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Every professional needs a bio but only few care to write a good one. Either we hastily jot down anything and everything which we run across in our mind places (because we need it urgently) for a professional bio or we follow a common author bio template. And we never care to update it. Either way, we miss a great opportunity to endorse ourselves.
A perfect professional bio (you can also call it author bio) can earn you respect and visibility in the industry. Want to know how and why is it important to write a perfect author bio? Please read below:-
Why is it important?
An author bio is your professional reflection online. It represents you professionally and describes you in an interesting yet effective way. Thus, a professional bio is written so that you can attract more readers. It is your sales pitch in disguise and moreover, it accelerates your efforts to personal branding.
People read bios, you continuously need to be vigilant about your potential customers or allies who can run into your bio. So, it is very important to produce the best professional bio to market yourself efficiently.
Ingredients
Several ingredients make up a perfect author bio. Some of the elements are listed below:-
- Job profile and responsibilities
- Prior Experience
- Industry Awards
- Education
- Publications
- Contact information
- Photo
Now, I don’t mean you have to add all of them. Just add the most relevant ones to make sure it doesn’t look humongous. So start with a quick tagline that defines you on the professional front. Further, you can include things like education, industrial awards, and everything which will help you to establish yourself as a person who is sensitive, principled and hard working to people who may need you.
Common mistakes made in writing a professional bio
Mistake #1. Lacks consistency
Writing an author bio demands consistency to engage your readers. And you may need to write different kinds of professional bios- long, short or micro (two-liners) according to the various websites (includes social networking sites as well) you may approach or choose. Now as your readers can view all your bios, they should be same. But many professional bios fail to serve the purpose.
Character Limits for Professional Bios on Social Media
- Facebook Short Description: Limited at 155 characters
- LinkedIn Professional Bio Length: Limited at 120 characters
- Twitter Bio Character Limit: Limited at 160 characters
- Pinterest Description Length: Limited at 160 characters
- YouTube Channel Description: Your main channel description can be up to 5,000 characters in length!
- Google+: No limits and plenty of guidance provided
- Instagram Description Length: Limited at 150 characters
Mistake #2. It never gets updated
Updating your professional bio is an important step towards being transparent with your readers. You should check and update your bios at regular intervals (every six months). Moreover, get it proofread.
Mistake #3 Absence of links to your works
Sometimes even experts miss to provide links to their works which are described in their bios. It affects their personal branding. Thus, providing links to your accomplishments will help your readers to easily access your works.
Mistake #4. Use of weak verbs
Using passive voice kills the essence of your actions and accomplishments. Use active voice while speaking about yourself. Moreover, including verbs like “attempting” or “trying” reduces the effect of the statement.
Mistake #5. Including monotonous lists
Do not sound monotonous while preparing professional bios. So, avoid writing it as a list of your academic and professional accomplishments. Be casual and play with your words.
Mistake #6. Not including CTAs in bios
It is sad if you are not able to convert a reader into customer after reading your bio. So, be prepared and add CTAs to your professional bio. This is a chance for you to connect with your customers.
Tips to write a surefire professional bio
1. Write according to your purpose
You need to identify your audience who is going to read your professional bio. Moreover, you should analyze your purpose of connecting with the audience. Meditate about these points and then start writing.
2. Prefer ‘third person perspective’ in your bio
You cannot boast about your achievements if you are using first person perspective. So, you can use “I” or “you” while writing an author bio but I personally prefer writing it in third person perspective. Write like you are writing about another person.
3. Long, short and micro
Prepare three versions of your professional bio- Long, short and micro. You will need them for various purposes.
Micro bio- one or two lines about yourself (like a short sales pitch). You can also use them as Twitter bio ;)
Short bio- a paragraph including your important attributes. Good for Linkedin Bio.
Long bio- include “nice to know” facts about you (complete information about yourself in two paragraphs)
4. Highlight your name in the beginning
Start your author bio with your name in the beginning. It is just like getting introduced to somebody. Begin with your name and related information will follow.
5. Introduce your accomplishments early
Your author bio is a medium to speak about your accomplishments. So, add your accomplishments but don’t be too loud about your achievements.
6. Show your personality
Show your personality through your author bio. Add some humor and make your readers smile. Adding such elements will reflect your personality positively.
7. Contact Details Please!
Mandatorily, add your LinkedIn profile link or the hyperlink to your email.
8. Proofread
Most importantly, do not forget to proofread your bio. Always invite some of your friends to help you proofread the bio.
Some real life examples of best professional bios that I found in my research:
Your professional bio is an important tool for personal branding. Strengthen your bio and it will help you catch the eye. So, take help from imagination and behave like an observer of yourself. Now use your insight to carve the best Author bio ever.
