You Have More Samples Than You Think…

· April 16th, 2025 ·

Hey friend 👋

This weekend, we took a day trip to Sitting Bull Falls, a gorgeous natural oasis nestled in the Chihuahuan Desert.

If you didn’t know where you were heading, the 30-some mile road leading into the park would make you believe the rocky desert was endless. The falls popping up from nowhere are truly a hidden gem!

As a writer, you probably have some hidden gems of your own.

Lots of new freelancers worry about not having a jam-packed portfolio when pitching clients. But all you need are samples that showcase your ability to tell a story and write in a compelling voice.

If you don’t have paid projects to show off just yet, this week’s letter explores where you can find some job-winning samples to get you started.

Hope you have a great week!

Best,

🐦‍⬛ Cody – Founder @ Ravenwood Writing Academy

🧛 Freelance Bites:

News and Resources in 2 Minutes

• Audience analysis is a fantastic value-add to offer potential clients. Here’s how it can make you more money (Angela Meyers).
• Is promoting your writing business on Bluesky worth it? Here’s what the experts say (WordStream).
• Case studies are my favorite writing niche to be in right now. Here’s how to start positioning yourself as an expert (Ravenwood Writing Academy Blog).
• There’s another awesome FREE webinar coming up! Lizzie Davey is joining The Inkwell to break down her warm pitching process and how it lands clients (Liz Heflin).

🧐 Your Questions, Answered

Have a question about freelance writing? Drop it in the form below and I’ll answer it in a future newsletter!

📬 Letters From My Desk

You Have More Samples Than You Think… Here’s Where They Are

“How can I pitch myself to clients if I don’t have any samples?”

Been asking yourself this one? I hear it all the time from aspiring freelance writers and those pivoting into a new niche.

It’s a totally fair question. Who’s hiring someone without knowing if they have the skills to get the job done? (Spoilers: no one.)

Luckily, you probably have more samples than you think.

You don’t need a fancy byline or years of experience to show that you can write. You just need to get a little creative and polish what you already have. Whether you’ve been writing for fun, for school, or just in the margins around your journal, chances are you’ve got some great examples lying around.

Here’s where you find them.

What is a Sample, Really?

A lot of people think a writing sample has to be something they got paid to write. It doesn’t.

In fact, it doesn’t even have to be published (though published generally carries more weight).

The purpose of a sample is simple: to show a potential client what your writing sounds like. Your voice. Your clarity. Your ability to structure ideas, tell stories, and communicate effectively.

If you can do that, you’re got something worth showing.

So, throw the “I don’t have any real experience” excuse out the window.​

Paid writing experience is great, but it isn’t a requirement to land real gigs with real clients. Good thing, or no one would ever have a path to becoming a freelance writer.

All you need to do is demonstrate your skills. Happily, such a demonstration can come from all sorts of places.

Where Your Hidden Portfolio Lives

Let’s run through a few places you already have samples hiding… even if you’ve never worked with a single client.

1️⃣ Blog Posts

Have a personal blog? Dabbled on Medium during COVID? Tried writing something for LinkedIn but never hit post?

That’s all fair game.

Even if they’re drafts collecting digital dust or got a whopping “0” views, go back and read through them. Clean up anything that feels clunky, and boom, you’ve got a sample ready to share.

Okay, that was too easy.

2️⃣ Passion Projects and Personal Essays

Do your Instagram captions resemble a mini memoir? Got a Google Doc where you journal your thoughts on parenting or productivity?

If it’s thoughtful and well-written, it can be shaped into something portfolio-worthy. Remember, clients want to see your thought process and your voice in action. That’s what sets you apart.

They don’t really care where it comes from.

3️⃣ Academic Work

Yes, school essays can count. If you’re leaning into a niche like education, research, or non-profit writing, they can even be a preferred type of sample.

Otherwise, you’ll probably need to tweak the tone a bit (less “According to Smith & Johnson…” and more “here’s why this matters to real people”). But the structure and depth are already there.

Don’t let that hard work go to waste!

4️⃣ Volunteer Projects or Unpaid Work

Did you help a friend’s business with their website copy? Write a blurb for a local fundraiser? Write a newsletter for a non-profit you care about?

That’s real-world writing. And it shows initiative, too! Don’t downplay it just because there wasn’t a paycheck attached. Hell, clients don’t even know that part 😉.

5️⃣ Practice Pieces (AKA Spec Samples)

This is one of my favorite tips. If you don’t have a sample in your niche yet, write one.

Choose a topic you love, or look at a brand you’d love to write for, and create a piece of content in their style. Blog posts, product descriptions, and emails all work great.

Spec work gives you full creative control and lets you showcase your best effort. Better yet, you get to tailor your sample to the exact type of work you hope to do for your potential client.

Showing a sample that speaks directly to your prospect’s needs goes a long way—published or not.

6️⃣ Everyday Writing That Shows Off Your Skill

No joke, some of your most engaging writing might be hiding in casual places.

• Thoughtful LinkedIn comments
• Helpful posts on forums or online communities
• Emails you’ve written explaining something to a colleague

If it shows your ability to communicate in a clear, human way, you can polish it into a strong sample. It’s all about framing here.

How to Polish and Present What You’ve Got

Once you’ve gathered a few samples, take the time to:

• Proofread. Read it out loud and tighten anything that rambles. Use tools to check your work.
• Give it context. Add a title and a one-sentence description. “Sample blog post written for a fictional wellness brand.” This lets the client know what they’re looking at and sets expectations.
• Make it easy to access. Save your samples as clean PDFs and add them to a public Google Drive folder or upload them to a simple portfolio site.

Worried these samples won’t “count” because they weren’t paid or published? Truth is, most clients care less about where something was published and more about whether you can write content in their voice that solves the problems of their audience.

If they like your writing, the rest doesn’t matter.

You’re Closer Than You Think

You don’t need permission to call yourself a writer. You don’t need a paid gig in your portfolio either.

You just need to show your work.

Chances are, you already have LOTS of samples… you just haven’t looked at them that way before.

Cody’s Top Picks

This is the part where I share some of the content I’ve been enjoying lately. Hope you enjoy!

(This section may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I’ll earn a small percentage, which helps support this free newsletter at no extra cost to you.)

• 📖 I’m Reading… “Emperor of Ruin” by Django Wexler. I’ve been talking a lot about the Burningblade and Silvereye trilogy… and it’s because I can’t get enough! I’m halfway into the finale and 🤯.
• 📺 I’m Watching… The NBA Playoffs. I’ve been a huge basketball fan for over a decade, and I love this time of year. I’ll be rooting for my hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to take it home this season.
• 🎧 I’m Listening to… “Vampire Sundae” by Hot Pink Death Machine. This song brings me back to the good old “indie alt” days. If you’re a fan of bands like Cage the Elephant, AJR, or Judah & the Lion, I recommend giving it a listen.
• 🧠 You Should Remember:

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The T.H.R.I.V.E. System for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Freelance Writer Feeling like an imposter? Use this six-step system to overcome imposter syndrome as a freelance writer and be more confident. Read article

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