losing access to your work if a site goes down — Authory has it all locked down.

Sign up now for a 14-day free trial!

And that's why a portfolio builder like Authory makes so much sense. It's super simple to set up, is good-looking, and gives you a portfolio out-of-the-box , is good-looking

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6 Content Creator Portfolio Examples to Get Inspired

A handpicked list of 6 brilliant content creator portfolio examples to inform, illustrate, and inspire you to make yours!

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The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Successful Writing Portfolio

A comprehensive yet easy-to-implement guide on creating your writing portfolio. Includes tips, up-to-date examples, and everything you need to have a writing portfolio that will get you more work with minimum effort.

How to Build a Stunning Social Media Portfolio: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

A step-by-step guide on building a stunning social media portfolio — navigate NDAs, create case studies, see examples — & get more work!

Content Marketing Portfolio — A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

Content marketers range from writers to social media marketers and more. Learn how to make the ideal content marketing portfolio for your profile.

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How to Create a Writing Portfolio (With Examples)

Want to create a writing portfolio that'll stand out to readers and potential clients? Here's how to do it and some examples to make it easy for you.

As a freelance writer, it's beneficial to have a portfolio of your work, so potential clients can review your work and learn about your area of expertise. Before starting to work on your portfolio, you should consider the writing you want to do.

Whether you're a copywriter, a ghostwriter, writing literature, or a journalist, that should be clear when people view your portfolio. One of the first things to consider when creating your portfolio is your niche, and determining your niche can help you select your articles and the layout.

6 Steps to Creating Your Writing Portfolio

Here are the six steps to creating a writing portfolio that will help you get noticed by readers and potential clients:

1. Choose a Portfolio Host

In today's virtual world, having an online portfolio is a must for most creatives. You get to decide whether you want to host your portfolio on your website or prefer to have another company host it.

You can create your portfolio using a platform like Wix, Weebly, or WordPress. If you'd rather have your portfolio hosted by a site specializing in online portfolios, you can choose from sites such as Clippings, WriterFolio, or JournoPortfolio. You might be interested in these free platforms to showcase your freelance writing portfolio .

2. Determine Your Niche

If you're struggling with selecting the type of writing you want to focus on, it may be a good idea to review your previous work and see which ones had the most impact, response, and reach. If you want to focus on ghostwriting, you may want to clarify what type of content you can write. This can range from real estate to gardening, holistic medicine, or another industry in which you have writing experience.

As a copywriter, do you enjoy creating sales pages and other marketing copy, like landing pages, newsletters, and email sequences? What kind of literature do you write if you're a literary writer? You can focus on romance, fantasy, horror, or any other genre. What type of news do you write about if you're a journalist? Do you write about current events, celebrity gossip, or financial or political news? The possibilities are endless.

3. Create Your Author Bio

Your author bio aims to introduce yourself to potential clients who enjoy your work and want to learn more about you. The content you include in your bio should match the formatting and design of the website. The elements you should consider including are:

• Where you're from originally.
• Where you call home currently.
• Your academic writing credentials, if applicable.
• Your notable publications.
• Any accolades and awards you've won.
• The subjects or themes you cover.

You can include your social media links if you're comfortable, and they highlight more of your written work. If you're creating your site for the portfolio, you can choose to include the bio on an about page or have it as your homepage.

You may consider adding a photograph of you since it can increase the chances of people reaching out to you. You may be interested in learning tips on how to write an about me page in your online portfolio .

4. Select Your Best Work

Once you've decided on the niche you want to focus on, you can review your completed work and choose the best content that fits that specialization. You can include work past clients have succeeded with and their feedback.

Your potential clients want confirmation that you can produce well-written content about the content you're stating is your specialization. It may be helpful to verify the terms of the work you've written to determine whether you can post the entire content as a part of your portfolio or if you'll have to provide links.

If you provide links, specify the publication and when it was published. You might be interested in learning how Google Docs can help organize your writing portfolio for the next step.

5. Organize Your Work Into Segments

You can divide the work you want to include in your portfolio by niche, or the type of article, using clear descriptions. Categorizing your work makes it easier for potential clients to find samples of the work they're looking to hire you for when you separate them by niche or type. Examples of categories include landing page copy, white papers, and blog posts, to name a few.

Your descriptions for your categories should be brief. If the content you want to share was done as a ghostwriter and didn't include your byline, you should include the term ghostwriter in the work description to clarify it.

6. Ensure Your Contact Information Is Easy to Find

Your online portfolio must make it easy for potential customers to connect with you. Whether they want to express appreciation for an article you wrote or wish to discuss a business opportunity with you, finding your number or an email address shouldn't be challenging.

Engaging with as many people as possible is an excellent way to expand your online profile. You can use a contact form on your website, or you can provide your email address.

The key is to ensure that the information is visible and easy to access, whether they're using their phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. If you decide to share an email address, you may want to create a new account, since having an email published publicly can leave you vulnerable to excessive amounts of spam.

Writing Portfolio Examples

Before you begin creating your portfolio, reviewing what some writers have created for themselves may be helpful. You may also want to check out the blogs every freelance writer should read to get some inspiration, regardless of how long you've been writing. Here are some examples of writer portfolios with some commentary on their design:

1. Elna Cain

Elna's portfolio tells you that she's the writer you're looking for to meet your business needs. She lists publications where readers can find her work and shares testimonials from past clients.

She has numerous ways to connect with her, whether you want to discuss business opportunities or follow her online. She also has a link to her blog, so you can stay current on her work.

2. Tyler Koenig

Tyler uses his website to add value with an email list, courses, webinars, and tips on his blog. He has paid and free resources, highlighting his expertise to potential clients. The site is well-designed and easy to navigate.

3. Jennifer Fernandez

Jennifer uses a grid-based theme to display links to her writing samples, using a title and a thumbnail photo for each. She organized her writing samples in sections based on her lifestyle, design, and travel content niche. Jennifer showcases the type of writing she has experience in and makes browsing easy.

Get Started With Your Creative Writing Portfolio

Before you make your portfolio live, you may want to review it and have friends or colleagues look at it. Sometimes we can be so close to our project that we miss little things. The last thing you want is to publish a writer's portfolio with spelling or grammar mistakes.

If you're looking for work, you want to get as many eyes as possible on it to increase your chances of getting hired. You might be interested in learning how to source clients as a freelance writer now that you have a portfolio to share.

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26 Inspiring Writing Portfolio Examples

Last Updated January 5 2024

Written By Juhil Mendpara

The best writing portfolios showcase the writer’s work — may it be an author’s book, a copywriter’s print ad photo, an editor’s case study, a screenwriter’s synopses, or a journalist’s news item — in an obvious way yet in the best light.

The words on the writer’s portfolio site undoubtedly matter, but so do everything else that makes a great portfolio website , including images, animations, fonts, color scheme, whitespace, navigation…every. single. thing!

I looked through hundreds of writers’ websites. This is the collection of the best writing portfolio examples I found!

Tip: Use ← and → arrow keys to browse.

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1. Kelsey O'Halloran

Kelsey is a copy and brand messaging consultant who also provides done-for-you copywriting services. She started as a newspaper journalist and has borrowed the interview-inspired writing style from there in her copywriting career.

Her website is the perfect blend of everything a professional copywriter’s website should have.

The homepage has all the necessary elements:

• A navigation bar with links to important pages.
• Professionally shot photographs of Kelsey.
• Well-written heading and subheading copy (highest priority for a copywriter!).
• A short services section that has CTAs to service pages.
• Testimonials that are on brand with her style of work.
• Call to action buttons (CTAs) spread throughout the page.
• Nice font choice and color palette.

The copywriter’s portfolio page is equally good.

• The color palette and all other style elements are consistent with other pages, including the homepage.
• At the top, she briefly & persuasively describes her job profile and the successes her clients have had with her work, implying you’ll have similar results too.

Then, she goes into portfolio items.

