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Please evaluate my copywriter portfolio

by Gundam
5 replies
Hey everyone,

Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm new here at the Warrior Forum, so you may not know me now, but you'll be seeing a lot more of me going forward!

Long story short, I'm a new(ish) copywriter just beginning to look for a day job in my field. I've spent the past few months freelancing and building my skills, and I think I'm now in a good position to submit some applications. But before I do, I'd really like to get some professional opinions on how I'm marketing myself. If some of you more seasoned copywriters would take a look at [my portfolio] and share your thoughts, that'd be awesome.

Is there anything I'm missing? Are there any areas where I fall short? As is, what impressions will I make on potential employers? Whatever you've got, lay it on me. These are things I need to know.

Thanks very much for your help!
#copywriter #evaluate #portfolio
  • Profile picture of the author splitTest
    Originally Posted by Gundam View Post

    Hey everyone,

    Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm new here at the Warrior Forum, so you may not know me now, but you'll be seeing a lot more of me going forward!

    Long story short, I'm a new(ish) copywriter just beginning to look for a day job in my field. I've spent the past few months freelancing and building my skills, and I think I'm now in a good position to submit some applications. But before I do, I'd really like to get some professional opinions on how I'm marketing myself. If some of you more seasoned copywriters would take a look at [my portfolio] and share your thoughts, that'd be awesome.

    Is there anything I'm missing? Are there any areas where I fall short? As is, what impressions will I make on potential employers? Whatever you've got, lay it on me. These are things I need to know.

    Thanks very much for your help!
    I think you went a lil heavy on the fancy design. Certain pages take such a long time to load that it's confusing. On the "Codealarm" page, for example, I found myself looking at a blank right panel for a while, thinking "Did he forget to add the sample?"

    When it finally loaded, I was still confused. The copy in the animated image isn't convenient to read. Fortunately, I saw where I can click to the pdf version. (Why not start with that? Animation doesn't impress, unless you're in the animation business...)

    ... So I started reading that sample, and I saw a lot of "I", "we", "us" in the lead-in lingo... The jlead-in reads like bad "ad speak" if you know what I mean. Took me right up to the forth paragraph to find out it's a "security, keyless entry and remote start system" that you're selling in that piece.

    Not to be cruel, but I was a bit underwhelmed. To be fair, I didn't look at much of the site.

    I think your fancy design distracts from reading the copy. Even if your intent is to highlight your design chops, animation is a lil cheesy, unless it's really called for. That would be my main gripe. I'll leave it up to others to critique your copy. Maybe they'll be more impressed than I was by that single piece.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gundam
      Originally Posted by splitTest View Post

      I think you went a lil heavy on the fancy design. Certain pages take such a long time to load that it's confusing. On the "Codealarm" page, for example, I found myself looking at a blank right panel for a while, thinking "Did he forget to add the sample?"

      When it finally loaded, I was still confused. The copy in the animated image isn't convenient to read. Fortunately, I saw where I can click to the pdf version. (Why not start with that? Animation doesn't impress, unless you're in the animation business...)

      ... So I started reading that sample, and I saw a lot of "I", "we", "us" in the lead-in lingo... The jlead-in reads like bad "ad speak" if you know what I mean. Took me right up to the forth paragraph to find out it's a "security, keyless entry and remote start system" that you're selling in that piece.

      Not to be cruel, but I was a bit underwhelmed. To be fair, I didn't look at much of the site.

      I think your fancy design distracts from reading the copy. Even if your intent is to highlight your design chops, animation is a lil cheesy, unless it's really called for. That would be my main gripe. I'll leave it up to others to critique your copy. Maybe they'll be more impressed than I was by that single piece.
      I appreciate you taking the time to look at it. I think you're right about the animations. They don't serve to impress; they only distract and make the page take too long to load. I'm going to ditch them, and I'll try to integrate the PDF right on the page instead.

      As for the copy, I assume you're talking about the consumer code brochure. Now that you mention it, the intro does feel a little unfocused. I should have gotten to the point sooner. I'll keep that in mind the next time around.

      What about the amount of content in the portfolio? Is there enough?
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      • Profile picture of the author splitTest
        Originally Posted by Gundam View Post

        What about the amount of content in the portfolio? Is there enough?
        I think there's plenty there for an employer to get a feel for your talents. Bear in mind, I've always been the hiree & not the hirer...

        Btw, on your portfolio page, the first sample panel shows "no image available" for me... (the one right before the automated pool solutions logo)...
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    I think you'd be really good at writing and designing native advertising.

    Have you thought much about that?
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    • Profile picture of the author Gundam
      Originally Posted by splitTest View Post

      I think there's plenty there for an employer to get a feel for your talents. Bear in mind, I've always been the hiree & not the hirer...

      Btw, on your portfolio page, the first sample panel shows "no image available" for me... (the one right before the automated pool solutions logo)...
      Great. I was unsure about whether I'd need more samples, so it's good to hear that I don't from someone such as yourself.

      Thanks for the heads up about the blank panel. That was me messing with it yesterday. I removed the animations completely and embedded the PDFs on the page.

      Originally Posted by Mark Pescetti View Post

      I think you'd be really good at writing and designing native advertising.

      Have you thought much about that?
      Can't say that I have, since, to be honest, that's the first I've heard of it. Is it related to content marketing?
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