Writers often ask me questions via email, at conferences, through Facebook messenger or in The Freelance Content Marketing Writer group on Facebook. And over the years, I’ve been surprised that this is consistently the most frequently asked question. Sometimes this question comes in the form of a problem: “I don’t know what to do for clips. None of my clips have my byline so I can’t put them on my portfolio. How can I get work?” While other times it’s a direct question: “Can I put unbylined clips on my website?” or “Can I share ghostwritten clips?”

Check your contract

Some client contracts include clauses specifically addressing using your clips in a public portfolio. So double check that this isn’t prohibited. And keep an eye out for it when signing future contracts since it can limit your ability to land new work. If it’s not addressed in your contract, then you may be able to share, depending on the exact situation. And if it is prohibited in your contract, you must follow what you legally agreed to. Some writers have had success with getting these clauses either removed or modified to at least allow sharing the clips privately through email with prospective clients. 

Are your clips truly unbylined clips? 

Now let’s get to the nitty gritty. What is actually on your piece? Is there no name listed at all? Or maybe it says something generic like “IBM blog team.” If this is the case and it’s not prohibited in your contract, then you can absolutely share the clips on your portfolio without any problem. It’s totally fine. 

The next question is almost always, “Will people believe me that I wrote it?” I’ve had unbylined clips on my website for years and have not gotten a single question about the clips. Not a one. I also think it helps because I do have other bylined clips on my website to balance the unbylined. I also have references from most of these companies on my LinkedIn and website to give further proof that they are actually mine. 

Or do they have someone else’s name on the article? 

If someone else’s name is on the piece then it’s technically ghostwriting and you can absolutely NOT share the piece on your website without express permission of the company. You simply cannot. 

However, there are two types of ghostwriting. The first is what I call “slap a name on the story”, which means that you wrote the piece from a neutral perspective and in the brand’s tone, not a specific person. There was likely a meeting or a conference call – I’ve been on many – where they discussed whose name to put on the story.  In these cases, I have had good luck getting permission from the company to use the clip on my website. You can see examples from Experian and IBM on my website like this.

The second type of ghostwriting is true ghostwriting where you are writing from a specific person’s point of view and you write in their voice – not your own or the company’s. This means mimicking their word choices and writing patterns. You typically get paid more for this type of writing because it’s hard. And you are also paid more in return for your confidentiality. Companies will almost never give you permission to share these posts and, honestly, I think it’s bad taste to ask. However, sometimes you can get permission to privately share the clips through email to prospective clients. 

Weigh the cost of no byline when negotiating 

In many cases, the clips you earn from a project are as or more valuable than the actual money if you use them to land new clients. Before you take a new client, you should determine whether you can use the clips to get more work. And if you aren’t going to be able to use the clips, either because they are ghostwritten or you have an NDA (nondisclosure agreement), then you need to take that into account in your rate negotiations. You can choose not to work for the client, if getting clips is your main goal in taking a new client. You can also charge the client a higher rate because you won’t be able to use the clips to make more money. 

And just in case anyone is still wondering or thinking about it. No, potential clients aren’t going to question if you actually wrote an unbylined whitepaper in your portfolio. I promise. 

How do you handle unbylined clips?