• There’s one featured project, and the others are arranged neatly in a three-column layout.
• Each portfolio item has a screenshot of the web page where her work is published, the client’s name, the role she played in the job, a testimonial, and a CTA to the client’s website.
• All testimonials describe Kelsey as the expert she claims she is. Examples: “Kelsey put words to my brand, services, and personality that I’ve never been able to articulate before…”, “Kelsey asks concise questions that really make you think about your service or product in a whole new way during an in-depth interview, and she pulls out slivers of gold from your responses.”

2. Sally M Fox

Sally is a freelance copywriter and brand identity writer. She has worked with massive companies like Dove and SendInBlue.

Her portfolio is excellent. She has neatly displayed her work in a one-below-the-other, single-column manner. Each portfolio piece has a screenshot, the job she did for the client, and a short quote from the client.

I am pretty sure her clients must have given big testimonials, and she cut it down to the core, so the website page doesn’t look crammed. That’s something to learn.

3. Chris Harrison

Chris is confident in his ability to deliver great copy — I don’t personally know Chris, but that’s what his portfolio website communicates. He has been writing for the marketing world for 15+ years, and his results speak for the quality he delivers.

On the homepage: Top of the fold, Chris has a confident-looking, smiling picture. Plus, there’s outstanding copywriting showcasing his writing prowess with the classic problem-solution version of the PAS formula:

• Heading : “Getting traffic but going nowhere?” — a question addressing the potential client’s pain point.
• Subheading : “Get more customers with website copy that converts—keep them coming back with unique content.” — the solution to the client’s problem.
• CTA : “See my portfolio”

Just below, there’s also a testimonial that reads, “Chris was, is, and will be the solution to my problems concerning copywriting and content generation.” What a line to immediately build authority!

The portfolio section has screenshots of his work arranged in a vertical slider layout. I am not a fan of vertical sliders because people naturally scroll horizontally, but Chris’s portfolio works — potential clients see Chris’s work in full-sized screenshots, and they know there’s more because of the thumbnails (that they can click to see the screenshot).

Still, I prefer Kelsey’s portfolio page over Chris’s because it is straightforward, + each project has a testimonial alongside it; Chris’s testimonials are on a separate page.

4. John Green

John Green is a bestselling author well-known for his novels The Fault in Our Stars , Paper Towns , Looking for Alaska , etc. Some of his books are also turned into popular movies.

John’s website is clean, elegant, and modern. Right at the top of the homepage is a concise bio of John (with a picture) and links to his popular books. Those links open a sort of portfolio item page that goes in-depth about the work, including a short description of the book, accolades it’s gotten, and quotes from the book’s reviews.

5. Mai Nguyen

Mai Nguyen graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Ryerson University. Her journalistic works have been published in big-name publications like Wired and Washington Post . Besides being a journalist, she’s also an author and a copywriter.

Her homepage has two main elements in a two-column layout: a friendly, smiling photo and a bio section.

The bio section is in a third person, formal writing style, which suits her website. Personally, though, I love copywriting portfolio websites written in the first person, indicating that the copywriter wrote the persuasive words you are reading.

Mai’s portfolio page is accurately titled “Latest Bylines.” Inside, she lists the latest articles published under her name. They are organized minimally, with plenty of whitespaces highlighting her work beautifully.

6. Joe Coleman

Joe’s website homepage is brilliant. He has created 50+ different versions of his bio and has arranged them in a range from Less Hard Sell to More Hard Sell .

• Less Hard Sell example : “So, yeah. I’m a freelance writer. What of it?”
• Somewhere in the middle : “Hello. I’m Joe Coleman. I’m a freelance copywriter. I come up with words and concepts that can help you win pitches and pick up a few awards. I’ve got quite a bit of experience and can tackle most things from ad campaigns to brand books. My job is different every day, and I work with lots of well-known advertising and design agencies.”
• More Hard Sell example : A very persuasive, almost warning-like copy that tells the visitor if they don’t hire Joe, their competitors will :

I don’t like the blurry images in Joe’s copywriting portfolio, though. The thumbnails could be high-quality:

7. Johnny Harris

Johnny Harris is an Emmy-nominated American filmmaker, journalist, and YouTuber known for his geopolitical series “Borders” on Vox. Post-Vox, he continues exploring global issues on his personal YouTube channel, also contributing to The New York Times, amassing over 4 million subscribers.

This site serves as a portfolio for Johnny, showcasing his work as a filmmaker and journalist. It includes a page about his biography, his works (which include Vox Borders), a link to his Presets and LUTs shop, a contact page for inquiries​, a form to collect ideas (currently 404), and other typical stuff​.

8. Gari Cruze

Gari has converted his passion for words into a profession. He is an advertising copywriter who has created digital and social ads for big brands like Lyft, CES, and P&G, among others.

Gari’s portfolio looks like a typical photography website portfolio — with good quality photos, unlike Joe’s copywriting portfolio.

Note : I expect a copywriter’s portfolio to have persuasive words on the homepage. But Gari’s work is like screenwriting — it’s presented best through a visual medium. And he does a good job of presenting his ideas in full capacity through his images and video-filled portfolio.

He writes a pretty good About page copy, though:

9. Copy Kat Creative Copywriting

I am stunned by the range of things Kathryn can write. To give you an overview, she is both a fiction writer and a copywriter. If you dig into her copywriting services, here are the things she is confident in doing really well:

• About Me pages
• Our Story pages
• Full website copy MOTs
• Back-of-pack copy
• TOV guidelines
• Recipe writing
• Social copy

And she has done these for a range of clients. Her portfolio includes brands in categories like agency, beauty & skincare, fashion, food, homeware, photography, tech & software, etc.

She also runs a book club, a podcast, and her own blog!

How do I know so much about Kathryn? Through the copywriter’s well-structured website!

The homepage has a left sidebar to navigate to important pages - portfolio, about, contact page, podcast , etc. All pages have well-written, scannable copy and a clear hierarchy. She also uses other elements like filters to make the website easy to navigate:

10. Cassidy Horton

Cassidy writes for personal finance brands, specifically those serving women, people of color, and underserved communities. Her services include writing articles, sales copy, and UX writing.

The copywriter’s website is a one-page website / landing page with a clear hierarchy. The sections (from top-to-bottom) are listed in the navigation bar with jump links: Welcome > Clients > Services > About > Portfolio > How It Works > Contact.

Through the page, you’ll learn about Cassidy’s experience with debt and getting out of it, her writing experience and background, client testimonials, and more. At the bottom, there’s her writing portfolio section, in a three-column layout:

Each portfolio item has a suitable title and a minimal description. Some even have numbers/results of her work, which is sort of like mini-case studies. Examples: ‘the open and clickthrough rates increased’, ‘14 of the 16 people I contacted replied — a stellar conversion rate for cold pitches’, etc.

11. Kayla Hollatz

Kayla is a Minneapolis-based copywriter who helps creative entrepreneurs and small businesses with personality-packed, impactful copies.

Her writing portfolio page includes case studies as well as a list of portfolio items. The mentioned case studies showcase trust-infusing testimonials from the clients at the top – example: ““Your website copywriting helped us reach $1.9 million in the following year!””

12. Vibe Copy

James Schlesinger is the creative director, account director, project manager, marketing director, brand strategist, head of new business, finance director, office manager, copywriter, and probably more at Vibe Copy. He is a former actor, so this totally makes sense:

After seeing the about page, his portfolio page looks a bit lame, though, doesn’t it?

13. The Copy Canary

When marketers, copywriters, and authors speak highly of someone’s copywriting prowess, you know they are a darn good copywriter. Adele Costa, aka The Copy Canary, is that someone.

Adel’s writing portfolio page is filled with a range of work in a nice two-column format. You can click each portfolio item to see the case study of the work.

14. Alisha Selena

Alisha Selena is a copywriter with a fun personality and a passion for the power of words. Her copywriting offerings range from blog writing to radio advertisement scripts.

