Most portfolios don't really show the quality of the freelancer. It's either a list of former clients, with the subtext "big companies trusted me before". But what did you exactly do for them? Or it's a list of end results, with what is said: "I've produced work like this". But what was the context, starting situation, budget, brand style, or the other people involved? So, both versions don't really show your work or your quality and are an insufficient tool for prospects to gauge the fit you would be for them.
To find out what a client needs to know to hire you, you can flip around to the question: "Why don't you hire people/products?" Think of products like brands of clothing, accountants, or a proposed fitness exercise. When you don't know whether or not to "hire" them, it's because it's unclear whether it's for you, whether they are good enough to solve your needs, and whether or not it's a good deal.
So what your portfolio needs to show is a) what your style is and your skill level; b) the difference you can make given what circumstances; and c) the level of understanding you have for the situation of the client. But it's difficult to create this on your website in a way that people will take the time to understand all this nuance.
This is where free work comes in. With free work, you can showcase what you can make when it's up to you. It showcases your style and thus attracts clients who want that. But also, it shows what you are able to do when there are no contradicting boundary conditions. And thus that clients need to get their act together in order to make this work possible for them too.
Turns out that this works, as Joris Roovers mentioned in our conversation that most of his revenue is a result of people knowing about him through his free work. So, what would you create if it were up to you?
Listen in on this conversation with Joris on De Gebakken Peren. We also talk about the relationship between the label we use and a focus in our work, and about great and weird ideas that simply need to be executed on.
