How to Build a Freelance Portfolio That Attracts Paying Clients

Introduction

Suppose that you have just opened your profile on a freelance website. You are able to write articles, create web pages, edit videos, and take care of social media accounts. You apply for the projects, but clients decide to hire somebody else.

What is wrong?

Sometimes, the issue is not about the skills of the candidate. The thing is that the client wants to make sure that you are able to do something before giving you any money or business.

This is why it is important to know how to create a freelance portfolio.

Your freelance portfolio is not just a compilation of your completed work. It is rather a showcase of your skills, your way of working, your experience, and the outcomes that you can achieve. This way, you give potential clients a reason to think about hiring you.

The good thing is that you don’t have to have many years of experience or pay for website development in order to make a professional portfolio. You can do it even being a beginner and choosing the right samples to show off your abilities.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a portfolio from scratch, where and how to host it, and how to use it for finding better paying clients.

What Is a Freelance Portfolio?
Why Every Freelancer Needs a Portfolio
How to Build a Freelance Portfolio Step by Step
How to Create a Portfolio Without Experience
Best Platforms for Building a Freelance Portfolio
What Makes a Freelance Portfolio Stand Out?
Common Freelance Portfolio Mistakes to Avoid
How to Use Your Portfolio to Get Paying Clients
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion

What Is a Freelance Portfolio?

Portfolio of the freelancer is a selection of samples showing the skills of the person in his or her professional field for potential clients.

These samples may include completed projects, personal projects, sample assignments, case studies as well as services offered by you.

They are as follows:

• A freelance writer may showcase his samples of blog posts, content and product descriptions.

• A freelance graphic designer can show the logo he has created along with graphics for social media and brand identity projects.

• A freelance web developer may offer samples of websites, screenshots of projects, and technical description of the projects.

• A freelance video editor can offer small samples of video editing along with promotional videos.

• A freelance virtual assistant can showcase his skills using samples of spreadsheet and workflows.

Portfolio can be seen as a practical demonstration of the skills.

Resume tells customers about your knowledge while portfolio demonstrates your skills.

Why Every Freelancer Needs a Portfolio

Searching freelance clients is not simply a matter of sending applications to them. It is necessary for them to understand that you can do the specific job.

The portfolio will provide this kind of understanding.

1. A Portfolio Confirms Credibility

Most freelance clients are very careful in paying those people they haven’t worked with before.

Having a portfolio will give them something to consider. Instead of evaluating your words only, they will be able to see your past works and evaluate the quality of them.

It will be especially helpful in working with freelancers having customer reviews.

2. A Portfolio Makes Your Skills Recognizable

Most profiles of freelancers in freelance sites are extremely similar to each other. Freelancer descriptions, their skills, and promises are also very much alike.

Having an ordered portfolio will make your skills more recognizable for clients.

For example, a writer who has written three high-quality finance articles will be recognized better by the owner of a finance site than a writer who is proud of having only content writing skills.

3. It Facilitates Premium Pricing

People using the service will be more ready to pay for the service if they know the value of what they are paying for.

The portfolios that showcase the experience, quality, and success of the services provided can come in handy in facilitating premium pricing.

But then again, portfolios alone do not facilitate premium pricing, but rather communication, reliability, and knowledge.

4. It Simplifies Client Communication

You do not have to speak for yourself every time, just provide them the link to the portfolio.

How to Build a Freelance Portfolio Step by Step

It is not difficult to create a professional portfolio. What is really required from you is to make the portfolio relevant, organized, and comprehensible.

Below is the list of seven useful tips.

Step 1: Select One Particular Freelance Skill

First of all, you have to define what service you will provide.

It is not advisable for you to claim that you know all possible services. It is more preferable to be a specialist in one particular field than to be a jack-of-all-trades.

For example, it is better for you to describe yourself not just as a content creator but rather as:

• SEO blog writer

• Personal finance content writer

• WordPress website designer

• E-commerce graphic designer

• Short-form video editor

• Social media manager

Etc.

Step 2: Choose Your Best Samples to Showcase

A good portfolio must be remarkable not in the number but the quality of the samples.