Alisha’s website is more of a copywriter’s resume website , but she also has a nice portfolio page that features her magazine work, sales presentation work, email & social posts, and more.

15. Stuart Writes Copy

“Stuart Writes Copy” — the website title says it all.

“I MAKE YOU SOUND FANTASTIC” — the hero text sells the offering.

And whatever more needs to be said and shown, Stuart says and shows through his portfolio of web, email, social, and print work.

16. Lauren Alejo

Lauren is a Senior UX Content Strategist at NerdWallet. Sometimes she also copywrites for NerdWallet.

I like the different-from-usual-writing-portfolios font, the UX design portfolio , and everything. But I don’t like this dropdown much:

17. MedPenPal

Margaret is an experienced medical writer and writing coach who is passionate about helping readers stay in the loop through simple health news. She has written for Forbes Health, WebMD, Verywell Health, Medical News Today, Healthline, and many similar sites.

The copywriter’s portfolio communicates exactly that with a big list of some of her top posts.

18. Drew Collins

Drew started off as a web content editor and moved up the ladder as a copywriter, senior copywriter, and associate creative director. Now, he is the owner and creative director of bond creative + branding , a creative services, and marketing studio. You can see all the work he has done throughout the years on his portfolio website.

19. Jonathan Wilcock

I love Jonathan’s hero text: “The world’s best freelance brand voice copywriter. And other slight exaggerations.” At the very least, it tells his profession and how good he is at it.

The portfolio of this writer shows just the logos of his clients. You’ll have to hover over the logo to see what he has done for the client and click on the portfolio item to see the case study of his work.

20. Locke Hughes

Freelance writer and health coach Locke Hughes, is the author of “Melatonin: The Natural Supplement for Better Sleep.” Her wellness articles have been featured in popular publishing’s such as Shape and Women’s Health Magazine.

You can see more of her work from the “Recent Articles” dropdown on her site.

21. Quotidian Writer

Quotidian Writer by Diane Callahan offers videos and articles filled with practical advice to assist aspiring authors in improving their writing craft and becoming published. Diane is a developmental editor and ghost plotter, and her niche-popular YouTube channel, Quotidian Writer, provides practical tips for aspiring authors.

22. Andy Mendes

This is the portfolio of copywriter Andy Mendes. It’s made with Format, one of the two best portfolio website builders .

23. Ally Denton

Ally Denton is a freelance writer located in Indianapolis with a portfolio in editorial, copywriting, and content writing. She’s also a musician performing at live events and a yoga teacher offering group and private lessons.

I like the simple design of her portfolio pages. It’s just a test list of her works with links to them.

24. Rod Moore

Rod offers copywriting, content strategy, and ghostwriting services. His website is different than your typical copywriting portfolio site, and I dig it.

25. Austin Copywriting

Ryan has over 25 years of experience in IT and Medical Simulation support. Now, he is a healthcare and technology copywriter. He uses a one-page Carrd website to introduce himself and then has a CTA to his notion page for portfolio.

I am not a fan of having the portfolio page separate from the main site, but maybe Ryan realized that he couldn’t have a solid portfolio on Carrd after he made the site.

Side Note : Ryan’s website title is Austin Copywriting. It’s probably for SEO purposes to rank for copywriting-related local search queries in Austin. But people may confuse the site as if it’s from a person named Austin (like the one below).

26. Austin Powe

Austin is a Brooklyn-based copywriter who has worked with brands like Starbucks, YouTube, and Google Maps. He doesn’t have a dedicated portfolio page; instead, his website’s sidebar acts as navigation to his best work.

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Winning Writing Portfolio Tips & Examples

What is a writing portfolio.

• Benefits of a writing portfolio
• How to choose portfolio pieces
• How to organize your writing portfolio
• How to present your writing portfolio
• Tips for a winning writing portfolio
• Examples of successful writing portfolios

Let's face it: Creating a stunning writing portfolio can be as challenging as writing a best-selling novel. But don't worry, this blog post will guide you through the process and help you showcase your writing samples for a creative portfolio in the best possible light.

A writing portfolio is, in simple terms, a collection of your best writing pieces. It’s like a personal art gallery where, instead of paintings, you exhibit your words. Whether you are a novelist, a copywriter, or a journalist, your portfolio serves as a showcase for your writing style, skills, and versatility. The samples in your portfolio are like a window into your creative universe, offering a peek into your approach and unique voice.

Here are some key points to remember:

• Representative: Your portfolio should reflect the breadth and depth of your writing. This means including a variety of writing samples that demonstrate your versatility and adaptability. Remember, you want to show potential clients or employers that you’re not a one-trick pony but a skilled wordsmith.
• Up-to-date: Always ensure that your portfolio includes your most recent work. This shows that you're active, engaged, and evolving as a writer. It's a good idea to review and refresh your portfolio at least once a year.
• Quality over quantity: It's better to have a handful of outstanding pieces in your portfolio than dozens of mediocre ones. Choose your best work that truly represents your skills, even if that means having fewer samples.

Creating a writing portfolio might seem daunting, but with the right guidance and a bit of effort, you can build a portfolio that truly represents you as a writer. And who knows? The next time someone searches for "writing samples for creative portfolio" on Google, they might just land on your page.

Benefits of a Writing Portfolio

So, why go through the trouble of putting together a writing portfolio? Well, there are several good reasons. From showcasing your skills to attracting potential clients, a well-crafted portfolio can be a game-changer in your writing career.

• Proof of Skill: Your writing portfolio demonstrates your writing abilities and styles. It’s hard evidence of what you can do. It's your chance to show off your best writing samples for a creative portfolio and make a lasting impression.
• Professionalism: A neat, well-organized portfolio says a lot about you as a professional. It shows that you take your craft seriously and that you're committed to delivering high-quality work. It adds credibility to your image and makes you more appealing to prospective clients.
• Visibility: An online writing portfolio can significantly enhance your online presence. It can become a magnet for opportunities, attracting potential clients who are looking for writing styles and skills like yours.
• Reflection and Growth: Building a portfolio can also be a valuable exercise in self-reflection and personal growth. It allows you to review your work, understand your progress, and identify areas for improvement.

Creating a writing portfolio might require some work initially, but the benefits it brings are worth the effort. Remember, your portfolio is more than just a collection of your work—it's your professional identity, your brand, and your passport to new opportunities.

How to Choose Portfolio Pieces

Choosing the right pieces for your portfolio can feel like a daunting task. You might be wondering, "Which ones should I choose? How many should I include?" Let's break it down.

First, you want to select pieces that best represent your skills and range. This is where your writing samples for a creative portfolio come in. Think about the types of writing you excel at and enjoy doing. Maybe it's blog posts, maybe it's copywriting, or maybe it's creative non-fiction. Whatever it is, make sure your portfolio reflects that.

Second, think about the audience. Who will be looking at your portfolio? What kind of work are they interested in? If you're aiming to work with technology companies, for example, include pieces that show you can write about tech.

Finally, remember that quality trumps quantity. It's better to have five amazing pieces in your portfolio than fifteen mediocre ones. Choose pieces that you're proud of, that showcase your best work.

Keep in mind that your portfolio isn't set in stone. You can—and should—update it regularly with new pieces that reflect your growth and development as a writer.

How to Organize Your Writing Portfolio

Organization is the key to creating an impressive and cohesive writing portfolio. But, where do you start? A well-organized portfolio presents your writing samples for a creative portfolio in a manner that's easy to navigate and understand.

Firstly, sort your pieces by category. If you have blog posts, press releases, and fiction stories, group them together. This way, viewers can quickly find the type of writing they want to look at.

Secondly, order your pieces strategically. You might want to put your strongest or most impactful pieces first to grab the viewer's attention. Alternatively, you can organize them chronologically to show your growth and progression as a writer.

Lastly, don't forget about the visuals. Make sure your portfolio is visually appealing and consistent. Choose fonts and colors that reflect your personal brand. Remember, your portfolio is not just a collection of your work—it's an extension of you.

