Build a project magnet with these portfolio tips for new copywriters (2025)

If you're a copywriter looking for that dream client in 2025, your portfolio’s gotta be more than a bunch of links. Create a project magnet to attract the work you want, romances you as their dream writer, demonstrates your knowledge, and is perfectly packaged. 

And we’re going to talk about all of that in this blog. 

1. Tailored: Speaking your dream client’s language

You need a laser-focused portfolio that talks directly to your ideal brand, client, or industry. The content, the samples, and the skills need to be relevant to them above all else. That means researching their ecosystem so you can position yourself as exactly who they’re looking for.

Their world is made of: 

• Goals

• Challenges

• Customers

• Products & services

When researching a particular industry or brand, check out:

• Their websites

• Product and/or service webpages

• Client/user testimonials and complaints

• Press releases and news

• Emerging trends, technology, and best practices

• Founder and exec suite details

• Funding rounds

• Social media

And to give you an idea of what I’m asking myself when researching their world, here are some questions I ask:

• What are the brand’s / industry’s goals? 

• What are they selling? And how are they selling it now?

• Who are their clients? 

• Who’s on the exec team and are any of them public figures? 

• What topics do they talk about?

• What kinds of content are they publishing?

• What do their clients and testimonials tell me about the brand and how they operate?

• What do they care about in their voice, messaging, or business model?
  
  
  

Through all this research, you’re figuring out where their head’s at when they put out this “help wanted” ad. 

Then you figure out how you can solve their problems as a writer. That insight guides how you position yourself in that world, shaping what content you show, what skills you talk about, and how you talk about yourself.

 That’s what makes someone say, “Finally—someone who gets it.”

A sample bio for a long-form writer with a distinct writing style and voice.

2. Romantic: Selling your style & value

In sales, there’s a concept called “romancing the product”—presenting something in a way that makes people feel emotionally connected. You want your portfolio to do the same thing.

How do you win them over? With a strong bio that describes who you are, how you write, and why it’s valuable—written with gobs of personality. While other elements of the portfolio help, nothing beats your bio for romancing your value. 

What to include in your bio: 

• Years of experience / Highest scope of responsibility. Have you been in charge of a blog? A full website? Content strategy for a product launch? Don’t just list roles—highlight the scope. Plus, what industries have you worked in/served? Are you a faithful consumer of the service, practice or product? 

• Unique background / Unique POV. Too often writers who come from a non-traditional background downplay it. That’s a huge mistake. Figure out why it’s an advantage and explain how it gives you a unique lens that benefits the client or industry you’re targeting.

• Philosophies. Seasoned writers usually have a battle-tested opinion about their craft. If you’ve ever had a hot take like “perfect grammar kills authenticity,” that’s a sign you understand your audience and platforms. And is that a touchstone you come back to when writing? If so, share that.

• Passions, missions, and core values. If you care deeply about a cause or industry, say so. Clients love working with people who actually care. Whether it’s sustainability, education, healthcare, or community work—explain what drives you, and how that shows up in the work you want to do.

• Personality. Please show off your personality—in your writing style and the topics you write about. This is what sets your portfolio apart from everyone else’s. It’s the human element that makes the reader lean in, laugh, or say “okaaay!” (and then jump over to email to schedule a call with you). 

If you want more about how to figure out what makes you special, you gotta check out my blog called Your Message. It walks you through info mining, drawing the right insights, and formulating this bio (I call it “message” in the blog, but same thing, though).

3. Informative: Unpack your skills and knowledge

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your writing samples are enough to convince someone they should hire you. Usually, the people reviewing your portfolio aren’t fellow writers—they’re professional recruiters, maybe department chiefs. They need to know YOU know your stuff. 

Here’s how to do that:

• Create a case study. Explain the challenge or goal, your approach to solve it, your specific role and scope, and results, if you have them. This is your opportunity to show you understand how content can deliver results.
  
  Here’s an example and breakdown of a simple case study I put together for a client’s portfolio: 

• The headline describes the project.

• The subheadline speaks to a common challenge her target audience (CEOs) are facing.

• The challenge explains the issue, setting the scene and creating tension.

• The solution demonstrates your strategic problem-solving and application of your craft.

• The win shows how your skills delivered a result and relieves the tension.

• The story linked invites the reader to find out more.

A sample of a case study - concise, but powerfully communicates the before, during, and after of a project.

Zoom out:

How do you feel about my handle on case studies? Did the breakdown make you feel like I really understood how to craft case studies? 

If you answered “Yeah, it looks like you know your stuff,” then the breakdown worked. And this is exactly how it’ll work for you, too, when you apply it to your own portfolio.

Break down a piece into an “anatomy.” Label technical elements, explain why that hook is bonkers-brilliant, show off your platform-perfect formatting choices.

Here are two examples from another portfolio I created—an anatomy of a press release and blog post.

• Each example labels the technical elements of the content, demonstrating we know what needs to be included in that form of content. 

• The press release includes a little more context for the portfolio reader, to further galvanize the idea that this professional understands this medium. 

• The blog post includes a link for the portfolio reader to read more, if they want to.

How to label or create an “anatomy” for a content sample. Use industry-standard keywords so recruiters recognize your relevant skill set.

Another look at an “anatomy,” this time for a blog.

Even if your reader doesn’t fully understand all the mechanics, they’ll see that you do. And that’ll impress them.

