Having a natural knack for writing isn’t enough to launch a career in writing. Typically, recruiters will want you to prove your abilities, and will ask you to show them your “clips” — meaning published articles.
If you don’t have a strong portfolio of writing, don’t fret: some sites will publish your work without much hassle on your end. Try demonstrating your writing talent by creating work on these seven sites to gain exposure and build a diverse collection of content.
1. Medium
Not only does Medium give you the platform to showcase your work, but it also enables you to create a branded profile where all your pieces can be viewed together. Just provide a short biography and link contact info like Christopher Roy Garland, and your profile can even act as a personal website.
Boasting over 100 million readers, Medium’s large audience can be your ticket to discovery in addition to a way to bolster your portfolio. You can gain access to Medium for free; however, unlocking all of its premium features will run you $5 a month.
2. Quora
While many of the questions published on Quora will receive direct and less-than-imaginative answers, don’t let this dissuade you. In reality, there’s plenty of opportunity to produce quality content by answering interesting questions.
Not only is the site free to use, but Quora also provides you with prompts in the form of user-asked questions. A detailed, well-thought-out, and properly formatted answer to an interesting question can show off your literary skills in a unique way.
With its 300 million active monthly users, Quora enables you to reach millions of users. Quora advertises various popular questions and answers through email, which could mean free advertising for your content. While its Q&A format may be too offbeat to use as the bulk of your writing samples, Quora can certainly be used as a supplement in some situations.
3. LinkedIn
If you are anything like me, then your LinkedIn account sits nearly dormant until the need for employees or employment arises. Despite other social media platforms encouraging more active use, LinkedIn still commands a significant amount of daily traffic.
By publishing articles through LinkedIn, those who take interest in your writing will easily be able to view your professional profile. Similar to Medium, LinkedIn is free. However, unlocking all features will run you a monthly fee.
4. BeamStart
Some sites such as BeamStart will limit authors to topics that fit their needs. If you aren’t picky about what topics to tackle, consider publishing an article about startup companies for BeamStart. Creating content for multiple different niche websites can demonstrate adaptability and flexibility to other publishers.
5. Issuu
Many digitally published works use more than just text to convey information to the reader. Issuu gives creators the platform to create pieces of digital content that include links, videos, and gifs.
If you have interests beyond publishing textually dominant content, here you can create gifs and transform pdfs into flipbooks. Once your content has gotten recognition, Issuu can be used to sell digital subscriptions of your content.
6. HubPages
Much like Medium, HubPages is a community-driven site that relies on readers and writers alike to maintain traffic. With a plethora of different categories, you won’t be limited to the kinds of articles that you create. Joining the HubPages community through making comments and creating articles can drive other members to explore your literary portfolio.
7. Yelp
Did I catch you off guard with this one? Though often used to drive down the ratings of an unfavorable restaurant with a gruesome description of food poisoning, Yelp can also host positive and informative reviewers.
As a place frequented by negativity and poorly written reviews, you can stand out from the crowd with an interesting and constructive appraisal of a business. Though you won’t be getting the exposure that other sites will give you, posting on Yelp can give your portfolio a unique twist.
Takeaway
Whether it’s to drive traffic to your personal website, or just to appease a potential employer, having a collection of published works is essential for any author. Publishing articles across some of these websites will start growing your credibility as a writer.
Remember that the quality of your work is more important than where it is published, so make sure that article or review exemplifies your talents before publishing.