By Andy Strote From the new book How to Become a Successful Creative Freelancer. Coming soon to Amazon and other online retailers.

When you start freelancing, you have to be able to show examples of your work. In other words, you need a portfolio. You have to demonstrate that you have experience doing the type of work you propose for the client.

Nobody will give you paid work without showing them some proof of your capabilities. It’s just a waste of time for them.

New to the Business? Create a Sample Portfolio From Courses Where You Complete Assignments

Let’s say you’re either just out of school or making a career change and want to work as a freelance writer, designer, or developer.

How do you get a portfolio?

The easiest way to build a portfolio might be to find courses where you get assignments. These courses will motivate you and give you the experience of working on projects you didn’t choose.

You’ll also have to hit deadlines and meet specific parameters. This type of course mimics the experience of doing client work. Your aim is to create work that earns a high mark and is good enough to go into your portfolio.

You can find all types of online courses at colleges, universities, companies like Udemy, and many other organizations. Read the course descriptions, feedback, and ratings before signing up.

It may be to your advantage to take college or university courses where you get feedback from the instructor. That can be helpful guidance and result in better projects.

Suggestion: Find Courses With Built-in Discipline

If you’re going down this path, look for well-structured courses where you have to deliver assignments on a schedule.

Don’t be tempted by courses that let you “learn at your own pace”. Why? That’s not how the business world works. Also, without the pressure of deadlines, you may drop out of the course without completing it.

You want a course that includes deadlines and forces discipline. Get through the course to get closer to your freelancing career.

College and university courses typically cost hundreds of dollars. There are also many private schools and institutions that offer classes that can run into thousands of dollars.

If you choose one of those, make sure you get your money’s worth.

When I searched “learning copywriting online”, I found many courses from companies such as Udemy, Skillshare, and a host of Canadian colleges and universities (I was searching from Toronto, so it makes sense that I got Canadian institutions. Your search will likely turn up local schools.)

Take your time going over the course descriptions. Some are very specific to certain aspects of writing, design, and development. Decide what’s right for you.

Make Up Your Own Assignments

In addition to courses, you can make up spec assignments. This helps if you want to show off a particular aspect of your craft that isn’t covered in a course.

For example, a designer I know wanted to feature package design in his portfolio. So, he gave himself the assignment of redesigning product packages that he felt were out of date or simply weak. That gave him the benefit of showing “before and after” in his portfolio.

If you want to freelance as a web or app developer, there’s nothing like creating a few projects as your showpieces.

Find a “Buddy” to Help Develop Spec Pieces For Your Portfolio

Let’s say you want to add some spec creative to a graphic design portfolio. Whatever you want to show will likely need words.

Rather than “lorum ipsum” or your own words for copy, why not find a copywriter to write actual words? That will make a much more convincing presentation.

Similarly, if you’re a writer or developer, find a designer partner to make your portfolio piece sing.

Where do you find someone to help? Look to your network or ask on Twitter, LinkedIn, or a creative community on Facebook or Reddit.

That way, you could both use the result in your portfolios. No money has to change hands.

Create a Portfolio From Work You Did As An Employee

Typically, people move to freelancing from jobs in agencies or in-house at corporations.

In this case, your portfolio should include any work you did at those jobs in addition to any freelance work. You may decide to add spec creative projects to show concepts in areas that weren’t part of your previous work.

If you show work you did through agencies or corporations, credit them so prospects know how you got those samples in your portfolio.

You may also want to credit others who worked on the project. So, as a designer, you would name the writer, creative director, photographer, etc. in the credits.

Tip: If You’re Working at An Agency or Corporation

Be sure to get samples of your work as soon as it’s live. Things can change quickly, and your projects may get altered.

If you’re doing print work, get samples as soon as the piece is printed.

Second tip: You might want to take screenshots of finished work that’s not yet live. However, be careful not to show it before it’s public. You could be breaking confidentiality agreements with the client.

What Else Goes Into Your Portfolio?

In addition to showing the designs or writing, consider adding:

A title for each piece. What is it? What are you showing? (It might not be obvious)
A project description, especially if it includes more than one element.
The steps you took to get to the final. Consider including rough sketches, wireframes, sitemaps, or whatever is appropriate to demonstrate your process.

Often, just showing the final project isn’t enough. Give people a frame of reference. Tell them a story, say, problem/solution, or before/after.

Let them know what they’re looking at and how you got there.

If Possible, Present Your Portfolio Rather Than Sending a Link

Before you show a portfolio, you should know something about the company and what they’re looking for. That way, you could tailor your portfolio to make it relevant to their requirements.

Whether you do it face-to-face or online, try to schedule an appointment to present your portfolio rather than just allow a potential client to go through it independently.

Every project has a story, and you should have the opportunity to tell it.

The prospect may have questions. It’s better if you’re there to answer them.

Also, while you’re talking, you’ll have a chance to ask questions. This is a good time to get to know each other. You’re presenting your expertise, and you’ll want to know how it might apply to this prospect.

If they insist they just want a link and will review it on their own, you’ll have to decide whether or not you wish to do that. Is this a “cattle call” where they’re asking to see many portfolios, or do you have a real chance?

If you decide to send a link, I would ask for a call by a specific date to get feedback and answer questions.

Include Awards, Honors, and Publications

If a project won an award, was recognized for excellence, or was featured in a prestigious publication, include it. Use the awards organization logos for faster recognition.

Be Prepared to Answer Questions About Your Portfolio

When you show your portfolio, prospective clients may have questions.

