Ah, yes.
Probably the biggest freelancing catch-22 of them all.
How do you build a portfolio if you don’t have clients...
And how do you get clients if you don’t have a portfolio?
Trust me, there is a way.
5 in fact!
So keep watching to learn my 5 tips for building a portfolio with ZERO experience.
Hey guys, what’s up! It’s Alex.
And this week, I’m addressing one of the most frequently asked questions I get.
Alex, how do I build my copywriting portfolio if I don’t have any experience?
Well, I’m here to assure you there is a way, you are NOT stuck, and I have real life
stories to prove it!
And if you want more strategies and starter kits from the world of copywriting and marketing,
you know what to do — hit that subscribe button below to join the copy posse here on
YouTube!
Every single week I share a new copywriting or marketing tutorial based on my own 8+ year
journey of diving into this lucrative, creative, and innovative industry...
And building a successful copywriting business of my own.
So let’s get into this week’s how-to — here are my five tips for building a copywriting
portfolio even if you’ve never been paid to do any copywriting!
Tip #1.
Do An Experience & Skills Round-Up
A lot of the time, people tend to underestimate the experience they already have in the books,
and don’t realize that copywriting is not just writing!
In fact, I would say that 50% of the actual work happens BEFORE copy ever gets written.
It’s the researching, the ideating, the conceptualizing, and the strategizing that
happens long before you put a pen to paper, or fingers to keys.
And even if you’re young and have little job experience, you weren’t born yesterday!
I mean if you were, you’d basically be like a baby genius cuz you’d be watching this
and understanding what I’m saying….
Anyway, so if you’ve ever written a report or contributed to an online newspaper or publication.
Or, if you used to write memos or briefs or presentation decks in your previous job.
Or, if you used to work in a related role such as a social media or project management
where writing was required.
These are all related skills that you can add to your portfolio!
In fact, I recently hired someone to join my copy posse team whose background was in
research.
She had zero copywriting experience but she had a passion to learn and her previous work
showcased her ability to research, framework ideas and effectively communicate, which became
one of the main reasons I said yes and hired her!
So yes, carry as much forward from your previous work experience or education as you can.
Even if they’re not specifically related to copywriting!
Okay Tip #2.
Join A Practical Copywriting Program
Great copywriting courses don’t just teach you the right techniques and show you the
best templates — they actually help you WRITE copy so that you can walk away with
key assets and samples that you can then add to your portfolio…
Even if it’s not something you were paid to do.
Of course, you’ll want to always be clear in your portfolio that those writing assets
were from a program (and not from a paid client) but trust me…
The main thing your potential clients care about is your ability to hook, connect, engage,
and compel them with your copy.
At the end of the day, they need you to be the voice and the messenger for their brand.
So if you come forward with an amazing portfolio full of copywriting pieces that showcase your
ability, it really doesn’t matter where they come from.
You’re in like sin.
And, if you’re ready to commit to igniting your copywriting business this year and get
some serious practical training under your belt so you can confidently put yourself out
there…
I’m here to help.
My Copy Posse Launch Pad program is designed to give you all the high-converting copywriting
skills you need to scale your business and build your portfolio from scratch!
So you can click the link in the description to learn more about that.
Alright moving right along to tip #3.
Rewrite or Critique Existing Copy
Guys there is absolutely no harm in reaching out to companies that are hiring (or are potentially
hiring) to offer some free copy editing or critiquing as a way to get their attention
and lead with value.
In my recent webinar with copywriter Zach Browman, he too advised that new copywriters
send quick reviews to potential clients so that they can get a preview of your work and
expertise.
It can just be a quick email with say 3 tips on how they can improve their homepage copy,
and then of course offer to help them re-write it!
The worse they could say is no thanks.
But, if they accept your offer and decide to hire you, then that’s great — that’s
experience you can add to your portfolio!
Many companies looking to hire copywriters will ask you to complete copywriting tests
or samples as part of the recruitment process anyway.
So why not beat them to it and get it done in advance?
One of the copywriters on my team now got hired by one of the top personal growth companies
in the world by sending her version of one of their best performing sales pages, without
being asked.
It was a daring initiative on her part because she was new to copywriting and it did take
some time, but the point is…
She got their attention, and they hired her on the spot!
The rule of thumb here guys though is to remain honest about your work.
If you’re adding in a copy piece to your portfolio that you decided to rewrite, do
NOT take full credit.
Be clear that it was for a “rewrite” of an existing piece.
Alright onto, tip #4.
Start A Blog
Even if you’re not looking to be a content writer, a public blog is a great way to showcase
your writing abilities.
Blog writing, no matter the format, the style or the topic you want to write about, still
showcases an understanding of some of the key fundamentals of copywriting such as hooks
and headlines.
So it can still be used as a reliable writing reference!
In fact, when hiring a social media manager a few weeks ago, I interviewed a few different
applicants, some with social media experience and some without.
The girl I ended up hiring actually had ZERO social media experience, but she caught my
attention because she included a link to her personal blog in her application.
Although the blog content had nothing to do with the role she applied for, I was able
to gauge her writing style, her tone, and her delivery, which was a huge plus because
writing social media captions and supporting the content team would be a huge part of her
role.
I knew her flair for words and her passion for writing was far more important than having
a specific experience that I could easily train for.
Okay lastly, tip #5...
Customize Your Portfolio
Once you have your writing materials all packaged up and ready to send out to the world — here’s
a very important tip that I give even to the most experienced copywriters: personalize
your portfolio to the client you’re sending it to.
Don’t just blanket blast it out to everyone.
Getting clients is NOT a one-size-fits-all approach.
You must curate the content so that it’s relevant to the industry and the company you’re
hoping to get in the door with.
So include a personal note and a cover letter that shares why you’re excited about their
brand and what’s unique about you and what you offer.
Share why you chose the pieces that you featured in your portfolio, and include some highlights
or lessons that you learned from the experience.
And last but not least guys, keep it clean and simple.
Send your portfolio in a format that’s easy for them to access, open and download.
And whatever you do do not send an email with a tonne of attachments.
I usually use Dropbox or Google Drive to share my portfolio, and always make sure you give
access first so they don’t have to request it!
And, no matter what as I said before, BE HONEST ABOUT WHERE YOU’RE AT.
Don’t embellish your ability or your experience.
A lot of clients are looking for green writers.
Because fresh writers have the potential to grow with the company and shape their writing
to fit the brand voice.
So just keep it real homies.
I hope this video gave you some assurance that you have and can provide value even if
you don’t have official copywriting experience just yet.
If you want to find out more about the 101s of copywriting — check out my video on How
To Become A Freelance Copywriter & Get Your First Client.
You can watch that right here.
And as always guys, thank you so much for watching and subscribing.
I will see you in my next video.
Until then, I’m Alex, Ciao for now!