How to Stand Out as a Creative in 2026 When Everyone Has a Good Portfolio

Your portfolio shows what you made. But does it show how you think? In this episode, I make the case for an “audio CV” — a small, 8-episode podcast designed to help designers, writers, editors, photographers, and other creative professionals stand out to employers and potential clients. We get into what those episodes should actually be about, examples for different creative professions, why you don't need a big audience for this to work, and how to use individual episodes in job applications and client pitches. Want to build your own Audio CV? I'm exploring a strategy session where we'll design your concept, name, 8–12 episode ideas, and how you'll use the series professionally. 👉 Tell me about your Audio CV here TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Why your portfolio might not be enough anymore 04:58 What creative portfolios can't show 08:27 The “audio CV” idea 11:17 What should you actually talk about? 17:20 How to use your podcast to get hired or win clients 19:57 How to create your own 8-episode Audio CV 23:58 Want help building yours? LET'S CONNECT! If this helped, subscribe to AI for Creative Professionals on Apple or Spotify for more practical AI tools for creatives — freelance and in-house designers, writers, marketers, photographers, video editors, podcasters and other creative professionals figuring out how to work with AI without losing what makes their work theirs. I cover AI tools for creatives, AI workflows, prompt engineering, creative automation, AI-assisted content creation and the latest AI industry trends, with tools I tested in real creative workflows rather than just repeated from a launch announcement. I also talk about the other side of working with AI: creative careers, AI job anxiety, AI burnout, creative identity, maintaining your voice and taste, client expectations, boundaries, and what we might be better off keeping human. I'm also on Substack at @aiforcreativeprofessionals if you want to connect directly, it's where I will post the more personal, behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn't fit into an episode. New episodes every Wednesday. Full show notes and transcripts at aiforcreativepros.com