By carefully organizing your portfolio, you can create a powerful showcase of your work that's both easy to navigate and reflective of your unique writing style.

How to Present Your Writing Portfolio

So, you've assembled an impressive collection of writing samples for your creative portfolio. But, how do you present it in a way that truly showcases your talents? Here are a few pointers:

First, consider the medium. You could create a sleek, professional website, or use a portfolio platform. Remember, the platform you choose should reflect the type of writing you do. If you're into digital marketing, a blog-style website might work best. For those into scriptwriting or storytelling, a more visual platform could be ideal.

Next, think about the design. Use consistent branding elements, like colors and fonts, throughout your portfolio. This helps to create a cohesive and professional look. But don't go overboard - the focus should be on your writing, not flashy design elements.

Also, make sure each piece is presented in a way that makes it easy to read. This might mean using screenshots, PDFs, or embeds, depending on the platform. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for viewers to engage with your work.

Lastly, include a short description or context for each piece. This could include the purpose of the piece, the target audience, or any results it achieved. This provides valuable context and helps viewers understand the breadth and depth of your skills.

Presenting your portfolio is all about making your work shine. By considering your medium, design, readability, and context, you can create a portfolio that truly showcases your writing talent.

Tips for a Winning Writing Portfolio

Now that you have the know-how to present your portfolio, let's focus on crafting it to be a winner. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom to help you curate writing samples for your creative portfolio:

Firstly, always lead with your best work. This is the piece that will make the first impression, so make sure it's a good one. It should showcase your skill, creativity, and adaptability as a writer.

Secondly, keep it relevant. Each piece you include should serve a purpose and demonstrate your skills and experiences that are relevant to the type of writing jobs you're seeking. Remember, your portfolio is a reflection of you and your work—make sure it tells the right story.

Thirdly, don't shy away from showing variety. If you've written blog posts, scripts, newsletters, and more—show it off! Demonstrating your versatility can help attract a wider range of opportunities.

Lastly, keep your portfolio up-to-date. As you evolve as a writer, so should your portfolio. Regularly review and update your portfolio with new pieces that reflect your current abilities and goals.

By following these tips, you'll be on your way to creating a standout writing portfolio that's sure to catch the eye of potential clients or employers. It's all about showing them what you're capable of, and doing it with style.

Examples of Successful Writing Portfolios

Let's take a look at some examples to inspire you on your journey to creating a successful creative portfolio. These are writers who have mastered the art of showcasing their writing samples effectively:

1. Jane Doe's Portfolio: Jane is a freelance writer who specializes in travel blogs and articles. She has dedicated sections for each type of writing she does—blogs, articles, and features. Each section starts with her most impressive piece. Her portfolio has a clean, organized layout that's easy to navigate, making it a breeze for potential clients to find exactly what they're looking for.

2. John Smith's Portfolio: John is a scriptwriter who has worked on various successful TV shows. His portfolio starts with his most successful scripts, followed by a comprehensive list of all the TV shows he has worked on. Each script is accompanied by a short summary, giving potential clients a quick insight into his work.

3. Mary Johnson's Portfolio: Mary is a business writer who has written for various top-tier companies. She includes samples from different industries, showing her versatility. Mary also includes testimonials from satisfied clients—providing a powerful endorsement of her skills.

These examples showcase different ways to present writing samples for a creative portfolio. They're all unique, yet effective in their own way. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to a writing portfolio, it should be as unique as you are.

As you build your writing portfolio, keep these examples and tips in mind. They will guide you in creating a portfolio that not only showcases your writing samples effectively but also helps you stand out in the sea of writers out there. Happy creating!

If you're eager to learn more about creating an outstanding writing portfolio, don't miss Jasmine MacPhee's workshop, ' The Ultimate Role-Getting Portfolio Layout .' This workshop will provide you with valuable insights, tips, and examples to help you build a winning writing portfolio that showcases your talents and catches the attention of potential clients or employers.

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Home » Planning & Creating » How to create a writing portfolio

How to create a writing portfolio: 7 fundamental steps

The point of a portfolio is to give viewers a sense of what you can do for them. And portfolios can look very different while still getting that job done. Some of our Blurb writers have gotten hired by emailing screenshots of Facebook posts—while others have opened up professionally bound layflat photo books during interviews. Keeping in mind your end goal (selling yourself) will help ground you in this process.

Here are seven steps to help you create the perfect writing portfolio:

1. Introduce yourself

If your portfolio is your full sales pitch, think of your introduction as your elevator pitch. This sets the tone and context for your work. State your name, the type of writing you do, and any relevant background information that describes who you are.

Remember, this is a writing sample, too.  Make it unique, valuable, and memorable—and from your natural voice. This is your chance to tell your story from your point of view. Make it count.

2. Organize your writing samples

Gather up all relevant writing samples you have. These can be everything from Super Bowl ads you’ve scripted to op-eds you’ve written for your high school newspaper. And if you don’t have enough, you can create hypothetical projects for brands that exist or that you make up to showcase your skills—just make it clear they’re examples and not paid work.

Once you have all your writing samples gathered, it’s time to organize them. Keep in mind who you’re showing your work to and include the type of samples they’re most interested in. If you’re angling to carve a niche, consider grouping your work into topic or format clusters. If you’re showing off versatility, group them by medium.

Here are the top ways to organize your writing portfolio:

• Chronologically: If you have a wide range of writing samples or a linear progression in your career, consider arranging your work chronologically and share how your skills have evolved.
• Topic: If you specialize in particular types of writing, you could group your samples by topic. For example, you could organize your work by industry for your technical writing or trade book writing—or by sections dedicated to industries, verticals, or genres.
• Medium: If you write for various mediums and channels, be it journalism stories, ad creative, UX writing, storytelling, or blogging, organize your work by these key pillars to help readers understand your versatility as a writer.

No matter how you organize your work, start and end with your strongest samples. Recruiters spend less than three minutes per portfolio , whereas most hiring managers spend five to 10 minutes. Either way, that’s not a lot of time. Make sure your portfolio makes a splash to start and is easily scannable.

3. Cull your writing samples

Once you’ve compiled all relevant writing samples for your portfolio, now comes the difficult task of narrowing them down. If you’re in the early stages of your career, you may not have a lot of work to distill. But for experienced writers, it’s important to whittle down your samples to showcase only your best work. 

When making the final selection of samples to include in your writing portfolio, consider the following:

• Diversity: Depending on the structure you envision for your portfolio, consider choosing samples that capture your range and versatility as a writer. For example, creative writers might want to include a mix of short stories , screenplays, essays, or novels .
• Relevance: Your writing samples should reflect the type of writing you want to do in the future. If you’re interested in writing for a particular publication, highlight samples that overlap with that publication’s style and tone.
• Quality: As a rule, only include your best work when creating a writing portfolio. It can be helpful to recruit a mentor, friend, or colleague to get different perspectives on what others view as your highest-quality samples.

4. Craft your navigation

As you organize and narrow down what work samples you’d like to include, you can start identifying patterns for structuring your writing portfolio. In doing so, think about how you’d like viewers to navigate your book.

A table of contents, menu, or sections can provide guideposts for viewers to better travel through your writing portfolio and understand what it includes. In addition to thematic structure and the general flow of your portfolio, consider design elements like thumbnail images for each piece or major section. This adds a visual appeal and a touch of creativity that goes a long way in grabbing your prospective readers. Other fundamentals include:

• Sections: If you have ample writing samples to include, divide your portfolio into sections or chapters. This will make it easier for readers to find the pieces they’re most interested in.
• Navigation: Make sure your table of contents or website menu is simple to understand. In a digital context, you can include links to each section or piece of writing for easy navigation.
• Design: Your portfolio should be clean, clear, concise, and easy to read. Set the mood appropriately and use a consistent font, color scheme, and design elements for your sections, headlines, and menus to make them cohesive with the rest of the portfolio.

