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Frequently Asked Questions

Signing In Adding Work Verifying Work Creating and Publishing Portfolios College Applicants K-12 Partner Schools
SIGNING IN

Go to the Sign in page and click "Sign in with Google." When prompted, enter your Google credentials, and if you have a valid account on Portmoto you'll be automatically signed in.

If you don't want to use your Google account, you can have a “magic link” sent to the email address associated with your Portmoto account. Go to your email and look for an email from that says “Sign in to Portmoto.” Click the “Sign in” button to automatically sign in to your account. This magic link remains active for one hour, and it can only be used once. If the link expires, simply enter your email address on the Portmoto sign in page to have a new magic link sent to you.

Sign in to Portmoto using a magic link. Once you're signed in, click on the account icon in the upper right hand corner of Portmoto and select “Account.” Click the “Link my Google account” button and follow the directions on your screen. Once complete, you can sign in with your Google Account or have a magic link sent to the email associated with your Portmoto account.

ADDING WORK
Yes, but your total file storage cannot exceed 1 GB.
You can upload common file types for documents (ppt, doc, xls, pdf, rtf), images (png, jpg, gif), videos (mp4, mov), and audio (mp3, wav). The maximum file size for each work sample is 100 MB. We plan to add more specialty file types in the future. If you have a specific request, send a message to crew@portmoto.com.
To pull files from Google Drive, simply click to “+ Add your work” on your Portmoto homepage and click “Import from Google Drive” on the first screen. After providing your Google Account user credentials, you'll be able to select and import any existing file in your Google Drive.
You can tag up to six skills per piece of work, but we recommend trying to select 3-4 most of the time. Be sure to select skills that you clearly demonstrated in the work. Don't pick skills just because you feel pressure to pick something. If you genuinely demonstrated more than six skills, select the top six skills. You can pick skills across any of the categories, but keep in mind that these skills are prominently displayed in all of your portfolios that include the work sample.
A work sample is not considered “complete” until all the reflection questions are complete. You do not need to answer all questions in order or all at once. You can skip questions and come back to them whenever you like. Select “What's missing?” to see which fields are incomplete.
Yes! Changing the original work file or any of the original reflections will not impact your portfolios at all. In fact, when you put a piece of work in a portfolio, we make a duplicate copy of the work sample and all your reflections. This allows you to customize your reflection responses in the Portfolio Editor without changing the original reflections associated with the work sample.
Yes! This is one of Portmoto's best features. Feel free to reuse your work samples in any combination to craft personalized portfolios for different audiences.
Yes! Sometimes a single piece of work is all that's needed in a portfolio. However, in order to keep things simple for viewers, portfolios with only one piece of work do not have a unique video introduction or a welcome message.
VERIFYING WORK
You can ask a teacher or other adult mentor to verify that you are the original author of the work you uploaded. Having your work verified gives your published portfolio more credibility, because your viewer has confidence that this work is your own. In addition, the adult who verifies your work can give you simple feedback on the quality of the work you uploaded. This is not a grade or a formal assessment; it's simply a way for them to let you know if this piece of work is good enough to include in a portfolio.
The work can be verified by a teacher, coach, supervisor, mentor, or any other adult who is familiar with this specific work artifact. We strongly discourage you from asking parents, family members, or friends from verifying your work. We regularly conduct verification audits, and if we suspect that you are using verifications improperly, we will remove the verification status and place a hold on your account.
In the Work Editor, enter their name on the Verify screen and click “Send verification request” to send an automated email to your verifier. The verifier can verify your work with just a few clicks and send you feedback. You'll see the verification status on the same Verify screen, along with their feedback. You'll also see a “Verified” badge on your work sample when the process is complete.
No. Although we highly recommend getting your work verified, it is completely optional.
CREATING AND PUBLISHING PORTFOLIOS
With a free, personal account, you can publish one portfolio. This is great if you plan on sending the same exact portfolio to multiple colleges or organizations.

If you want to send personalized portfolios, including custom welcome videos, to different colleges or other organizations, then we suggest upgrading to the Unlimited plan so you can send as many portfolios as you want.

Note: students at Portmoto partner schools get unlimited publishing as part of the program.
Portfolios should have a clear purpose. No one visits your portfolio to see everything you've done in your life. A portfolio is a carefully curated experience designed to tell a specific story to a specific audience. Your job is to tell that story in a concise, engaging way so viewers can quickly learn what you know and what you can do. That starts with being very selective about the work you put in front of people. Your viewers want to know you've been thoughtful about what you put in your portfolio and are eager to learn why you selected these items. Limiting a portfolio to three items or less makes your message more focused, and it makes it a much better experience for your viewers. Luckily, you can create as many portfolios as you like, so you can craft different stories for different audiences.
When a portfolio is published, everything in your portfolio is finalized and you get a unique, permanent URLto share on applications for college, scholarships, internships, jobs, clubs, etc. Once published, the portfolio is locked, and it displays a publication timestamp. This gives reviewers the confidence that you didn't change anything after their deadline has passed, so you don't have an unfair advantage over other applicants. In addition, we remove the “DRAFT” label on your portfolio.

A draft portfolio is used to preview your portfolio and to get feedback from others. Drafts can be updated at any time, and anyone with the draft link will see any changes you make. Draft portfolios display DRAFT at the top so viewers know that it's still a work in progress.
Yes, but be very careful. You should only do this if you’re just testing things out AND if you haven’t submitted a published portfolio link on an application.

