Content Marketing Portfolio

[Judithsandras]

Hi! I'm looking to start my career in content marketing. I want to create my portfolio, but confused what kind of projects include. 

How do I showcase strong content marketing skills (blogging, video editing, social media) that also shows data driven decisions when most of my projects comprise of school work, mock case studies, and simple personal projects? 

Thank you for any insight!

[karstenkoehler · Accepted solution]

Hi @Judithsandras,

If you're looking to build a portfolio, as a first step, I'd recommend considering who you're creating this for and what they'd like to see – probably a recruiter or future manager, alternatively clients if you're planning on freelancing.

It also depends the route you want to choose: Do you want to focus more heavily on content conceptualization and strategy or leaning more towards actual content production. Depending on this focus area, I'd recommend including samples of your work. For example, if you're planning on moving into content marketing strategy and you're creating a portfolio to impress a future employer, I'd include content written by yourself. This could be across multiple topical areas or very narrow, again depending on whether you want to focus on a specific industry.

I would also include information about other content pieces of the same campaign (social media posts, internal sales enablement content, marketing email drafts etc) that would go along with main content pieces such as a blog post or even whitepaper. All of this could be actual content that was published or drafts.

Regarding the format, I'd recommend being creative. This could be anything from a plain link list (not recommended, not very creative), a collection of PDFs or something more designed. In any case, do not share editable files (e.g. Word) and make sure that you're anonymizing content where needed.

If you are able to compile content that is or was published, I would also include information about performance and potentially learnings.

Like actual inbound marketing and content marketing, think about your persona (employer, client) first and how broad or narrow you want your portfolio to be.

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions!

[AGiltner · Accepted solution]

Could you create a video that lives above the fold on your website that's 1-3 min long showcasing your versatility with examples?

[Jnix284 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Judithsandras 

Creating your portfolio is about showcasing your capabilities. If you can't show data-driven decisions, that's ok, your portfolio is only one component of your application and collective experience.

If you have HubSpot Academy certifications, you can list them on your resume which shows a lot about you, from your drive to learn to the skills you have in your toolbox.

11 years ago I applied for a job as a Multi-media Designer, trying to get my foot in the door to pursue a career in marketing. My background was in architecture and I had to figure out how to translate my skills to the role I wanted.

I built a website, turned my architectural projects into videos and slide decks, and focused on the graphic design and composition of my portfolio instead of the contents.

As a content writer, it really comes down to your understanding of the subject and your ability to translate that in a way that leads to conversions. So if you can't show data, can you highlight elements in your writing that connect back to the buyer person and buyer's journey? Can you show your content development process? Can you show how you audit and organize content? What if you turned your portfolio into a content audit?

[AGiltner · Accepted solution]

Could you create a video that lives above the fold on your website that's 1-3 min long showcasing your versatility with examples?

[kvlschaefer]

Great advice, @AGiltner and @karstenkoehler!

Thanks for sharing 🙂 

[karstenkoehler · Accepted solution]

Hi @Judithsandras,

If you're looking to build a portfolio, as a first step, I'd recommend considering who you're creating this for and what they'd like to see – probably a recruiter or future manager, alternatively clients if you're planning on freelancing.

It also depends the route you want to choose: Do you want to focus more heavily on content conceptualization and strategy or leaning more towards actual content production. Depending on this focus area, I'd recommend including samples of your work. For example, if you're planning on moving into content marketing strategy and you're creating a portfolio to impress a future employer, I'd include content written by yourself. This could be across multiple topical areas or very narrow, again depending on whether you want to focus on a specific industry.

I would also include information about other content pieces of the same campaign (social media posts, internal sales enablement content, marketing email drafts etc) that would go along with main content pieces such as a blog post or even whitepaper. All of this could be actual content that was published or drafts.

Regarding the format, I'd recommend being creative. This could be anything from a plain link list (not recommended, not very creative), a collection of PDFs or something more designed. In any case, do not share editable files (e.g. Word) and make sure that you're anonymizing content where needed.

If you are able to compile content that is or was published, I would also include information about performance and potentially learnings.

Like actual inbound marketing and content marketing, think about your persona (employer, client) first and how broad or narrow you want your portfolio to be.

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions!

[Judithsandras]

Hi Karsten, 

Thank you for the reply! Super insightful and detailed. 

As a follow-up question, I was wondering, how do I present data, learnings and findings from my work? For example, if I write a blog or present a content strategy for a case study (one that is not real), how would I go about finding data for this? 

Thank you! 

[karstenkoehler]

Hi @Judithsandras,

You would only have this if the campaign was actually executed and you were able to access analytics and reports. For example, if you knew how many conversions came from a specific content piece (leads generated). If it's not real, you would simply omit this.

Best regards!