5. Design a layout

Once you have all of your writing samples selected and organized, you’ll need to think about how to best present your work in a way that’s visually appealing and on-brand with your particular style and tone. This is where the design of your portfolio comes in. When designing your portfolio, consider the following:

• Choose a format that’s creative yet easy to navigate. Whether creating a hardcopy portfolio or a website portfolio, you want to choose a format that aligns with your writing style and the context of your samples but also one that’s easy to navigate. Be creative but don’t let the design distract readers from your portfolio’s content. 
• Use a clear and readable font. Make sure that the font you choose is easy to read, both in print and digitally on the screen. It’s best to stick with very simple, legible fonts that won’t distract from your writing.
• Incorporate images or graphics. Consider adding visuals to your writing portfolio that capture the context of your work. Whether they’re symbolic photos or images that truly correspond with your samples, consider imagery that relates to your writing and engages your readers. Just be sure that they don’t detract from your copy.
• Keep it consistent. While you want your writing portfolio to be visually engaging, you also want to ensure that it’s professional and on point with your personal brand. Often, less is more. So, avoid using too many colors or fonts , and put together a design layout that’s consistent and aligned.

6. Summarize your work

Depending on the length of your writing portfolio, it can help to provide some context for your samples—especially if you can prove your worth with impressive stats. Similar to a novel’s blurb shown on the back cover of a book, these could be short summaries that introduce individual samples, case studies that outline your business results, or thematic sections of your portfolio that add color to your writer’s journey.

Writing short summaries or blurbs of your work gives readers a sense of what they can expect from each piece of writing. While not a requirement for writing portfolios, these blurbs can help guide the overarching story behind your experience. When writing these short summaries, consider the following elements:

• Overviews that summarize your work. You can include the genre , topic, purpose, brand, or writing style.
• Your intentions or goals. Break down the problem you solved with your writing pieces, like whether your objective was entertaining, educating, or persuading your readers, and who the project was for.
• The scope of the project and your role as a writer. Make sure you highlight whether your work was part of a larger publication or your own personal blog. Talk about timelines, titles, and how you contributed to any large-scale projects or group work.
• Any key performance indicators (KPIs). Hiring managers on marketing teams will be very interested in the results of your work, like how much traffic a piece earned, how much engagement it received, or how your work led to a particular business outcome.

7. Include your resume and contact info

When using your portfolio to land your dream job, including your resume (or a version of it) is a good supplement to showcase all your experience. You could include it at the beginning or end of your portfolio. In any case, it should be easy to find and relevant to your target audience.

You’ll also want to include a way for viewers to contact you, like your professional email address or social media account. Depending on the context of your portfolio, you may even consider adding a link to your LinkedIn or Instagram profile so employers can see more information about you and easily get in touch. If you print your portfolio, add links or QR codes to your professional website or digital portfolio, too.

Tips for creating a writing portfolio that wows

Now that you’re familiar with creating a writing portfolio, several additional points are worth calling out. These are general best practices and things to consider when bringing your portfolio to life.

Quality over quantity

Less is often more, as it’s generally better to showcase a small collection of high-quality writing samples rather than inundating your readers with numerous less-than-stellar pieces. Be selective with the work you choose, and aim for a diverse range that emphasizes your strengths and genres of focus.

Know your target audience

Identify your target audience for your writing portfolio, as this can help determine the specific writing samples you include and how you organize them. Keep in mind that you should tailor your portfolio to suit the needs of your potential clients or employers. Print on demand allows you to swap in and out samples that best align with each client or employer—or you can tailor your digital portfolio with specific landing pages for each application or industry.

Keep it clean, simple, and error-free

Your writing portfolio should be easy to navigate, visually appealing, and error-free. Use a simple design and make sure your writing samples are well-organized and clearly presented. Your portfolio’s overall design layout and format will help readers digest its contents. 

And since you’re a writer, typos are usually unforgivable. Get a friend or mentor (or both!) to proof your work before you send it out.

Create digital and print writing portfolios

There are many pros and cons for digital and hardcopy portfolio books . While having a digital writing portfolio might be needed for digital applications and remote positions, a print version will definitely have you standing out while attending in-person meetings and interviews. Ultimately, the decision should depend on your personal preference, the needs of your target audience, and your intended usage of the portfolio.

However, we’d suggest both. You’ll need digital samples to get through the initial stage of most applications, but few things are more impressive than a perfectly bound physical portfolio in face-to-face interactions.

Keep your writing portfolio up-to-date

Your writing should always be fresh and relevant, so don’t forget to regularly update the contents of your portfolio with new pieces or achievements. Also, it’s a great idea to tailor your portfolio for each interview. Doing this will help demonstrate your interest and commitment to the company or client.

What makes a strong writing portfolio?

Certain characteristics make for standout writing portfolios. Consider these five cornerstones of strong portfolios:

• Showcase the depth and diversity of your writing ability, including various genres and styles, to help demonstrate your versatility and range as a writer.
• Maintain consistency in your tone and presentation throughout your portfolio, even if you showcase work with different styles for different brands.
• Feature work most relevant to your primary target audience and the type of writing jobs you want to land in the future.
• Choose the most engaging writing samples that reflect your style and focus, highlighting your marketable attributes and unique skillset.
• Assemble your portfolio in a clear, cohesive, and organized manner, making it easy for readers to navigate and absorb your content.

Above all, remember that your writing portfolio reflects you and your abilities as a writer. Take the time to create something unique and memorable. We believe in you!

If you’re interested in creating a print version of your writing portfolio, Blurb offers the tools to make a professional, bookstore-quality portfolio book that will impress. 

Get started using a beautifully designed portfolio template, or create your own custom layout. Not only can you print as many books as you need on demand, but you can choose from a variety of formats, from large layflat portfolio books to smaller and more affordable options that make great leave-behinds.

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“ This is a wonderful resource. It's easy to use but flexible and customizable, and the help desk is very responsive. ” Amanda Morgan Publications professional

“ My website has been hosted on Journo Portfolio for several years now... I find it as easy to use as my social media accounts . The aesthetics are excellent which is an important consideration for me. The best part is I’m not required to take backups or update plugins as I did tirelessly on other platforms. The time and hassle I save is priceless. ” Sampada Chaudhari Business & Career Transition Coach

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“ I decided to use Journo Portfolio to showcase my editorial work because their software is easy to understand, and they provide engaging layouts for viewers. I am very proud of my pieces, and a portfolio is an obvious and exciting way to tell others that. Journo Portfolio has given me the opportunity to create a time capsule of journalistic journey and to share it with the world ” Claire Blaha Copy Editor

“ Journo Portfolio is amazing not only for writers . I used it to step by step build website for my work and it works perfectly as a presentation of my business. Compatibility with social media plugins, variety of themes and flexibility of moving elements, creating articles together with possibility of integrating outer plugins such as chat support for you website... For almost no cost. ” Monika PADI Instructor, Master Scuba Diver Trainer

“ AMAZING tool to showcase your portfolio as a creative. It is easy to use and you are able to create your own personal website portfolio in a matter of seconds! ” Aaliyah Ebrahim Artist

“ I found out about Journo Portfolio 3 years ago at the beginning of my journey as a freelance journalist. On top of being affordable and intuitive to use, Journo is amazing for multi-skilled people and whoever offers more than one service . As someone who wants to be able to showcase my work in different areas, I love how this platform allows me to do just that, but having a solid selection of templates for articles, but also having many customizable options for a variety of pages. ” Annie Bourbonnais Makeup artist, content creator, creative director and writer

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10 Best Marketing Portfolio Examples for Inspiration in 2024

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

April 17, 2024

A digital marketer is often torn between ‘Should I promote my work?’ or ‘ Should I let my work promote my expertise?’ 

If these questions also trouble you, here’s what you can do. Combine both approaches by creating a comprehensive digital marketing portfolio. 

A digital marketing portfolio promotes your services without selling them to your prospects hard. A marketing portfolio includes your best work, value proposition, results, and what your clients say about you. 

