When you’re first starting out as a freelancer, you’ll need a portfolio to show off your work, but this can be daunting to set up. What website do you use? What kind of work do you include? How do you make it look good? You’ll have a lot of questions, but luckily there are a few platforms out there that can help you to set up and start sharing an effective portfolio in about an hour. While it pays to have a stunning portfolio that’s going to impress, it’s not worth waiting for if it’s going to stop you from contacting clients in the meantime, so here are 3 platforms to help you create a simple, free portfolio:

Pressfolio

Best for writers and journalists who already have some published work out there that they can link to, Pressfolio is a simple site used by over 10,000 journalists to back up their stories and published work. With the option to link to external content or to upload printed pieces, there’s lots you can do with this basic portfolio layout. You’ll need to upgrade to pro if you want more pieces, but it’s a good place to start.

Make a Pressfolio site here.

Carbonmade

This site is better if you want more templates to make your portfolio more unique. It’s a much more visual site, with the option to link being less obvious (making it arguably better for designers and artists), but I like to use it even though I’m a writer as it’s a little more visually pleasing and eye-catching. You can take a peek at my free Carbonmade portfolio here, but keep in mind that this is only one template, and there are more to choose from.

Make a Carbonmade site here.

Wix

Wix isn’t the most advanced website builder out there, but its simple usability is perfect for first-time portfolio creators, and allows you to set up your portfolio in record time. With even more templates to choose from than Carbonmade has, and plenty of customisable options, this site is going to help you create a really personal portfolio that shows off your personality and work style.

Make a Wix site here.

Don’t forget, these sites are all pretty basic, but will help you to set up an initial portfolio to start getting your work out there. It’s always better to begin getting in touch with people than always using the excuse that your portfolio isn’t ready.

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