The portfolio section of the apply form is where most decisions actually get made. Editors don’t read your bio in detail. They click the first three portfolio links and form a fast impression.
If you’re applying to us, here’s what to put there.
1. Range, not repetition
Three links to similar match reports tells us less than three different formats: one match report, one analysis piece, one profile or feature. Show you can do more than one thing within your sport.
2. The most recent thing you’re proud of
Put one link to something published in the last 3-6 months. Editors weight recency heavily because journalism craft moves fast and what you wrote in 2021 doesn’t necessarily reflect what you write now.
3. A piece with a strong angle
Generic “preview” pieces don’t tell us anything. Find one piece in your portfolio that has a clear point of view, a specific claim, a take. Even if it’s wrong in hindsight. We’d rather see opinion than perfectly safe coverage.
4. Direct links, not “see my Twitter”
Link straight to the published article. We don’t have time to scroll your timeline to find the good stuff. If the piece is behind a paywall, link to it anyway and mention that in the description.
5. Numbers in the description, where you can
“Match report” is forgettable. “Match report, 800 words, lead piece on club homepage, 18k pageviews” tells us scale and trust. You don’t need numbers for every piece, but one or two with traction signals helps a lot.
What not to include
- University paper articles from more than five years ago.
- Press releases you rewrote.
- Anything you needed three rounds of editor rewrites to fix.
Better to submit three strong links than ten patchy ones.