What to Include in a Basic PR Portfolio
Do you ever get the urge to be uncharacteristically productive at 2 a.m., so you start thinking of ways to integrate that into you work? No? Well…keep reading anyway, especially if you’re in PR.
If you haven’t created a public relations portfolio yet and are having trouble finding examples online (shoutout to Maggie Stanton for being the inspiration behind this post because she had the only example I saw online), or what to include, I think the following outline will help. We’re going to skip the obvious things like a cover page, header, bio etc. I think those are pretty self-explanatory. Now granted, this is going to be very basic, but will get the ball rolling and point you in the right direction.
Include Relevant, and ONLY, Relevant Experience
You should include a brief resume in your portfolio that shows your experience in any form of media, especially those that involved heave person-to-person interactions. No need to include your entire work history that began at 16 years old working at a supermarket, or the internship for that career you thought you wanted but realized would’ve made you a miserable human being (speaking from personal experience on that one). For example, I’ve been a freelance writer for print and online publications, did an internship at ESPN3, and currently work as a publicist. Those are the experiences I chose to include because they showcase abilities that are relevant to this space. That might be common sense to a lot of people, but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate the point.
Show That You Can Provide Value
If you have worked in media in the past, make sure that you position yourself as indispensable. For example, if you’ve made connections with the media at top-tier publications, include it! After all, as PR pros, that’s what we’re aiming for and what our clients want. Also, be sure to include those top-tier placements and, if possible, put a timeline on it. Let’s say you started working at a PR agency in the month of January, got your first client on January 15, and scored a top-tier placement for them before the end of the month, TALK ABOUT IT! Put it in bold if you have to. Show that you work hard and work fast. They’ll love you for it.
Show Your Writing Chops
Did you do a lot of writing in college, or as a freelancer, or for a personal blog? Yes? Get some of your best work and include it in your portfolio. If you’re in PR, you know that writing is another huge part of the job. Great publicists are also great writers. We spend our days drafting pitches and press releases, corresponding with the media via email, and then put our editing hats on at the end of it all. Agencies, and clients, want to know that you can write competently and effectively. They want to know that you can immediately grab a reporters attention and provide the value that you know your client possesses. This is probably one of the more important things to include in your portfolio.
Buy Your Domain Name
Obviously this has nothing to do with actual content, but it’s still very important. If you’re going to use website builders like Square Space, Wordpress, or Wix, make sure to buy your domain name. Something as simple as firstlast.com will do the trick. Don’t let your portfolio address include any other kind of branding but your own name.
As I said, this is a very basic overview of what I think are the necessary components of a PR portfolio. Show that you can produce quickly and effectively, show that you can provide value to a PR agency, and be sure to include samples of your work (PR campaigns, writing samples, etc.). I hope this helps!
