A marketing portfolio has one job: to make a hiring manager think "this person can actually do the work". That verdict is formed in about three minutes of skimming, so what you include - and how ruthlessly you curate it - matters more than how much. Here is the checklist.
The non-negotiables
- Three to five case studies, results first. Each one structured as: the goal, what you did, the outcome in numbers, what you learned. "Grew organic traffic 64% in four months" leads; the process follows. Self-initiated projects count fully - how to create them is covered in building a portfolio from scratch.
- Evidence you did it. Dashboard screenshots (GA4, Ads, social insights), before/after comparisons, live links to published work. Numbers without evidence read as claims.
- At least one piece of writing. Copy underpins every channel; include an article, email sequence or ad set you wrote, with its performance if known.
- A short "how I think" note per project. Two or three sentences on why you chose that audience, channel or angle. Employers hire judgement, not just execution.
Strong additions by specialism
- Paid media: campaign structure screenshots, A/B test results, CPA improvements - even from a £50 self-funded campaign
- SEO/content: keyword research samples, content briefs, ranking movements
- Social: content examples with engagement data, a growth timeline, community management examples
- Email: flow diagrams, subject-line tests, open/click benchmarks
- Analytics: a dashboard you built, an insight that changed a decision
What to leave out
Certificates as the centrepiece (list them once, briefly - see which certifications matter); a dozen mediocre pieces where three strong ones would do; unexplained jargon; results you cannot evidence; and anything confidential from a previous employer.
Presentation
A simple personal website is ideal - it is itself a portfolio piece, demonstrating SEO and analytics on a property you control. A clean PDF or Notion page works fine too. Whatever the format: outcome-first headlines, honest reflection (including one thing that failed and what you changed - it reads as maturity, not weakness), and a clear line of contact.
Build pieces worth showing
If your portfolio is currently empty, that is a solvable six-to-eight-week problem. The Digital Marketing in Practice course at London School of Business UK is built around producing real, measured campaign work you can present to employers. Get in touch to find out more.