It is not required to post 30 works immediately, 3-6 samples will be enough to make your first portfolio.

Choose those samples which will show various sides of your professional skills.

For instance, if you are a freelance SEO writer, then you can include such examples as:

1. Informative blog article.

2. Products comparison article.

3. Article for beginners.

4. Landing page for SEO optimization.

But before publishing your work, make sure that it is possible to use this work in your portfolio. It might happen that the works created for your clients are under NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

So, if you cannot include a project of your client in your portfolio, create your own sample.

Step 3: Make Some Demonstration Projects in Case You Don’t Have Any Clients Yet

One of the main problems that faces many novice freelancers is the classic issue of how to find clients with no experience.

The solution lies in creating some samples related to your profession.

Paid assignments are not always necessary to show your skills.

Consider these examples:

Freelance skill	Sample project
Content writing	Write a 1,000-word educational article
Graphic design	Create a fictional brand identity
Web development	Build a sample business website
Video editing	Edit a short promotional video
SEO	Prepare a sample website audit
Virtual assistance	Create a sample project management spreadsheet

Clearly label these projects as sample or self-initiated work.

Never pretend that a fictional project was completed for a real client.

A well-presented sample can demonstrate your potential without misleading anyone.

Step 4: Writing a Short Introduction

The introduction should be short and professional and should inform people about you, your profession, and the people whom you serve.

Do not give your life’s story in your introduction. It is very unlikely that your clients would like to read your autobiography more than your service.

For example:

“I am a freelance content writer specialized in writing articles on personal finance and SEO articles. I help companies create articles that answer their customers’ questions.”

This introduction will give people an idea about your service and its value to them.

Step 5: Description of Every Portfolio Project

The client will not understand the importance of adding an image or document without any explanations provided.

Every project in the portfolio needs a brief description.

One of the project descriptions may look like the following:

• Project title: what did you create?

• Project goal: what was the main idea behind that?

• Your role in the project: what was your responsibility in this particular case?

• Tools used for the project: what tools were used?

• Results: what have you achieved?

Example of the project description is provided below:

Project: Personal Finance Blog Post

• Goal: to demonstrate basic budgeting techniques to newcomers.

• Responsibility: keyword research, writing and optimization of the blog post.

• Tools: Google Docs, keyword research tool.

• Results: well-structured blog post on the relevant issue.

In case there are no criteria at all, just do not make something up and describe the expected results instead.

Step 6: Choosing Portfolio Hosting Platform

Portfolio should have an accessible platform for your clients’ access to it.

At the very beginning, you do not have to pay for domain name and hosting services.

There are many affordable ways of accomplishing this task.

They will be discussed in the following section.

Step 7: Add Your Contacts and Publish the Portfolio

The lack of any contact information in the portfolio does not make any sense from the practical perspective.

Therefore, you have to include at least one option for your potential clients to reach you.

The following list includes possible options for contacting you:

• Professional email

• LinkedIn account

• Freelancer platform profile

• Contact form

• Business website

Before publishing the portfolio, check all links and make sure there are no typos and problems with displaying samples on mobile devices.

It should be easy to use your portfolio for even a new visitor.

How to Create a Portfolio Without Experience

Perhaps, you are thinking about waiting until you finish your first paid job.

You don’t have to.

A beginner portfolio can be based on practical proofs of your skills.

Take a look at an example that is grounded in reality.

Let’s imagine that you want to be a freelance graphic designer, but you haven’t had any paying clients yet.

Then you may do:

• Three fictional logos for businesses.

• Two designs for social media posts.

• One menu for a restaurant.

• One presentation of a brand identity.

All these projects will show your different design skills.

A beginner freelance writer can create a portfolio similarly by publishing articles on familiar subjects.

The key thing here is to be clear about this being an independent project.

A Simple 7-Day Portfolio Building Plan

If you are unsure where to begin, follow this schedule.

