how to write a 200 word bio

How To Write a Bio (With 16 Examples And Templates)

Table of Contents

Picture this:

You have mustered the courage to finally sit down to write a short bio. You’re pumped to reveal to the world your professional self and those glorious achievements.

But your mind goes blank . All of the words and phrases you had been stockpiling for months in your head suddenly disappeared.

Not to worry.

Today, you’ll learn how to write a bio. Here’s what the guide covers:

• Definition and basics of writing a professional bio,
• Step-by-step process describing how to write a short, professional bio,
• Creative bio examples and bio templates for inspiration,
• 5 personal bio generators.

By the end of the article, you’ll have an authentic way to describe your professional background and showcase yourself as a credible, accomplished, and likable expert .

Let’s begin with the basics.

What is a Professional Bio?

A professional bio is a brief description of your professional background, skillsets, achievements, and career information. It’s generally present on a company’s about us page, or on personal social media accounts.

Purpose of a Bio

Business professionals write a bio to persuade their customer base and prospects. However, an employee may also use it in their job application to grab the attention of their prospective employer.

Your professional bio should introduce yourself and how you stand out in your industry. You can also list your values, interests, and goals — and add a touch of your personality to it.

On your social media profiles, you can also entertain your audience by making your bio humorous.

How Do I Write a Bio About Myself?

Your online bio should be short, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. It can include:

• Your current professional title
• Your key skills or areas of expertise
• A personal touch (such as your interests or something fun about you!)

First-Person Vs. Third-Person Bio

Depending on the platform etiquette and context you’re writing a bio for, you can choose to use the first or third-person perspective.

The first person is warmer, personable, and can be effective in emotionally connecting with your audience. It’s suitable for social media platforms (like X, Instagram, and Pinterest), personal blogs, or informal settings.

The third person carries a formal tone, typically relevant for professional scenarios. It can make reporting of your achievements and background a tad neutral and objective.

Such bios are generally used in conference speaker profiles, professional industry websites, press releases, and corporate settings.

How to Write an Interesting Bio: 4 Simple Steps

Great professional bios are succinct and memorable. Here are the four specific steps to write one.

1. Begin with your name and professional title: Your professional bio should articulate who you are, your professional designation, and your responsibilities.

Answer questions like:

• What am I known for?
• What do I do for a living?
• How much experience do I have?

For example, the majority of my guest post author bios begin with “I am a B2B copywriter and marketing consultant ,” or “Asavari Sharma is a marketer and writer.”

No matter who I work for, I will always stick to the writing and marketing space. That’s how I want people to know me.

2. List your professional achievements: Establishing credibility is vital to stand out from others in the industry. Depending upon the length of the bio, list a few professional achievements to earn the trust of the audience.

Ultimately, remember to focus on how your impressive feats can add value to the readers. Instead of blabbering paragraphs about how cool you are, think from the reader’s perspective and ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?”

Here’s the LinkedIn headline of Sam Browne, who first shares his mission to “help entrepreneurs grow to 10k+ followers on LinkedIn.” But that is only after he’s established credibility, stating he has 82,777 followers himself on the platform.

3. Inject some personality : Don’t hesitate to share personal information like your interests outside of work, side hustles, your hometown, the music or cuisine you like, and anything that shows people who you are.

For instance, String Nguyen uses a lot of 🍗 creatively in her LinkedIn headline. It aptly conveys her journey from being a “KFC chick” to building a multi-million dollar brand.

4. Make it memorable : What makes you unique? Taking help from your personal brand statement , try to begin your bio with a hook that highlights your passion or interests.

For instance, Ann Handley shares a lot of relevant professional details on her website’s “About” page. But beyond her glorious professional achievements, what stands out is that she’s the “world’s first Chief Content Officer.”

What to Include in a Website Bio

A bio for your professional website gives a brief of who you are, your career path, and your accomplishments. It also throws light on the mission of your website — how you intend to help your readers.

Brownie points for weaving personal stories in your bio that establish the “why” behind your professional goals, and make you relatable to the reader. If you like, you can also add a contact form below your bio, inviting readers to get in touch.

6 Tips To Write a Badass Bio

Now that you have got the steps down, here are some killer tips for writing a short bio.

1. Get to The Point

Less is more when it comes to a bio for online platforms. Stay under 100 words — that’s just about enough to give your audience a taste of your professional skills and a narrative of your career.

You don’t want to warm up the audience by sharing that you have a bachelor’s degree. Just share a relevant event or two to help your audience connect with you and your professional mission.

