Marketing, Even With an NDA

Quick Summary

Finishing a great project only to be silenced by an NDA can be frustrating—but it doesn’t have to stop your marketing. In this newsletter, Daniela shares practical ways to promote your expertise without revealing client details: highlight your process instead of the project, share testimonials or awards, create password-protected portfolios, showcase concept or competition work, and ask for referrals. These tactics help you keep momentum and attract future work while respecting confidentiality. Even when your best work is under wraps, you can still stay visible.

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You just wrapped an amazing project. Your team killed it. But there’s a problem…

You can’t share a single thing about it. No photos. No details. Nada.

Welcome to life under an NDA. Non-disclosure agreement.

Sigh …

So how do you market yourself when your best work is hush-hush?

Here are a few strategies that I’ve witnessed Jasmine, our Content and Growth Manager, use on clients:

1. Share your process, not the project. Walk people through your approach, tools, and decision-making magic—just skip the identifying details. Think: “Here’s how we solved [type of problem] for a global brand” instead of naming names.
2. Use testimonials + awards. If your client is okay with it, share a testimonial or award—even without context. “We loved working with this team” goes a long way, even if the work stays under wraps.
3. Make it semi-private. Some clients allow password-protected portfolios. If that’s the case, gate the project on your website and only share the password with serious prospects. Advertising agency, Double Major, does this will all their projects.
4. Fill the gaps with concept work. Got renderings, passion projects, or competition entries? Use them to showcase your creativity and thinking style. It fills in the gaps without risking an NDA breach.
5. Ask for referrals. Ultimately we do marketing to get more work, right? As I like to say, today’s projects attracts tomorrows. If you can’t show off the project, ask your client to help promote you to their network. Asking for a referral—like the script I shared last week—can go a long way.

Got a project you wish you could share? Reply and tell me what you’re stuck on. I’ll help you find a way to talk about it without breaking the NDA.

See you later,

Daniela

P.S. If you’re interested in joining Kimberley’s program, it’s only $250/month. Tell them we sent you. (I don’t get a gift. I just want the bragging rights.)