Do you need a bio for your company website, book, portfolio, LinkedIn page, or resume? If so, it should include your most important accomplishments, traits, and qualifications. Keep in mind that you want a memorable bio for any situation. Check out the helpful hints below. And later in the post, read my biography sample!
How To Write an Awesome Professional Bio
Write a Bio in the First or Third Person
In most cases, professional bios (for a company website) are written in the third person, while personal bios (for your online profile) are written in the first person. However, you should consider your audience. If you want to get more personal in your bio, use a
Include Your Current Position
If you’re employed, list your current role such as “Senior Editor” or “Director of Content.” If you’re self-employed, list your current role as “Founder of (Fill in the Blank)” or “IT Consultant.”
List Your Current Employer or Company
Including the name of your current employer or company can help your audience get a sense for your experience or industry and what you do. If you’re self-employed, you may skip this step (see Step 2 above.)
Include Your Professional or Personal Philosophy
Are developing strong relationships important to you? If so, include this in your professional bio. How about giving back to your community? If so, add how you give back and list the organizations you support.
Incorporate Personal Details
Give people more insight into who you are by including personal information. Why? Because you will appear more well-rounded. For instance, you may add:
- Your hobbies.
- Something unique about you.
- Favorite food.
- Volunteer work.
- Anecdote.
Including personal details gives your audience the chance to connect with you and shows your humanness. After all, you’re a person not a robot!
Use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Your Professional Bio
You may want to have multiple versions of your bio – long and short, personal and professional. Whatever the situation, make sure you can provide a sharp bio whenever you need to. If you don’t feel comfortable writing yours, hire a freelance writer. They can interview you and write a professional bio that will work for you. As a result, you can use it on your social media networks, website, media kit, podcast, and more.
Use My Biography Sample as a Guide
Below is my biography samples. Keep in mind that I’m always updating it because I’m learning and growing, so my bio must be current.
Short Professional Bio
Amandah Blackwell, the founder of Savvy-Writer.com, is a creative leader bringing years of experience in content marketing, digital marketing, eCommerce marketing, marketing writing, SEO (search engine optimization), social media, and business communications, with an emphasis in content writing, copywriting, and strategy.
Long Professional Bio
Amandah Blackwell, the founder of Savvy-Writer.com, is a creative leader bringing years of experience in content marketing, digital marketing, eCommerce marketing, marketing writing, SEO (search engine optimization), social media marketing, and business communications, with an emphasis in content writing, copywriting, and strategy. She specializes in delivering clear brand messages and is savvy at helping organizations pinpoint their messages and skilled at articulating existing missions across multiple digital platforms and outlets. Amandah has been published on various outlets including, The Huffington Post, Cleveland.com, Success Magazine, Crazy Egg, Orbit Media, Blerrp, BloggingTips.com, and other websites. She’s also a co-author on the book, Media Magnetism: How to get the favorable publicity you want and deserve. Amandah’s personal projects include a picture book series, non-fiction books, and screenplays.
As I mentioned, I’m always revising my professional bios.
Before you write your bio (or hire a freelance writer), reflect on where you are in your career and what you have accomplished so far. Think about what you want your audience to know about you. You may want to brainstorm and even ask trusted friends, colleagues, and family members for their input. Once you have your information, you can write your professional bio or hire a freelancer to write for you.
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