Building Your Book
“Okay, let's see your book.” That's one of the first things you'll hear during an interview for a job as a copywriter, especially at an ad agency or design firm. Your book is your portfolio of work — your writing samples. It demonstrates to potential employers your ability to plan and create the types of materials they may need you to write.
Typically, a book is put together in a large black portfolio case that, when open, takes up the better part of a conference table! Inside are several large plastic sleeves for holding and displaying your samples. You can buy a portfolio case at your local art or office supply store.
You can showcase your writing samples on the Internet, either on your own Web site or on special sites that offer online portfolio services, such as Elance (
You'll definitely need a book to get a job at an ad agency, design firm, public relations firm, or other creative agency. It's considered the ticket to the industry. So it pays to spend time putting together the most effective portfolio possible.
Corporate marketing and PR departments work a little differently. You may be able to get a writing job without a fancy portfolio. However, you'll have a significant advantage over other candidates if you at least have some well-written samples to show. Think about it. If you're hiring a home improvement contractor to renovate your kitchen, wouldn't you want to see some pictures of his previous work?
What to Put Inside
What types of samples should you include in your book? If you've only written a few published pieces, include all that you have. However, if you have lots of potential writing samples to choose from, you're lucky. You can pick and choose the most impressive ones to showcase in your portfolio.
Most portfolios feature ten to fifteen writing samples. Writers often will customize their books for each job interview to match the needs of that particular company or agency. If an ad agency creates mostly online work for its clients, it is not going to be impressed by your print brochure. It will want to see samples of your Web sites, banner ads, and e-mail campaigns.
Ideal Copywriting Samples
When looking for a copywriting job, any sample is better than none. Yet there are some types of samples more suitable for a portfolio than others. These include just about anything involving sales, marketing, and public relations.
Advertisements
Advertorials
Articles
Brochures, sell sheets, other sales literature
Case studies and product success stories
Direct-mail packages
E-mail campaigns
Flyers and circulars
Fundraising letters
Inserts
Landing pages and microsites
Media kits
Packaging and point-of-sale materials
Postcards and other self-mailers
Posters and billboards
Presentations
Press releases
Print, banner, and e-zine advertisements
Product names, taglines, slogans, and positioning statements
Radio and television commercial scripts
Sales letters
Speeches
Telemarketing scripts
Trade show exhibits and handouts
Web pages or complete Web sites
No Writing Samples? No Problem
If you're just starting out as a copywriter, you might have few or no writing samples to show. This is a common catch-22 for writers trying to break into the field. You can't get a job if you don't have published samples to show, and you can't get published samples if you're not already working as a copywriter. What do you do?
First, ask yourself if you have written at least some type of business communications. Think about it. In your current or past jobs, you may have been involved in writing:
Blogs
Blurbs in newsletters
Business letters
E-mails to customers
Employee communications
Handouts
Letters to the editor
Magazine articles and other journalistic pieces
Memos
Proposals or requests for qualifications
Reports
Speaker notes for presentations
Training materials
Web pages
These may not be ideal samples for your portfolio, but they at least show that you have some writing experience. It's a start.
You can also create spec samples to fill your book. Spec samples are simply pieces you have written just to showcase your talents. They were not real assignments. For example, you could write a flyer “on spec” for an actual travel company or even a fictitious one.
Marketing and public relations firms respect spec books. After all, many of the top professionals at these firms probably started their careers exactly the same way. During an interview, just be sure to point out that the sample you're showing is a spec piece. Never pass off something you did on spec as real.
The best way to create spec writing samples is to use the “before and after” approach. Collect a few ads, flyers, or Web pages that you think you can improve. Then rewrite them, showing the actual piece on one side and your improved version on the other.
If you take a course in copywriting at a college or professional training program, building a spec book of writing samples will likely be part of the curriculum. Student portfolios look impressive because they have been vetted by experienced instructors who often are industry professionals.
But spec isn't the only way to quickly produce some writing samples. Here are some other proven strategies:
Volunteer to write copy for a local charity.
Help a small-business owner with a brochure or sales letter in exchange for copies of the published pieces and a testimonial or recommendation.
Offer to intern at a small design firm for a few weeks at a low salary.
Contact a local freelance designer and offer to edit or revise copy. (Freelance designers typically receive copy from their clients that is poorly written.)
Write articles for a small publication, such as a church bulletin or email newsletter.
Write your own materials to promote yourself to prospective employers. (Some writers get hired on the strength of their own self-promotions.)
Use your imagination. Think of ways to demonstrate your writing abilities. Often, all it really takes is one impressive writing sample for an employer to say, “Okay, we'll give you a try. Can you start next Monday?” In fact, one copywriter once got a job offer based primarily on the persuasive letter he wrote to get the interview!