IMPORTANT: If you unpublish a portfolio and re-publish it later, you will get a new, unique URL for the portfolio. Once you share a published link on a submitted application, you should NOT unpublish it, because the original link will no longer be active.
Welcome videos on the portfolio landing page can be recorded in the browser or uploaded from your computer. Recorded videos can be up to two minutes long, and uploaded videos can be 300 MB.
Sign in to Portmoto and click on your account icon in the upper right hand corner. Select “Public Profile” and complete as many fields as you like. Portfolio viewers only see the fields in your profile with information.
Yes. In the Portfolio Editor, click the Settings icon at the top of the page and uncheck the box next to: “Allow viewers to send me messages via a form.”
COLLEGE APPLICANTS
Portfolios are a proven way to help college application reviewers get a deeper sense of who you are and what you're capable of. Sharing your high quality, authentic work from classes, extracurricular activities, and life experiences gives colleges confidence that you can meet their expectations. More importantly, your reflections on your work give reviewers insights on your academic skills and characteristics that are often much richer than college essays and letters of recommendations.
Portmoto is based on strategies proven to help students succeed in college and careers. Our portfolios are much more than a collection of artifacts. In Portmoto, each piece of work is tagged with specific skills that you want to highlight, and you're prompted to reflect on how you demonstrated those skills. College admissions officers have told us that these reflections are more valuable than seeing your actual work, because they help them understand how you think and learn.

The entire portfolio viewing experience is optimized to be both efficient and engaging. This is why you can only put a maximum of three pieces of work into each portfolio, and you are only given a few design options. College reviewers and other viewers don't have a lot of time, so Portmoto allows them to quickly scan your portfolio and dive deeper into the details that interest them most.

Lastly, you can create multiple portfolios on Portmoto, allowing you to create a unique, published link for each college you're applying to. Mix and match your uploaded work into different portfolios and then record a personalized video introduction for each portfolio, so each school feels like you're talking directly to them.
Some colleges and programs have very specific requirements for their portfolios, so always check their requirements first. If you're able to choose what to include, you go one of two routes: select different work samples aligned with a singular theme or interest (ex. your love of science) OR select work that highlights a wide range of skills (ex. your interest in law, your leadership skills, and your passion for the environment).

No matter which direction you choose, we highly encourage you to select work samples from different activities. For example, pick one work sample from a class, another from an extracurricular activity, and another from a life experience, internship, or hobby.

In the end, there is no “right” mix of work. As long as you select authentic work and write honest reflections, you can't go wrong. And because Portmoto allows you to create unique portfolios for each college, you can craft a unique story for each audience.
Yes! College admissions officers have told us that the reflections are more valuable than seeing your actual work. Our reflection prompts are specifically designed to give readers deep insights on how you think and learn -- which is how they get to know the real you, not just the perfectly polished version of you.
Just like college essays, there is no right formula for a welcome video. The most important thing is to make it as authentic as possible. It's definitely ok to write a script and to practice it, but be sure to deliver your message with honesty and sincerity. Unless you're applying to a performing arts program, don't upload a super polished, edited video. Going over the top can make you seem less real. Also, don't tell each school that they're your “top choice”; only say that for the school that really is at the top of your list. Colleges admission teams know you're probably applying to a number of different schools, so don't try to butter them up. Just be yourself and focus on a few key messages.

If you're struggling with what to say, you can simply introduce yourself, briefly share why you selected the items in the portfolio, and thank them for taking time to learn more about you. Even that will make you stand out more than most applicants!
Every college wants to know that you're genuinely interested in attending their school. Adding a personalized message that mentions their name and contains work samples connected to a specific program, major, or some other activity in their school is an important way to show them you're sincerely interested in attending their school.
No. Although more and more schools are asking for samples of work, we can't guarantee that an application reviewer will look at your portfolio.

Note: some universities (like the University of California) don't allow their application readers to click on any external link unless the academic program specifically asks for a portfolio or performance video (eg. dance, film, vocal, etc.).
Many colleges have a field in their application where you can put a URL for your personal website, blog, or portfolio. This is the best place to paste your published portfolio URL.

If the application doesn't have a dedicated field for a website, you can include the full URL in one or more of your essay responses. So that a reader has some context for the link, we highly recommend that you add a short explanation before you list the URL. For example, “To learn more about my interest in Chapman's Communications program, see my portfolio at https://portmoto.com/p/K1M2X3”

Remember, each published portfolio has its own unique, permanent link. Be sure you test the published portfolio link in a new browser tab before you copy and paste it into an application field.
Yes!. Portmoto is a great way to set yourself apart for scholarships. You can share any of your existing published links on applications, or you can create and publish a new portfolio to submit.
Yes! Many grad programs want to see examples of your previous work from your undergrad classes, internships, full time positions, and life experiences. Your reflections can give them deep insights on your academic skills and the “soft skills” necessary to succeed in your chosen field.
Portmoto is free to get started. There is no trial period, and no credit card is required. Users with free accounts can upload and store up to 1 GB of work, reflect on their work, create unlimited draft portfolios, and publish one portfolio to share. To unlock Unlimited publishing, users can upgrade to a paid plan. Learn more about pricing and plans.
No. We don't store your credit card information, and we'll never, ever auto-enroll you in a plan without your explicit confirmation in the app.
Absolutely. Portmoto is perfect for project portfolios, end-of-course assessments, capstones, job and internship applications, club applications, and more. You can keep all your most important work in Portmoto and create new portfolios to showcase your skills to different audiences.
K-12 PARTNER SCHOOLS
Students, teachers, and administrators at our founding partner schools get free access to Portmoto's portfolio platform for a year, including unlimited publishing. In exchange, we ask our partners to test new features, give us feedback, and help us research the impact of our products. After the first year, partner schools can continue to use all free features and get deep discounts on any paid features. Any K-12 school, district, school network, or education organization can apply to participate.
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