A professional bio is often the first thing people see when they come across your profile online. It represents you, your work, and your personality. It serves the purpose of introduction and is essential to build a network and find valuable connections. This guide will teach you how to write a short bio with examples and tips.
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First of all, it serves as a digital introduction to your personal brand. It can be used in various places, such as:
A well-written bio is essential to make an excellent first impression on people. Those could be potential clients, partners, vendors, or employers. It gives relevant details on your professional skills and experiences. And it also represents you as a person. People can write a short bio to attract more valuable connections and build a solid online presence.
Although a professional bio is often short, it has great potential. People might be more inclined to contact you based on how you’d describe yourself and your vision. They might choose your business for investment. Or potential employers might offer you better opportunities.
You might find a professional bio template you like and use it for all your socials. However, it is essential to note that different sites have various focuses and rules. What serves as a perfect Twitter bio might look out of place on LinkedIn. And what suits a book cover isn’t always the best for personal websites.
Before you start working on your professional bios, decide where they go and what you want to achieve. Set goals of how you want to present your personal brand and/or company. Consider the target audience and the impression it will get from your wording.
Remember that a personal biography can include an invitation to contact you when needed.
It would be best to be specific about whether you are working on your Linkedin summary or the event speaker’s bio. A professional bio needs to follow a standard formula. However, it can be creative and laid back. Here are the best tips for writing your own professional bio.
In the vast majority of cases, a short bio is written in the third person. It is a common rule you do not want to break. The third person makes it look less self-promoting, although this is exactly what a short bio does. And it sounds more objective, as if someone else is describing you.
It might feel a bit silly to write a bio in the third person at first. But it just works better. No one likes someone who uses “I” too much, even in creative writing.
Also, it is vital to keep a balance between sharing something about yourself and oversharing. There is no need to give all the details about your personal life story or professional achievements. Please keep it simple, short, and direct. Your professional bio should make people want to talk to you. If you give too much information or come off arrogant, they might feel the other way around.
Good professional bios are unique and authentic. Avoid using buzzwords and cliches. Instead, share your story. It can be an excellent place to highlight some struggles you went through. Although it shows you as vulnerable, it also presents you as relatable.
A professional bio can be written in the form of a story. Stories are much easier to remember. They make a good impression and stick with people. But such a format might be a bit more complicated, requiring a more sophisticated writing style.
If you decide to write a short professional bio as a story, here are some questions that might help you find it:
Such a story can be used in a LinkedIn bio, book cover, or conference booklet. Please give a few words about your personal interests and how they correspond with the professional brand. A story is one format where the first-person narration makes sense.
Another crucial factor of a compelling short professional bio is presenting your accomplishments and expertise. The main thing to keep in mind here is not to turn it into a resume. Indeed, you want to impress potential employers, but a professional bio has to be short.
Write down the professional skills and accomplishments you’d like to share. They need to be relevant and exciting. Think of what professional experience you want to use. When you are done with the list, select the most impressive points and present them in just a few words.
Writing a short bio can be tricky, so you might edit the first draft several times. It is a good idea to look through personal bio examples and analyze what you like in them and what could be done better. A good bio is always balanced in terms of relevant keywords, examples, and descriptions.
This part might be challenging. But to make your personal bio compelling, it has to be interesting to the reader. So there has to be something for the audience to connect with.
In your personal bio, you can use phrases like “We’ve all been there” or “Pitcure this” (if it is a short bio in the form of a story). Such wording makes your bio examples and experiences more relatable. It invites the reader to agree or disagree with you. That is the connection you might be looking for in the bio-writing process.
To make your personal bio more relatable, ensure you do not boast too much about your greatness. It is crucial to come off as humble yet professional. Whether you use a first or third person, find a balance between acknowledging your personal development and relevant skills and being free from vanity.
Before you even begin writing, think of who you want to address in your personal bio. If it is a Twitter bio, consider who is your target audience. Here the process is quite similar to what you’d do to establish an audience for a professional brand.
No matter how compelling your short bio is, it won’t impress every person on the planet. And it doesn’t have it. It should be aimed at a specific group of people you want to connect with.
