Going online with your portfolio is a necessity. Going viral with your portfolio could mean trouble.

Have you thought about putting your book on YouTube as a means of "getting it out there?" Think wisely before you do. I've noticed many junior-level copywriters and art directors have taken that step. I assumed they were just starting out for two reasons:

1. The level of work displayed.
2. The reckless way they displayed their work to the entire world.

Big rookie mistake. And if you've been in the business for a while, you may want to rethink your strategy. Putting your work on YouTube does make you more accessible, but it gives EVERYONE access. I pulled this quote from one person's portfolio post:

"your pretty nasty... not the good nasty.. like your work sucks... "

This was posted by a guy who has a series of YouTube videos on how drunk he gets on weekends – not a hiring manager or creative director. I won't post his name, because he doesn't deserve the attention, nor will I say who was the recipient of the comment. That person doesn't need the added embarrassment. That comment - any comments- are the equivalent of someone scribbling on your portfolio. It detracts from your work and it doesn't look the least bit professional. Even worse, I don't know why the comment wasn't deleted.

Speaking of professional, on average, most of the portfolios posted were difficult to see. Imageswere blurred... Copy wasn't legible... They were backed by horrible soundtracks... They were poorly timed, notgiving the viewer enough time to really look at them. I wouldn't invest the time if I was hiring.

Some posted portfolios included personal contact information, such as phone numbers. Are you insane? One of these portfolios had over 1,500 views. I imagine that phone was ringing off the hook with offers - not the offers that person was hoping for.

Can you make YouTube work for you. I think so, but only if you make your work viral worthy.

It's hard to tell if this is a portfolio or a collection of work from multiple sources. The 5min.com site is just a "how-to" site with no info on the author. For argument sake, let's say this is a portfolio of someone's work. (If you type "advertising portfolio" in the YouTube search, this video will pop up.)

This video stood out because of the collection unexpected work. Everyone else had the usual offering of TV, radio, and print and they all presented their work the same way. This person showcased some experiential marketing and it was a nice theme of work that didn't go all over the place. If you are going to display your work unconventionally, the work should be unconventional too, one would think. That contributed to its passalong value. This post achieved over 190,000 views, far more than the other portfolio sites.

If you want to garner some attention through YouTube

• Keep your idea simple and short.
• Make sure your work is strong. Don't even think about posting anything you don't think can stand up to scrutiny – from people in the industry to the Internet drunk.
• If you don't have an interesting way to tell your story, don't tell it here. Please spare us (and yourself) of the PowerPoint slide show with bad music, unless you have a really cool twist to it.
• Make it something people will want to share, even if they aren't in the industry.

Going YouTube with your book demands for a really unique approach. If you have it in you, I'm sure you'll be getting calls, even without posting your number all over the Internet.



Top image courtesy of stock.xchng.