Building a Social Media Portfolio

Social media can play a huge role in promoting your work and being found. In a time when most of the population consume digital content regularly, it allows you to reach a whole new audience quickly; whether you’re an artist taking commissions or a writer producing their own play and trying to sell tickets. Alongside your website (how to build a portfolio website), your social media can double as your portfolio, especially in the early stages of your creative career. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are already where a lot of creative discovery happens. You can use them to build a visual identity, show off your process, and attract people who might want to hire or collaborate with you.

Think of your feed as a curated space — like a gallery or sketchbook. You don’t need a polished client list to make it look professional. You just need intention, clarity, and a little consistency.

If you don’t have an existing portfolio of your work, find out how to start your own portfolio here.

Instagram Tips

Instagram is still one of the best places for visual portfolios. To use it as a creative portfolio:

Pin your best work to the top of your grid. 3 strong posts is enough to make a great first impression.
Use carousel posts to show different angles, sketch-to-final progress, or versions of the same project.
Add story highlights to group your work (e.g. “Commissions”, “In-Progress”, “Behind The Scenes”).
Keep your bio short and clear: what you do + where to find more (“Illustrator | Prints & Editorial | link below”).
Include a contact or portfolio link in your bio — i.e. Linktree or your website from above

Even if you’re still building a body of work, you can post:

Passion projects or self-initiated designs
Before/after redesigns
Snippets of your sketchbook or notebook
Mock briefs you made for yourself
Time-lapse videos or process shots

TikTok Tips

TikTok is great if you want to show off your process and personality — and get discovered organically. You don’t need to go viral. Just start showing up.

Film quick clips of your work in progress, from rough sketches to final pieces
Try “day in the life” or “come with me to a shoot/studio” style content
Add voiceovers to explain your thinking, even casually
Use trending sounds or formats, but always make it feel like you
Put your best work in your pinned videos and mention your commissions or shop if it’s relevant

A few strong videos that showcase your work and vibe can go a long way toward getting seen — even by people outside your immediate network.

What About Facebook?

Facebook isn’t as portfolio-friendly visually, but:

You can use a Facebook Page as a professional landing spot
Add your contact info, a short “about” bio, and links to your store or site
Post occasional updates and direct people to your Instagram or TikTok

A Few Things to Keep in Mind:

Keep it real — personal projects and in-progress posts are just as valuable as polished work
Keep it current — update your pinned posts or story highlights every few months
Keep it easy — make sure it’s obvious who you are, what you do, and how to contact you

Social media doesn’t have to be stressful or perfect. If you treat it like a creative space, not just a marketing tool, it becomes part of your portfolio — and a way to invite people into your world.

Build a Following (Without Feeling Awkward About It)

You don’t need a massive following to get freelance work or build your creative portfolio — but growing an engaged, genuine audience can help open doors, connect with other creatives, and even attract clients organically.

To build a following that actually cares about your work and engages with your content:

Ask Friends and Family to Follow You – Friends and Family will want to suppor your work. Follow them and see if they follow back, message them and ask them to give you a follow (it doesn’t cost them anything), or use the ‘Invite Friends’ feature on Facebook. Make sure your phone number is attached to the account so you pop up in their ‘suggested accounts’ too.

Show up consistently – You don’t have to post every day. But posting consistently (a few times a week or even once a week) keeps you visible and helps people get familiar with your work.

Share your process – People love to see how things are made. Try posting sketches, drafts, behind-the-scenes clips, your workspace or tools, or Timelapse’s.

Talk about what you’re doing and why – Add a bit of story to your work so people feel like they’re getting to know you: “This was a practice at framing a subject”, “still figuring this one out, what do you think?”, etc

Engage with others – Reply to comments, share what you think on other people’s work, share people’s posts in your stories (with credit), etc. If you supprt others, they’ll support you.

Remind people what you do – Repeat your creative identity often, using your captions and bio e.g. “headshot photographer available in Birmingham” (how to find your niche)

Try trends (authentically) – Join in on trends if they genuinely interest you, especially on TikTok or Reels. But don’t feel pressure to force it if they don’t feel the right fit. Add your spin or twist to fit your niche.

Make it easy to follow or contact you – Pin your best work, link to your shop, commission form, or full portfolio, and tell people how to work with you or where to see more.

Don’t chase numbers – You don’t need 10k followers to get work. A small, focused audience of people who get what you do and engage with content (liking, commenting, sharing to their story, etc) is much more powerful and converts to meaningful engagement, commissions, purchases, etc more easily. Growth take time!

Content Creation Tips:

Document your process: Share sketches, experiments, iterations, or workflow notes
Create in public: Post project progress on Instagram, Twitter, or Threads and repurpose the content on your site
Collaborate: Team up with others to build real work, even unpaid, that showcases your value
Teach or share: Write tutorials, behind-the-scenes posts, or resource guides to establish your voice and credibility

Promotion Strategy:

Share your projects across multiple platforms
Add your site to your email signature, résumé, and LinkedIn
Submit to portfolio directories and relevant communities
Send a personal note or DM to people you’d love to collaborate with—linking to your site.

Final Reminders

With a professional looking portfolio, there’s no need to delay. Get started on shouting about your work now.

Remember:

Start now: You don’t need paid work to make a powerful, personal portfolio.
Build what you want to be hired for: Your future clients will look at what you show today.
Stay consistent: Keep your work and branding aligned, even across platforms.
Update regularly: Your site should grow as your skills and creative voice evolve.