When I first started freelancing, I quickly realised the importance of creating an online portfolio. A portfolio showcases your best work and is very useful when pitching potential new clients. But as someone with no experience in creating web pages, I needed a way to display my work online without any coding or programming. That’s when I discovered the Contently portfolio maker.
In this article, I’m going to share my experience with Contently and explain why its portfolio maker is such a great tool for beginner freelancers. But first, let’s take a closer look at Contently.
What Is Contently?
Contently is a platform dedicated to content marketing. It’s very popular and creates content for many top brands including Dell, Marriott, and Microsoft. To pair the best talent with its corporate clients, Contently created a freelancing marketplace, where freelancers can showcase their work by creating an online portfolio.
How Do I Create a Contently Portfolio?
1. Go to Contently.com
Visit this page to register for a Contently portfolio.
2. Fill in Your Personal Information
Fill in your name, email address, and password.
3. Add More Information About Yourself
Then, add more information, including things like your website URL, location, and a short bio. This tells your potential customers a little more about your services.
4. Add Some Portfolio Pieces
You can import work directly, or add individual files. It’s straightforward, and you can add in the specific skills and topics relevant to each piece. There’s no limit to the number of pieces you can add, but we recommend that you only add your best work.
Contently Portfolio Maker
It’s quick and easy to create a portfolio on Contently. As they say themselves, “it only takes 15 minutes to create”. To start, you need to set up an account by providing some basic information such as your name, email, personal website, and location. You then add a profile picture, a title, and a short description of you and your work. All that’s left to do is to start adding links to your projects. Simple, right?
Under the “Projects” tab, Contently lets you choose where you want to import your work from. For example, when a client posts a piece I wrote, I simply copy the URL, paste it into the portfolio maker and the website automatically pulls the article page, a small description, and any image that’s associated with it. Then, you only need to specify the article topic and what skills you used to create it. That’s it!
Now you have a single-page portfolio, where you can share your work with potential new clients by simply sending them a link to it.
Pros and Cons of the Contently Portfolio Maker
The Contently portfolio maker is a great tool for freelancers. But no platform is perfect, so let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of using Contently.
Pros
- It’s completely free!
- There’s no limit on the number of pieces of work you can show off
- It’s versatile and can showcase all kinds of work, including photographs, illustrations, writing, and videos
- Very easy to share your work by simply sending a link — This is such a convenient feature. I include the link in my email signature which looks professional and is convenient when pitching or networking.
- It’s easy to navigate — The portfolio’s design is very simple and minimalist, so potential clients can easily navigate through your work. Even if you have hundreds of pieces, it never feels cluttered. Plus, while searching for relevant pieces, your clients can filter your work by topic.
- It incorporates a freelance market — Contently is always scanning portfolios for quality work. If your work attracts the platform’s attention, you can be personally invited for great paying gigs.
Cons
- It’s not customisable — What you see is what you get with Contently’s portfolio maker! While you control your pictures, descriptions, and projects, the look and layout of the page is a one size fits all approach.
- You need to update your portfolio constantly. If you’re looking to grab Contently’s attention for paid work, you must make sure your portfolio is current and relevant.
- Some clients might find think it’s amateurish — Even though many successful freelancers use Contently’s portfolio, some clients might see it as a beginners-only tool, compared with building your own portfolio or website.
Is Contently Good for Freelancers?
Contently is good for freelancers, as it offers a free platform for you to display all your work. It creates minimalistic portfolios that always look clean and well put together, no matter how many pieces you’ve shared. It’s easy to share your portfolio with potential new clients too.
Even though some people view Contently’s portfolio as a tool for beginners, established writers like Nicole Dieker and Sharon Hurley Hall use it as a way to share their best pieces. As you gain more experience, you can then create your own website and keep a more curated portfolio there while using Contently’s portfolio as a supplement.
An Online Portfolio Is Essential for Freelancers
If you’re a freelance writer, you need to have an online portfolio. Thankfully, it’s easy to put a writing portfolio together, and Contently is a great place to start building one!