Who is your intended audience? Are they social media users? Are you looking for a potential employer? Do you want to connect with colleagues and establish a network of experts?
All of those audience groups have different interests and expectations. A short bio might cater to more than just one group, yet there should be a primary intended audience.
The short professional bio has to consider readers in such factors as:
For instance, a social media personal bio can be much more humorous and creative than a LinkedIn bio. And the professional bio template for a scientific conference would be significantly different. In the first case, you may share personal details or inspiration. In the second one, you should focus on professional life and academic accomplishments.
If you are writing a short bio to promote your services or brand, you need to make your values clear. It makes it all much more relatable. People with the same values are more inclined to do business with you.
For instance, you might focus on greener production, cruelty-free products, or renewable energy. Your short bio can also express your working philosophy and what is crucial for you – open communication, inclusivity, or support of the vulnerable.
When you present your values, you create a compelling bio that works for social media, guest posts, and websites.
A short bio should be filled with details so it is easy to lose track of the logical flow. Write down crucial points you are making in your personal bio, from the job title to the most significant accomplishments. After that, think about how you want to connect it all in a coherent way.
Create a first draft and ask someone to review it. Ask them what impression they get from your personal bio. Does it make sense? How do you come off? Is there anything you may add?
Review and rewrite your personal bio after getting feedback and taking the time to clear your head. Make sure that your narration meets the audience’s expectations and interests.
If you are using a short professional bio template, do not copy it word for word. After all, it has to be authentic and factual. It must be unique and factually correct, even if it is a simple Instagram bio. Otherwise, you may breach the trust of your audience, which is incredibly difficult to earn back.
A personal bio can have a call to action. It is important to let people know they are welcome to connect. And remember to give personal details on how to reach out – email, phone number, or direct messages.
A CTA can be in the first person as well. Here are a couple of CTA bio examples:
Call to actions are simple ways of making personal bios more actionable and inviting. Even if it is an Instagram bio, you can add, “For more details, contact me on mywebsite.com.”
Besides your job title and professional accomplishments, you can also add a link to your portfolio to showcase your work. It is specifically helpful for professionals that look for partners or potential employers. If you are an artist, graphic designer, web developer, or copywriter, ensure that readers have a chance to see your mastery.
It will make your short bio even more powerful and might lead traffic to your professional website. Often the examples of work serve better as a representation of expertise than just words.
A personal touch to a short bio makes you sound friendlier and easier to work with. And it turns it into something more true to your nature than an ad. You can add a hook from the first sentence when you write a bio. Or you can share a personal story. Consider using humor, as it can be extremely powerful. But be careful not to sound insensitive, sarcastic, or well-spirited.
There is no need to create a Mark levy’s biography; keep in the format and volume. But let yourself be you. Most professional bios follow the standard template and formula. So adding a human touch can make you stand out from the competition.
Now let’s talk about common mistakes people make in their short bios. It will help you avoid them when working on your own bio for social media or publications. Those mistakes are:
Here are some bio examples for inspiration.
My name is John, and I am a freelance writer specializing in technology. I’ve been passionate about innovation for my whole life, and that’s why it is crucial for me to keep up with the most recent developments. My articles were published in Magazine A and Magazine B. My intention is always to share knowledge and spread awareness. Learn more about technology news on my website /link/
Denis is a social media manager with five years of experience working with independent fashion brands. She is passionate about style and personal expression through garments. Denis worked with Brand A and Brand B, leading them to a growing social media presence. She achieved a 25% growth for Brand B’s Instagram in two months.
When Denis is not busy exploring trends and uncovering new opportunities, she enjoys music and art. It helps her to stay in a creative context and discover new independent creators. DM her to learn more about social media growth in niche fashion opportunities.
Hopefully, with these tips and personal bio examples, you’ll create a perfect representation of your professionalism and achievements. Writing a short bio can be intimidating initially, but it is a powerful tool you want to take advantage of. Stay true to yourself, connect with your audience, and add a CTA as in the given personal bio examples.
