Portfolio and work sample questions

Select work showing range (long and short form, different tones, different briefs), and for each piece explain the brief, your interpretation, and why you made specific creative choices. Use spec work if your portfolio is thin — unsolicited creative work for real brands demonstrates thinking alongside any published work. "Tell me about a piece of copy you are most proud of." The why matters more than the piece: what the copy needed to achieve, how you arrived at the approach, and what the result was. Strong answers connect creative choices to business outcomes rather than aesthetic preference.

Brief interpretation questions

"How do you approach a new brief?" Before writing: understand the objective (what action should the reader take?), the audience (who and what do they care about?), the tone of voice, the constraints (channel, word count, legal restrictions). Start with multiple routes rather than developing the first idea fully. "What do you do when the brief is unclear?" Ask the right questions: "What does success look like?", "What has and has not worked before?", "What do you want the reader to feel, think, or do?" Vague briefs produce vague copy.

Tone of voice questions

"How do you develop or adapt a brand's tone of voice?" Developing from scratch: brand personality (if the brand were a person, how would they speak?), audience (formality level, vocabulary), channel (email, social, packaging each have different norms). Document in a TOV guide with examples ("we say X, we don't say Y") rather than abstract adjectives. Adapting an existing voice: maintain core personality, adjust register appropriately for the channel. "Can you write in a style very different from your own?" Yes — show examples of different brand voices if possible, and discuss how you approach adapting to different personalities.

Process and collaboration questions

"How do you handle client feedback you disagree with?" Distinguish: subjective preference (adapt gracefully, the client owns the brand) versus a change that compromises effectiveness (explain with reasoning tied to the brief). Pick your battles — not every piece of feedback warrants pushback. "What is your editing process?" After drafting: step away, read aloud (rhythmic and awkward moments surface), cut ruthlessly (everything not serving the brief is waste), fact-check claims, get a second pair of eyes where possible.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a copywriter and a content writer?
Copywriter: writes to persuade — ads, campaign slogans, direct response, web conversion copy, email subject lines. Goal: drive a specific action or feeling. Content writer: writes to inform or attract — blog articles, guides, newsletters, thought leadership. Goal: provide value and build an audience or authority. Many writers do both; copywriting typically pays more per word because the stakes (conversion, brand perception) are higher per piece.
Do you need a portfolio to get a copywriting job?
Yes, for almost all roles. Agencies and in-house creative teams want to see how you write before hiring you. Build a portfolio with spec work, blog posts, student campaign work, or any writing published online. Five strong, varied pieces are better than twenty mediocre ones. Portfolio sites (Contently, Journo Portfolio, a personal website) are the professional standard.