How to Build an Influencer Portfolio (And Why You Need One)

In this episode, I’m talking about what an influencer portfolio is, WHY you need to have one, the 3 essential elements and why having just a media kit is not enough. PLUS, I'm sharing the 3 biggest mistake influencers are making when pitching to brands!

Let’s dive in. 

First, what is an influencer portfolio? Basically, it’s a way to present yourself as an influencer in a professional way. If you think of a photographer, graphic designer or an architect, they usually have a portfolio to show you when you’re considering working with them. It shows you what their previous work looks like to get a feel for their style and concepts. 

This is what you would be sending to brands if they reach out to you and request it. Or it’s what you send to brands when you’re pitching to them to hire you and pay you for your advertising services. 

You’re basically trying to get the brand as a client so you want to present yourself in a way that would make it an EASY yes. And instead of you sending them to a bunch of links to your Instagram, YouTube, blog, etc.  it’s all consolidated in one place so they don’t have to go searching and stalking you. 

Let’s talk about the 3 essential elements of an influencer portfolio. And that is the media kit, rate card and case studies deck. I believe that you need all 3 elements because it’s gonna be a really good way for you to stand out from everyone else because they may be considering a few options and having a full influencer portfolio shows that you got your stuff together and it’s gonna be easy to work with you because you’re a professional and you’re organized. I mean, who doesn’t want that right? I would personally hire someone who looks like they have it all together and makes it as easy for me to make a decision if possible. 

Media Kit

First, let’s talk about the media kit. Think of it like a resume for influencers. Some influencers have this as a one-sheet where everything’s all on one-page, others do multiple pages, it’s really a personal preference.

Mine is a one-sheet and I put all the other information in the other elements so they can have it at a quick glance. As a marketer and someone on the brand side that would receive media kits all the time, I appreciated that they know I don’t have a lot of time.

I just wanted all the important numbers first and then would dive deeper if I was interested in working with them. 

Rate Card

Next is the rate card and this is a pricing sheet that shows how much you charge for each service you provide. I think it’s essential to have this because you don’t want to just be sharing your rates via email. I think it look more professional to have a rate card that’s already completed. 

When I hire someone I like seeing their prices and packages so I can compare and make the best decision for me. So when a brand reaches out to you and asks for your rate, you have something to send them and I’m also sending them my media kit so they can see my numbers and audience demographics as well as some of the brands I’ve already worked with before. 

Case Studies Deck

The last thing you need in your influencer portfolio is a case studies deck. Now some influencers have this as part of their media kit, some have never heard of this before. So what it is, is a presentation - could be a Powerpoint or Keynote, a slide deck that shows your previous work with brands.

This could include screenshots, analytics and any reports that would let the brand see the results of your work. If you have worked with a lot of brands you can categorize this and only show your best-performing posts or when you’re pitching to a brand, you’ll want to optimize your case studies specific to the brand you’re pitching.

For example, if you’re pitching to a travel brand, your case studies can include only your previous travel partnerships so it’s specific to the industry or niche. 

To recap, the 3 essential elements of an influencer portfolio are: a media kit, rate card and case studies. 

And this is WHY a media kit is not enough. They will eventually ask for your rates and sometimes it’s better to PRESENT things in a way which makes it easier for the brand to make a decision and ultimately to say YES, because that’s what you want right? 

I teach my students how to create an influencer portfolio with the 3 essential elements so that they’re ready to work with brands right away with video tutorials, the free graphic design software I use and examples of mine and other successful influencers’ portfolios. 

If you wanna know more, I talk more about this in my free masterclass which you can sign up for at thesparksociety.org/masterclass.

So now let’s talk about the biggest mistakes influencers are making when pitching to brands:

#1 - Not having an Influencer Portfolio ready

You already know this now - Not having an influencer portfolio ready! I want to make sure you have everything together before you start pitching and if you don’t have any brand collabs yet, you can start without one and just reach out to brands anyway.

You’ll want to follow my Spark Attraction Method and Spark Pitch Proces that I talk about in Episode 19, so if you haven’t listened to that yet, make sure you do so you can start working with brands right away. 

#2: Reaching out to brands without connecting first

It’s really important to do the pre-pitch process that I talk about in Episode 19 because you don’t want to just reach out to a brand out of nowhere and say - hey, pay me for this.

In some cases it may work in the off-chance that your ABCs (audience, branding, and content) are aligned and you have the amount of followers that they want to reach. But in most cases, it’s easier to work with brands if you’ve already built a connection with them and I talk about how to do that in Episode 19. 

#3 Thinking you need a ton of followers to work with brands

Brands are looking to work with all levels of influencers because they’ve found that microinfluencers who have 10,000-50,000 followers and even nano influencers with less than 10,000 followers have better engagement and a stronger connection with their audience.

More and more brands are working with influencers of all levels! I’ve had students in my program even get paid brands deals with less than 1,000 followers so it’s never too early to start working with brands - just make sure you have your influencer portfolio ready and you build a connection first. 

That’s it for this episode! If you want know more about getting paid brand deals, definitely sign up for my free masterclass at thesparksociety.org/masterclass. 

I hope you enjoyed this episode!

If you did, please leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts - I wanna know what you think and if you’re getting value out of these episodes.

Listen to the full episode below:

Listen to Previous Episodes: 

How to Get a Brand Deal

Success Affirmations

Success Defined

What is a Brand Deal

Narrow Your Niche

                   Connect with Gwen Lane

The Spark Society | Instagram | Facebook

Want to learn how to get sponsored by brands, even if you don't have a HUGE following yet? Click here to join The Spark Society VIP!