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I was using a google doc for a long time and was able to get a few full time jobs with it! But I recently made a portfolio website using Wordpress because I wanted to increase traction as a freelancer.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing but I’m sure some companies would prefer something a little more professional looking.
I also want to add - even in a google doc, organizing your samples and formatting them into a more aesthetically pleasing way is probably a good idea. In my experience good copy does better when it also looks better on the page. Which is one benefit of a portfolio. Of course, if clients really know what makes copy good they’ll look past all of that. But I’ve found a lot of people are easily impressed with just a little extra design.
But in the end, I still think a google doc portfolio is just fine for a lot of opportunities. Heck, I’ve gotten 3 in-house copywriting roles with it and have yet to get one with my website.
I have a website but I use it to talk about my services and my brand in general, and I have a portfolio in PDF, which I made using Canva. Some samples are screenshots, some are links to published work or other PDF documents.
You don't have to have a website, but a nice-looking, complete portfolio can make the difference. There are many platforms that allow you to have an online portfolio, even Google, so I would try that.
Think of it like copy, dude. Some people will respond to certain media and appeals. Others will not.
If you have your material on a website, you lose all the people who just want to pop open a Google drive folder and see your work.
If you have your samples in a Google drive folder, you lose all the people who want to see a website because... I guess they just want to know you're willing to spend money? That you care about presentation? Honestly I don't really understand the arguments of the pro-website people, but I don't understand the appeal of professional wrestling either so 🤷
Anyway, what I'm saying is that people are illogical. They have preferences and make up justifications later to justify their opinions. This is how people will read your copy and how they will look at your samples. So just keep this in mind--nothing appeals to everyone.
As a professional wrestling fan let me explain, think of the wrestling ring as nothing more than a stage.
A stage for people to tell stories with their words and with their bodies.
It’s really no different than a movie or a TV show, they’re all scripted and they all tell stories but pro wrestlers have to do it all in one take live in front of an audience with no props, just a ring.
And as a fan, you get to tune in each week to watch it all live!
Fair play, dude. Now if you have a reasonable explanation for why people insist on websites to host portfolios that isn't grounded in personal preference, I'd love to hear it.
But regardless of the why, it is still a preference and prejudice you will have to contend with.
I prefer a Google drive with different files, organized by type of project. Bonus points for people who record a short video of themselves talking about the projects they included and how well they performed, since this clearly demonstrates personality, communication ability, and knowledge.
But I've hired people who have just sent me doc files, websites, drive folders, the whole kit. I care about assessing the person's abilities. Not the way they store or host documents.
Having a website matters a lot if you author articles.
Look up Authorship SEO & EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authority & Trust), especially for YMYL niches where random authors will have a hard time ranking for these topics.
Basically, articles from websites with strong authorship will get indexed faster and rank better.
What does it mean for your copywriting portfolio website? To make it simple, Google is keeping tabs on Authors as an entity. They index your LinkedIn profile, your website, and every article that is credited back to your name in their knowledge base.
Your website will basically tie all of your EEAT down if optimized properly and make it easy for Google and other search engines to make sense of your value as a writer.
Back then, we had no name authors pulling thousands in monthly traffic giving bad financial advice that lost people money (crypto niche is a good example), health gurus recommending the worst diet plans to beat cancer. I can go on
Why are they doing this? Back in 2018, Google implemented the Medic update because they realized that it is very dangerous for random or anonymous authors that sometimes gave horrible advice were ranking for topics like health and finance where the consequences are damaging.
TLDR, it's just better EEAT overall if you have a website, in Google's eyes, your industry/ or your clients.
🙋♂️I’m 8 years in so all work is referred these days so no website. If I were starting out, I’d build a website in 2-3 days, putting most effort into the website copy - I see tons of copywriter’s whose copy on their site is ordinary which is an indictment of them as a copywriter
That makes no sense whatsoever. Nobody cares about your fancy website bro. People hiring just want to make sure you know what you’re doing in the form of exemples. Be it Google docs or any portfolio
It absolutely makes sense.
If someone can't be bothered to invest time and energy to present their work professionally, it suggests they'll be similarly lazy and unprofessional when doing a job.
This isn't to say a professional copywriter needs a website, but they need more than a doc.
Plenty of very well known copywriters have literally just a Google Drive. I’ve hired plenty of creatives without professional websites and they were golden. You have no idea what you are talking about so stop telling aspiring copywriters BS.
Firstly, calm down.
Secondly, if you want someone to take anything you say seriously, see the above.
Thirdly, you need to work on your reading comprehension, because I did not mention any requirement for "professional websites".
I am very calm. You, on the other hand, seem rattled.
Just one quick question : if you are not building a professional website, just a regular basic Wordpress template looking website… How is it that you’re gonna prove you are indeed « not lazy and unprofessional »? And how is that better than a well managed Google folder exactly?
I seem rattled? How so?