Consider the marketing portfolio your one-stop (reusable) resource that showcases your expertise to the target audience.

This article walks you through some of the best marketing portfolio examples and what you can replicate from them. 

What is a Marketing Portfolio? 

Focuses on your niche-focused experience , builds trust with case studies and social proof , helps you stand out from a large talent pool , benefits of a marketing portfolio , digital marketing , social media marketing , importance of web design in the marketing portfolio , including a marketing strategy in a digital marketing portfolio, importance of search engine optimization and page layout, 1. hive creative group , 2. jordyn brenner , 3. alaina thomas , 4. michael antalok , 5. kate dunham , 6. 345 marketing , 7. denise rick , 8. jaxon curtis , 9. mcmath creative , 10. kathryn hall , how do you create a marketing portfolio in clickup .

A marketing portfolio compiles a marketing professional’s (consultant, independent contractor, agency, or job seeker) past work, marketing skills, and achievements to help them attract valuable prospects and land exceptional opportunities. 

Here’s what a typical marketing portfolio should look like:

Content writer and social media marketing expert Sarah McCain’s portfolio (her site) showcases everything potential clients would look for, including her skills, portfolio, brands she’s worked with, and client testimonials. The homepage features all these details, and each section has a separate landing.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule to building your marketing portfolio. To break free of the clutter, you can experiment with how you showcase your skills, work samples, services, and results you’ve achieved for clients.

Importance of a Marketing Portfolio 

The portfolio website gives a potential client an in-depth view of your expertise and solidifies their trust. 

Suppose you are a social media marketer and add that information to your portfolio. But is that sufficient information for a prospect to assess your experience? 

Not really. 

Your prospects want to know: 

• Which social media channel are you most confident about? 
• What kind of posts do you create?
• Are you a copywriter, a graphic designer, or both?
• What kind of metrics do you track? 
• What kind of results have you achieved in your past projects? 

Answering these questions shows prospective clients whether you are an expert in a particular social media platform or an all-rounder. This information convinces them of your expertise as opposed to a generic portfolio. 

It is hard to believe when you make a simple claim of helping the ABC brand grow organic traffic by 25% in 6 months.

But, if you explain in detail how your content strategy helped the client increase their organic impressions and traffic by 25% and back it up with a client testimonial and anecdotes of working with you, your prospective client will trust you.

A marketing portfolio breaks down your achievements through case studies loaded with social proof and adds more credibility to your marketing expertise. 

If you are seeking a job, submitting your resume is not enough. Hiring managers receive a pile of resumes every day. Your resume should be linked with your marketing portfolio to stand out from this crowd of talent. Show tangible evidence to back your skills and work experience; a marketing portfolio helps you do that.

Briefly, a marketing portfolio helps you to: 

• Showcase what you do best and build trust 
• Gives an idea of who you are and what your journey has been like 
• It helps potential clients or hiring managers to assess your skills better and understand what kind of budget they should allocate based on your expertise 

Elements of a Marketing Portfolio

As a marketer, consider highlighting two core elements in your portfolio—digital marketing and social media marketing. 

A digital marketing professional’s standard services are Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content marketing, Pay-per-Click Marketing (PPC), and email marketing. 

Accordingly, your digital marketing portfolio should include the following elements to showcase your expertise: 

• SEO: An SEO portfolio website must include services like keyword research, on-page/off-page SEO achievements, innovative SEO strategies previously implemented, and relevant results (leads, traffic, conversion, etc.)
• Content marketing: A content marketing portfolio website should include content writing, strategy, optimization, types of content campaigns and their executions, and best writing samples published on relevant websites
• PPC: A PPC portfolio website should have a detailed breakdown of the types of accounts handled, budgeting plans, and number of leads generated via campaign management and spending, ad copywriting, and creative samples
• Email marketing: Ensure your email marketing portfolio page includes email copies for target industries, the number of calls booked from email campaigns in a particular time frame, and email analytics like open rate and engagement rate

The social media portfolio should have platform-based segregation, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media links, and what is included in these services. 

• LinkedIn: Past work samples related to content creation, strategy, LinkedIn links to engaging posts, engagement, results generated for personal brand and company brand, and if design is included in your package  
• Twitter: Showcase work samples related to copywriting, strategy, and engagement, along with relevant results like leads, impressions, and clicks
• Instagram: Best samples of reels, creative designs, captions, and the results achieved for individuals and brands 

If you’re a generalist social media marketer, in addition to all the above samples, include social media ads and the results they generated for the brand. 

Traditionally, digital and social strategists use Google Drive or a PDF to showcase their best work. This doesn’t create a lasting impression from the prospect’s standpoint and fails to build immediate interest because portfolios are messy and confusing. 

By creating a simple website marketing portfolio: 

• Set a lasting first impression as a portfolio website includes your best work; it showcases your eye for details, how aesthetically you present your work, and a cleaner representation of your brand 
• With a portfolio website, you have the opportunity to generate leads with organic and paid marketing initiatives such as SEO, blogs, and paid advertising to reach your target audiences 
• Add trust-building elements to your web design, like case studies and testimonials from your happy clients on your portfolio page, to win more projects 
• Add a meeting scheduler to your portfolio website to encourage potential clients to book calls frictionlessly via the website 

As an online or social media marketer, your strategy differentiates you from the crowd. But should you add strategy elements to strengthen your digital marketing portfolio?  

Sure, strategies differ client-wise and depend on goals, current situation, industry, and market size. We often find digital marketers in a dilemma about whether they should include strategies in a marketing portfolio. 

You should, but briefly. When writing a case study, explain the challenges that particular client faced, how you approached them, and the strategy you adopted to solve their pain points. 

This way, a prospect will better understand your expertise and ability to develop strategies for specific use cases and decide if your approach fits their requirements. 

Both search engine optimization and page layout matter in a digital marketing portfolio. 

If you follow an audience-centric SEO strategy for your portfolio website, publish relevant, well-researched content regularly, and focus on on-page and off-page SEO best practices. 

This helps you increase your website traffic from relevant prospects, have more potential customers discover your services organically, and win more projects. In short, it is a consistent source of lead generation. 

Pay equal attention to your portfolio page layout. Make it compelling by adding your brand colors, a uniform font, and CTAs, breaking down the sections with dividers, and making the navigation across the full-service design easier.

Marketing Portfolio Examples 

Let’s look at some examples of digital marketing portfolios for more inspiration.

Hive Creative Group, a Virginia-based marketing agency, stands out instantly for its interactive portfolio and authenticity. 

Why we like this portfolio 

• The interactive, animated elements and icons make this marketing portfolio highly responsive 
• This digital marketing portfolio is an excellent compilation of social proof and one of the key examples of authenticity. We love how they showcase client logos and introduce the viewers to their team members 
• The simple navigation helps you locate their contact details quickly through a dedicated page 

Jordyn Brenner is the Senior Art Director at Amazon Studios. Her portfolio instantly convinces you she’s the mind behind the artwork of all our favorite Amazon Prime shows, including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Homecoming.

Why we like this portfolio  

• While there are fewer sections in this digital marketing portfolio, we love how it focuses on showcasing Jordyn’s best works and does that beautifully 
• The grid style helps in executing the image-led case study framework with high-quality images
• The ‘About’ section does a great job of narrating Jordyn’s story in the most precise way possible 

Alaina Thomas’s portfolio website is one of the most compact digital marketing portfolios we have encountered. 

Merging all in the services portfolio can get messy if you offer all digital marketing services. We added this example to show you how to make the design cleaner and the marketing portfolio easy to understand. 

• Alaina provides content marketing and social media services. She has different marketing portfolios for each service to help the reader skim through the offerings and understand her expertise 
• The minimalistic digital marketing portfolio layout catches our attention. The portfolio  accommodates different sections like services, best works, and a dedicated page for contact details without going overboard and uses color contrast to separate them 

Michael Antalok’s digital marketing portfolio is dark-themed and responsive. With each scroll, you come across a new case study, which opens in separate pages. 

