How to create free press for your work

You know what’s not a portfolio, but still acts as a portfolio?

A website for your side project.

This could be a page with a simple grid of your lifestyle photography.

Or a gallery of gradients or illustrations you make for fun in your free time.

Or a one-pager of GIFs and images of your 3D experiments.

Or a page documenting your travels around the world.

It will take you literally 5 minutes to drag a folder of images onto the screen, add a headline and share it online. Your own little marketing page and press release, broadcasting your work to the world. It's easy to create and simple enough to be shared. A bite-sized introduction to you and what you're all about.

I've made one-page websites for all kinds of side projects, including an ebook I wrote and a personal library of color palettes. They took off immediately thanks to their simple, visual, sharable nature. I wasn't pitching myself to be hired, pointing visitors to my resume or asking anything from them at all. I was just sharing something I enjoyed creating, with the hopes others would enjoy it too.

Inevitably, people who discover these pages find their way to my portfolio, because it makes them curious about me. They discover my side projects without any prior knowledge of me, and they want to learn more. Before I know it, they're at my portfolio – they may even eventually become my collaborator, client or partner. All because of a simple page I published once, that continues to live on and point back to me and my other work.

Here are a few nice examples of this strategy, all made with Semplice.com and Carbonmade.com:

A personal travel journal

Anna Rising made a website to document her travels, including photos, blog entries and a travel log detailing her calculated Carbon emissions for each trip.

Visit Anna Rising's travel journal →

A lifestyle photography website

Søren Jepsen created a website solely for his lifestyle photography work. He brands it so well, it almost feels like a publication.

Visit The Locals page →

A page of colorful illustration experiments

This website by Alycia Rainaud is focused entirely on her psychedelic color experiments.

See Alycia Rainaud's gradient gallery →

A one-pager for 3D work

Jon Vio's made a one-pager with a GIFs and images of his 3D experiments, along with a brief introduction.

See Jon Vio's 3D world →

A marketing page for an ebook

I launch marketing pages for nearly every side project I do, including one for a book I wrote about moving to NYC. This one probably took me an hour to create at the most, after adding images, writing a summary and linking up a buy button.

See the Let's Go to NYC page →

Related reading:

Exceptionally good non-portfolio sites built with Semplice

Semplice is first and foremost a portfolio builder, but the smartest creatives and studios find it useful for a whole lot more.

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When your portfolio is a brand in itself

We’ve said that a portfolio should be curated. This brings the picture of you are and what you want into clear view. Few portfolios accomplish this better than The Locals.

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The most underrated page on your portfolio - DESK Magazine

There’s a page I don’t see on portfolios as often as I’d like. When I do, it feels like a treat. I go through all the other pages on the site first. I scan the homepage, usually click straight to the About page, followed by a few case studies. Finally, dessert: The Playground page. A …

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One video, article or side project can change your life - DESK Magazine

One piece of content, one little thing you create or publish, can change everything you do in the future. One article you write and publish can change your life. One video you upload and share can change your career. One little side project you create and publish can change the course of everything…

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