Do it yourself
When I started Writing Roads, and I started hawking my services, almost across the board, people asked me for the same thing: my portfolio. They wanted to see my work. I know, it’s shocking.
I knew I could write. I knew I could write for them. But I didn’t have anything that I could show them in the way of a portfolio per se. And that seemed impossible to me. I’d been writing my whole life – how could I not have any writing samples?
There was a moment where I thought, ‘Shit! I’m stuck in the classic Catch-22. I need a job to get writing samples, but I need writing samples to get a job.’ I felt dependent and a bit hopeless. I’d thought this was all going to be so easy – people would need good writing and I would write for them, goodly. All I needed was my computer and my brain. But now, with the writing sample roadblock, I was convinced that I needed other people to make my life as a copywriter begin.
I hate when that happens. It can be paralyzing. But really, it’s just an excuse not to move forward – born of the fear of taking a risk and the possibility of being great. Which is why I was thrilled when I saw that there was another way.
I cobbled the pieces together in my brain like this:
- I’m a writer.
- I’m trying to prove that I’m creative.
- I’m trying to prove that, as a freelancer, I can be responsible and self-manage.
- I have absolutely nothing to lose.
- I have a computer – and I know how to use it. (just like I’d said before, I was just going to use it for me first and then for my clients)
So in a stunning show of non-procrastination and verve, I gave myself twenty writing assignments. And then – and here’s the kicker – I completed them! I made the whole thing up. I wrote ads, I wrote sales letters, I wrote press releases, I wrote web copy, I wrote marketing letters. And I put them in a lovely black binder.
I also told potential clients what I’d done. I wasn’t about to start out under false pretenses. This was me - love me or I’ll leave you. I figured one of two things could happen:
- They’d respect it and jive with the gumption. And this would be good.
- They’d think I wasn’t for real and judge the fact that I didn’t have ‘real’ samples. And I wouldn’t want to work with those kinds of people anyway.
Most of them hired me. And I slowly replaced my made-up pieces with actual client work. Though I kept a few in there…for posterity.
I’m thinking about how often we don’t do things because we think we need something outside of ourselves to complete the task. I’m thinking about how often we wait for someone to come through and do their part before we can take our next step. I’m thinking about dependency. I’m thinking about self-sufficiency.
Is there anything – right now – that you’re not doing or finishing or starting because you think you need someone or something else to help you? Why in the world are you doing that? I bet there’s another way.
Image credit: newwavegurly (those are not my feet, but I do have and love those shoes)
portfolio redux
Anyone else ever get so busy taking care of clients that you hardly have time to take care of yourself? Case in point, it’s been over a year since I’ve updated my portfolio page. And, it’s finally here. Thanks, as always, to my prized designer, Leslie Tane, you can all now see a selected smattering of what Writing Roads has been doing for the last year. The Bonobo Kids site above is just a taste…
Oy, did I just refer to myself in the 3rd person? Listen people, I have 16 in-laws visiting us for a week…I have a really, really good excuse. Really, really.
Filed under Critical Copywriting, The Business | Tags: blog writing, Blogging, blogs, brochure copywriting, copywriter, copywriting, direct mail copywriting, Juile Roads, marketing writer, portfolio, website copywriting, Writing Roads | Comments (4)using your blog as your portfolio or case study display, part 2
I can’t stop thinking about this ideas of using your blog as your portfolio. I’ve run it by some folks – and the excitement and possibilities are building. One of my clients whom I’m consulting as she begins her work as a freelancer realized that with this idea she could save thousands of dollars, and weeks of site-build time, she could start tonight. And she will.
Here, so far, is the best part. As Gem mentioned, why wait until the project is done? Why not document the entire project, Case Study-like on your blog? If you go back to my post on case studies, you’ll see that one of the benefits of this platform is that you’re allowing people to see your process, what it will be like to work with you and how good you are on the job. It’s transparency at its best, right?