2. Update It Every Year

As a professional, you are going to grow, learn new skill sets, and work experience with different brands. It’s inevitable. Over time, your bio may not define your professional journey accurately.

Therefore, wherever your bio is up, make sure you review it every year or so to keep it fresh.

3. Crack a Joke or Two

Humor always leaves a lasting impression, so use it to your advantage.

Comedian Aparna Nancherla’s X handle (@aparnapkin) is a play on her name, and that is silly enough. She makes people laugh for a living. Don’t you think her Twitter bio below is proof of that?

But be cautious of how the industry you work in views humor. For instance, if you are a serious political writer, a funny bio is probably not going to bode well with your audience.

4. Use The Right Words to Brand Yourself

The words you use in your bio influence others’ perceptions about you. Therefore, you may want to steer clear of using words like ‘part-time’ or similar words that carry casual connotations.

You don’t want potential clients to view you as a low-level social media worker when you are, in reality, a CMO-for-hire focused on social media and branding strategy.

5. Accompany Your Bio With a Professional Picture

Visuals convey information about a person’s brand. If you are friendly and approachable, then upload a high-resolution smiling photo beside the text of your bio.

If you don’t have one, get a picture clicked. If you value your brand, value your bio photo.

6. End With a Call to Action (CTA)

Think of your professional bio as a marketing tool, where you can also put a request for the readers. Here are some CTAs you can consider:

1. Inviting visitors to your website: English author, John Cleese, wants his audience to know more about his app, The Silly Walk. He uses Twitter to drive traffic to the site.

2. Signing up for your email newsletter: You can also include a link to your newsletter, letting your audience stay connected with you over email.

3. Follow you on social media: If you are struggling to find the perfect way to end your author bio, add a line like “connect with me on Twitter” or “let’s socialize on Instagram.”

4. Buy your books: Content marketer Peter Sandeen offers a free download in one of his guest post author bios. A smart way to pitch a lead magnet!

5. Your contact information: If you represent a company, you can share its email address or phone number in the bio. Your contact info lets your prospects get in touch to enquire about your services or products.

What is a Good Bio Example?

Here’s a short professional bio template you can use to write yours:

[Your name] is a [professional title] specializing in [your expertise]. He’s helped [professional accomplishments to establish credibility]. Outside of work, they like [personal interests].

7 Short Bio Examples

Let’s look at a few short bios you can take inspiration from.

1. Dan Sally

Platform: HuffPost

You want to write a professional bio that’s in sync with what you do. Dan Sally is a comedian, and he uses self-deprecating humor to talk about himself, his work, and his family. I bet you can’t get through the bio without a chuckle —it’s that funny.

2. John Espirian

Platform : Twitter

A significant trait about John Espirian that stands out in the bio is that he is “relentlessly helpful.” He loves LinkedIn and is the author of a book called Content DNA.

His bio gives an overview of what he does in general and what currently keeps him busy (he gives a link to pre-order the book in the bio).

3. Mark Gallion

Venture Capitalist Mark Gallion has different versions of his bio all over the internet. Some are more formal than others. However, when it comes to Twitter, he prefers phrasing his information in a way that helps him engage with his audience on a human level.

In under 160 characters, he not only shares the details about his professional life but also highlights his love for baseball. Therefore, communicate who you are in a tone that’s most suitable for your audience.

Gallion leverages his Twitter bio to connect with like-minded potential investors and followers. You are free to make your bio funny, personal, formal, conversational, and the like depending on the platform you’re writing it for.

4. Brad Colbow

Platform : Udemy

If you want to sound like an industry expert yet come across as being approachable, then Brad Colbow’s Udemy bio is ideal. It includes his job title, what he does for a living, and everything else in between.

Since he is a trainer on Udemy, he also shares his thoughts about learning. His bio will make anyone pick up a pencil and start learning.

5. Old Spice

Platform: Instagram

Old Spice is a brand for men, and their Instagram bio reaffirms that fact. They also post a lot of gifs/videos on the platform, hence the mention in the bio. Want a snazzy bio for yourself or your business? Go the ‘Old Spice’ way.

6. Aaron Orendorff

Platform: Inc.com

Aaron Orendorff is a contributor not just at Inc.com — but also at other popular publications. He also states he dons different hats by day and night, giving a mention about his marketing entity, iconiContent.

Oh, and he gives a link to download his checklist in the bio from his company website. Smart, right?

7. Ian Morris

Platform : Forbes

Ian Morris is a technology writer who has written for popular brands such as CNET and The Mirror. His Forbes bio, as shown below, highlights his decade-long experience in tech as a content producer, his past and present employer details, and the work he has done so far.

