Creating the perfect writing sample isn't difficult, but you do need the right guidelines to get started. Here's how.
If you've written in any professional context, you know that you are known for your strong writing skills. And your skills can only be conveyed by the perfect writing sample. If you don't have a writing sample (ideally, multiple), you won't really be considered a writer, whether by readers, publishers, editors, or employers. In this article, we'll go over the details of how to create or choose a writing sample for your portfolio. It will also drop some information on how to collate your writing samples into a professional portfolio and introduce you to a tool that makes the whole process (of building a portfolio) easier. But first.
TL;DR:
• If you apply for any writing job, you'll need to provide a writing sample. The sample reveals the extent of your capabilities, writing style, depth of research, understanding of best practices, and so on.
• This article will break down the essentials of building/selecting a perfect writing sample, including the core attributes of a great sample and some bonus tips to really make it shine.
• Keep your writing sample within the requisite length, grammatically pristine, enriched with best writing practices, and relevant to the specific job description.
• Don't miss the three examples of writing samples crafted by veteran writers published on reputed platforms. If you're writing your first (or among your first few) samples, take close notes.
• Finally, you need to put your writing samples in a stellar portfolio that potential employers will notice. So, consider Authory as your portfolio-building tool of choice. This tool does 90% of the work for you. Check out the video on "How Authory works." You enter the URLs of the sites where your work is published, and Authory will import all your bylined work to its database. You can now look through all your pieces in a single location.
• Authory is a dedicated portfolio builder that imports your content from the internet, saves it forever, proves that you do not use AI to write, provides analytics data for your content, and so much more.
As the term suggests, a writing sample is literally a sample of your writing (hold on, it'll get less obvious). When applying for a writing job — journalism, marketing, PR, research, communication, etc. — employers ask for writing samples to evaluate your skills. A writing sample is a trial run for the real job. If you're applying for a copywriter position, you'll need to send in samples of ads, websites, and UI copy you have previously written. You might also be asked to submit a fresh set of copies based on one or more topics/scenarios/prompts offered by the prospective employer or client. You submit a writing sample to establish that you are actually as good as you claim to be and that your specific writing skills fit that specific project job or assignment. Think of it as a trial run for your job.
Note: The length of a writing sample will vary with the job description. If you're offering published pieces as the sample, you don't have much control over word count. If the potential client gives you a topic to write on, clarify the length they would prefer.
Your writing sample isn't just a representation of your scribbling skills. It should also represent your level of expertise in a topic, the depth of your research, proofreading & editing skills, sense of structure, and much more. So, when deciding upon the type of writing sample to send in for a job application, it should be one that reflects the following:
Whatever your writing style, it will fail in the face of typos and punctuation errors. A good writing sample is grammatically pristine. It's normal to be eager to send in your writing sample as soon as possible. The bristling pressure of a job search messes with everyone. But you won't even get to the job interview if your potential employer sees your otherwise great writing sample is riddled with errors. Have someone else proofread your work before you send it in. A second pair of eyes will find mistakes you won't.
Whatever you showcase in your writing portfolio is what you'll have to bring to the job every day. So, make sure you put in your true writing. Don't try to replicate something to the extent that it clashes with what you're actually good at. Don't say you can write technical blogs for developers if you've only written about the beauty industry so far. If you're willing to learn on the job, you'll have to clarify that with your employer (who may want someone with more established expertise). Read the job posting carefully. Then create a writing sample that represents that your natural way of writing would be a perfect fit for the job in question. Don't send a research paper if you're interviewing to be a blogger and copywriter.
Often, employers need a writing sample to gauge the writer's understanding of a topic. It's much harder to lie in writing. When applying for a job, be careful to prioritize the ones in which you have some experience and understanding. Demonstrate that you know what you're talking about and go the extra mile to showcase your research abilities.
When you write your sample, incorporate as many of the related best practices. For example, if you're writing an article as a sample for a blogger position (or any form of online writing), use your knowledge of SEO to optimize the article's ranking value. If you're applying for a copywriter position, send an email writing sample, some web copy, and even some ad copy. Whatever the form of the sample, take the opportunity to demonstrate that you bring the best writing practices to your piece.
