Tips to Help You Create an Awesome Bio

Even the best writers can come up against writer’s block when it comes to writing their own bio. The vast majority of us really struggle to toot our own horn when it comes to creating a bio that will be authentic, engaging, and honest.

Your bio is important

One day, a client told me he didn’t think the about page was important because nobody looked at it. This was an anecdotal opinion. He didn’t look at about pages, so he assumed others didn’t as well. But if you look at the analytics on websites, you’ll see that people do look at bios.

In the digital age we currently live in, everyone is a voyeur. People want to know who you are and whey they should trust you. Your bio page not only lets your users know who you are and gives them insight into your qualifications, it introduces them to who you are as a person.

This is particularly important if you are a service provider who provides service to clients at their home. People want to know who they are inviting into their home. Not only if they are qualified, but if they are trust-worthy.

Yes, your bio may be hard to write, but it’s a very important page of your website.

Steps to create the perfect bio page

Start with a photo. Hire a professional and get a great shot. It doesn’t have to be you in a three-piece suit. It should reflect the personality of who will be working with clients, so if you wear a uniform, wear that in the photo. It’s fine to have actions shots of you at work as well, just make sure that your face is visible.

And if it is at all possible, hire a professional photographer. Photographers have better equipment, better lighting, and are skilled at positioning you for a better photo than your co-worker can take with their photo.

Decide on your name and title. You might be saying, “Uh, I get to choose a name?” And that’s not what I mean. How do you want to be recognized? Do you have a shortened name? Is your name Robert but you go by Bob? What name do you want your customers to know you as? If your uniform name tag says Bob, then your website shouldn’t say Robert. If you have a more formal business, such as a law firm, you may want to put your full name, such as Robert Michael Jones III, Esquire. The person with the same name who has a plumbing company may just want to use Bob Jones. So pick a format for your name, and stick with it.

Same for title. If you’re a business owner, you likely wear many hats. Are you the owner, manager, service tech? Pick a title that works, one that people understand, and use that.

Figure out your history. Your bio is how people get to know you, and that means they want to know about your history. This doesn’t mean you get to make up a history, it just means you need to figure out what parts of your history you want to include. You could be a very successful business person who also happened to be a high school drop out. You may not want to include both of those items in your bio. OR, if rising above challenges is in integral part of who you are in your organization, then you might want to include it.

Start by brainstorming a list of all the things in your background that makes you who you are and qualified for the job you have. Answer the following questions – you can even do it in a list format.

• Did you go to school for your job? What’s your degree in? Do you have advanced degrees for your job? Technical skills you’ve studied for?
• How long have you been in this field?
• Do you have any professional certifications? Make a list.
• How many clients have you served?
• What makes you better equipped to service clients than someone else?
• What goals do you have for your business and for your customers that sets you apart?

Make some formatting decisions. You need to decide how formal or informal you want your bio to be, and if you want it in third person or first person. I decided that since I was writing my own bio, I wanted it in first person. I struggle to write about myself as if I’m someone else, it didn’t feel comfortable for me. It’s totally okay to write your bio in first person if that feels more natural to you.

On the other hand, if you feel like you need to present a more formal outward appearance, then third person might be the way to go.

One of the most important aspects of this bio is including personality in it. Having your name followed by a list of qualifications doesn’t really endear you to anyone.

Put it all together. You have all the information you need for a great bio right in front of you, now is the time to put it all together. Take all the information you’ve organized, and start writing it out in sentences.

Your bio can be as long or short as you want, although I personally recommend at least one full paragraph. If you have a lot to say, it’s okay to break it into sections. You could include a section for education, one for certifications, one for experience, and one for goals even.

Finishing touches. Don’t end your bio abruptly, add in a sentence or two about how your services are different or unique, or how you have a goal to really excel at what you do.

Still can’t come up with it? Have someone else do it.

It is really hard to write about yourself. If you can’t manage to form the words, it’s okay to let someone else write it. You could have a friend, family member, co-worker take the list you’ve made and craft a bio that makes you shine. It’s much easier to write about someone else than it is about yourself.

Don’t forget how important your bio page is, and really put in the effort and time to make it great. You deserve a great bio!