• Michael goes by the saying ‘more the merrier,’ and his portfolio simplifies decision-making for prospects as it is easy to find relevant use cases 
• The quotes catch your attention. For example, the hero section says, ‘Good design is good business.’ With each scroll, he keeps adding more quotes to bring forward the significance of his services 

Kate Dunham’s digital marketing portfolio is simple and is segregated for her two groups of target audiences—freelancers and organizations. This means less confusion and helps the reader find the necessary information faster. 

• You learn much about the marketer in terms of who she is as a person, her goals as a marketing professional, and what it’s like to work with her. This personal touch humanizes the experience and builds an instant connection with the reader 
• Kate, the marketer, talks about how she gives back to the community and the causes she cares about. She gives you one more reason to start a conversation with her

The next name in our list of marketing portfolio examples belongs to a branding and marketing agency called 345. As odd as the name might sound, their marketing portfolio is solid, with a good balance of stories, services, and work samples. 

• This design and marketing agency dedicates a section of its digital marketing portfolio to telling the brand’s story, which resonates with the reader 
• They have a ‘Story Time’ section that engagingly showcases their expertise with crisp takeaways at the end of each story

Denise Rick is a content and branding professional serving multiple industries. We love how she has used colors to differentiate different portfolio sections. 

• The uniqueness of her portfolio is that it gives an overview of all her projects and also takes you to her three different client-specific pages to read a detailed case study 
• Each image, GIF, and reel in her best works section has a context. She explains the purpose of the creatives instead of just leaving the prospects to figure it all out 

Jaxton Curtis is a LinkedIn marketer who writes social media posts for sports brands. This becomes apparent when you look at his portfolio, even though no services section exists. 

• The portfolio is a grid of some of Jaxton’s most successful LinkedIn posts. For the social media posts, he adds the impressions, inviting the visitors to click on them 
• The author, Jaxton, uses the show-don’t-tell approach and prioritizes examples over lengthy text

The next digital marketing portfolio on our list belongs to a content and marketing agency called McMath Creative. The portfolio’s simplistic design stands out. 

• They have three dedicated pages for three service areas—branding, management, and content. On each page, you’ll find details about their services and customer logos 
• There’s an overview page called ‘All Things Branding & Marketing,’ which works as a portfolio management page. You will find a sneak peek into all of their designs in one place 

Kathryn Hall, a freelance writer, showcases all her work samples, segregating them according to service areas in her marketing portfolio website. 

• The portfolio gives a quick overview of Kathryn’s diverse writing skills 
• Her biography page details her journey and has a testimonial to add credibility 

If you want to create your first marketing portfolio, here’s how to start.

• Pick a website builder (Webflow, WordPress, or Wiz) to host your portfolio 
• Add content and visuals to showcase your offerings 

Next, use portfolio management software like ClickUp to plan your portfolio development tasks. 

• Get started with the ClickUp Portfolio Management Template to build your digital marketing portfolio from scratch and showcase your best work, and use list views to track multiple marketing portfolios based on various digital marketing services like SEO and PPC in one place 
• Create a standard operating procedure for each project using SOPs
• Use the ‘Getting Started Guide View’ feature to set up your portfolio management process and store reference guides to easily access required resources 
• Once you start working with the client, use ClickUp as your project management tool to streamline your standard operating procedures, collaborate with the client’s team members, and streamline your communication with stakeholders. 
• Keep tracking the project’s progress on the ClickUp Dashboards . As you keep changing status, it will give you an idea of whether the project is moving as expected or if there are any roadblocks 
• Use ClickUp for Marketing Teams to plan and execute your marketing programs—from multichannel marketing campaigns to successful rebranding and campaign management 

A Strong Marketing Portfolio is the First Step to Showcasing your Expertise in the Industry 

As a digital marketer, you create content, perform SEO, market social media, and engage in paid marketing. Your marketing portfolio compiles and categorizes all these services narrate your professional and personal journey, builds trust with social proof, and helps you land more projects. 

Whether you are building your portfolio as a marketing consultant or collaborating with clients, ClickUp helps you at every stage of the project lifecycle. 

Start by using ClickUp to create an attention-grabbing and high-converting portfolio. As you start working on marketing projects, leverage ClickUp’s project management tool to help you manage your freelance and consulting digital marketing projects end-to-end. 

• Centralize your project details on ClickUp Docs

• Use ClickUp Whiteboard to ideate and plan your marketing campaigns
• ClickUp Brain serves as your creative brainstorming partner, helping you automate time-consuming tasks such as writing progress reports and summarizing meeting notes 
• Set timelines, assign tasks to the team, add comments, set priorities, and visualize the project’s progress over ClickUp Dashboard 
• Lastly, get rid of scattered conversations by bringing the team communication under one roof with ClickUp Chat —to coordinate with team members in real-time, share updates, and share project details with the organization 

Sign up on ClickUp for free to create high-converting marketing portfolios.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does a marketing portfolio include?

A marketing portfolio includes your past works, case studies, approach, services, and a contact page.  

What should be included in a content marketing portfolio? 

The must-haves in a content marketing portfolio website are top-ranking articles, case studies, relevant content strategies, contact pages, and client testimonials.

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle & High School – 2024

April 15, 2024

Some high school students dream of writing for a living, perhaps pursuing an English major in college, or even attending a creative writing MFA program later on. For other students, creative writing can be useful for school assignments, in English and other subjects, and also for preparing their Common App essays . In a less goal-oriented sense, daily freewriting in a journal can be a healthy life practice for many high schoolers. Not sure where to start? Continue reading for 100 creative writing prompts for middle school and high school students. These middle/high school writing prompts offer inspiration for getting started with writing in a number of genres and styles.

Click here to view the 35 Best Colleges for Creative Writing .

What are Creative Writing Prompts?

Similar to how an academic essay prompt provides a jumping-off point for forming and organizing an argument, creative writing prompts are points of initiation for writing a story, poem, or creative essay. Prompts can be useful for writers of all ages, helping many to get past writer’s block and just start (often one of the most difficult parts of a writing process).

Writing prompts come in a variety of forms. Sometimes they are phrases used to begin sentences. Other times they are questions, more like academic essay prompts Writing prompts can also involve objects such as photographs, or activities such as walking. Below, you will find high school writing prompts that use memories, objects, senses (smell/taste/touch), abstract ideas , and even songs as jumping-off points for creative writing. These prompts can be used to write in a variety of forms, from short stories to creative essays, to poems.

How to use Creative Writing Prompts

Before we get started with the list, are a few tips when using creative writing prompts:

Experiment with different formats : Prose is great, but there’s no need to limit yourself to full sentences, at least at first. A piece of creative writing can begin with a poem, or a dialogue, or even a list. You can always bring it back to prose later if needed.

Interpret the prompt broadly : The point of a creative writing prompt is not to answer it “correctly” or “precisely.” You might begin with the prompt, but then your ideas could take you in a completely different direction. The words in the prompt also don’t need to open your poem or essay, but could appear somewhere in the middle.

Switch up/pile up the prompts : Try using two or three prompts and combine them, or weave between them. Perhaps choose a main prompt, and a different “sub-prompt.” For example, your main prompt might be “write about being in transit from one place to another,” and within that prompt, you might use the prompt to “describe a physical sensation,” and/or one the dialogue prompts.  This could be a fun way to find complexity as you write.

Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Students (Continued)

Write first, edit later : While you’re first getting started with a prompt, leave the typos and bad grammar. Obsessing over details can take away from your flow of thoughts. You will inevitably make many fixes when you go back through to edit.

Write consistently : It often becomes easier to write when it’s a practice , rather than a once-in-a-while kind of activity. For some, it’s useful to write daily. Others find time to write every few days, or every weekend. Sometimes, a word-count goal can help (100 words a day, 2,000 words a month, etc.). If you set a goal, make sure it’s realistic. Start small and build from there, rather than starting with an unachievable goal and quickly giving up.

