In the field of content marketing, examples of past projects act like references. Where other job seekers in industries like retail or education are typically asked to list three contactable references, aspiring content marketers must share links to work showcasing their expertise.
Directing recruiters to different websites lets you look unprofessional. It’s best to create a portfolio where they can find all your best work like the following content marketers have done. From social media pages to one-page personal websites to official business sites, here are best practices for how to let your content (and the creator behind it) shine.
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- Different Types of Content Marketing Portfolio Examples
- Nisreen Galloway - Personal Website Portfolio
- Shewali Tiwari - Social Media
- Eric C. - Freelance Platform
- Optimist - Company Website
- How to Make Your Content Marketing Portfolio Unforgettable
- Keeping Your Content Marketing Portfolio Fresh and Visible
- The Path to a Professional Portfolio and Progress
Different Types of Content Marketing Portfolio Examples
Nisreen Galloway - Personal Website Portfolio
If you already have your own personal website advertising your services, you can add a portfolio web page. If you’re like Nisreen Galloway who's worked across several industries, you can even take it one step further to create separate portfolio pages for each field such as social media, graphic design, and content marketing.
What makes her content marketing portfolio such a good example is that she doesn’t just dump screenshots on the page. She identifies the goal of the project and explains her strategy. Where possible, she also includes clickable thumbnails that direct you to the published content.
Shewali Tiwari - Social Media
Social media platforms can also serve as a place to share your portfolio. The benefit of using these channels is that it eliminates the need to build a website from scratch, making it a user-friendly option to beginner content marketers.
Shewali Tiwari, a content marketing consultant with over 10 years’ experience, for example, uses LinkedIn to feature some of highlights of her career. What makes her approach so effective is that she pins posts that explore her successful marketing campaigns. This way, instead of simply waiting for potential employers to discover her work in her LinkedIn profile, her “portfolio” already reaches potential employers in their feeds. It’s a great proactive way to drive engagement and ensure your portfolio gets seen.
Eric C. - Freelance Platform
While freelance platforms like Upwork are often criticized for the lack of quality clients, it remains a useful tool for aspiring content marketers looking to enter the market. It has helped Eric, a Canadian B2B content marketer, to land 126 jobs.
Under the portfolio tab on his Upwork profile, he lists 15 examples of past projects. He lists the clients, describes his responsibilities and deliverables involved in the project along with screenshots.
Upwork also automatically generates other sections like your work history that serve as social proof. If a client has left a review, it will be displayed here, along with a summary of the job and its duration.
One downside, though, is that if you’re on a free plan, your earnings per job will be publicly available. Content marketers are encouraged to adopt transparent pricing, but that’s not necessarily information you’ll want to share in your portfolio.
Optimist - Company Website
Optimist is a full-service SaaS content marketing agency that acts as full-service content partners. It was founded by Tyler Hakes, who’s also behind Top of the Funnel, one of the premier, content marketing communities.
On their company website, they have a Case Studies page that serves as their portfolio. Not only does these case studies explain their expertise in detail, but it serves as a great example to content marketers of how to write an engaging case study.
They use storytelling to humanize their team and draw in readers. After all, case studies aren’t the most riveting reading material, even to professionals in the industry.
In addition to storytelling, they also use visuals to make the text more interesting and highlight the results they’ve achieved.
To access all of their case studies though, you need to join their email list. While this might sound counterintuitive, it’s a clever way to generate leads. This way, your portfolio also becomes a downloadable document, an easy format that your subscribers can share with other decision-makers or contacts.
How to Make Your Content Marketing Portfolio Unforgettable
Select and Showcase Relevant Work on The Right Platform
It’s not about showing everything you’ve done in your career everywhere. Like good content marketing strategies, you need to design it for your target audience.
Tailor by niche or audience
Choose content that aligns with the industries, audiences, or roles you’re targeting. Starting out with a "one-size-fits-all" portfolio is less impactful than a targeted approach.
For example, if you’re trying to appeal to SaaS companies, focus on long-form blog posts, guides, case studies, and infographics. That said, you want to include a variety of formats to show your versatility and adaptability.
Tailoring it will require some curation. Occasionally, you might need to create content to fill gaps, in particular if you're aiming to pivot into a new niche.