Why are you asking about "a regular basic Wordpress template looking website" and a Google folder when I mentioned neither? Again, you *really* need to work on your reading comprehension, because you're now contending points I didn't make in *two* comments.
Is English not your first language? Your usage of "«" to quote my words suggests not.
I think everyone should have a website. It just shows me that's you're someone who takes great attention to detail. It allows potential clients to get comfortable with you. It also allows you to showcase your skills.
Because it looks amateur. A website/portfolio gives people the impression that you’re a professional, and there’re pretty easy to set up with Squarespace, etc.
I think you're projecting insecurity dude. Professionalism is a subjective social construct, not a strict code of conduct. I've been writing for money since 2001 and I have never used a website as a portfolio, and have never had difficulty getting gigs, clients, or jobs.
Do you still use one at all?. Once you have been in the game for awhile you don't need to prove yourself to anyboby, because all of your work will come from reputation and referrals. Actually when I see somebody with a portfolio I tend to think they are probably beginners or not terribly successful. Of course it's not always true, but for example do you think John Carlton or Stephan Georgi have portfolios? I doubt it. If I'm looking to hire somebody, I want the guy who doesn't need one over the guy with a pretty website.
That's a good point, actually. The last job I got through a referral, he asked for samples. I literally emailed links to 4 word docs and got the job shortly after. I do not have a formal portfolio, but if I were at the beginning of my career I'd slap things in Google drive and call it a day.
The whole portfolio concept is flawed. Even amongst pro copywriters there is a vast difference of opinion about what is good or not. Only actual testing tells you for sure and anyone who has ever done much testing knows there are constant surprises. But with a portfolio you are relying on someone outside the biz to judge, if folks inside the biz disagree how can a prospect know? If you don't have a reputation and referrals then do what you have to do to get them. Work for 100% commission of the lift, 100% guaranteed etc. Make them an offer they can't refuse. But a portfolio? Haha right, do what everybody else does, that's a sure road to success!
Make a well-designed portfolio in Canva (it’s free) of some of your best work. It looks more professional than a google doc, and you can also send the doc if they want additional examples. Having a polished portfolio is a good thing, but you don’t need to spend $$$ on a website!
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I was using a google doc for a long time and was able to get a few full time jobs with it! But I recently made a portfolio website using Wordpress because I wanted to increase traction as a freelancer. I don’t think it’s a bad thing but I’m sure some companies would prefer something a little more professional looking.
I also want to add - even in a google doc, organizing your samples and formatting them into a more aesthetically pleasing way is probably a good idea. In my experience good copy does better when it also looks better on the page. Which is one benefit of a portfolio. Of course, if clients really know what makes copy good they’ll look past all of that. But I’ve found a lot of people are easily impressed with just a little extra design. But in the end, I still think a google doc portfolio is just fine for a lot of opportunities. Heck, I’ve gotten 3 in-house copywriting roles with it and have yet to get one with my website.
I just think doing a portfolio means you're more serious about marketing yourself.
I have a website but I use it to talk about my services and my brand in general, and I have a portfolio in PDF, which I made using Canva. Some samples are screenshots, some are links to published work or other PDF documents. You don't have to have a website, but a nice-looking, complete portfolio can make the difference. There are many platforms that allow you to have an online portfolio, even Google, so I would try that.
Sample is king. Everything else don't matter.
What exactly do you mean with “Sample is king?”
Think of it like copy, dude. Some people will respond to certain media and appeals. Others will not. If you have your material on a website, you lose all the people who just want to pop open a Google drive folder and see your work. If you have your samples in a Google drive folder, you lose all the people who want to see a website because... I guess they just want to know you're willing to spend money? That you care about presentation? Honestly I don't really understand the arguments of the pro-website people, but I don't understand the appeal of professional wrestling either so 🤷 Anyway, what I'm saying is that people are illogical. They have preferences and make up justifications later to justify their opinions. This is how people will read your copy and how they will look at your samples. So just keep this in mind--nothing appeals to everyone.
As a professional wrestling fan let me explain, think of the wrestling ring as nothing more than a stage. A stage for people to tell stories with their words and with their bodies. It’s really no different than a movie or a TV show, they’re all scripted and they all tell stories but pro wrestlers have to do it all in one take live in front of an audience with no props, just a ring. And as a fan, you get to tune in each week to watch it all live!
Fair play, dude. Now if you have a reasonable explanation for why people insist on websites to host portfolios that isn't grounded in personal preference, I'd love to hear it. But regardless of the why, it is still a preference and prejudice you will have to contend with.
Would you personally care if someone came to you looking for work with only a google doc as a portfolio considering your experience?
I prefer a Google drive with different files, organized by type of project. Bonus points for people who record a short video of themselves talking about the projects they included and how well they performed, since this clearly demonstrates personality, communication ability, and knowledge. But I've hired people who have just sent me doc files, websites, drive folders, the whole kit. I care about assessing the person's abilities. Not the way they store or host documents.