100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Teens

Here are some prompts for getting started with your creative writing. These are organized by method, rather than genre, so they can inspire writing in a variety of forms. Pick and choose the ones that work best for you, and enjoy!

Prompts using memories

• Begin each sentence or group of sentences with the phrase, “I remember…”
• Describe a family ritual.
• Choose an event in your life, and write about it from the perspective of someone else who was there.
• Pick a pathway you take on a regular basis (to school, or to a friend’s house). Describe five landmarks that you remember from this pathway.
• Write about your house or apartment using a memory from each room.
• Write an imaginary history of the previous people who lived in your house or apartment.
• Write about an ancestor based on stories you’ve heard from relatives.
• What’s your earliest memory?
• Who was your first friend?
• Write a letter to someone you haven’t seen since childhood.
• Write about yourself now from the perspective of yourself twenty, or eighty, years from now.
• Write about the best month of the year.
• Write about the worst day of the year.
• Rant about something that has always annoyed you.
• Write about the hottest or coldest day you can remember.
• Visualize a fleeting moment in your life and as though it’s a photograph, and time yourself 5 minutes to write every detail you can remember about the scene.
• Draw out a timeline of your life so far. Then choose three years to write about, as though you were writing for a history book.
• Write about a historical event in the first person, as though you remember it.
• Write about a memory of being in transit from one place to another.

Objects and photographs as creative writing prompts

• Describe the first object you see in the room. What importance does it have in your life? What memories do you have with this object? What might it symbolize?
• Pick up an object, and spend some time holding it/examining it. Write about how it looks, feels, and smells. Write about the material that it’s made from.
• Choose a favorite family photograph. What could someone know just by looking at the photograph? What’s secretly happening in the photograph?
• Choose a photograph and tell the story of this photograph from the perspective of someone or something in it.
• Write about a color by describing three objects that are that color.
• Tell the story of a piece of trash.
• Tell the story of a pair of shoes.
• Tell the story of your oldest piece of clothing.

Senses and observations as creative writing prompts

• Describe a sound you hear in the room or outside. Choose the first sound you notice. What are its qualities? It’s rhythms? What other sounds does it remind you of?
• Describe a physical sensation you feel right now, in as much detail as possible.
• Listen to a conversation and write down a phrase that you hear someone say. Start a free-write with this phrase.
• Write about a food by describing its qualities, but don’t say what it is.
• Describe a flavor (salty, sweet, bitter, etc.) to someone who has never tasted it before.
• Narrate your day through tastes you tasted.
• Narrate your day through sounds you heard.
• Narrate your day through physical sensations you felt.
• Describe in detail the physical process of doing an action you consider simple or mundane, like walking or lying down or chopping vegetables.
• Write about the sensation of doing an action you consider physically demanding or tiring, like running or lifting heavy boxes.
• Describe something that gives you goosebumps.
• Write a story that involves drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day.
• Write a story that involves entering a warm house from a cold snowy day.
• Describe someone’s facial features in as much detail as possible.

Songs, books, and other art

• Choose a song quote, write it down, and free-write from there.
• Choose a song, and write a story in which that song is playing in the car.
• Choose a song, and write to the rhythm of that song.
• Choose a character from a book, and describe an event in your life from the perspective of that character.
• Go to a library and write down 10 book titles that catch your eye. Free-write for 5 minutes beginning with each one.
• Go to a library and open to random book pages, and write down 5 sentences that catch your attention. Use those sentences as prompts and free-write for 5-minutes with each.
• Choose a piece of abstract artwork. Jot down 10 words that come to mind from the painting or drawing, and free-write for 2 minutes based on each word.
• Find a picture of a dramatic Renaissance painting online. Tell a story about what’s going on in the painting that has nothing to do with what the artist intended.
• Write about your day in five acts, like a Shakespearean play. If your day were a play, what would be the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution?
• Narrate a complicated book or film plot using only short sentences.
• Read a short poem. Then write a poem that could be a “sister” or “cousin” of that poem.

Abstract ideas as creative writing prompts

• Write about an experience that demonstrates an abstract idea, such as “love” or “home” or “freedom” or “loss” without ever using the word itself.
• Write a list of ways to say “hello” without actually saying “hello.”
• Write a list of ways to say “I love you” without actually saying “I love you.”
• Do you believe in ghosts? Describe a ghost.
• Invent a mode of time travel.
• Glass half-full/half-empty: Write about an event or situation with a positive outlook. Then write about it with a miserable outlook.
• Free-write beginning with “my religion is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with organized religion as you’d like).
• Free-write beginning with “my gender is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with common ideas of gender as you’d like).
• Write about a person or character that is “good” and one that is “evil.” Then write about the “evil” in the good character and the “good” in the evil character.
• Write like you’re telling a secret.
• Describe a moment of beauty you witnessed. What makes something beautiful?

Prompts for playing with narrative and character

• Begin writing with the phrase, “It all started when…”
• Tell a story from the middle of the most dramatic part.
• Write a story that begins with the ending.
• Begin a story but give it 5 possible endings.
• Write a list of ways to dramatically quit a terrible job.
• Write about a character breaking a social rule or ritual (i.e., walking backwards, sitting on the floor of a restaurant, wearing a ballgown to the grocery store). What are the ramifications?
• You are sent to the principal’s office. Justify your bad behavior.
• Re-write a well-known fairytale but set it in your school.
• Write your own version of the TV show trope where someone gets stuck in an elevator with a stranger, or a secret love interest, or a nemesis.
• Imagine a day where you said everything you were thinking, and write about it.
• Write about a scenario in which you have too much of a good thing.
• Write about a scenario in which money can buy happiness.
• Invent a bank or museum heist.
• Invent a superhero, including an origin story.
• Write using the form of the scientific method (question, hypothesis, test, analyze data conclusion).
• Write using the form of a recipe.

Middle School & High School Creative writing prompts for playing with fact vs. fiction

• Write something you know for sure is true, and then, “but maybe it isn’t.” Then explain why that thing may not be true.
• Write a statement and contradict that statement. Then do it again.
• Draft an email with an outlandish excuse as to why you didn’t do your homework or why you need an extension.
• Write about your morning routine, and make it sound extravagant/luxurious (even if it isn’t).
• You’ve just won an award for doing a very mundane and simple task. Write your acceptance speech.
• Write about a non-athletic event as though it were a sports game.
• Write about the most complicated way to complete a simple task.
• Write a brief history of your life, and exaggerate everything.
• Write about your day, but lie about some things.
• Tell the story of your birth.
• Choose a historical event and write an alternative outcome.
• Write about a day in the life of a famous person in history.
• Read an instructional manual, and change three instructions to include some kind of magical or otherwise impossible element.

Prompts for starting with dialogue

• Write a texting conversation between two friends who haven’t spoken in years.
• Write a texting conversation between two friends who speak every day and know each other better than anyone.
• Watch two people on the street having a conversation, and imagine the conversation they’re having. Write it down.
• Write an overheard conversation behind a closed door that you shouldn’t be listening to.
• Write a conversation between two characters arguing about contradicting memories of what happened.
• You have a difficult decision to make. Write a conversation about it with yourself.
• Write a conversation with a total lack of communication.
• Write a job interview gone badly.

Final Thoughts – Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School 

Hopefully you have found several of these creative writing prompts helpful. Remember that when writing creatively, especially on your own, you can mix, match, and change prompts. For more on writing for high school students, check out the following articles:

• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• 160 Good Argumentative Essay Topics
• 150 Good Persuasive Speech Topics
• Good Transition Words for Essays
• High School Success

Sarah Mininsohn

With a BA from Wesleyan University and an MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sarah is a writer, educator, and artist. She served as a graduate instructor at the University of Illinois, a tutor at St Peter’s School in Philadelphia, and an academic writing tutor and thesis mentor at Wesleyan’s Writing Workshop.

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