Day	Task
Day 1	Select your freelance service and target audience
Day 2	Research relevant portfolio examples
Day 3	Create your first sample project
Day 4	Complete two additional samples
Day 5	Write your introduction and project descriptions
Day 6	Build your portfolio page
Day 7	Review, publish, and share it

You can adjust the schedule depending on your skills and available time.

The goal is not to create a perfect portfolio in seven days. It is to build something professional enough to start approaching potential clients.

Best Platforms for Building a Freelance Portfolio

The selection of platform would be depending upon your career, budget and skills.

Some of the platforms which would suit you are described below.

1. Personal Website

Personal website will be the best option as you would have complete control over the branding, content and design of your portfolio.

WordPress will be one of the best website where you can create your personal portfolio website.

Suits for: Professionals who wish to establish themselves in their area of expertise.

Advantages:

• More options for designing.

• Can use your own domain name.

• Complete control over the content.

• You can write blog posts and case studies.

Disadvantages:

• Involves cost of hosting and domain.

• Maintenance will be required.

• Time consuming process.

2. Behance

<Entity value=”Behance” category=”software” disambig=”Creative portfolio and design showcase platform”/> is an immensely popular site for showcasing creative work.

Designers can present their work visually and can also share their projects with possible clients.

Recommended for: Graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, and all visual creators.

3. Dribbble

<Entity value=”Dribbble” category=”software” disambig=”Design portfolio and creative community platform”/> provides a place for designers to display their designs and network with other designers.

Ideal For: UI/UX/UIX designers, and graphic designers.

4. Notion

It is yet another method of making a clean portfolio page.

Projects, pictures, links and information related to services can be incorporated without knowing anything about web designing.

Suitable for: Writers, virtual assistants, consultants and novices.

5. Google Drive

It is useful in arranging the work samples in an organized way.

Various folders can be created for various services and files can be shared.

Suitable for: Freelancers who require a simple arrangement.

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Your choice will depend on your objectives at this point.

If you are a beginner with not many resources to spend, Notion and Google Drive will suffice.

If you are a visual designer, then you can use Behance and Dribbble to exhibit your creations.

If you plan to create a recognizable brand of yourself as a freelancer for years to come, then you may consider having your own website.

You can also combine different services together, like keeping your personal website but showcasing selected designs at Behance.

What Makes a Freelance Portfolio Stand Out?

Being attractive in itself is not enough for making a perfect portfolio.

You should show some evidence that will convince your customers that you get their idea.

Here is what you should consider.

Target Your Audience

Suppose, you have the specialization of writing financial articles.

It is quite possible that the portfolio which includes articles on budgeting, credit cards, saving and investing will be much more relevant for the website owner who specializes in the sphere of finance than the portfolio with articles on other themes.

Relevancy will help your clients to estimate your professionalism.

Show Your Working Process, not Only the Results

Sometimes it is very important to show not only the results but also the process of your work.

For example, you are a web designer and you can show your working process when describing such steps as:

1. Analysis of client’s needs.

2. Creation of website structure.

3. Web designing.

4. Mobile testing.

5. Navigation and usability optimization.

This would help your future clients have a clear understanding of your way of doing the assignments.

credibility.

Get the permission from satisfied clients to put up their testimonials on your website.

In case you are new and have no testimonials, do not worry; showcase your great sample works instead.

Common Freelance Portfolio Mistakes to Avoid

Even skilled freelancers can weaken their portfolios through poor presentation.

Watch out for these mistakes.

1. Including Too Many Projects Keep the Design Professional

Make your portfolio easy to read and understand.

Include:

• Clear headings.

• Fonts consistency.

• Good quality images.

• Navigation simplicity.

• Descriptive project information.

• Useful links.

No need to include any extra animation, bright color combinations and complex design. Sometimes, a clear portfolio says more about professionalism than a fancy one.

Include Testimonials Where You Can

Client testimonials may help to prove your

Putting all projects that you have done into your portfolio may make it hard for people to judge.

Exclude unnecessary projects and keep only relevant ones.

2. Generic Descriptions

Claiming that “I am hard-working and passionate” does not provide details about your abilities.

Describe the services you offer and the issues you can deal with.

