by Grace Carter
Whether you’ve never written an article or blog before in your life, or have just dipped your toe in the freelance writing waters, you’ve probably realised fairly quickly that having a killer copywriter portfolio is a necessity.
With hundreds of creatives all popping up on Google or social media with the claim that they can turn words into sales and ad campaigns into hot leads, you’re fighting against tough competition. What distinguishes you against these? How do you stand out? Quite simply, it is through your portfolio.
Let’s explore 7 of the best creative website copywriter portfolio examples and how to get started.
Gathering copywriter portfolio samples
It may feel like a catch-22 situation – you need opportunities to write in order to get work, but without a portfolio, finding those opportunities is difficult. However, there are plenty of ways in which you can master this problem quite effectively:
1. Offer your services for free initially
See if anyone would like anything written for them. This is a great way of meeting people, showcasing your skills, building an archive of samples for potential clients and potentially even finding new clients who will want to work with you because they are so impressed with what you have done.
2. Offer people a free taster before they work with you
This is another way of showcasing what you have to offer – a sort of ‘try before you buy’ if you like. You could also opt to take a copywriting course, where the material you produce while studying will also double up as a portfolio for once you’re completed. Alternatively, you could start writing for a site like Copify where the work is there waiting for you without you needing to go and seek it out.
3. Create your own briefs
Whether for a brand you already know well or for a made-up brand, draw up your own brief and create some copy to match. You don’t have to create full-blown blog posts or web pages for a fake brand. You could download a free image from a stock image site and then create some unique slogans to go with, as if you were creating an ad for a campaign. Little things like these are uniquely yours to put in your copywriting portfolio and show what you can do.
However you choose to start, you may find you really want inspiration from other writers who have tackled the portfolio challenge before you. If you search on Google you will be inundated with options. From the large sites to the independent, there are plenty of ways in which copywriters have creatively demonstrated their talents to potential clients.
7 best creative website copywriter portfolio examples
Here are 7 copywriter portfolio websites to help grow your visibility:
1. Pinterest
Although this social media platform is dictated and led by images, it is a great way of also sharing your portfolio – particularly those where your work may have accompanied striking imagery – or getting ideas for how you can present yours. Whether you type in the search bar ‘Find a copywriter’ or ‘Copywriter portfolios’, you’ll undoubtedly find a lot of results that can help you.
Terri Lively is just one example where she showcases her work on other websites as well as blogs she follows. Or, if you are looking to work with a copywriter, Pinterest can lead you to the right person for you. All in all, it’s a creative way to share your work with others.
2. Carline Anglade
Anglade-Cole’s webpage is the perfect guide to follow if you are a highly accredited and awarded copywriter. Carline’s page is a great example of how to strategically display your accolades in a way that is distinct and engaging. Her use of photos is very clever as it shows her in a welcoming light but still in her work setting so it’s completely relevant to the page. From this, she clearly states her name and occupation as well as “3x Award-Winning Direct-Response Copywriter, Author and Consultant”.
This displays what she offers, and her qualities and presents herself as a highly respected member of the Copywriting industry thanks to her impressive array of awards. Her webpage layout is a great way to show off your skills and awards!
3. Carbon Made
Although you will be featured alongside many other copywriters, Carbon Made is a great way of getting yourself noticed. It has a more visual feel than text but is a creative way to showcase your work. You can include both images and clear lists of who you have worked with, as well as a biography of who you are and a contact section so people can easily get in touch with you. Joshua Allen, for example, has worked with the likes of Groupon, IBM and Dell – and this can all be seen in his portfolio.
4. Contently
You can find hundreds of creative copywriter portfolios on Contently. The platform has specifically been developed to showcase the work completed by writers, journalists and copywriters. You can directly link to all your projects, meaning it is very easy for people to read your work. It’s also free to use, meaning little investment on your part other than maintaining your feed.
It is possible to filter by clients and include details about who you are, including a link to your website and description. Sharon Hurley Hall, for example, has written 881 projects for 81 clients so far, and Contently provides her with a fantastic place to track all of this.
5. Evan Benner
Evan’s website is a visually led copywriting portfolio. He clearly lists all his featured projects down the side to give a clear overview of who he has worked with. You can then see images that connect with these on the right-hand side with dates for when he completed each project. Evan’s portfolio arrived as a Google result, showing just how valuable it can be to have your own website when showcasing your portfolio.
6. Clare Barry
Another creative copywriting portfolio comes from Clare Barry, aka Copy Clare. Like Evan, Clare has used her personal website as a way of showcasing her work. The presentation of her portfolio is simple but direct. Her header is quite striking: ‘I write down ideas for money’. Her website is an advertisement of her writing style in itself, blunt and unorthodox, for those looking for no-nonsense content.
Clare’s about section is witty and honest – ‘People pay me money to think of attention-grabbing ideas and fearless concepts for big named brands.’ But whereas she used to include a portfolio as a mixture of images and words, showcasing how what she writes can evolve into fully designed adverts, this is now only accessible via password entry.
This is one way to go with your portfolio, particularly if you want to generate hype and prevent anyone else from passing your ideas off as their own. But it does also add an extra barrier so consider if it’s right for you.
7. Stephen Marsh
Another great copywriter portfolio comes from Stephen Marsh, whose website is clear and direct – ‘Read less of what I say. See more of what I’ve done’ his headline reads. You can open his portfolio or download it as a PDF, which is a handy way of being able to make an impact with big clients who will often print off your portfolio so more than one senior team member can take a look.
He has also produced numerous case studies to detail his work, which adds a further description on each of the projects beyond just giving the final text.
✏️ If you’re looking to partner with a copywriting service, enquire about some of the projects we’ve worked on at Copify today.
Grace Carter
Grace is a seasoned copywriter with editorial experience for a number of publications. She joined Copify in 2017 and has written about the arts, travel, fashion, health and marketing.