In his bio, he establishes his credibility and proves he is qualified to not only write on technology but also host TV shows and podcasts in the domain. He is honest about himself. Readers and potential clients love that sort of thing.

5 Professional Bios

If you’re looking to write a longer biography for your website, an industry conference, and the like, here are a few professional bio examples to get your juices flowing.

1. Ryan Holiday

For his website’s About page, Ryan uses the first person to introduce himself as a media strategist and writer. He shares some of his life story, links to some of his books and lists some of his professional achievements.

Finally, he name drops some big authors (his audience may have heard about) and invites them to his email list. After the CTA, there are a bunch of quotes by entrepreneurs, authors, and other known personalities to further establish his credibility.

2. Natasha Khullar Relph

Personally, I am a big fan of Natasha. She is an award-winning journalist, author, and has worked with many popular publications.

Her bio page starts with a nice overlay of her professional background. But goes on in much more detail about her career trajectory in a timeline format. It’s real and authentic, sharing her challenges and successes without mincing words. Her photos make it even more personal!

3. Mimi Brown

A motivational keynote speaker, Mimi has a third-person narrative on her bio page that persuasively sells her skills. And makes a strong case to book herself speaking engagements.

She directly talks to her audience of leaders and shares tips to get more sales. Then establishes credibility by sharing her licenses, certifications, awards, and a bunch of media logos that she’s been featured on or associated with.

4. Josh Spector

Josh has a succinct bio that he’s put on the homepage of his straightforward website. He simply highlights his mission of helping creative entrepreneurs in a sentence, before going on to share the four ways in which he can help the reader.

It’s a great example of keeping the bio focused on your audience, introducing your products and services, and avoiding complexification.

5. Wait But Why (WBW)

Popularly known as the “stick-figure-illustrated blog about almost everything,” Wait But Why is hilarious. Its “Meet The Team” page is even more so.

The author bios of the team members don’t follow any conventional rules of bio writing, but they stick to what WBW stands for — humor and satire.

4 Bio Templates You Can Use

Here are five short bio templates you can use as starting points to write yours.

1. Professional bio:

“[Your name] is a [professional designation], specializing in [area of expertise]. They have helped [professional achievements]. Outside of work, they are passionate about [your interests].”

2. Creative bio:

“Meet [your name], a [your profession] with a flair for [your creative focus]. They love [your passions], and their work reflects [your creative philosophy]. Join them on their journey to [your mission].”

3. Entrepreneurial bio:

“[Your name] is the founder and CEO of [your company’s name], a [brief description of your business]. They are on a mission to [your vision here]. [First name] was previously [summary of past professional experience].

4. Social Media bio:

“We help [your company’s goal here]. On [platform’s name], we intend to share [your platform’s content strategy]. Follow along to hear from us every [describe how often you intend to post].[Witty insider joke that makes your audience crack up].”

You can replace the placeholder text with your actual info. But if this still doesn’t ring a bell, the AI generators in the next section will be helpful.

5 Online Author Bio Generators

Here are some AI tools that can generate a bio for different platforms:

1. Ahrefs social media bio generator : The Ahrefs bio generator can create a bio for your social media account for free. You just need to choose a tone, and word count (up to 100 words), and press the “Generate Bio” button.

2. Hypotenuse AI : If you like to write articles for other websites, this tool can generate guest post author bios for you. You’ll need to sign up for a free account, though.

3. Nichesss author bio generator : Another cool tool that takes your name and a few bullet points as input to generate a fresh bio. You can use the bio in your blog, books, and other things.

4. Smodin personal bio generator : Smodin’s generator requests you to share your name, achievements, hobby, personality traits, tone, and create an account to whip its magic. The tool can also integrate data from Google.

5. Grammarly paraphrasing tool : While it’s only a full-blown grammar checking software , Grammarly can help you rephrase your bio with its AI writing assistance.

Craft a Compelling Bio Now!

Hope the short creative bio examples in the article got your juices flowing.

The best way to create a memorable author bio is to keep it relevant and focused on your audience. While it’s your bio, it’s not really about you — it’s about them.

You should create a bio that’s authentic but only share those anecdotes or stories that will intrigue the readers you’re writing it for.

The idea is to make people care about you and be curious about you. Therefore, make it worth it.

Now, go on, buckle down, and knock it out.

Asavari Sharma

I’m a B2B content marketer and writer for agencies, tech and SaaS companies, and accounting outsourcing businesses. Sometimes, I also dabble in project management and client servicing. Outside of work, I like to watch movies, travel, and cook delicacies.

Elite Content Marketer offers education and software reviews to help beginner creators graduate into the middle class (and beyond) sustainably. Learn more about us here .