That said, you have to have the right attitude because this calls for a fair amount of reveal. You can’t really hide the little man behind the curtain.
To use your blog to display case studies, here’s what you need to do:
- Pick a project that is not top secret, of course.
- Clear it with the client. Make sure you explain to them that this is free publicity that will last forever.
- Choose a project that you feel uber-confident about. (you do want to look good here, afterall)
- If snafus or issues arise, use them to your advantage. We are all learning here, and part of your skill is being able to handle whatever comes along and make it work in light of the fact that things have a habit of getting messy.
- Depending on your industry, use print, audio, images, even video to capture the process.
- Engage your audience. Give them a voice, literally. If you have 3 taglines you’re choosing from, why not let the people help you decide. Use the internet as a testing ground – so many people do it wisely and to their benefit.
- Share your pride, enthusiasm and talent. Never under-estimate or under-promote your hard work or yourself.
Final piece for now (why do I have the feeling that I’ll have more to say on this topic?): I’m a WordPress girl. And Brian Clark over at Copyblogger, with his partner, Chris Pearson, have developed a stunning, productive, dare I say, brilliant WordPress theme called Thesis. Just one of the zillions of components it features? A customizable, rotating image box at the top of the page – the perfect showcase for your blog portfolio images, the perfect showcase. Don’t be surprised if my blog has a whole new look sometime soon. Click here to try Thesis for yourself.
Filed under Blogging, How To, The Business | Tags: blog, Blogging, Brian Clark, case studies, Chris Pearson, Copyblogger, DIY themes, Julie Roads, marketing writing, portfolio, thesis wordpress theme, wordpress themes, Writing Roads | Comment (0)using your blog as your portfolio or case study display, part 1
I recently wrote about the power of using case studies instead of a portfolio of finished work. And, I’ve realized that it’s almost the equivalent of a blog versus a static site. The portfolio pieces are static end products, while the case study is action, progress, collaboration, solution, process. Then Gem from The Lady Programmer dropped by with a comment about not needing to wait until projects were finished in order to display them via case studies. And, this made my mind just spin.
For instance, maybe you don’t need an official portfolio on your static site. In terms of cost (if you have to hire your web designer or master to make changes or if you use an intricate program to make it pretty or flashy), it would be much more effective to just post the finished projects, or better, the work in progress (case study style) on your blog, wouldn’t it?
Why do I feel like I’ve just discovered the electric orange juicer?
- You can instantly upload projects – keeping your readers and the world abreast of your latest and greatest achievements.
- The content, keywords and tags for each project and the industry it represents will bring in a whole new audience to your site.
- You have total control of when you post, including edits and updates.
- You can create a PORTFOLIO place on the blog, so everything is available on one page. This could be a static page on the blog with links out to each post or simply a new category.
- You direct people from your website (if you have a brochure site attached to your blog) to the PORTFOLIO section of your blog with a link and some copy.
Anyone have any good examples of people doing this already??? I’d love to hear about them.
(A little shout out to my tireless, award winning and phenomenal designer, Leslie Tane, who is at this very moment redoing my portfolio page, reading this post and thinking, ‘finally, Julie can handle this herself and is going to stop bothering me!’)
Coming tomorrow: Building a case study portfolio on your blog. How to do it.
Filed under Blogging, The Business | Tags: blog, Blogging, case study, copywriter, copywriting, freelance copywriter, freelance copywriting, Julie Roads, Marketing, marketing writer, portfolio, writer's portfolio, Writing Roads | Comment (0)the portfolio: case studies
Case studies are a superb way to showcase your work – whether you’re a copywriter, graphic designer, interior decorator, architect, chef or beyond. Not only do case studies allow you to describe your range and ability to work with different types of clients and situations, you also get to illustrate your process – giving people a glimpse into what it would be like to work with you, how you problem solve, what your creative practices are, the mediums you use, who your partners are and how you work with them.
