Build Your Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant Portfolio

Lessons from a Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant Who Actually Does the Work

So you want clients. But you don’t have the experience (yet). You’re scrolling job boards, second-guessing your skills, and wondering how to stand out in a sea of “just another VA.”

Here’s your answer: Build a portfolio.

Not a resume. Not a generic cover letter. A real digital marketing assistant portfolio that shows off what you can do—and positions you as the strategic hire your dream clients need.

Here’s my number one suggestion to get started: build your virtual assistant portfolio!

A good portfolio can help you attract HIGHER LEVEL clients, too.

*This blog may contain affiliate links for programs, tools, and courses that I recommend. If you purchase these programs, I could receive a small commission. Thank you! I only recommend vetted programs and tools I use myself! Please check out my tool & resources guide here.

Resumes Are Dead. Your Portfolio Is Your Proof.

If you’ve ever said, “I don’t have experience,” I get it. But the truth is: you don’t need paid client work to show off your potential. You need proof that you can implement. Create. Strategize.

Because clients don’t want theory—they want to see that you can actually do the work.

And your portfolio is how you build trust, communicate your value, and book discovery calls with confidence.

Portfolios are not just for graphic designers.

You can make it work no matter what kind of digital service you offer: copywriting, email marketing, social media, content marketing, website design, etc.

🦄 Pro tip: Only showcase the services you want more of. If you never want to write another email funnel again, don’t include one in your portfolio.

What to Include in Your VA Portfolio:

Your portfolio doesn’t need to be fancy. It needs to be focused and real. Here’s what to include:

• Screenshots or links to social media graphics + captions
• Landing pages or opt-ins you’ve built
• Email sequences (even mock ones)
• Blog posts, website copy, or bios you’ve written
• Before/after analytics: email open rates, Pinterest growth, IG engagement
• Behind-the-scenes SOPs, automations, or client systems you’ve set up
• Logos and certifications from tech software you know
• Testimonials from clients or past work colleagues
• Booking link

Don’t have “real” client work yet? Create spec projects or volunteer for a small biz you love. Even mock work can prove your skills and style. You can always create assets for your own business too.

Important: Avoid linking to client sites directly unless you have permission. Screenshots are safer (and way easier to preserve).

Also don’t rely on linking to past client work. You never know when the client will take it down or alter it where it’s not in a state you want to present as your own work.

‘Make sure your portfolio includes a booking link or way to contact you. You want to make sure if your portfolio got in the hands of someone higher up the chain of command, they’d be able to find you on their own.

Front Page: Make a Strong First Impression

Think of this like your mini homepage or sales page.

What to include:

• Your name & title (e.g., Emily Reagan, Digital Marketing Strategist & Copywriter)
• Professional headshot
• Short elevator pitch
  → Example: “I help online businesses connect with their audience and convert browsers into buyers through clear, strategic copy and implementation support.”
• Highlight reel:
  • Services you offer
  • Tools you’re fluent in (e.g., ConvertKit, Canva, Kajabi)
  • A short client love quote if you’ve got one
• Optional: Link to your website, social or LinkedIn for credibility

How do I structure each portfolio example?

For each sample, include:

• Any results, strategy notes, or testimonials
• A short blurb (project goal, your role, tools used)
• A visual or link to the asset

End Page: Make It Easy to Take the Next Step

This is where you give them a clear path to contact or book you.

What to include:

• Simple CTA: “Ready to work together? Let’s chat.”
• Contact options:
  • Link to book a discovery call
  • Email address
  • Portfolio site/social handle
• Availability note (optional): “Currently booking new projects for .”
• Credibility Booster: Add 1 more short testimonial or list of past clients for credibility.

How to Deliver It:

You’ve got a couple of options here.

1. Canva* presentation (easy, beautiful, mobile-friendly)
2. Your website (use a portfolio page, dedicated landing page or blog section)
3. Linktree-style page with embedded examples
4. Make it a section inside your Services & Pricing Guide
5. Avoid: PDFs. They’re clunky and not mobile responsive.ur website – ideal for your brand.

Include a clear way to book a call or contact you. If a dream client finds your portfolio, don’t make them dig.

The 3 Most Common + Lazy Portfolio Mistakes I See (Don’t Do These!)

1. No Testimonials
Even one sentence from a past client, coworker, or volunteer project adds trust and credibility. If someone has said, “Wow, this is amazing!”—ask to use it. Social proof matters.

2. Hiding Behind the Screen
You’re not a ghostwriter—you’re a service provider. Clients want to know who they’re hiring. Add a clear photo and a short “about me” blurb. Make it human. Make it YOU. Don’t go cray with the AI headshots or stock photos.

3. Bad Design
You don’t need to be a designer, but if your layout is confusing or ugly? It undercuts your credibility fast. Use a clean, professional Canva* portfolio template and keep it skimmable. Stick two complementary colors and just 2-3 fonts.

First, do the groundwork.

Set yourself up for success right from the start. Make sure you’ve created a brand story of your own, with images, logos and themes that reflect your business goals. Give clients a place to find you: create a business FB page, start your IG account, and build a basic website. Use those SEO skills and practice your graphic design with your own business.

I have a couple podcast episode that will help you with your voice and your story

• #252 The Secret to Standing Out as a Freelance Marketer: Your Story Framework with Megan Yelaney
• #211 Better Brand Messaging for Virtual Assistants & Marketing Service Providers with Marisa Corcoran
• #253 The Final Piece of the Messaging Puzzle: Brand Voice & Personality with Jen Liddy

Real Talk: Most VAs Skip This Step

I know—between client work, kids, and keeping up with IG trends, your own business always falls last. But this foundational step is how you finally:

• Ditch the imposter syndrome
• Raise your rates
• Start saying “yes” to better-fit clients
• Grow beyond hourly admin work

This is your business. And your portfolio is the starting line.

