"It helped me a lot to understand about how I should present and go about my sample of writing.". By using our site, you agree to our. Consider relevant writing samples. Once your theme is uploaded, click on Activate to make the theme live on your website. Learn more about how it works and get the discount. In most cases, you will be able to buy your domain name at the same time as you purchase hosting which should make your process a lot easier. For example, if you’re writing a research paper on a historical topic, consider using an analytical framework that other historians haven’t used to examine the topic before. For instance, instead of writing “When I worked at Ray’s Hardware in Conway,” simply say “When I worked in a small-town hardware store.”. You should also consider what you want to accomplish with your portfolio. For instance, if you’re applying for a job with a marketing firm, you may want to incorporate strong imagery in your writing that will appeal to readers’ senses. References. You want to use superlatives (if appropriate) and... Introduction. If you’re unsure of what sort of sample would be most relevant to the position you’re applying for, consider simply writing a clear, descriptive article on a topic that isn’t controversial. However, you can also go with your own name. There are a few good reasons why you should choose WordPress: Learn more about how WordPress stacks up against the other top free CMS's: With that out of the way, let’s get down to how to set up your writer portfolio website with WordPress. If at all possible, register a .com domain since most people automatically type in a domain name that ends with a .com. For example, if you’re applying for a job at a fashion magazine and submit a writing sample from your biology class, you’ll need to explain your reasoning. If there’s no guideline on length, then pick something that’s between 1 and 4 pages long. Unlike the other results, those two articles are on topic, they have great headlines, and they were popular on social media (suggesting readers liked them). You own your site and everything on it, along with the domain name. Creating your own portfolio may seem intimidating, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. As you’re figuring out your topic and focus, think about the type of article that will best suit the points that you want to convey. In essence, this means you should only highlight your most recent work and only your best work. Pick a topic that you’re interested in but that isn’t too controversial since you don’t want to alienate your reader. Once you have selected and purchased the theme, log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Themes. It may become relevant at some point during the conversation. Often, a job posting will include the prescribed length of the requested sample. With a self-hosted website, you’re in complete control. To learn how to format your writing sample for submission, keep reading! It started life as a simple blogging platform, but WordPress now powers over 33% of all websites on the Internet and businesses all across the world favor make it their CMS of choice. Choose samples of your writing that showcase a broad range of skills, including summarizing and conveying complex ideas, presenting original research, or writing persuasive materials. Even if the position you're applying for requires a great deal of writing, you may not be asked to provide a sample right away. Never submit something longer than the requested length. In today’s article, we’ll show you how to create a great portfolio website with WordPress, give you pointers on what your website should include and how to effectively promote it so you can land more freelance writing gigs! If you’re a high school or college student, a recent graduate, or someone who writes as part of their job, make sure you save particularly good pieces of writing that you’ve done and keep them somewhere accessible. For example, an article … Overall, article reviews build on the skills of the students to become better at analyzing information that interact with and make professional evaluations and recommendations. Know the purpose of the article Only provide a writing sample if specifically asked for one. Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. And if they decide to shut down their platform, you could lose access to all your content. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. The introduction of your writing sample needs to hook a reader in immediately. To prepare a writing sample, start by looking over your old work and seeing if you have anything that’s appropriate for the position you’re applying to. Highlight any good quotes from your sources and key pieces of information from your research. Once the theme is active, it’s time to create the portfolio. How To Be A Writer is a series that is titled exactly as it sounds. Since I’ve chosen the WP Blog for Writers and Journalists theme, the next step is to create the portfolio category which will hold all my writing samples. Just because you earned a good grade for it doesn’t necessarily mean your writing sample is error-free. At this step, the most important thing to keep in mind is the style of citation specified by your instructor in the requirements for the paper. Method #1: Start With A Question. Lead discussions. There are many dedicated WordPress hosting providers out there and hosting itself can range from just a couple of dollars to hundreds of dollars a month depending on the level of service you want. When deciding on a writing sample, you should consider only those writing pieces that are relevant to the position. Your writing sample, like your application overall, should partially be an effort on your part to emphasize what you want reviewers to remember about you. A common mistake many freelance writers make is that they think their portfolio should include every article they’ve ever written. For media-related jobs, consider writing a journalistic piece or a faux press release. Whether you go with your own name or your business name here are a few tips to keep in mind: You will also need to purchase hosting for your website. So you get to spend more time doing what you do best: writing great articles and attracting more readers. For a marketing position, advertising sample copy would be a good choice. In some cases, you may want to send more than one writing sample, notably if the position calls for the ability to write various types of pieces and you want to showcase your abilities in all the areas listed. Thankfully, a high-quality WordPress theme makes the job a lot easier. Here’s how to do it with this theme: Now let’s add some samples to our portfolio: The final step is to add our portfolio to our navigation menu. Brainstorm Ideas for Your Writing Sample. The purpose of your website is to sell yourself and your services by telling people why they should hire you. You can use this list as a supplement to your resume or review it to help you decide which writing samples are most appropriate for the position to which you're applying. Repeat the process for all the samples you want to include. Although it's best to add in your citations during the writing process, it's always a good idea to go back through your article and check your sources after you're finished writing. She also runs The Digital Inkwell, her personal site, and WP Theme Roundups, a site dedicated to WordPress news and theme collections. Now that you’ve installed WordPress, your first step is to choose a theme for your writer's portfolio website. There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. You can choose how your website looks, where it’s hosted, and if you decide you aren’t satisfied with your host, you can