Use case studies to highlight impact
Include a few in-depth, impactful case studies to showcase your ability to generate results. For the case study to be effective, it needs to explore beyond the content you created and link your work to measurable outcomes. Put simply, you need to explain the “why” and “how” in addition to what you did.
To ensure you’ve covered all the aspects and improve readability, you can structure it as follows:
- Objective
- Strategy
- Execution
- Results
If you lack real data, tools can help simulate or quantify results to showcase value. You can, for example, use visuals like before-and-after traffic graphs or screenshots of successful campaigns to support your narrative.
Choose the right platform
This step is mainly relevant for content marketers planning to create website portfolios. Consider each platform’s strengths and choose the one that best aligns with your portfolio goals.
For example, Google Sites and Wix offer simple, user-friendly setups, making them ideal for beginners. On the other hand, users looking for more creative control will find Webflow and WordPress more attractive. These platforms allow for advanced design and SEO features, ideal for more advanced content marketers with technical skills.
If your goal is to create a more polished, professional look, Squarespace and LinkedIn can fill the gap. For freelancers seeking their next client instead of full-time employment, Fiverr and Upwork are also options. Like LinkedIn, these platforms offer enough customization options for attracting clients.
For content marketers whose work regularly features visuals like infographics, social media content, or branded designs, Behance or Dribble can also be an option. While these aren’t content-specific platforms like Authory aimed at writers, they are popular tools among creatives.
Incorporate Results and Social Proof
To build credibility and trust, you need to show the value of your work.
Metrics matter
The impact of your work is what people care most about. Whenever possible, include data like traffic growth, engagement rates, or conversions. For those without concrete metrics, Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool and Traffic Analytics can provide estimated data for mock projects, lending credibility.
Client testimonials and endorsements
Add client quotes or other forms of social proof to grow trust and demonstrate impact. A short, two-sentence overview of how you helped them already goes a far way in building credibility. If you’re using platforms like WordPress or Squarespace you can integrate engaging features like testimonials.
On LinkedIn, you can, for example, request recommendations from connections which will be displayed on your profile. You can also give recommendations to clients, a gesture which can encourage them to return the favor.
Alternatively, you can share screenshots of positive emails or feedback they’ve previously sent you (with their permission, of course).
Organize and Design for Professionalism
Your portfolio's presentation is as important as the content within it. An unintuitive platform that’s poorly designed can detract from even the most impressive samples.
Structure by skill or content type
You have two main strategies. You can either organize the content by purpose (for example, brand awareness or lead generation) or by format type (for example, blog posts, videos, or infographics).
The first approach works well if you’re looking to emphasize specific proficiencies or if your goal is to apply for a niche role. For portfolios that cover versatile content types or multiple industries, it’s better to structure it according to format type.
Visual cohesion
A professional portfolio doesn’t just show creativity. It also demonstrates your attention to detail.
To keep your portfolio visually appealing, use consistent colors, typography, and layouts to maintain a polished look. This will also help to keep attention on your work.
It also serves as another opportunity to use the font and color combos that reflect your personal brand. With a platform like Upwork, you won’t be able to customize these elements, but if you’re using WordPress, it’s a feature that you want to leverage.
User-friendly navigation
For online portfolios, add filters or categories so viewers can easily navigate through your work based on content type or skill area.
For web-based portfolios, add a simple navigation menu that categorizes your work by skill, content type, or the industries you’ve worked in. Choose clear, straightforward terms like “Articles,” “Videos,” or “Case Studies” over creative menu names that could confuse viewers.
Balance Aesthetics with Functionality
Creatives are drawn to eye-catching designs that showcase their artistic side. However, a truly effective portfolio lets potential clients or employers quickly understand and appreciate the value of your work.
Keep it clean and accessible
First impressions matter, and the way your portfolio is organized signals professionalism and attention to detail. Use headers, thumbnails, and branded visuals sparingly to enhance professionalism without adding clutter.
You can, for example, organize sections by project type, industry, or expertise. This simple addition lets viewers quickly find what they’re looking for.
Branded visuals and thumbnails should enhance your personal brand instead of being the main focus area. For example, clickable thumbnails can serve as visual entry points to your projects.
Then, to make your portfolio accessible, follow these best practices:
- Ensure text contrast is high enough to be readable by anyone
- Make all buttons and links large enough to be clicked easily
- Design for all mobile devices
- Use alt text for images
These may seem like minor adjustments, but they can make your portfolio stand out to potential clients and demonstrate your attention to inclusivity. Just as your marketing work aims to be inclusive to diverse audiences, your portfolio’s design must follow the same principle.
Prioritize content quality
Let content quality and impact shine by avoiding complex design elements that could detract from your work. Your portfolio exists to showcase what you’ve done and how well you’ve done it. All design elements should support, not detract from, the content.
When writing accompanying descriptions for your featured pieces, be concise, yet insightful. Focus on what makes the project unique and how it aligns with your broader expertise.
Tell a story about each one. Include challenges, your strategy, and the solutions you delivered. Not only does this give viewers insight into your thought process, but it also shows creativity and problem-solving skills.
When writing about the solutions, include measurable results to underscore your expertise. Metrics like increased engagement, conversion rate improvements, or SEO rankings will stand out to decision-makers reviewing your work.
Keeping Your Content Marketing Portfolio Fresh and Visible
Maintaining your content marketing portfolio requires as much time and thought as creating it. To remain competitive and relevant, you need to update, optimize, and actively promote it.
Regular updates
Your portfolio should accurately reflect your current skills, experience, and achievements. Outdated work can undercut your credibility and fail to resonate with potential clients.
Update your portfolio every 6-12 months with recent projects, metrics, and testimonials to keep it relevant. Highlight your most recent projects, particularly ones that achieved measurable success.
After all, your portfolio acts like a type of a resume. If your most recent project listed was completed a few years ago it creates a gap leaving potential employers wondering what have you been up to lately.
If you’re linking to published work, it’s key that you regularly check if the website is still active. You can, for example, use Semrush’s Site Audit tool to check for broken links and optimize user experience.
Promote your portfolio
Why wait for potential employers to ask for your portfolio? Proactively share your portfolio across various channels. It increases the chances that you’ll be headhunted, decreasing the time that you need to spend on lead generation.
To make your portfolio more visible, you can:
- Share it on LinkedIn and other social media platforms
- Create social media posts about new portfolio updates, projects, or recent achievements that you link to your portfolio
- Add a link to your email signature
- Include a link in your social media bios
SEO optimization
You don’t have to be an SEO content writer to use SEO principles to improve your online visibility. With the help of a tool like Semrush, you can identify niche keywords which will ensure you rank for the right audience and boost your organic traffic.
If you’re open to hybrid or in-office roles or you want to work with local business specifically, you can also leverage local SEO.
In addition to keywords, you also need to page attention to factors like loading speed and mobile-friendly design. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly pages that load quickly. Conduct a mobile usability test to ensure your portfolio performs seamlessly on all devices.
Industry communities
In addition to your own social media following, you can also leverage relevant groups and forums. Sharing your portfolio here where your target audience is already engaging will help you to reach targeted audiences and maximize your portfolio’s exposure.
You can, for example, check out:
- LinkedIn groups that focus on digital marketing or content creation
- Marketing communities on Reddit
- Slack channels
- Facebook groups
When going this route, double-check the group’s rules first. Your participation shouldn’t come across as overly promotional. Your aim should be to offer real value. To do this, you can, for example, answer questions with insights that link back to your portfolio.
Another idea is to reach out to industry contacts and share your portfolio link to earn backlinks. This can significantly enhance your site’s domain authority, helping with your SEO efforts too.
The Path to a Professional Portfolio and Progress
You don’t need to wait for your first big client before you start building a content marketing portfolio. From your first gig, make it a habit to save your work. It doesn’t necessarily need to go into your portfolio immediately, but keep a summary of the job and the results in, for example, a private Google Doc.
That said, to be taken seriously in this industry, you’ll need to use a more professional platform to highlight your expertise than a Google Doc or PDF. There are several great platforms available, from sophisticated website builders to beginner freelance platforms, that will present your content in a way that’s easy to digest and visually attractive. It’s all about creating a content marketing portfolio that’s both visually appealing and functional.
