Hi! Does anyone have advice for how to contact a company I wrote copy for which I would like to include in my own portfolio?

I have two years experience writing search engine optimisation articles for a company that specialises in web design. I would like to add some of my best articles to a portfolio to start building it up, but I don't know where to start. Do I give a link to the original post, do I use a screen grab, or do I repost the entire article? And most importantly: do I ask the company permission to share those links?

I am also wondering if anyone has advice regarding google analytics for those articles. Is that something worth sharing when displaying a portfolio?

I really am starting from the bottom here and would appreciate any advice anyone has! Hope you are all having a wonderful Monday!

Replies10

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  • Hi Katya, in my experience I always put the work that I've done in my portfolio without asking (unless they tell me I can't, which has rarely happened). It's better asking for forgiveness rather than permission in these cases. I would post a screen grab to relevant articles and close ups highlighting your best parts for anyone viewing who is time poor. I personally wouldn't direct people away from your site because it can be tricky to track down articles that have been removed or taken down for any reason. It also takes people's attention away from you and your work. Hope that helps.
  • I’d post screen grabs in case the page is ever taken down. I’ve never asked for permission to feature work - if it’s available publicly, I believe you can use it.
  • In addition to what's been said below, I'd also make a PDF copy of everything you write online - there are lots of easy HTML to PDF converter sites out there. Some people prefer receiving a PDF vs a JPEG.

    Plus, I have some clients who are happy for me to send PDFs to potential clients directly but won't let me display them on my portfolio website. I learnt the hard way, had a great blog post that disappeared when the client got a new website!
  • Hi Katya, I always find that it's good to ask for permission just in case they have a policy in place. As for display, I tend to use screen grabs (crop them so they're clean) and then hyperlink to the full site/app page in my portfolio where possible. Main thing I would say is make it easy for them to see as much of your work in one place with the option of going to the source.

    When it comes to analytics I would suggest taking a look at other people's portfolios that are doing the same type of work and seeing if they've included it and go from there.

    I hope that helps

  • Hi Katya, you ask some interesting questions here. I always ask a company for permission when adding pre-published content to my portfolio. Even if the ideas are yours, it’s always a matter of courtesy to check and company’s do have specific rules sometimes. This might especially be the case when a company is sending your content on to a client.

    As for what to add, a link to the original post of often good. If you don’t have a link, you can ask the company if it’s alright to share the content another way. Sometimes you can download your content as a file, depending on the company.

    Hope this helps!

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