Give that personal biography a refresh
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Happy Sunday to you, |NAME|. I’m spending mine reading Michael Pollan’s book “A Place of My Own,” which is about his quest to build a quiet little writing cabin in the woods.
How about you? How are you spending your Sunday?
After more than a few glitches, it looks like my email distribution list is finally working properly again, so welcome back to those of you who subscribed earlier and maybe have not been receiving these updates for a bit.
Today, I’m going to share with you some tips on giving your professional bio a make-over. This is important when you’re in the people business–and let’s face it, in an interconnected world, we’re now all in the people business.
So here are five tips to help you give it a fresh new look that reinforces your personal brand.
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Make it sell by being memorable. People who read your bio want to know why they should hire you, aspire to be like you, or even just find out more about you. Steer clear of the obvious stuff. Focus on professional accomplishments that will make people go “wow!” The objective is to be memorable.
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Lists are for groceries, not for your bio. Your professional bio is not meant to be an exhaustive list of everything you’ve ever done work-wise. People will read a bio because it isn’t a resume.
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Be succinct. A long bio seldom gets read. Instead, make yours a keyword-rich summary of professional milestones and highlights. Edit and cut mercilessly. Get some help if necessary.
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Be modular. Each communication channel you choose—online, print, social media, TV, radio—has unique needs. Make sure you have multiple versions of your bio: a longer one (up to one page), a medium-length one (1-3 paragraphs), and a micro version (1-2 sentences).
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Make it as much about your audience as it is about you. Consider the context in which your bio will be read, and make your key points reflect what matters most to your audience. Remember the copywriter’s mantra: always make it about them.
Have a great weekend. And as always, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to lately, so don’t be shy with that reply button.
Very best,
Patrick
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