Some people prefer to use case studies in lieu of a portfolio – picking a few choice clients and/or projects and displaying a definitive cross section of their work. Either way, used traditionally or creatively, case studies are a powerful tool and can include:
- Pictures of the work in process, blueprints, sketches, etc.
- Pictures of the artist in action
- Final photos or final pieces
- Pictures of the artist collaborating with the project’s team
- A summary or picture of the client’s request or the project’s original quandary
- Steps taken to find a solution, ie. the process
- Project partners, bios and collaboration notes
- Testimonials from clients and the partners
- Updates on projects in progress
- Updates on project outcomes after the project has completed
- Future plans for new work or additions to the project
Portfolio or Case Studies? or both? What do you use, how and why? I’ll post links to stellar examples.
Filed under Critical Copywriting, How To, The Business | Tags: case study, copywriter, copywriting, freelance writing, Julie Roads, portfolio, web portfolio, Writing, Writing Roads | Comments (3)how to become a freelance copywriter: CREATE A PORTFOLIO
Prospective clients will ask to see your work without a doubt. Showcasing copy work is very different from showing design work – sort of. People like visuals, so there is a possibility that if your copy isn’t that hot, but the design that it’s sitting in is, they might imagine your copy is actually quite great. Consequently, this works in the reverse as well. So, if your copy is amazing, but it is presented as a Word document, a viewer might think it’s boring and poorly written. Notice that I said ‘viewer’…frequently, this is what prospects do – meaning they don’t take or have the time to read all of your precious copy. I know, I know…hard to believe!
That said, you must have a print or a web portfolio available (both if possible):
1. If you are totally new to the game and you don’t have any writing samples that you can actually showcase, make up a portfolio. I DID. Yes, yours truly had been writing forever, but save a few grant proposals, I had nothing to show when I struck out on my own – so I made it all up. I gave myself assignments and wrote ads, brochures, catalog pages, etc.
If this is your situation, write sample pieces that reflect exactly what you’d like to write professionally – pick the formats (re. website), the topics (re. the environment), the size/type of company (re. 100 employees/non-profit), etc. But vary all of your samples, even within a topic, to show the breadth of your skills. And don’t be shy about telling a prospect what you did – this takes gumption my friends – and a ton of drive, creativity and discipline. If you’re really stuck, email me and I’ll send you some assignments.
2. If you have a few choice samples, you may want to pre-package several of them to be mailed or emailed at a moment’s notice. This makes you look super prepared, and saves you a ton of time (from scrambling to put each individual packet together). Trust me on this one.
3. Assemble your print portfolio in a professional portfolio book with clear sleeve pages. This looks great and protects your work. I found mine at an art store…and I had one of my ‘artistic’ friends put it together because, like many writer types, my fine art skills are simply pathetic.
4. Your web portfolio provides people with the time to actually read your work – so make sure they can. Snapshots that work for graphic designers don’t really cover your writing samples fully. I chose to provide people with the option to open each piece as a pdf – or just to get the snapshot overview.
5. Update your portfolio (says the copywriter who has done no such thing for over a year!!!). Guilty as charged, though as of this posting, my updates should be live in a couple of weeks. As you build your portfolio, tell the world. You’ll learn and grow…show it off.
6. Always ask clients for samples of the finished product (actual print pieces and digital files). As I mentioned, your copy will look much better when it lives in a designed, glossy brochure or site than on an 8×11 piece of printer paper.
7. Remember that everything is your portfolio. While I’m talking about creating an online or a print portfolio, when you are a writer everything you write is fair game. All of your communications (email specifically), your website, your brochure, your blog, your laundry list – everything you write becomes a sample of your craft.
Filed under Critical Copywriting, The Business | Tags: copywriter, creating portfolios, freelance copywriter, freelance copywriting business, how to become a freelance copywriter, Julie Roads, portfolio, print portfolio, web portfolio, Writing Roads | Comment (0)
