Write a Better Bio in Ten Minutes
Apparently it's true; people don't like to toot their own horns. Bios are supposed to be short, and presumably you know the subject matter – yourself – intimately. It doesn't get easier than this! So why, then, do so many people hate writing them?
Well, lots of reasons. People don't want to come across as if they're bragging, or worse, they think they don't lead interesting enough lives to have anything to write about.
But I think the real problem is the abundance of really bad bios out there. So many bios are dull, with vague, lifeless descriptions, that they're horrible to read let alone write.
Don't worry. It doesn't have to be that way.
Bios are not the boring, one-page, bullet point lists often seen in resumes. They are usually a handful of written paragraphs, made up of living, breathing sentences – sentences that hopefully will engage your reader, bring life to your background, and make your experience relevant. And my favorite way to do that is to tell a story.
The trick is knowing which story to tell. Resist the urge to make your bio all things to all people; you'll end up with a wishy-washy document that serves no one. Instead, think carefully about who will read your bio. What does this reader need to be told, and why should the reader care? Now focus on one or two important details about your background that you want to explain to your reader.
A client of mine, a doctor, needed to rewrite his bio for a new brochure. His current bio had been sincerely written from the heart, but it was too long; he spent four whole paragraphs explaining his dedication to serving his patients' needs. The new brochure gave him room for only 175 words – two or three medium-sized paragraphs, at most.
As I interviewed the doctor, I asked him what he meant when he wrote that he valued "personal service" – a throwaway phrase in many industries. He explained the extra time he spends with patients, how carefully he listens to them, and that he usually calls each patient himself to check up on their recoveries. Bingo!
That's the detail that I included as I rewrote his bio. I could tell readers that he gives patients his undivided attention until I was blue in the face. But this doctor calls his patients himself. That specific, tangible fact suddenly made our claim believable. And his new, two-paragraph bio is stronger for it.
Remember, the person reading your bio really does want to learn more about you. So engage them with a crisp, clear, concise story that brings your experience and your personality to life.
Well, lots of reasons. People don't want to come across as if they're bragging, or worse, they think they don't lead interesting enough lives to have anything to write about.
But I think the real problem is the abundance of really bad bios out there. So many bios are dull, with vague, lifeless descriptions, that they're horrible to read let alone write.
Don't worry. It doesn't have to be that way.
The best bios tell a story
Bios are not the boring, one-page, bullet point lists often seen in resumes. They are usually a handful of written paragraphs, made up of living, breathing sentences – sentences that hopefully will engage your reader, bring life to your background, and make your experience relevant. And my favorite way to do that is to tell a story.
The trick is knowing which story to tell. Resist the urge to make your bio all things to all people; you'll end up with a wishy-washy document that serves no one. Instead, think carefully about who will read your bio. What does this reader need to be told, and why should the reader care? Now focus on one or two important details about your background that you want to explain to your reader.
Get as specific as you can
A client of mine, a doctor, needed to rewrite his bio for a new brochure. His current bio had been sincerely written from the heart, but it was too long; he spent four whole paragraphs explaining his dedication to serving his patients' needs. The new brochure gave him room for only 175 words – two or three medium-sized paragraphs, at most.
As I interviewed the doctor, I asked him what he meant when he wrote that he valued "personal service" – a throwaway phrase in many industries. He explained the extra time he spends with patients, how carefully he listens to them, and that he usually calls each patient himself to check up on their recoveries. Bingo!
That's the detail that I included as I rewrote his bio. I could tell readers that he gives patients his undivided attention until I was blue in the face. But this doctor calls his patients himself. That specific, tangible fact suddenly made our claim believable. And his new, two-paragraph bio is stronger for it.
Remember, the person reading your bio really does want to learn more about you. So engage them with a crisp, clear, concise story that brings your experience and your personality to life.
