Motivation Monday: Update Your Bio

how to write a kick-ass bio

Join us every Monday morning for Motivation Monday, where we share a helpful “homework” assignment that gives your business a creative boost and gets you thinking (and moving) outside the box each week.

"Can you send over a bio?" Ah, sounds so simple, huh? But if you're paralyzed by the idea of writing about yourself in a pithy way that actually showcases your personality- and in third person, to boot- it can be an awkward process.

All business owners and freelancers should always have a bio on hand to send to potential clients, to include on their "About" page, to send off for speaking engagements, and to include at the bottom of guest blog posts.

Already have a bio? We encourage you to take a few minutes to ensure that it does the following:

  • Answers who, what, why: Who do you work with? What do you do for them? What is the ultimate goal for your clients or customers? Be sure that your bio captures the various aspects of your business if applicable- we're talking to you, multipassionates! Highlight the common thread that connects all of your various projects and offerings together, but feel free to toss one or two unrelated things in to spice things up.
  • Showcases your personality: If you're a silly person, don't be afraid to let that come through in your bio (you may want to have a less goofy version on hand just in case though). We like using a slightly embarrassing but relatable hobby or quirk to break the ice- like mentioning how we play Candy Crush in our free time (anyone else?). If you're feeling particularly daring, try something like Stephanie Cleary does (there are mentions of f bombs and sexual innuendoes- not for the faint of heart!).
  • Shows authority: Have you been featured on top websites? Spoken at prestigious conferences? Received an awesome award? Been told you were incredible by someone famous? Highlight these in your bio to establish social proof.
  • Tells people where to find you: Tell people your favorite place to connect- there's no need to include every single social media channel ever. For example, we don't use Pinterest much for business, so we can leave this one off and really focus on our favorites (hello, Twitter!).
  • Provides a call to action: What do you want people who read your bio to do? Visit your website? Join your email list? Buy your latest product? Be sure to highlight this effectively.

Also important? Keep three versions of your bio on hand: a micro one (1 sentence), a short one (3-4 sentences), and a long one (several paragraphs).

And we have another quick tip for you: if you've been on a guest posting rampage in the past, but have a new product, service, or website, we recommend reaching out to anyone and everyone who has profiled you and ask them to update your bio. A few minutes of time in for a lot of benefit out!

Need more guidance? We love Alexandra Frazen's Mad Libs bio template and these 8 tips from Undercover Recruiter.

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