Why I Built WritingPortfolio.blog (and Why I’m Done Writing for Free)

Every freelancer hits a point where they realize the hustle is rigged.

You spend hours crafting a pitch, tailoring your tone, aligning with the client’s brand voice, and if you’re lucky, you get a reply. Then comes the ask:

“We’d love to see a custom sample for our brand.”

Which is code for: Please write something for free so we can “evaluate” your skills while quietly using your work without paying you.

That’s not a red flag. That’s a red billboard.

I’ve been freelancing across industries, tech, healthcare, wellness, for years. I’ve written blog posts, emails, landing pages, AI prompts, customer support scripts, and training docs. I’ve also managed remote teams, handled complex tech setups, and run support systems from the ground up.

My portfolio isn’t empty. My skill set isn’t theoretical. And my time? Not free.

So I finally stopped playing the sample-for-nothing game and built writingportfolio.blog. It’s a clean, no-frills Wordpress site that gives potential clients exactly what they need to know: what I do, how I write, and whether I’m a good fit. One link. No PDF attachments. No buried links in Google Drive. Just live, readable, recent examples of real work.

Why not just use a portfolio platform?

Because most of them are bloated, noisy, and geared toward visual designers. I’m not building a portfolio to show off typography, I’m promoting writing. Clear, accessible, fast-loading writing. I don’t need animated hover states or pixel-perfect layouts. I need full editorial control and a way to connect what I write to the broader work I care about.

I already pay for hosting. So I grabbed a domain and put together the site in a day. Simple. Cheap. Effective.

Now I can share blog-style samples of my writing, posts, marketing content, and AI prompt structures, without the endless back-and-forth of “Can you write a test piece? ”If my live samples don’t speak for themselves, we’re not a match. And that’s fine.

Owning your work matters more than ever

Having your own space online is more than branding. It’s protection. It’s independence. It’s the ability to show clients exactly what you do without relying on some algorithm-driven platform to do the talking for you.

Control matters, especially for writers. If a platform changes its algorithm or TOS, your exposure disappears. Your formatting breaks. Your links get buried.

When you own your site, you own your presence. No middlemen. No surprises.

Because freelancers don’t have just one gig anymore

Take this site, Join Me Abroad, a project I started to help people go remote, find portable work, and build location-flexible lives. The newsletter (shameless plug) shares handpicked remote jobs, helpful tools, and resources for freelancers, expats, and digital nomads.

But just like my writing site, it’s built on my terms. I’m not relying on platforms to boost me, monetize me, or gatekeep who sees what. I’m creating the kind of work I want to see, and making it accessible to the people who actually need it.

It’s all part of the same ecosystem: Write well. Work from anywhere. And stop letting companies pretend “exposure” is a form of payment.

Let’s talk about that other exploitation trend…

One more thing while I’m up here on this soapbox:

Stop agreeing to one-sided recorded video interviews.

I’m not talking about live interviews. I’m talking about pre-recorded, automated systems that ask you to submit a video without any human interaction, while you quietly hand over your likeness, voice, and answers to a company that can legally use it for anything.

Yes, many of these platforms include terms of service that give companies the right to use your face, voice, and personal data for training, advertising, and internal development. Sometimes indefinitely.(Go ahead. Read the TOS. You’ll love it.)

This is the kind of stuff freelancers and remote workers have to think about now. Because our time, our data, and our presence are all currency, and companies know it.

If you’ve been freelancing, job hunting, or trying to break into remote work and feel like you’re constantly being asked to give more for less, maybe it’s time to reclaim some control.

Start with your own site. Your own words. Your own space.

Even if it’s small and simple, it’s yours.