3. Taking Examples from Other Freelancer Projects

Do not plagiarize the work of another person by using other freelancer samples.

It will ruin your reputation and cause many problems.

Create an original example or ask for permission to use one of your collaborative project samples.

4. Not Considering the Needs of Mobile Users

Your client will see your portfolio using his/her mobile device.

Make sure that all the elements on your website are optimized for mobile use.

5. Not Upgrading Your Portfolio

After creating your portfolio once, you should not keep it in its original form.

You should add more advanced projects to your portfolio as you receive them.

Do it on a monthly basis.

6. Giving False Promises

You should never give promises of achieving 300% traffic growth on a website or earning hundreds of dollars for any organization.

How to Use Your Portfolio to Get Paying Clients

Building a portfolio is only the first step. You also need to put it in front of people who might hire you.

Here are several practical approaches.

Applying to Relevant Freelance Jobs

There are websites such as Upwork and Fiverr, where you can communicate with clients that need specific services.

While applying for such freelance jobs, it is important to ensure that you provide some portfolio samples which have something to do with the task.

Do not just put your general portfolio link but instead mention how certain portfolios have made you fit for the job.

Using LinkedIn for Business Connections

There is a website called LinkedIn which can help you connect with business people, marketers, recruiters, and more.

You should make sure that your LinkedIn account is in accordance with your portfolio.

In addition to that, you can also showcase your completed projects here.

Connect With Your Future Customers

You might find out what companies would be interested in your offers and send them a short letter.

Therefore, if you are a freelancer writer, you could write to the company which hasn’t created its educational website yet.

Explain to them how you could help them, show them some of your samples of works and offer them your assistance.

Do not send those marketing letters that seem to be spam letters.

Transform The Flow Of People To Your Portfolio Website Into Something Useful

Make it easier for an interested person to visit your site.

For instance, you could put something like that on your site:

“Need some SEO content for your website? We’ll discuss it!”

Consider Your Freelance Money Management

Getting jobs is essential, but money management is just as crucial for you.

Don’t forget about the following expenses:

• Software payments.

• Website hosting.

• The cost of using the Internet.

• Platform fees.

• Taxes.

• Equipment and maintenance.

Don’t pay for all sorts of portfolio tools until you actually need to do that.

It’s enough to start with a good-looking and simple portfolio. Upgrade it later when you need to.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.What should I do to create a freelance portfolio when I lack experience?

First of all, pick up one specific skill that will be used for freelancing and develop at least three or five projects. Each project should be provided with an explanation of what it is, what part did you play in it, and what technologies were used for its development.

2. How many samples must be included in a freelance portfolio?

There is no set number for this, but having three to six excellent samples is a good place to start. It is better to have few relevant samples rather than a large number of irrelevant ones.

3. Should I have my own website to make a freelance portfolio?

No, since you can begin with free software, like Notion, Google Drive, etc. The advantage of having a personal website comes once you want full control of your professional image.

4. What should be included in my freelance portfolio?

Your freelance portfolio should include an introduction about yourself, your services, samples of your work, project details, useful tools/qualifications, and contact details.

5. Can a freelance portfolio help me get higher-paying clients?

Certainly, an effective portfolio can assist in getting higher paying clients through your expertise and quality of work. Nevertheless, higher paying clients also look at your communication, reliability, specialization, and problem-solving skills for businesses.

Conclusion

Building your own portfolio will be the most concrete move to make in case you are just beginning to build your freelancing career or developing your already existent one.

In order to build a portfolio you don’t have to be anything extraordinary or exceptional, like having wonderful clients, expensive web-site or great professional experience.

The only thing that you should have is your service, samples of it, clear description of your projects and necessary contacts.

It would be wise to begin from something simple, create your own samples, post them and send your portfolio to those companies who may be interested in your services.

As soon as you gain experience, feedback and skills, your portfolio will gradually develop.

You just have to be aware of the fact that your portfolio will not serve as proof of your talents. Your portfolio should allow your clients to realize the usefulness of your skills for them.

Taking into account this when you build your portfolio, it will become one of the most valuable things in your career.