Build your personal brand with a standout bio
As a leader, you need to be adept in the art of selling yourself to different audiences such as the media, stakeholders, clients and influential contacts. Your personal bio forms the foundation of this.
A great bio is a critical tool as it showcases your expertise, experience and qualifications in a genuine way. It provides a foundation for securing opportunities to demonstrate and build thought leadership.
Your bio serves as a short introduction to who you are and what you’re an expert in. It’s the basis of what you want people to think of when they hear your name.
An expert bio is not simply a resumé. It should describe and showcase your career, highlight the fields of your expertise, and sell you in a genuine way.
Having an up-to-date bio on hand can be the difference between securing or losing an opportunity. You will need a bio when pitching yourself as a speaker to event organisers, when publications are looking to publish an article you have written or when journalists want to learn more about you.
6 tips for how to write a standout bio
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Promote your personal brand
It may be difficult to think of yourself as a brand. However, if thought leadership is what you’re offering, then try to write as such. Write about yourself in a way that is genuine and active and encourages the reader to continue reading.
When writing your bio, write in the third person, for example: "Lisa has established, led and maintained a successful and well-known business for 20 years." Talking about your success is not bragging; it provides vital information as to why your target audience would want to know more about you.
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Prioritise your information
The inverted pyramid is a common term used in public relations. It means putting the most important information at the start and the least important information last. People tend to be lazy readers, so if you are worried your audience will read only the first few paragraphs, at least you know they have received the most important information about you.
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Know your audience
It’s essential to be aware of your audience. Think about who will be reading your bio and why. Is it someone from the media, conference organisers or business associates? Think about why these people need to know about you and how you can influence their opinion of you. It’s okay if you decide it’s necessary to tailor your bio to each specific audience.
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Write multiple versions
Having a few different versions of your bio is useful as different situations require different background information. Consider creating a long, short and micro version of your bio to ensure you are prepared.
- Short bio – This is handy to have to send to journalists who have minimal reading time, so keep your short bio to around 100 words.
- Long bio – This is necessary for those who require a more detailed understanding of your background. An example of this is event organisers, who need this information when deciding on speakers for conferences.
- Micro bio – This is one or two sentences and is perfect for adding to the bottom of an article or using on your Twitter profile.
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Basic information
Now you have the essential information you need to write your bio, remember to add some detail. Be sure to include relevant information about yourself and your experience, including:
- Your full name and job title
- Your area of expertise
- Background and experience
- Demonstrated ability in your field of expertise or examples that demonstrate your thought leadership, such as media coverage or speaking roles
- Qualifications
- An image – this is optional and certainly not essential.
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Always update your bio
Don’t be afraid to edit your bio until you are 100 per cent per cent happy with it. Don’t worry if it takes a while as it’s important you achieve a product that you are confident reflects you completely. Remember to go back to your bio every few months to make sure it’s up to date.
Once your bio is finished, it should showcase your career, highlight your expert knowledge and sell you in a genuine way that will ultimately help you build your brand and contribute to your success.