what would you want to see in a portfolio?

5 replies
If you were hiring an article writer - what subjects would most impress you to see them having written about in their portfolio?
#article marketing #content #portfolio #seo
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    I don't mean this to be as unhelpful as it will sound...

    The subject I'd be most impressed by is the subject I'm looking to hire for, whatever it might be.

    It would give me an idea of the writer's voice and subject knowledge or research skills.

    Sorry I can't be more specific.
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    • Profile picture of the author DoubleOhDave
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      I don't mean this to be as unhelpful as it will sound...

      The subject I'd be most impressed by is the subject I'm looking to hire for, whatever it might be.

      It would give me an idea of the writer's voice and subject knowledge or research skills.

      Sorry I can't be more specific.
      Thanks John,
      I understand where you come from, and I am a little uncertain myself - I want to offer my writing skills and I understand that there are numerous niches out there - I want to write eight to ten articles for my portfolio but am uncertain what would show actual talent. I don't want to just spurn out "dog training" articles! lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Cobaki
    For me, it depends upon the niche that I am targeting for my project. If he can show me great written output on the topics where I need content for, I would definitely choose him to work for me. But, as for me, before I hire writers, I give them a test just to make sure that they can really handle the project.
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    • Profile picture of the author ValCDesigns
      Having ordered thousands of articles for my niche sites I can honestly say that the subject itself isn't important, the actual writing style is.

      And a small piece of advice, when you write an article for a client, make sure to ask them for clear instructions: the minimum word count, the needed keyword density, the tone (friendly or technical), the style (general or review like).
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      • Profile picture of the author Cobaki
        Originally Posted by ValCDesigns View Post

        the subject itself isn't important, the actual writing style is.
        Yes, the writing style really matters, especially if the person can make an entire article sound like it was written by an expert. However, if you want articles that really have substance and in-depth analysis of everything, you really need to find someone who has your niche as his expertise, especially if you will be giving him a big project.
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