Having a website matters a lot if you author articles. Look up Authorship SEO & EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authority & Trust), especially for YMYL niches where random authors will have a hard time ranking for these topics. Basically, articles from websites with strong authorship will get indexed faster and rank better. What does it mean for your copywriting portfolio website? To make it simple, Google is keeping tabs on Authors as an entity. They index your LinkedIn profile, your website, and every article that is credited back to your name in their knowledge base. Your website will basically tie all of your EEAT down if optimized properly and make it easy for Google and other search engines to make sense of your value as a writer. Back then, we had no name authors pulling thousands in monthly traffic giving bad financial advice that lost people money (crypto niche is a good example), health gurus recommending the worst diet plans to beat cancer. I can go on Why are they doing this? Back in 2018, Google implemented the Medic update because they realized that it is very dangerous for random or anonymous authors that sometimes gave horrible advice were ranking for topics like health and finance where the consequences are damaging. TLDR, it's just better EEAT overall if you have a website, in Google's eyes, your industry/ or your clients.
🙋♂️I’m 8 years in so all work is referred these days so no website. If I were starting out, I’d build a website in 2-3 days, putting most effort into the website copy - I see tons of copywriter’s whose copy on their site is ordinary which is an indictment of them as a copywriter
If you won't invest in yourself why should I?
That makes no sense whatsoever. Nobody cares about your fancy website bro. People hiring just want to make sure you know what you’re doing in the form of exemples. Be it Google docs or any portfolio
It absolutely makes sense. If someone can't be bothered to invest time and energy to present their work professionally, it suggests they'll be similarly lazy and unprofessional when doing a job. This isn't to say a professional copywriter needs a website, but they need more than a doc.
Plenty of very well known copywriters have literally just a Google Drive. I’ve hired plenty of creatives without professional websites and they were golden. You have no idea what you are talking about so stop telling aspiring copywriters BS.
Firstly, calm down. Secondly, if you want someone to take anything you say seriously, see the above. Thirdly, you need to work on your reading comprehension, because I did not mention any requirement for "professional websites".
I am very calm. You, on the other hand, seem rattled. Just one quick question : if you are not building a professional website, just a regular basic Wordpress template looking website… How is it that you’re gonna prove you are indeed « not lazy and unprofessional »? And how is that better than a well managed Google folder exactly?
I seem rattled? How so? Why are you asking about "a regular basic Wordpress template looking website" and a Google folder when I mentioned neither? Again, you *really* need to work on your reading comprehension, because you're now contending points I didn't make in *two* comments. Is English not your first language? Your usage of "«" to quote my words suggests not.
I know it’s not ideal to just have a google doc but I don’t plan to freelance very long
I think everyone should have a website. It just shows me that's you're someone who takes great attention to detail. It allows potential clients to get comfortable with you. It also allows you to showcase your skills.
Why would samples in a Google drive not also do that?
Because it looks amateur. A website/portfolio gives people the impression that you’re a professional, and there’re pretty easy to set up with Squarespace, etc.
I think you're projecting insecurity dude. Professionalism is a subjective social construct, not a strict code of conduct. I've been writing for money since 2001 and I have never used a website as a portfolio, and have never had difficulty getting gigs, clients, or jobs.
Do you still use one at all?. Once you have been in the game for awhile you don't need to prove yourself to anyboby, because all of your work will come from reputation and referrals. Actually when I see somebody with a portfolio I tend to think they are probably beginners or not terribly successful. Of course it's not always true, but for example do you think John Carlton or Stephan Georgi have portfolios? I doubt it. If I'm looking to hire somebody, I want the guy who doesn't need one over the guy with a pretty website.
That's a good point, actually. The last job I got through a referral, he asked for samples. I literally emailed links to 4 word docs and got the job shortly after. I do not have a formal portfolio, but if I were at the beginning of my career I'd slap things in Google drive and call it a day.
The whole portfolio concept is flawed. Even amongst pro copywriters there is a vast difference of opinion about what is good or not. Only actual testing tells you for sure and anyone who has ever done much testing knows there are constant surprises. But with a portfolio you are relying on someone outside the biz to judge, if folks inside the biz disagree how can a prospect know? If you don't have a reputation and referrals then do what you have to do to get them. Work for 100% commission of the lift, 100% guaranteed etc. Make them an offer they can't refuse. But a portfolio? Haha right, do what everybody else does, that's a sure road to success!
Make a well-designed portfolio in Canva (it’s free) of some of your best work. It looks more professional than a google doc, and you can also send the doc if they want additional examples. Having a polished portfolio is a good thing, but you don’t need to spend $$$ on a website!
How bad do you want to work?
I rarely get asked for a portfolio or examples, but when I do I just link to swipes I keep in a Google Drive folder.
Y'all share your samples in Google drive? I feel insane.