• Project descriptions. Every asset you share needs context—otherwise the sample is useless. A recruiter isn’t going to know what they’re looking at, how you met the brief, what strategies you leveraged, or what you did (other than write it, I guess).
  
  Here is a type of project brief I included in my own portfolio. It’s got the basic context of the project itself along with how I approached the strategy and what goals that the copy should deliver for the client. With this explanation, the reader can see how the content sample matches those objectives and client situation.

Always, ALWAYS add a project description to every content sample you include in your portfolio. It provides context to the project, increasing the value of that sample.

4. Packaged: Curate the vetting experience for your client

You can have the perfect bio and samples, but you’ll tank your chances at that new project if your portfolio it’s a jumbled mess of links. The way you present your content makes or breaks your perceived value—this is what makes recruiters scramble to book an interview before another brand scoops you up.

You may have noticed the examples I’ve shared so far are formatted in a design—that’s a Canva portfolio. We’ll get to that later. But you don’t need anything that fancy, if you’re pressed for time or not tech-savvy.

So, let’s start with my personal favorite method of a polished, professional portfolio: Google Drive. 

Setting up a Google Drive portfolio

This is all about organization and helping visitors navigate to find what they need. Create a main portfolio folder, add Google Docs with your content or drag them in. 

Then you can help visitors find what they need with a Portfolio Dashboard. This is a “Start Here” kind of document that houses links to your content and is also the perfect place to house your bio (wink, wink). Instead of your visitor trying to sort through a bunch of documents and folders to find relevant samples, they can see all the options at once and click the link to read your work.

There are several ways you can professionally organize your documents and folders, too. 

By Individual content piece.

Good option if you only have a few samples.

Organizing your G-Drive by content sample works when you only have a few samples. You can further organize, choosing the order they show up, by adding numbers in sequence to the file name, seen in the first one, labeled “0_START HERE.”

By content type.

Good option if you have several of a specific kind of content.

By industry.

Good option if you write a lot for a specific industry.

By client or project.

Great option if you produce content for a specific brand or project—especially if you’ve built parts or all of a content funnel (a top skill brands are looking for in 2025). 

Pro tip: Triple-check that your content and folders have View permissions granted so everyone can see your work. 

If you want a step-by-step guide to setting up your G-Drive Portfolio, grab a downloadable of Roadmap to Writer. It’ll walk you through that and more, including how to find and eliminate your writing skills gaps and pace out your portfolio build in a sustainable way so you’re ready to enter the job market with everything you need.

Building your Canva Portfolio

My first portfolio was made in Canva. I love the flexibility and control you have to craft it into anything you want. Plus it adds visual interest and can do more to communicate your vibe and style, beyond the words. I used my Canva portfolio as my primary asset, with my G-Drive documents linked throughout so anyone could read more than just the excerpts I’d selected. 

While a G-Drive Portfolio is powerful, a designed portfolio lets you take the visitor on a journey. A curated path you designed to introduce yourself, your skills, your unique writing process or style—all so they can self-select you as their dream writer. 

Even if you add portfolio enhancers like case studies or content anatomies to G-Drive, it’s super likely they’ll be missed. But housed in your Canva Portfolio? They’re a can’t-miss, core part of the experience. 

If you’re up for creating your own Canva portfolio, here are some best practices: 

• Curate, curate, curate. Limit the writing samples so you don’t overwhelm the visitor. One stellar piece of content can be enough to land a first job, but you can do as many as 10 or so. Just make sure each piece you include showcases something new and supports the claims you made about yourself in your bio.
  
  

• Keep it short. This depends how much you have to showcase, but I think the 8-15 slides is a perfect length for your portfolio. It’s enough space for a bio, a hero project, additional samples and excerpts, contact details and even testimonials or reviews.
  
  

• Link your full samples. With long-form content like blogs and webpages, you may decide to just a snippet of the content instead of stuffing the full 1,000 words on a slide. Or maybe you want to highlight just hooks and headlines in its own section. In that case, link to the full document so they can read more, if they want to.
  
  TIP: Never link to live websites. You don’t own the site, so they can change or delete your writing anytime—which is a poor representation of your work. Instead, link to your document in G-Drive so they can read the whole thing.
  
  If your content was published, take a screenshot of it and add that photo to your document so you can preserve that feather in your cap.

Here’s an example of what a slide featuring your content can look like, pulled from an old portfolio template I created.

Select your favorite bit of copy from longer samples, strategically showing your skill in a core copywriting skill… Think hooks, headlines, storytelling, formatting, CTAs/Opt-Ins, etc.

Included on the slide: 

• Project title

• Project description

• Excerpt of the content

• A link to read the entire piece (hyperlinked button to the content in G-Drive)

Becoming the writer of their dreams is a trip.

The people who make the hiring decisions at your dream brands are also hoping for a perfect match. When they stumble on your name in the digital wilds, that’s a meet-cute. Next, you have to set the stage for a great relationship that starts with you both being virtual strangers and ends up with you two as writer-brand soulmates.

When your portfolio is Tailored, Romantic, Informative, and Packaged, you’ll prove your just strategic, creative genius they've been looking for to get to the next milestone. 

And the journey isn’t just for your client. It’s for you, too. Creating a portfolio is a self-reflection moment that will make you come face-to-face with big questions that define the trajectory of your life. What makes you unique? What missions and values do you support? What are your guiding philosophies? And what kind of content can you devote, say, the next 3 years of your life to writing?