When it comes to writing, bios are probably one of the most awkward things to write.
We’ve all been there. Writing in the third person. Bragging about how awesome we are. Feeling like a total you know what.
Over the course of a day, I visit a lot of other entrepreneur’s sites and there’s an epidemic in our midst.
People don’t have bios or if they do have them, they are missing the point of having one in the first place.
The bio is critical to your site. It’s what separates the pros from the amateurs.
If you’ve ever been on a corporate web site, they have the bios of the executive team on there. Media, customers, investors, partners, and everyone else needs to be able to see at a glance what leaders bring to the table.
The same thing goes for your site too. Especially if you want to be be seen as an expert. This is a critical part of the Press Kit Principle.
Bios, while they may seem “traditional” are a necessity.
Tips for Writing a Great Professional Bio
Over the course of my career, I’ve written a lot of bios for executives and leaders. Back in my PR firm days I was constantly fine tuning my bio for every proposal we prepared.
I learned a valuable lesson from all the tinkering with my bio and everyone else’s. If you put a stake in the ground and say you are an expert, it is a way more believable to you and everyone else. Otherwise, it looks like you are making it up as you go.
Early in my career, I worked with multiple security software companies giving me a specific area of expertise in security technology. Knowing that was a growth area for the firm I worked at, my bio quickly reflected that knowledge and experience. By stating in my bio that I was the in-house expert on security technology, I had instant credibility and I quickly came to believe it as well. While I was relatively young in my career, I took my expert status seriously; keeping up on the trends and reading the latest books because I knew how important it was to be able to back up that claim.
The lesson? Convincing yourself to believe your own hype is half the battle. Your bio should be the best version of you no matter how you really may feel inside. Too often, we are hesitant to say things because we aren’t fully convinced of it. If it is true and believable, it needs to go in your bio.
Bragging is Necessary
On the flip side, there’s often resistance to bios as we don’t want to brag. Your bio is the one place where bragging is required and you are fully authorized to do so.
Here’s a few things you must brag about:you’ve
- Measurable professional accomplishments – Think along the lines of grew by XX, made XX, served XX.
- Years of experience – Call out how long you’ve been in your field, working in this area, etc.
- Specific areas of knowledge or expertise.
- Professional designations or education.
- Relevant awards.
- Speaking gigs and media appearance.
That’s a lot of bragging, but you need to do it all in about four to five action-packed sentences. The key is to brag in a professional manner and not in a way that makes you look like an ass.
The secret is context. You don’t need to list every last thing you’ve ever done, just the highlights that are most relevant to your status as an expert here and now.
A final word on bios. You may want to create multiple versions for use for different purposes. For example, if you are pitching guest posts, you’ll need a different bio if you are speaking versus on your web site.
If you want to learn more about bios and get some examples of great bios, opt-in to the Press Kit Principle and get your free guide below.
And if you want to dive deep…join me for the FREE WEBINAR I’m hosting next week – Entrepreneur to Expert. Click here to register now.