Want Eyes on Your Work? Join the Workgroup.

Already have a few projects under your belt—but not sure how to present them? Want to connect with other digital marketing freelancers, swap feedback, and find real job leads?

👉 Apply to the Digital Marketer’s Workgroup, my private referral community for talented VAs and marketing assistants who want behind-the-scenes support, a referral network, and real client opportunities (3,000+ job leads shared and counting).

This is the next-level community you’ve been craving—and the place to take your freelance business seriously.

What to Include in a Copywriting Portfolio:

If you call yourself a copywriter—or even hint at offering writing as a service—you need to show it off. This is one of the top questions I get asked: “Do I really need a portfolio if I’m just starting out?” And my answer is always YES. Your words are your product. If you want clients to trust you with their brand voice, sales pages, or email funnels, they need to see proof that you can write persuasively and strategically. A solid copywriting portfolio doesn’t just help you land gigs—it shows you’re legit, confident, and worth every penny.

What to Include:

Spec Work

• Create fictional projects based on real brands or industries you’d love to work with.
• Examples: a sales page for a coaching program, an email welcome series for a digital product, Instagram captions for a lifestyle brand.
• Label them clearly as “spec” to be transparent.

Client Work (with Permission)

• If you’ve written for past clients, get permission to showcase their work or use screenshots with identifying details blurred or anonymized.
• Highlight results: open rates, click-throughs, conversions, etc.

Before & After Copy

• Show how you took flat or messy copy and transformed it into something magnetic and clear.
• This builds instant credibility and demonstrates your strategic thinking.

Case Studies

• Even just 1–2 case studies where you walk through what the client needed, what you wrote, and the results it achieved = gold.
• Include quotes/testimonials if you’ve got them.

Types of Copy to Feature

• Sales pages
• Email sequences or single emails
• Landing pages
• Ads (FB/IG or Google)
• Social media captions
• Website copy (home/about/services pages)
• Lead magnet copy

Don’t Just Show, Tell

For each piece, add a short blurb:

• Who it was for (or the made-up niche)
• What the goal was
• What copy elements you wrote
• Any results or client feedback

How to Build a Digital Portfolio When You’re Brand New with Zero Client Experience

If you’re brand new and wondering “How do I build a portfolio with no client work?”—you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common roadblocks for new VAs and digital marketing assistants.

Here’s the good news: You don’t need paying clients to create a powerful portfolio. You just need to start showing what you can do.

Start by Volunteering

Offer your skills to:

• A local nonprofit
• A friend’s small business
• A community group you care about

Run their social media for a couple of weeks, update their Pinterest, create a new landing page, or refresh their email list strategy. Track your results and take screenshots of your work and the impact it made.

Set Boundaries

Free work can be a great foot in the door—but once you’re up and running, protect your time and value. Volunteer work is a short-term strategy, not a long-term business model.

Create a Mock Client

Want to target a specific niche or show off your creative range? Invent a mock business and create assets for them:

• A sales page
• A lead magnet opt-in
• Email welcome sequence
• Social posts with custom graphics

Even without real-world data, this shows potential clients your writing voice, eye for design, and strategic thinking.

The key? Don’t wait to be hired to build your portfolio. Take the lead, show what you can do, and clients will start to take notice.

⚡Related Podcast Alert 

Graphic Designer Aino Horsma Shares 11 Tips to a Portfolio That Attracts High-End Clients

Need the In-Demand Hard Skills to Build Your Online Portfolio?

If you’re nodding along thinking, “Yes, I can be that go-to person for my clients—but I just need to know how to do the work,” you’re in the right place.

Business owners aren’t just looking for another admin. They need a unicorn—someone who knows how to set up email funnels, write magnetic copy, schedule posts, track analytics, and implement the digital marketing tasks that keep launches and content running smoothly.

That’s exactly why I created the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School: Self-Starter Edition. It’s a hands-on, practical training that teaches you the high-value skills clients are actively hiring for—so you can stop guessing, start implementing, and finally build a portfolio you’re proud to share.

Inside, you’ll learn:

• Email marketing
• Funnel-building
• Content creation
• Social media strategy
• Tech implementation (with walkthroughs!)
• Plus real examples to build your portfolio as you go

If you’re ready to stop lurking in Facebook groups and start getting hired, this is your next step.

👉 Jump into the Self-Study Program now and learn the in-demand skills that’ll get your portfolio noticed—and your calendar booked.

Not a course. A collective for marketers already doing the work.

Our Digital Marketer’s Workgroup is a vetted peer community where marketing specialists get real business support and talk shop with people who actually get it. Applications are open now ⬇️

The Takeaway

Your Move: Build the Portfolio, Build the Business

If you’re still hesitating, let me be direct: this is the difference between dabbling and taking your freelance business seriously.

Building your portfolio isn’t busywork—it’s how you start landing better clients, charging higher rates, and stepping into the digital marketing role you actually want.

So here’s your challenge:
📌 Set a timer.
📌 Block out an afternoon.
📌 Pull together 3–5 examples of your best work—or create new ones.

And build the dang thing.

This is your proof. Your positioning. Your power move.

If you’re ready to stop playing small and start showing up like a pro, your portfolio is the first step. I’ll see you on the other side.

👉 Join the Workgroup if you’re ready to go all-in.

You’ve got this!

Further Reading

How to Find Jobs and Get Hired Online as a Virtual Assistant

How to Rock Your Next Discovery Call as a Virtual Assistant

The Things You Should (and Should NOT) Do When You Contact a Potential Client

Time Tracking Tools for Digital Marketing Assistants – Bill Your Hours with Confidence

Five Tasks You Can Do to Help a New Client Right Away