To create a writing sample that will get you the job, pay close attention to the employers' instructions. Do they want a case study, a report, or a thought leadership article? How relevant to the industry does your writing sample have to be? You are very unlikely to get a job by submitting a writing sample that doesn't adhere to explicit guidelines. Feel free to reach out and ask extra questions; just don't send in a piece of writing you're not sure about.
Let's say the employer wants you to select a topic and send in a sample. Whether you're writing a brand new piece or sending a pre-published one, try to align the topic with the industry and company at hand. For example, if you're applying to write for the fintech industry, the topic of your sample should be closely aligned with the domain. This also includes picking topics/samples that are up to date. Don't write about a technology that is two years old; in tech, two years equals three lifetimes. Here's another opportunity to showcase your research skills. Dig into the latest innovations in the industry. Watch a YouTube video or two. Prove that you aren't just a writer but a thinker. If you're sending a published piece, it should ideally not be older than 3 months (which is also a stretch).
Unless you're applying for an investigative journalism role, your writing should avoid sensitive topics like politics, religion, sexuality, etc. If those topics align directly with the sample, feel free to highlight them. But in general, keep controversial topics out of your writing sample. It introduces you to your potential employer, and being perceived as a pot-stirrer only works in specific situations.
Reid McCarter is a freelance writer and editor with publications in The AV Club, GQ, Kill Screen, Playboy, The Washington Post, Paste, and VICE. He co-founded and co-edits Bullet Points Monthly, SHOOTER, and Okay, Hero, and co-hosts the Bullet Points podcast. This writing sample of his is a review of the RPG Final Fantasy XVI. You can read the full review here and browse his freelance writing portfolio here.
Carrie has 15+ years of experience in media, design, and content marketing with brands operating across the globe. As a freelance writer, she creates content for blogs, informative articles, website or ad copy, and more. Her freelance writing sample here is a discussion on how non-profits can use the free tool Canva for the best possible results. Here's the full article & her freelance writing portfolio.
Robert Levinson is a former senior defense analyst with Bloomberg Government. He covered defense spending, sequestration, international sales opportunities for military equipment, and government contracting. He is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force with more than 20 years of service. Prior to joining Bloomberg Government, Levinson worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as a strategic communications consultant and in government relations for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He has appeared in Bloomberg Television’s Market Makers, Bloomberg Television’s Surveillance, Capitol Gains, Bloomberg News, Bloomberg Radio, NPR, Los Angeles Public Radio, Boston Public Radio, C-SPAN, MSNBC, Irish Radio, and Federal News Radio Here's the full article and his writing portfolio.
Okay, so now you have your writing sample. If you're writing a new piece to apply for a job, you'll send it via GDocs, Notion, or whatever the employer prefers. However, if you're sending published pieces (which is what most writers do), you can't just send a couple of URLs via email or some messaging platform. Well, you can. I certainly did. But you'll be damaging your perceived professionalism. Employers won't view your sense of organization and structure too positively if they just get a couple of links in their inbox. The best practice, in this regard, is to be submitting your writing sample in a portfolio. Whatever your style of writing, you need a portfolio. Employers expect every resume to be backed up by a portfolio of previously published writing. They do not want to get your writing sample in any other format (unless they specifically request it). If you already have a portfolio, that's awesome. Any chance you're thinking of updating it? Stick around a second. If you don't have a portfolio, it's time to build one. And, in order to assist you with that, may I suggest a dedicated portfolio tool that does 90% of the work for you? Enter Authory. When you sign up for an Authory account (for free), you get the following: How Authory works
Authory will AUTOMATICALLY import a copy of every bylined piece from every site into its own database. You don't have to track down links to your published work (especially older pieces). As long as you remember the URL of the site where your work exists, Authory will collate all your content for you in one dashboard. Authory can import content from behind most soft paywalls (as long as it is a bylined piece) and some hard paywalls. However, it cannot be used to import copies of articles, podcasts, and videos you haven’t created or featured in.
All the content that Authory imports from different sources is saved permanently. Even if the original website where it's published goes defunct for any reason, you'll always have a copy safely stored on Authory's server. All backups are in the original format — text and/or media. No screenshots.
Authory has been chosen by quite a few well-known names. These are people who could have picked any tool in the world. There's six-time Emmy award winner David Pogue, Steven Levy, Editor at large at WIRED, and Brian Fung, a Technology Reporter at CNN, to name a few.
Get started with Authory for free and see for yourself what works for you!
