Editor’s note: This post was written by Jennifer Parris, career writer at FlexJobs, the award-winning site for telecommuting and flexible job listings. FlexJobs lists thousands of pre-screened, legitimate, and professional-level work-from-home jobs and other types of flexibility like part-time positions, freelancing, and flexible schedules. Brie provides career and job search advice through the FlexJobs Blog and social media. Learn more at www.FlexJobs.com.
Back in the day, writers would dutifully cut out their clips from magazines or newspapers, paste them into a book, and shop their portfolio from one interview with an editor to another. In today’s writing world, where many writers are getting their pieces published online, it’s important to find a way to display your published work so that any editor, anywhere, can read your articles. As a writer, though, you might find that you’re on a limited budget. Here are three cheap options to creating a freelance writing website.
Clippings.me
For those who want a fast site without a lot of HTML fuss, Clippings.me is a great option. The site was created specifically for writers, bloggers, and journalists in mind. You can add your own bio, easily add PDFs and online pieces, and completely customize the look of your site. Clippings.me provides stats to show which of your stories is a hit with viewers, and you can even create your own URL so that your site has a customized domain name.
Price: Free for a basic plan.
Why You Need an Online Portfolio
WordPress
By far, a WordPress blog is one of the most popular platforms for writers who need a place to display their articles. WordPress is free and fairly simple to use. There are numerous designs and themes to choose from, so you can create a polished-looking website in no time. And with so many online tutorials, navigating through WordPress should be a breeze.
Price: WordPress software is free to use, but you will have to pay for hosting (some plans are as little as $5 monthly).
About.me
If you want to keep it straight-forward, writers can always write their way to the next writing job by using About.me. It’s one-stop shopping for users, consisting of a single customizable page, and can be ideal for writers with clips that are far-flung throughout the web. If you have articles on various websites, you can provide a list of links to your work, so that potential employers can read your clips on their original sites. Another bonus: you can not only link to your work, but you can stay social by linking your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook profiles, too.
Price: Free
Since many writers are making their bread and butter online, it makes sense that their portfolios should be online, too. By having an online presence in the form of a freelance writing website, writers may find it easier to land writing work that will help them write their way to a great future in no time.
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