In a nutshell: How to write a really great bio

What is a bio?

A bio is your professional life summed up in a few punchy paragraphs that tells those who want to know, what you do, who you do it for and why you’re kind of a big deal around these parts.

Spoiler alert: You’re going to have to pull up your big boasting girl pants to write a really great bio.

When might you need one?

You’re awesome, right? You know your stuff and you’re a wealth of knowledge in your field. So naturally you’ll be asked to write a guest blog, speak at an event, be featured on a podcast, sing at karaoke… ok, you might not need a bio for that last one, but you get the gist.

The chances are you’re going to be asked to ‘shoot over your bio’ when you get a second. And if you don’t have one, it’ll take you a lot longer than a second to write one that shows your best side.

Even if you don’t think you’re a fountain of awesomeness right now, writing a bio will actually make you feel like one. If you’ve climbed even one rung of the career ladder or been in business for at least a year, you’ve gathered some experience and expertise already. This is a good exercise to take a look back at how far you’ve come since you started.

Your bio is a valuable piece of your marketing kit. Once you’ve written it, you can continue to use it again and again with a few tweaks here and there as your experience and offerings evolve or your audience changes.

Things to keep in mind before you begin

Try to write your bio in the third person. Why? Because if it’s going to be published on platforms that are not your own, like a website, a brochure or magazine you’re being featured in, it needs to sound like it’s written by the publisher of that, and not you.

If you’re more comfortable writing in the first person, go ahead. You can always change to third person once you’ve finished it.

Turn the jargon dial right down. Not everyone reading this will understand your industry-specific acronyms.

Scatter a handful of personality confetti over it. Once you’ve written the bones of your bio, flesh it out with your voice, humour and a double dash of what makes you, you.

Keep it succinct. This can be tricky if you’re brimming over with good stuff, but this is not your life story, it’s your professional highlight reel.

And remember, this guide is not the only way to write a bio, it’s simply a jumping off point. Take what you need and leave what you don’t. The variables of your brand, your industry and your audience will influence how you craft your bio.

Do some Googling and you’ll find plenty more useful content that will help you write a bio that feels like you.

A simple guide on creating your bio

In a nutshell

Your bio needs to answer some basic question about you

In your opening paragraph start with:
Your name
What you do or your job title
Your business name or the company you work for
Who you serve

Why you’re a big deal

Show your reader why they should trust you

In the next one or two paragraphs talk about:
How you’ve helped clients
How long you’ve been honing your craft
Include any awards you’ve won

What’s in it for them

What makes you better at this than anyone else?

Weave in how your values underpin your work
Show how your experience will benefit your audience

Your secret ingredient

Remind them that you’re human

Add in a few details about what rocks your boat beyond the boardroom
Include endearing quirks
Use humour and warmth

The final polish

Once you’ve finished, walk away from it for 24 hours and come back to it with fresh eyes. Read it aloud. If anything is clunky, jarring or something doesn’t sound like you, change it.

And finally, give it to a trusted peer to look over. Someone who knows your industry and target audience as intimately as you.

If you find writing your bio hard work because tooting your own horn makes you want to shed your skin, (relatable, yes?) we can help. Get in touch and we can wrap up your best bits up in a nutshell with a 100% cringe-free guarantee.

Want to see a real life bio in the wild? Read Joanna’s bio here

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