How To Create a Social Media Portfolio: A Step-By-Step Guide

A strong portfolio can be a game-changing tool for content creators looking to land new clients. But while putting together a collection of work samples may seem pretty straightforward for photographers or designers, how do you create a social media marketing portfolio?

We’ve created a step-by-step guide that breaks down how to showcase the many skills that social media professionals rely on to build a strong content strategy. Whether you’re a beginner, an experienced social media manager, or an influencer, we’ll walk you through how to create a winning portfolio to send to potential clients or employers.
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1. Understand the basics

A social media portfolio showcases your work and demonstrates how you’ve used your skills to achieve success for clients on various social media campaigns. But what exactly are potential employers or clients hoping to find in a social media professional’s portfolio?

Let’s turn the tables to find out. Imagine you’re a potential client who runs a small business that’s recently experienced rapid growth. You no longer have time to run your company’s social media accounts and are looking for someone you can trust to take the reins.

You’re not just looking for a candidate who can tell you how great they are at social media strategy—you want one who can show you through real-world examples. Some of the questions you might look to answer by browsing through their portfolio are:

• Bio and experience. What first impression does the candidate give in their bio, resume, and list of services offered? Do they include clear and accessible contact information that explains how to get in touch with them?‍
• Visual quality. Do the candidate’s social media content samples use strong, on-brand visuals to attract and engage viewers?‍
• Graphic design. Does the candidate have the know-how to manipulate or create images or photos to reflect the brand?‍
• Copywriting. Does each sample include well-written, engaging captions and appropriate hashtags?‍
• Platform variety. Does the portfolio demonstrate the candidate’s experience using a variety of different social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok?‍
• Content variety. Does the candidate appear familiar with different types of content, such as stories, reels, videos, and posts?‍
• Paid social media strategy. Has the candidate worked on both organic and paid social media campaigns?‍
• Campaigns and objectives. What type of social media campaigns has the candidate worked on in the past, and what were their goals? Are clear metrics included that showcase how well these goals were met?‍
• Interaction. Suppose the candidate has submitted a social media manager portfolio. Does it include case studies and examples of how they used social listening and engagement to build and foster a community?‍
• Tools and trends. What tools does the candidate use to stay aware of current trends, conduct competitor analysis, measure performance, and develop a strong scheduling strategy?‍
• Range of experience. What type of clients and target audiences has the candidate worked with? Does their portfolio include client testimonials that speak to the quality of their work?

As you can see, there’s a lot to demonstrate in one portfolio. Throughout the following sections, we’ll break things down into manageable steps that will help you showcase your social media services in their best light.‍

2. Prepare your content

Next, let’s discuss gathering a collection of content to include in your portfolio. Having all your materials ready to go will make things much simpler when it comes time to turn them into a portfolio site or plug them into a social media portfolio template.

Introduce yourself

Showcase your copywriting skills by creating a short “about me” section that tells potential clients who you are and what you do.

Include a breakdown of your skills and any social media tools you have experience using. Then, break down the social media services you offer and include a “work experience” section with a concise overview of some of your past clients. Include a high-quality photo of yourself, as well as your contact information.

Curate a collection of your best work

Now it’s time to showcase screenshots of some of your best work samples. If you’re looking for a screenshot tool, Greenshot is a great (and free) choice.

When selecting your samples, shoot for quality rather than quantity. There’s no need to stock your portfolio with every piece of content you’ve ever created; in fact, it’s distracting. Stick to content samples from your strongest campaigns that best showcase your content creation, copywriting, and graphic design skills.

That said, if you’re creating a public portfolio website, look over any contracts or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) you signed with previous clients.  Some may restrict the work you’re allowed to share publicly unless you reach out to the client and request permission.

It’s also important to shoot for a well-rounded collection of samples. Try to diversify your portfolio by showcasing different types of content you’ve created for various social media platforms.

Highlight successful case studies

In this section, you’ll showcase your prowess as a social media strategist. One of the best ways to do this is to include case studies of past campaigns. Just make sure you always get a client’s permission before publishing details of their campaign, especially on a public portfolio website.

Some may prefer that you use a broad, anonymized description of their business instead of their actual company name. For example, you might describe a campaign as a “freelance project for a major New York City social media agency.”

The best details to include in each case study may vary, depending on the nature of the project and your specific contributions. A general format to get you started includes:

• The client’s pain points and how the goals of the project addressed them
• How you overcame any challenges or successfully fixed any common social media mistakes that were dragging a client’s strategy down
• Any challenges that came up along the way and how you tackled them
• The strategies you chose to use and why
• The metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators) you used to track results
• Any important lessons or insights you learned along the way

Incorporate metrics and testimonials

Metrics and client testimonials are two ingredients that can really make a case study shine. For example, imagine you want to demonstrate your ability to grow a social media following.