How long did it take you to do that?
How much would you charge for something like that?
What steps did you go through to get to this version?
Why did you choose this font/color/photograph/style? In other words, be prepared to explain your creative choices.
“My project isn’t like any of the ones in your portfolio.” Do you think you could do it?

A Portfolio Challenge for You

It can feel overwhelming when you put together your first portfolio. Make it easy on yourself.

Here’s the challenge. Find 10 examples of portfolios you’d like to emulate.

Study them. Figure out how to copy their best features for your portfolio and put together your first version.

Studying and emulating the best can be the easiest way to learn.

More Ways to Build Your Portfolio

Aside from school projects and assignments you give yourself, you can also offer to do work for friends who own businesses.

You might consider doing this for contra, where you exchange your services for products or services from them. Many small businesses can’t afford much, and it’s easier for them to offer products or services in exchange.

There was a long thread on Reddit of writers, designers, and devs doing this type of contra work.

A designer created a logo and branding elements for a photographer. In exchange, the photographer shot all the images for the designer’s portfolio.

A writer wrote the website for a friend’s new restaurant and got free meals for a few weeks.

A dev built the site for a tattoo artist, and well, you can guess the rest.

I’ve worked that way a few times. Once, it was for kitchen appliances. Another time, at my last agency, it was for office furniture. And most recently, I accepted payment in the form of publicly traded shares, which I was able to sell on the stock market.

To enter into a contra arrangement, you must establish a value for your work. Both parties must agree on a fair exchange and a schedule for when the exchange will happen.

This is a way to add more variety to your portfolio and get something worthwhile in return.

Should You Ever Work for Free? Everyone Says “No”, But I Say “Maybe”

How desperate are you to build your portfolio quickly?

Here’s a story to illustrate. My friend Ben emigrated from England to Toronto. In England, he graduated from a leading design school.

He received top marks and was confident his portfolio was strong enough to land him a job in a Toronto design studio.

But when he interviewed for jobs, he wasn’t successful and got a few surprising comments.

“Very nice, but not Canadian marketing.”

“Not applicable to the work we do.”

“Too fine art.”

Now what?

Because he was in a hurry, Ben took two approaches simultaneously.

He gave himself assignments to augment his portfolio to show he could produce relevant “Canadian work”.

He also volunteered at a marketing agency. He forced himself on them and talked his way in by offering to work for free. Initially, the agency didn’t want this arrangement. They thought it looked like they were taking advantage of him. But Ben insisted and got in.

He worked free and built up his portfolio with actual samples.

The critical point here is that this was Ben’s choice. He wasn’t asked to work for free. In fact, the agency discouraged it.

A few months later, now with a “Canadian portfolio”, he got more interviews and landed a job.

For Ben, the lesson was simple. Keep your eyes on the prize. Do whatever it takes to get what you want.

Was this a good work/life balance? No, definitely not. Would he always work free? Of course not. But this wasn’t forever, and he got what he needed. Sometimes, working smarter is working harder.

So, think about your situation. Yes, you want to be earning good money as quickly as possible. If your portfolio is strong enough and you can convince clients to hire and pay you, that is the way to go.

But if that path doesn’t work, listen to the feedback you’re getting and do whatever it takes to change your circumstances. There’s no way around it. You need a strong portfolio to land projects.

If you’re looking for clients, one of the industry’s big secrets is that many projects don’t get advertised. So, how are you supposed to find them? Here’s how to uncover the hidden job market.

What Worked for Me

For my first portfolio, I created a fake portfolio of ads where I wrote headlines and subheads. I drew stick figures for the graphics (I didn’t know any designers). After three weeks of knocking on doors, I got a writing job at a small agency.

As I worked in agencies and then during my freelancing, I kept samples of everything I did. You never know when you’ll want any specific sample later.

For online work, I took screenshots as soon as a project went live.

At my agencies, we kept a database that included every project we’d ever done.

We kept a small portfolio on our site that gave a good overview of our capabilities. However, we created selected portfolios for any new business presentations. We chose projects that would be relevant to the prospect.

I think it’s essential to show prospects relevant work. Otherwise, you risk getting a reaction, “Why are you showing me this?”

If You Only Do One Thing, Do This:

Start building your portfolio as soon as you have work to show. Update it as you finish new projects.

New Book For Freelancers

I’ve just published How to Become a Successful Creative Freelancer. It’s the essential business guide for freelance writers, designers, developers, filmmakers, and photographers.

Whether you’re just starting as a freelancer or have years of experience, you’ll learn a lot from this book.

It’s broken down into easy-to-understand chapters with strategies and tips you can use today. Not just “what to do”, but also “how to do it”.

It’s available now in Kindle ebook and paperback on Amazon.

Want to Grow An Agency? The Agency Book is For You

If you’re looking for tips on how to build and grow your agency, you’ll want to read How to Start a Successful Creative Agency.

Available at Amazon (Paper & Kindle), Kobo (ebook), Apple Books (ebook), and Gumroad (PDF).

The book is packed with useful information to help creatives start and grow their business.

Already a Wealth of Knowledge

“Started reading @StroteBook and it’s already a wealth of knowledge! I’ve been looking for some clear ideas on how to move forward with my freelance work.”

Macklin Youmans on Twitter

Want a Free Taste First?

Sure! Sign up in the footer below to get a free PDF of Chapter 14, Working With Clients.

This chapter covers essential areas such as Clients vs. Projects, Corporate Clients vs. Small Business Clients, How to Create an Opportunity Document, Benefits of Finding a Niche… and much more.

Questions? On Twitter, I’m @StroteBook. D.M.s are always open. Ask away.

Freelancers: How to Build a Strong Portfolio