How to Write a Personal Bio
Identify your purpose and audience., Look at examples directed toward your target audience., Narrow down your information., Write in the third person., Begin with your name., State your claim to fame., Mention your most important accomplishments, if...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify your purpose and audience.
Before you get started writing, you need to know who you're writing for.
Your bio is your first introduction to your audience.
It should quickly and effectively communicate who you are and what you do.The bio you would write for a personal web page might be very different than the bio you would write for a college application.
Adjust your tone to make your bio appropriately formal, funny, professional, or personal. -
Step 2: Look at examples directed toward your target audience.
One of the best ways to understand what your audience will expect from your bio is to look at the bios others in your field have written.
For example, if you're writing a professional bio for your website in order to market yourself and your skills, look at websites created by others in your field.
See how they present themselves, and figure out what you think they do well.
Good places to look for professional bios could be professional websites, Twitter accounts and LinkedIn pages. , Be ruthless here—–even the most interesting of anecdotes may not be appropriate.
For example, an author's bio on a book jacket often mentions past writing accomplishments, whereas an athlete's bio on a team website often mentions the person's height and weight.
While it's often okay to add a few extraneous details, they should not make up the majority of your bio.
Remember that your credibility is important here.
While you may enjoy going on pub crawls with your buddies on a weekend, that may not be what you want to advertise in a bio aimed at finding a job.
Keep your details relevant and informative. , Writing in the third person will make your bio sound more objective – like it’s been written by someone else – which can be useful in a formal setting.
Experts recommend that you always write professional bios in the third person.
For example, begin your bio with a sentence such as "Joann Smith is a graphic designer in Boston," rather than "I am a graphic designer in Boston."
This should be the first thing you write.
Assume that the people reading the bio know nothing about you.
Give your full preferred name, but avoid nicknames.
For example:
Dan Keller , What are you known for? What do you do for a living? How much experience or expertise do you have? Don't leave this to the end or make your readers guess—they won't and they may well lose interest quickly if it's not up front.
This should be explicitly stated in the first or second sentence.
Usually, combining it with your name is easiest.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. , If you have earned achievements or awards that are relevant, include them.
However, this element is tricky and might not be applicable in all situations.
Remember that a bio is not a resume.
Do not simply list your accomplishments; describe them.
Remember that your audience may have no idea what these accomplishments are unless you tell them.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation. , This is a nice way to invite the reader to care.
It’s also your chance to get some of your personality across.
However, avoid too much self-deprecation in your tone, and don't include details that are too intimate or potentially embarrassing for either you or your audience.
Ideally, these personal details will serve as conversation-starters should you meet your audience in real life.Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation.
When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, he spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies. , For example, if you're a writer, state the title of the new book you're working on.
This should be kept to a sentence or two.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation.
When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, he spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies.
He is currently working on a memoir. , This is usually done in the last sentence.
If it's to be published online, be careful with the email address in order to avoid spam.
Many people write email addresses online as something like: greg (at) fizzlemail (dot) com.
If space permits, include a couple of ways of contacting you, such as your Twitter profile or a LinkedIn page.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation.
When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, he spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies.
He is currently working on a memoir.
You can reach him at dkeller (at) email (dot) com or on Twitter at @TheFakeDKeller. , For an online blurb, this is just enough to give the reader a taste of your life and personality without becoming a bore.
Avoid a profile that is longer than 500 words. , Rarely is writing perfect the first time it hits the pages.
And because personal bios are only a small snapshot of a person's life, upon rereading your bio, you might realize there was information you forgot to include.
Have a friend read your bio and give you their feedback.
This is important because they can tell you if all the information you want to get though is coming across clearly. , Every once in a while, go back and update your bio.
By putting in a little work frequently to keep it up to date, you'll save yourself a lot of work when you need to use it again. -
Step 3: Narrow down your information.
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Step 4: Write in the third person.
-
Step 5: Begin with your name.
-
Step 6: State your claim to fame.