You might include stats like “increased client’s social media profile reach by 38% within 30 days” or “boosted engagement over 615% within a quarter.” The more solid metrics you can incorporate, the better. Here are examples of great metrics to highlight:

• Follower or subscriber growth
• Engagement metrics such as comments, likes, mentions, and shares
• Overall reach and impressions
• Click-through rates
• Social media generated site traffic
• Brand awareness metrics, including share of voice (SOV)
• Conversion and lead generation metrics

3. Build your social media portfolio

Once you have all your information ready to go, turn it into a winning social media marketing portfolio. Since you can use several different approaches for this stage, it’s a good idea to check out other social media portfolio examples for inspiration.

You might check out design ideas on creative sites like Behance or explore the sites of other social media professionals in your network. Along the way, jot down ideas or tactics that might work well for your own portfolio.

Choose the right platform

If you haven’t already, it’s time to decide which platform you’ll use to create your portfolio. Keep in mind that you don’t have to stick to just one.

Some social media marketing professionals use a variety of different platforms to attract different types of clients. For example, you can find plenty of beginner-friendly portfolio website builders online, some of which even offer social media portfolio templates. Several popular options include:

• Wix
• Squarespace
• Canva
• Adobe Portfolio
• WordPress
• Weebly

Many social media professionals also create portfolios directly on talent or social networking platforms. For example, Upwork offers all the tools you need to create a portfolio that you can share directly with potential clients without disclosing your personal contact information.

Social networking sites like LinkedIn and Behance can also be great places to share new work samples and collect testimonials on a continual basis. You might also consider creating a PDF version of your portfolio that you can attach directly to emails or messages. The important thing is to choose platforms with the tools you need to meet your goals.

Utilize your creative process and talents

Creating a portfolio website is your chance to put your content creation and digital marketing skills to work and help you reach clients. Approach your portfolio in the same way you would when designing a social media strategy for a client.

Consider things like:

• Do you want to use a customizable portfolio template or create your portfolio from scratch?
• Which fonts and colors work best for your personal brand?
• Could the use of reels or graphics enhance your portfolio’s appeal?
• What’s the best layout for your site? Should it include different links to individual case studies or sections to break up various social media campaign types?

Also, consider whether you want to include your rates in your portfolio. If you have a straightforward pricing structure you can clearly explain, it may be worth mentioning your rates upfront. But if you price your work based on the scope of each job, then you might consider offering potential clients a free quote instead.

Respect client confidentiality

As discussed, if you want to share work that an NDA legally prevents you from sharing, it’s important to ask for permission first. But you can do a few things to make your client feel more comfortable.

Consider offering to protect any work you share by making it exclusively available on a password-protected webpage. You can also offer to use a robots.txt file or noindex meta tag to keep your portfolio landing page from showing up in search engine results.

If a client still isn’t comfortable having their work or case study shared, however, you’ll have to respect their wishes and honor the NDA to avoid legal action.

4. Finalize your portfolio

As you put the final touches on your portfolio, consider adding any digital marketing and social media-related certifications to your home page to boost your credibility.

If you’re creating a portfolio website, you’ll want to make sure it’s responsive, which simply means that it looks great on a variety of different screen sizes. The good news is that most major website builders come with built-in features that automatically create responsive designs.

If you want to be sure, however, publish your site under a test URL and use a free tool like Screenfly to see how it will appear on different-sized screens.

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5. Publish your work

Once your portfolio is ready, all that’s left is publishing it. If you’re building a portfolio on a talent site like Upwork, this is as straightforward as clicking “publish.”

If you’re building a portfolio site, you’ll want to consider your site’s domain name. Many website builders let you use a free domain name, but it will often include their platform name in the URL. For example, your portfolio URL might look like this: www.yournamehere.weebly.com.

It’s worth considering upgrading to your own domain name, like www.yournamehere.com, which most site builders will let you do for an added fee. You can also purchase a domain directly from a reliable domain registrar.

6. Market yourself

While SEO and other digital marketing strategies can be a great way to reach more potential clients, you should consider  a few other key things. No matter how much traffic you intend to draw to your portfolio, be careful with your personal contact information.

While providing potential clients with an easy way to get in touch with you is essential, posting your personal phone number, address, or even email address online is a bad idea. It can lead to unwanted spam, harassment, or even identity theft. Instead, consider creating a contact form or providing a dedicated business email address that potential clients can use to reach out.

Find social media jobs on Upwork

A strong social media portfolio is a valuable tool that can go a long way toward setting you apart from other social media professionals. By following the steps above, you’ll create a portfolio that answers all the right questions new clients need to know about your experience, skills, and style.

If you run into problems at any point, reach out to one of the many independent portfolio professionals you’ll find on Upwork. You might even decide to join the many top social media professionals who use Upwork to connect with potential new clients.

Sign up for an Upwork talent account today to create a free portfolio and start submitting proposals for work on the social media job board. Upwork offers all the tools you need to get in touch with top clients looking for your unique skill set.