10.3 Portfolio content
Jasmine Roberts and Andrew Frank
When considering what to include in the writing section of your portfolio, look at relevant class assignments or work produced in a previous or current role. Save everything in a file, especially work from a class that requires you to write common communication materials such as news releases, explanatory articles, features and social media content. If you do not have co-op, internship or other work experience, try to do volunteer writing for a nonprofit organization or small business that you might have a personal connection to. What matters is that you have writing samples to show, not whether you were paid to do the work (although you should be paid for your work!).
The first page of a hard-copy portfolio is usually a resume. Online portfolios include a description or summary of your professional background. From there, create clear sections and headings and arrange the content by article or document type. Tailor the portfolio to jobs or industries you’re interested in and by chronological order, with the most recent work first or at the top of the online portfolio. For example, if you’re applying for a job that requires proficiency in CP writing style, include writing samples that use this style, such as news releases or feature articles. If you’re applying for a job that requires social media writing skills, include social media posts that you’ve created for an organization.
Here’s a list of some of the materials you could include in the writing section of your portfolio:
- News releases
- Backgrounders
- Bios and profiles
- Website copy
- Feature articles
- Social media and blog posts (ideally that you have created for an organization)
- Media pitches (and ideally copies of any resulting news media coverage you secured from the pitch)
- A detailed communications plan for a public relations campaign
Include brief information about each document, such as the name of the organization it was created for and the date. Be ready to discuss your writing samples during a job interview and the purpose and strategy behind each one. You may explain why you created the material and the results that came from it, such as increased website traffic or social media followers.
For more examples of portfolios, ideas for how to organize them, and how-to articles on creating them, click on the following links:
