Learn how to build your social media portfolio! In this article, discover the dos and don’ts, plus how to highlight your experience.

Social media is a rapidly-changing industry and it can be hard to figure out how to display your skills. Here, we break down the necessary steps for creating your own social media portfolio, especially if you feel you are lacking in experience or you just simply don’t know where to begin. By the end of the article, you’ll learn what goes into creating a standout social media portfolio and leave with the know-how to create yours with confidence!

Use the links below to navigate the article:

What content should I include and how should it be displayed?

What should I include in my personal bio?

What format types should I be using?

What is the ideal length for my social media portfolio?

What tools should I feature on the portfolio?

What should I not include in my social media portfolio?

What if I don’t have any prior online experience?

What content can I include in my social media portfolio and how should it be displayed?

The bread and butter of your portfolio is the content. It is often the part that is the most difficult to navigate, as tailoring an application to each job description proves to be hard work!

Employers for social media managerial roles are looking for creative minds. As such, communicating your skills visually is essential to showcase your artistry. It also cuts down on the word count (as wordy portfolios often put off employers since there’s too much information to sift through).

Screenshots

When displaying your past social media projects, try including screenshots of previous posts and then detailing the goals of the client, your main responsibilities, software used and outcomes in concise bullet points. If you’re able to, including client testimonials can be invaluable. IMPORTANT: Make sure you are getting permission from your previous employers – you wouldn’t want to violate contracts unnecessarily.

Percentages

Be sure to include facts and statistics about how successful your past projects have been. Read on to our discussion on tools for more information on which platforms can help you with some whizzy stats.

Eye catching

You’ll want your portfolio to be visually appealing, so consider a theme with consistent colours and fonts. Try to be clever when it comes to fonts, by highlighting the words you want to stand out in bold and increasing text size for important information and titles. The way you display your portfolio will depend on what job you apply to, so for extra bonus points, make sure you’re tapping into the feel of that particular industry. Your ultimate goal is to toe the line between professionalism and creativity, so don’t overdo it.  

If you’re still stuck on what content you should be including, below are some of the expected features to get you going:

• A profile picture (or logo)
• A personal statement (similar to that in a CV)
• A list of professional services you can provide
• A list of the clients you want to showcase
• Platforms you’ve worked on
• Examples of previously managed social media accounts
• Career timeline to date
• Achievements
• Client testimonials (if available/applicable)

Social Media Portfolio Examples:

Here are a few examples we have seen online:

Check out Nisreen Galloway’s page – a structured portfolio with plenty of relevant information about her work!

See Maya’s blog for a slightly more laid back (yet effective) approach.

What format should I use for my social media portfolio?

PDF For Social Media Portfolio

This is the most popular medium for displaying a portfolio. The PDF format is the quickest and easiest way to set up a visually appealing social media portfolio. You’re probably already familiar with it and that familiarity will mean you can get the best results without having to fuss over the technical side.

Website for Social Media Portfolio

A website certainly has more features to play around with. You can have separate sections for your ‘about me’ or ‘contact’ sections, saving the employer from scrolling through a long and tedious document. You’re also able to update it as and when you please in case you want to add new achievements or check typos after sharing the URL with the employer.

Using your social media account to display your expertise

Proof in action: it’s a no-brainer that this kind of portfolio would look good to employers. If you decide to go down this route – try to ensure the platform you use to showcase your work is the same one that the company hiring has a presence on. However, be wary of the legwork that has to be done by the employer by clicking through each post-it can delay them, potentially making this format less practical and ultimately quite frustrating.

Top tip: If you do not feel your personal social media profiles are professional enough, consider making them private whilst you are looking for work.

Final thoughts on social media portfolio formats

Whichever method you use, just make sure you’re comfortable enough with the medium (an employer won’t be happy if a link in your website goes to a 404 page). The most important thing is that the person hiring is able to access and understand your skillset and experience quickly. Employers may be enamoured by a snazzy website, but if the actual content (the bread and butter) of the portfolio doesn’t match up, the application is going straight into the digital bin.   

What should I include in my personal bio?

A personal bio is a great way to show that you are the right person for the job. You should definitely consider including this as it can elevate your portfolio and it’s an excellent opportunity to boast your skills!

Firstly, aim to find out what skills employers are looking for. Having a quick internet scan can easily highlight the main areas you should focus on for your personal biography. Some general qualities which would be helpful for the job include time management, communication, creativity. Moving on from that they might want you to have knowledge in social media, analytics, understanding of SEO and writing.

When writing your personal biography, it’s important to have an approachable tone. You might like to include a profile picture or logo, and feature more personal details, such as your pastimes. Remember, the employer wants to know that they’re hiring someone who will understand the brand when interacting with customers, so it can’t hurt to show a bit of personality!

In your personal bio, you could include: who you are, what you do, your mission, a brief overview of your past projects and your career objectives.

Top Tip: Look over the description for the job you want to apply for. Write down the keywords included and the skills they ask for. Next to them, write down the experience you have acquired and/or the qualities you have that would make you a good fit for the job. Now, include them in your personal biography or anywhere else on the portfolio which could use a bit of zhuzhing.

What is the ideal length for my social media portfolio?

Recruiters get hundreds of applications, so generally don’t have the time to examine each application in depth. With your portfolio, you’ll want to make sure that you include the necessary information concisely. That way, employers can easily gain a good understanding of you and what you do in a short amount of time.

We advise that you make sure your portfolio is no longer than 5 pages as a PDF. If you’re working on a website or social media account, this can vary, but try not to exceed more than 5-10 posts or 2-3 pages. In terms of font size, we’d say keep it at a stable 12pt or no more than 200 words per page.

What tools should I feature on my portfolio?

The hiring company are also interested in the tools you’ve used, as it reveals how you can be a valuable asset and that you’re passionate and proactive in the finer details of social creation. We’ve created a chart full of useful tools to get you started.

STAGE	WHAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER	EXAMPLES OF TOOLS
Research	Where do you get your ideas from and inspiration?	Ask the Public, The Content Architects Key dates finder, Hashtag for Likes
Creation	How do you create your posts?	Adobe, Canva, Crello, Indeisgn
Schedule	Have you used a scheduling platform?	Later, Sprout Social, Planoly
Community Management	Do you engage with audiences or focus on creation?	Awario, KeyHole, Brand 24
Influencer management	Do you work with influencers and in what respect?	Traackr, Upfluence
Analytics	How do you know what’s working?	Google Analytics, Facebook analytics

What should I not include in my social media portfolio?

Your life story

This may seem pretty self-explanatory but you’d be surprised by how many people make this simple mistake. Employers don’t want to know why you’ve enjoyed horse riding since you were seven. They’re only interested in what skills you can bring to their company, whether interpersonal or technical and what experience you have to back up these claims.

Every social media post you’ve ever made

Think about what social media posts you have made that are relevant to the job description. It may be the case that the themes of some posts don’t exude the same tone as on the employer’s website or that the platforms you’ve used aren’t the same ones that are requested on the job advert. Narrowing down your focus to match what the employer asks for could help you to secure the job.

Only showing one type of work

This may seem counter-intuitive to the previous point, but we understand it as a fine balance. While it’s important to include your relevant experience in the job description, it’s also true that working towards a diverse portfolio may give you a competitive edge. That means choosing projects which relate to the job description but don’t stray too far as to seem altogether unimportant (growing a dog grooming channel wouldn’t be relevant for a fintech company). Make sure you’re showing that you’re able to grow on different platforms, offer varying services and are attuned to the tone of different briefs.

An overly complex layout

Simple can be better. You may feel that adding lots of extra elements to your portfolio helps to showcase more skills and creativity. Instead, this could actually serve to distract the employer away from your main qualities. There needs to be a good amount of blank space in the document (like the examples we’ve found above), so make sure you’re including the most relevant information for the job. Maybe ask a family member or a friend to check over your portfolio before you send it off, just to make sure you’re not falling into this common trap.

Blurry images

Make sure you use a compressed format (such as a JPEG) when uploading your content online. It’ll be no use to the employer if they can’t see your work properly!

Inactive hyperlinks

Don’t make your employer do extra leg work – they will not be happy! Be sure to embed hyperlinks properly so that the link is seamless, testing out all the elements yourself before you officially send your portfolio off.

Finished pieces with no context

Pictures can be confusing without text. You’ll need to outline your campaign goals and add extra information about the brief, outcome and achievements to build a better picture of the project.

What if I don’t have any prior online experience?

What most employers are looking for in a social media manager is pretty intuitive. They want to know two things. Firstly, do you have the ability to create and grow a social media profile? Secondly, do you understand what they need from you as an employee? Showing them that you are capable of this helps the employer to make that decision.

Even if you don’t have the experience, there are plenty of ways to build your portfolio.

If you have areas of interest you want to work in, it may make sense to specialise (for instance, your rock-climbing hobby could help you get a role as a social media manager for a fitness brand). Figuring out your goals and interests is very important as employers will always see it as a benefit if your experience correlates to their job roles.

To build experience, consider approaching organisations and offering to run their social media on a voluntary basis. Again, you’ll want to seek out the most relevant companies and charities for your career goals. We highly recommend making sure you ask the companies before if they can provide references on your performance – this will be invaluable for your portfolio later.

Alternatively, you could choose to build your own social media profile around a specific topic (i.e. Rock climbing tips for beginners).

If you’re a fan of photography, maybe post photos of your local architecture. As a tech enthusiast, you can write industry news on tech newcomers. Fashion lovers could create YouTube videos on current trends. Whatever it is which interests you, creating content and building a profile (even if it doesn’t amass many followers) is a winning formula to landing your first job. If you need some inspiration for channel growth, see here for some ideas and a guide on creating a successful profile.

Takeaway

Generally, it helps to keep the portfolio visually appealing, outlining strong projects with a clear explanation of the goals and outcomes, and a succinct and personable biography. Don’t worry if you’re lacking in experience, for there are plenty of ways to beef this up. Now, I advise you to get cracking and wish you the best of luck for securing the job!

Written by Zoe Papadopoulos