-
Step 7: Mention your most important accomplishments
-
Step 8: if applicable.
-
Step 9: Include personal
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Step 10: humanizing details.
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Step 11: Conclude by including information on any projects you have in the works.
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Step 12: Include contact information.
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Step 13: Aim for at least 250 words.
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Step 14: Proofread and revise.
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Step 15: Keep your bio up to date.
Detailed Guide
Before you get started writing, you need to know who you're writing for.
Your bio is your first introduction to your audience.
It should quickly and effectively communicate who you are and what you do.The bio you would write for a personal web page might be very different than the bio you would write for a college application.
Adjust your tone to make your bio appropriately formal, funny, professional, or personal.
One of the best ways to understand what your audience will expect from your bio is to look at the bios others in your field have written.
For example, if you're writing a professional bio for your website in order to market yourself and your skills, look at websites created by others in your field.
See how they present themselves, and figure out what you think they do well.
Good places to look for professional bios could be professional websites, Twitter accounts and LinkedIn pages. , Be ruthless here—–even the most interesting of anecdotes may not be appropriate.
For example, an author's bio on a book jacket often mentions past writing accomplishments, whereas an athlete's bio on a team website often mentions the person's height and weight.
While it's often okay to add a few extraneous details, they should not make up the majority of your bio.
Remember that your credibility is important here.
While you may enjoy going on pub crawls with your buddies on a weekend, that may not be what you want to advertise in a bio aimed at finding a job.
Keep your details relevant and informative. , Writing in the third person will make your bio sound more objective – like it’s been written by someone else – which can be useful in a formal setting.
Experts recommend that you always write professional bios in the third person.
For example, begin your bio with a sentence such as "Joann Smith is a graphic designer in Boston," rather than "I am a graphic designer in Boston."
This should be the first thing you write.
Assume that the people reading the bio know nothing about you.
Give your full preferred name, but avoid nicknames.
For example:
Dan Keller , What are you known for? What do you do for a living? How much experience or expertise do you have? Don't leave this to the end or make your readers guess—they won't and they may well lose interest quickly if it's not up front.
This should be explicitly stated in the first or second sentence.
Usually, combining it with your name is easiest.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. , If you have earned achievements or awards that are relevant, include them.
However, this element is tricky and might not be applicable in all situations.
Remember that a bio is not a resume.
Do not simply list your accomplishments; describe them.
Remember that your audience may have no idea what these accomplishments are unless you tell them.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation. , This is a nice way to invite the reader to care.
It’s also your chance to get some of your personality across.
However, avoid too much self-deprecation in your tone, and don't include details that are too intimate or potentially embarrassing for either you or your audience.
Ideally, these personal details will serve as conversation-starters should you meet your audience in real life.Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation.
When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, he spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies. , For example, if you're a writer, state the title of the new book you're working on.
This should be kept to a sentence or two.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation.
When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, he spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies.
He is currently working on a memoir. , This is usually done in the last sentence.
If it's to be published online, be careful with the email address in order to avoid spam.
Many people write email addresses online as something like: greg (at) fizzlemail (dot) com.
If space permits, include a couple of ways of contacting you, such as your Twitter profile or a LinkedIn page.
Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.
His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation.
When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, he spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies.
He is currently working on a memoir.
You can reach him at dkeller (at) email (dot) com or on Twitter at @TheFakeDKeller. , For an online blurb, this is just enough to give the reader a taste of your life and personality without becoming a bore.
Avoid a profile that is longer than 500 words. , Rarely is writing perfect the first time it hits the pages.
And because personal bios are only a small snapshot of a person's life, upon rereading your bio, you might realize there was information you forgot to include.
Have a friend read your bio and give you their feedback.
This is important because they can tell you if all the information you want to get though is coming across clearly. , Every once in a while, go back and update your bio.
By putting in a little work frequently to keep it up to date, you'll save yourself a lot of work when you need to use it again.
About the Author
Denise Jones
Committed to making home improvement accessible and understandable for everyone.
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