I shared a post on Instagram this week and it was unexpectedly popular.
Was it exceptional? No.
Was it controversial? No.
I laid down the spoiler that you don’t need a portfolio to land copy clients. And yet, a lack of portfolio samples is one of the most cited blocks to landing new clients.
So much so that when readers were asked if they wanted one of my most popular blog posts on creating copywriting portfolio pieces (without real clients), the comments BLEW UP.
It’s the age-old conundrum for new job seekers:
You can’t get a job without experience. And you can’t get experience without a job.
A lack of copywriting samples is a frustrating, demoralising and sometimes overwhelming challenge to getting your business started.
And it’s not just new copywriters. Even experienced copywriters can stumble when asked
“Do you have anything similar you’ve written before that you could send me?”
“Have you ever written for my niche/industry/someone like me before?“
Or even the classic end-of-job post… “If interested, send me your portfolio.”
There are a couple of ways you can get clients just for the samples and testimonials. Ask local businesses to be your guinea pigs. Work a couple of gigs from Upwork. Or offer your services pro bono to a non-profit.
But what if I told you that you don’t need clients to build your portfolio? You can create the copywriting samples you need any time you need them.
The trick is to reduce the number of choices you have.
Because creating any portfolio sample for any business makes it harder to get started. It’s the same torture as picking the movie for family movie night.
Instead, you need to:
- Choose a project type.
Create samples of the work you want more of. Alternatively, create a sample for the specific client you want to land.
When you have a project type in your portfolio, it’s easier to say, “I haven’t written for your industry, but I have written this project type before.”
- Choose a business type.
It could be a service-based business, a product seller (or eCommerce), a course creator or a brick-and-mortar business.
When you have a business type in your portfolio, it’s easier to say, “I haven’t written for your specific industry, but I have written for other businesses similar to yours.”
- Create a sample business.
If you want to niche in a specific industry, make sure your sample businesses are in that space. Otherwise, choose a business you love or know.
After you’ve made those choices, you have a lot more direction.
Still feel unsure?
I’m running a live copywriting clinic on May 31 and June 1 to show you how to create a copywriting sample you can use in your portfolio.
But I’m not going to just leave you to figure it out. Oh no.
I’m giving you the brief you need (and you can choose between two businesses) along with the blueprint you need (and you can choose between three project types).
Then, you’ll get a 45-min breakout session to draft your sample before coming back to the main session to pick my brain.
We’ll also talk about how to format your sample and how to respond to clients asking for samples you don’t have. And I’ll tell you how you can get more samples (while also giving your writing skills a rock-solid foundation).
Amazing, right?
Grab your ticket here before the price goes up.
