As a business owner, a solopreneur or a creative you are the face of your business. In today’s fast-paced economy, people want to find out about you quickly.
Are you aware and in control of what they will find about you online? People search for you online and quickly rate your skills based on your website, and social media profiles.
Do you have a bio that sums up of what you and your business is about?
It’s not only about listing facts and accomplishments in your CV anymore. Today it’s about giving people some input they can wrap their head around, and that makes them relate to you and your business.
Will they resonate with what you are sharing? Are you relevant to them? These questions are the facts of the matter today.
Your bio is the place people look to learn about who you are and what your story is.
Also, your bio, résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) is not a one-version-fits-all-occasions representation of you and your business. I wish it would be as easy as this, but once you write one version of your bio, you’ll need to tweak it for different purposes.
Three variations of you bio for the most common uses
You’re going to need different versions of your story and your professional bio depending on the different spaces and occasions that you are going to submit it. You may use one version for your online LinkedIn profile and another for your TED Talk introduction and a very short one for your Twitter account and an extra one for participating in an online summit.
You will need a mission statement bio as well as a short and a longer version. You will find that your bio will be requested in different lengths, and therefore, it’s helpful to have three or, even more, versions that differ in style and length.
Your bio is an excellent vehicle for quickly communicating who you are and what you do. You are likely to have a bio already, i.e. on your about page of your website. It is useful to have a version at hand when asked to be a guest speaker in a podcast or video interview, or when submitting a guest article, or for your marketing materials, and for your general networking.
Your bio plays a significant role in your overall communication about your business. You should make sure it brings out your personal brand and style.
What to consider when crafting your bio
- Write in third person perspective
- Keep in mind who you are writing for and who will read it. Write your bio in service to your reader and don’t just try to summarise your story. Your bio is your introduction to your audience.
- Insert your expertise, what you are known for and how you can help others.
- Write down the key things you want others to know about you and your business.
- Infuse some personality. Include something that shows you are a real person (family, hobbies, interests) and that makes you approachable.
- Be true in what you share. Authenticity matters. People smell fake these days faster than ever before.
- Include your contact details.
By now you know you have to capture people’s attention fast. And they need to understand that you’re real too. Within seconds of reading your info, they will decide if you are relevant to them and whether or not they like and trust you. And the beginning of any relationship with your business is them being clear about who you are and what you’re all about.
A great bio sets you apart, establishes your credentials, and invites people to lean in and want to do business with you.