literally take your website and move it to a different hosting provider. The number of samples varies from one writer to another but a good healthy balance would be to include between five and ten pieces. There are plenty of websites that specialize in providing a portfolio platform for freelance writers, but the fact remains that nothing beats a self-hosted website. Across a wide variety of professions, up to 20 percent of a new employee's duties may involve writing. Creating an online portfolio is necessary if you want to establish a successful writing career and attract new clients. Try to keep it short and use words that are easy to spell to ensure potential clients have an easy time of getting to your website. Writing skills are an essential part of many jobs. WordPress Blog for Writers and Journalists theme, WordPress now powers over 33% of all websites, Learn more about how it works and get the discount, WordPress theme geared especially for writers. Get access to over one million creative assets on Envato Elements. One of the simplest ways to build a website is to choose WordPress. Even if the application didn’t require a writing sample, consider bringing one to the interview anyway. Be sure you can add an SSL certificate to your hosting too; this extra level of security is vital nowadays. A large opening paragraph at the start of an article is a huge barrier to entry. Creating a portfolio should serve the goal of getting you more clients, but it can also help you establish a brand for yourself, as well as help you get a job. Once the theme is active, it’s time to create the portfolio. For example, if you’re writing a sample as part of a graduate school application, consider writing an essay that demonstrates your ability to use and cite evidence to support an academic argument. In this case, write something that demonstrates the types of skills you’ll need for the position you’re applying for. How to Create Writing Samples Headline. Some article types are better suited to certain topics. Step-by-step guide on article review writing 2.1 First Read. Next, create a proper citation for the reviewed article and input it following the title. If you have a particular niche you’re passionate about and absolutely love writing about it, then your portfolio should largely include samples that reflect that niche. You can take an excerpt from a larger piece of writing, but if you do, include a note that explains this and summarizes the parts that were omitted and why you omitted them. Envato recently partnered with leading provider SiteGround to offer you up to 60% off managed WordPress hosting. If you have several prospective samples to choose from, choose the most recent sample unless an older sample better showcases your capabilities with respect to the position. One great option for writers is to use managed WordPress hosting. It's a good idea to set aside a folder on your computer for writing samples you'll use most frequently. While it’s best to use something you’ve already written, you can write a sample from scratch if you don’t have anything else. Before you dive into writing the article, you should set aside some time to create an outline. What do you want to achieve or … You may want to also include a running header of "[Last Name] Writing Sample," on each page so that all your pages can be kept together if printed and distributed. Set the featured image and save the post. When choosing a hosting provider you should look for a host that provides one-click installation of WordPress as well as customer support that can help you—should you need help along the way. This is where all your website files will “live”. Make it easy for your reader to be drawn in. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Design like a professional without Photoshop. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. 3. Note that you should only do this if there are no guidelines on the application for what to use as a writing sample. Last Updated: April 18, 2020 In reality, your portfolio needs to accurately represent your brand and your strongest skill set. https://careers.umbc.edu/students/documents/writing-sample/, https://www.thebalancecareers.com/writing-samples-for-job-applications-and-interviews-2061594, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/career-transitions/200906/the-dreaded-writing-sample, https://www.gc.cuny.edu/CUNY_GC/media/CUNY-Graduate-Center/PDF/MALS/Guidelines-for-the-Writing-Sample.pdf, https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-steps-to-submitting-a-writing-sample-that-will-blow-hiring-managers-away, https://icc.ucdavis.edu/materials/writing-samples.htm, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow, A good plan would be to save any examples of good writing in a folder on your computer and label it “Writing Samples.”. Design templates, stock videos, photos & audio, and much more. This article has been viewed 69,817 times. How to create a killer writing portfolio for freelancers Posted on June 23, 2015 in Community by Emily E. Steck. Share ideas. Design, code, video editing, business, and much more. You can then lean on these to create the article outline. In the digital age, writers are facing new issues on top of the old. Here are five essentials to include on your website: Now that you know what your portfolio should include, it’s time to actually start creating your website! In no case should you send a sample that puts down any individual or groups of people. The nature of the company or institution you’re applying to will also determine your use of particular writing techniques. Get familiar with the type of article you want to write. For example, for a technical writer position, sample topics from a help file or procedure manual would be appropriate. For example, blogs and press releases typically run from 300 to 500 words, while legal memoranda should run 5 to 10 pages. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Unless other instructions are included on the application, consider simply labeling the document that contains your sample as “Writing Sample” or “[Your Name] Writing Sample.”. It's also a good idea to compile a list of writing you've previously published. The manual process is relatively similar: Once the installation process is complete, you will be given the link to your WordPress dashboard. If you’re submitting a paper you wrote for a class, make sure the version you submit doesn’t have any markings from your professor on it. The screenshot above shows Ubersuggest results for the keyword “writing samples.” For an article about creating writing samples, the first and fourth results would likely make good models. The first thing you will need is your very own domain name. These methods work regardless of whether you’re writing introductions for an article, a report, an essay, or a research paper. Looking for something to help kick start your next project? © 2020 Envato Pty Ltd. The important thing to remember is that your portfolio can successfully combine all of these goals but you should focus on one as the primary goal. However, if you followed my advice above, you’ve chosen a host that offers one-click WordPress installation. Collaborate. Find more great WordPress writer themes to make your portfolio website with: Portfolio setup is relatively easy once WordPress is installed. Common mistake many freelance writers make is that they think their portfolio include. Putting your content into the hands of someone else use most frequently access over! Make the theme, then click on Activate to make your portfolio needs to hook a reader in.. Then please consider supporting our work with a self-hosted website, you could lose access over. 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