Freelance: diversify the projects in your content portfolio

This post is the result of translating and localizing “Editor-in-Chief’s Tip of the Month: Diversify Projects in Your Content Portfolio” by Jess Shanahan.

As an editor-in-chief, one of the things I look for in writers is variety—not just in terms of topics but also in the mediums for which they write. Seeing five great pieces published on the same site gives me a basic sense of a writer’s work, but it doesn’t show me how they might adapt to different writing styles.

I specialize in automotive content, and seeing a fun listicle about classic cars tells me that a writer can handle consumer-facing content. What it doesn’t tell me is whether they’re comfortable writing more in-depth, technical B2B content.

This is why having a diversified portfolio is so important when pursuing regular work, as it shows both clients and editors that you can handle different writing styles. Here are some things I look out for and some tips on how to keep your portfolio varied.

Topics

If I’m looking for an automotive writer, I don’t mind if they have also written about finance and travel. But I want to see those topics evenly distributed throughout the portfolio. Rather than having to scroll through 10 travel articles to find the automotive section, I’d rather see a good cross-section of their experience “above the fold.”

My portfolio is focused on the automotive industry, but I’ve organized my projects to showcase the different areas I write about, from electric vehicle charging to motorsports. As you scroll through my portfolio, it’s clear that I also write about technology and business.

Publications

I always read a selection of different pieces from a writer’s portfolio, but if someone has a range of work published in high-end publications, it signals authority and experience. If someone has a byline at The Guardian, WIRED or BBC, for example, I know they understand how to create and pitch a story to a high-profile publication.

While platforms like Medium and LinkedIn  are great places to showcase your work, these are not necessarily the first places I look when checking out a portfolio. Just about anyone can post on them, and the work isn’t always of high quality. That said, these platforms are a great way to see how a writer’s work looks before it’s edited.

Not everyone will have experience pitching to big-name publications, and that’s okay! But if you fall into this category, try to diversify your portfolio by contributing to blogs or websites that can lend you some of their authority: don’t rely solely on Medium or your own blog to showcase your writing.

Clients

Although experience in journalism is great, I’m also looking for content marketing skills. The specific client doesn’t matter much, but I still want to see variety.

It’s fine if the same clients appear again and again (in fact, it’s an indicator of a long-standing relationship), but I also want to get a sense of how a writer can adapt their voice to clients in different industries.

Even if most of your work has been for a single client, try to find a way to add variety to your portfolio. For example, were your articles for that company published on other websites, or could you publish a post on another blog on your client’s behalf?

If you don’t have a diversified portfolio at this stage, look for ways to showcase more skills. Ensuring a variety of topics, publications, and clients in your portfolio will allow managing editors and potential clients to get a better sense of your abilities.