How To Showcase Freelance Work Online

Earlier this month, I posted that I was looking for some freelance writers for a project... and I was, frankly, overwhelmed with the response. (Im still getting back to folks!) As a result, I've spent a few days looking through applications and portfolio sites. It's been fun! But I took notes on things that tripped me up or made it difficult to advance folks. In case it's helpful for your own process: 1 - Give me links to work that matches what I said I was looking for. I asked people for evidence they did a certain kind of writing. Many times they would reply with a link to their entire portfolio. I need you to curate for me! I have 100 folks in my inbox, help me say yes to you! 2 - Organize your portfolio by _type_ of writing rather than where it appeared. Example: "Q and A with industry leader" vs "Here's my article in Fast Company" The publication only tells me about the audience you wrote for and not the kind of work you did. 3 - Show me that you can write for niches and audiences that you are not a member of. I know we all like to write content about content or do marketing about marketing. Show me the detailed blog post you did for middle school teachers, or RevOps leaders, or retirees. 4 - Not all portfolio links are equal. I found myself docking people who shared links that appear in what can only be described as a content mill. We all start somewhere, but remove those links ASAP once you've "graduated". Let's be real, I know that many freelance writers apply to dozens of opportunities each month and this can get tiring. But this doesn't have to be a volume game. You can instantly be in the top 10% by curating the best, most relevant work for each opportunity.

Manager: So, you’re applying for an instructional design role? Candidate: Yes! I’ve done freelance work, taken ID courses, and created some sample projects. Manager: Great—can you send me your LinkedIn? Candidate: Sure! [shares profile] Manager: Hm… your headline still says “Teacher,” your About section is blank, and I don’t see any project links. Do you have a portfolio? Candidate: Oh, I haven’t gotten around to that yet. Manager: Thanks for your time—we’ll be moving forward with other candidates. ------------------ A strong résumé alone might not be enough to get you noticed. Hiring managers often look at LinkedIn—and if your profile doesn’t reflect your readiness for instructional design, they may never click through to your application. Here’s what to make sure you have in place: - Headline: Clearly state “Instructional Designer” (or similar) so recruiters find you in searches. - About Section: Write a short, engaging summary that shows your skills, interests, and passion for designing learning experiences. - Experience: Frame past roles (even outside of L&D) in terms of instructional design skills—like project management, creating training, or facilitating learning. - Portfolio Link: Always include it, ideally at the top of your profile, so hiring managers can quickly see your work. Your LinkedIn should tell your story as a professional ready for instructional design—not just list your job history. Have you updated your headline and added your portfolio link yet? That small step could make the difference between getting noticed and getting passed over. ----------------------- ♻️ Share this post if you found it helpful. 🤝Reach out if you're looking for an effective learning solution.

I figured this out about portfolios pretty early in my freelance career and it’s led to me closing way more sales than many of my peers. Not that it’s a competition... The portfolio that sells is the one that demonstrates the exact end result that an individual client is looking for, not the one that shows how good you are at a variety of things. Let me explain: When I send a portfolio to a potential client, I want them using as little imagination as possible curating which identifying which elements of my body of work are relevant to their project. So for each client, I craft a tailored portfolio that only features pertinent examples of my work. Put yourself in a client’s shoes, let’s say you’re looking for a new logo and you put out a call for portfolios. 5 freelancers respond with their graphic design portfolios that include everything they’ve done (web design, logo design, social media ads, brochures, product mockups, etc) and 1 freelancer sends you a smaller portfolio that’s nothing but logo designs. Which portfolio is going to present more strongly? How many portfolios have you made over your career? Let me know in the comments what portfolio strategies you’ve implemented (and if you’ve been at this for a while, help the newbies by detailing what’s worked and what hasn’t).