You have a resume. You have a LinkedIn and a handful of other profiles, social media and professional.
So why is it, when your team needs bios for the website or a contact asks you to send your bio over, your fingers freeze over the keys?
A great professional bio is one of the shortest pieces of content you’ll write, but it’s also one of the most important—and that’s exactly what makes it so paralyzingly difficult.
Need to add one to your professional stockpile? Here’s how.
You have a resume. You have a LinkedIn and a handful of other profiles, social media and professional.
So why is it, when your team needs bios for the website or a contact asks you to send your bio over, your fingers freeze over the keys?
A great professional bio is one of the shortest pieces of content you’ll write, but it’s also one of the most important—and that’s exactly what makes it so paralyzingly difficult.
Need to add one to your professional stockpile? Here’s how.
Just like a headshot, a solid professional bio is a key piece of content every executive should have on hand. It’s just like a logo or boilerplate for a business—it’s part of your personal professional brand.
And just like a branding piece, a bio says a lot about you, from the tone in which it is written to what accomplishments you choose to highlight. Giving the piece some thought in advance means you’re not only prepared to act quickly and capitalize on opportunities when you need it, you’ll also have time to ensure it says exactly what you want it to say.
Additionally, having a crafted bio on hand means you’ll be able to fully fill out profiles and add a personal touch to your digital trail, including your company website.
What makes a great bio?
There’s no one way to write a bio, but great ones all share a few traits—they’re informative, they’re interesting and they’re short.
Similar to a cover letter, your bio is your chance to express yourself. It shouldn’t be a reiteration of your resume or a chronicle of everything you’ve done since graduating high school. Instead, think of it as your chance to tell your story.
In order to keep your bio interesting, steer away from the cliches, and hit the high points. Think about it like your own personal elevator speech. Take a page from a journalist’s playbook and write it in the inverted pyramid style, with the most important features at top, lesser details below and the boring tidbits left out completely.
And most importantly, keep it short. It’s tempting to include all of your amazing accomplishments, but try to keep your bio between 300 and 500 words (or, at least give yourself a “short” version and a “long” version).
How to write a professional bio
OK, so you know why you need it and you know what to do—but how do you write a professional bio?
At our Orlando marketing agency, we have plenty of experience doing just that. When we sit down to write an executive bio or bios for the whole team, we follow a few simple steps.
First, figure out what direction you want to go. Do you want to strike a casual tone or a more formal one? Will you write in first person or third?
Next, determine how the bio will be used. Is this for your website? Something to have on hand for award programs or speaking engagements? Will you be writing this for yourself, or will the entire team need a bio? This will help determine what you want to include and if you need to create a template for uniformity.
Now, consider what you want to say. Here are a few common sections you might want to include.
- First and last name
- Position and company name
- Short description of responsibilities
- Professional history and experience
- Professional achievements
- Education
- Personal hobbies
- Fun fact
Once you’ve decided what to include, it’s time to get writing (and editing) until you have a great bio you can customize for any need.
Turn to our Orlando PR firm for help mastering the bio
Writing a professional bio takes a little time and a lot of understanding of the audience and process, but a well-written bio is a vital tool.
Fingers still poised over those keys? Writing about yourself can be tricky, so if you’re stuck and still want to reap the benefits of a great bio, leave it to the professionals. Give us a call at 407-339-0879 or email will@wellonscommunications.com. We would be happy to review your goals and share our writing skills with you.