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27 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We've Ever Seen [+ Templates]

Published: November 16, 2023

80+ Professional Bio Templates & Examples

Create a compelling professional narrative for a proper, attention-grabbing introduction.

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Your professional bio is not only relevant when applying for jobs, seeking new clients, or networking — it also gives the world a brief snapshot of who you are and your professional ideals.

To help you author one that packs a punch, we’ll teach you how to write a professional bio, give you professional bio templates, and show you the best professional bio examples you can get inspiration from.

Skip to one of these sections if you know what you're looking for:

What is a professional bio?

Professional bio templates, how to write a professional bio, best professional bio examples, how to write a short bio.

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A professional bio or biography is a short overview of your experience. Professional bios usually include details about education, employment, achievements, and relevant skills.

Purpose of Professional Bios

A bio tells an audience about who you are, what you've done, and what you can do. It can help potential employers, fans, or customers get a sense of your personality and what you stand for.

Writing your bio may be hard to achieve without a starting point. Below, we've included professional templates to expedite the process of writing a great bio.

With professional bios, keeping your message honest and to the point is best practice. So how do you write one that will effectively market you and your brand? You use a professional bio template.

By sticking to a predetermined format, all you have to do is fill in the blanks with your most relevant career information. These bio templates will guide you on where you should place your:

• Occupation or job title
• Passions and goals
• Skill set and expertise
• Work history

Of course, while there is no one-size-fits-all template for a professional bio, these templates are a quick way to start building your long or short bio before customizing it.

But before choosing your bio template, there are some key elements to include to ensure yours is effective.

For example, say you're looking for a job. Your professional bio should give recruiters a peek at your career accomplishments and experience.

What if you've recently published a book or are applying for a grant? In those situations, highlight organizations you support or include catchy anecdotes.

And if you’re a recent graduate? A well-written professional bio helps you communicate how your life experience makes you the best candidate for the roles you’re seeking.

Bottom line: Tailoring your professional bio to your goals and who you want to reach will make it more effective.

To structure your professional bio to stay true to these objectives, try our 80+ downloadable professional bio templates — for both short- and long-form bios — to start creating a bio that hits the mark.

What should a professional bio say?

Your professional bio should be as unique as you.

When writing your bio, include important professional roles and achievements. Add your passions, interests, and how you bring your values to your work. Finally, your bio should give readers a chance to know you and reflect your personality.

Here are the elements I recommend including when writing a professional bio:

Professional Roles and Achievements

It's essential to highlight your career roles and achievements in your bio. This can include your current position, previous roles, and notable accomplishments. It will not only help establish your expertise and credibility, but start your bio on the right note.

Passions and Interests

This might not be as essential, but it will help humanize you. Remember: Bios are shared via an impersonal medium, like a screen, and can sometimes feel distant if we don't take the right steps.

Share your passions and interests, whether or not they're related to your work or industry. That way, you can show your enthusiasm and dedication outside of your professional life. Plus, you could potentially find common ground with readers — which is always beneficial.

Values and Work Approach

Your values can sometimes show your work ethic more effectively than your career path. It can also help you endear yourself to employers and colleagues who want to work with people with similar values. 

So don't be shy: Share how you incorporate your values into your work. Whether it's a commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, or ethical decision-making, explain what drives you, and be enthusiastic about it.

Your Personality

Don't forget: Your bio should always include a taste of your personality! Your sense of humor, creativity, or collaborative nature could all give readers a sense of who you are. This helps readers connect with you on a more personal level.

Remember to tailor your bio for different platforms and audiences. Also, keep it concise and impactful while highlighting the most relevant information in each context.

Next up, we cover first-person and third-person bios, and when you should use each one. 

First-Person Bio vs. Third-Person Bio

While first-person bios are quite common, third-person bios can be more effective in formal situations.

Your decision to write your professional bio in the first or third person depends on your desire to leave a more personable or assertive impression.

Both approaches work, provided you tailor them to your goals and audience. What’s important is to be clear and tell your story in a way that connects with your reader.

How to Write a First-Person Bio

Writing in the first person can be a great way to connect with your audience when building a personal brand. When you write a first-person bio, use "I" or "me" to make yourself relatable and approachable.

Here's one way to write a first-person bio:

"I’m a freelance writer specializing in small business content. I’ve worked with companies in a variety of industries like home care to fine leather goods."

By speaking in the first person here, you connect with a client or brand based on your personal experience and opinions. Put another way, writing a first-person bio is like telling your story to your audience.

Here are a few tips to make your first-person bio great:

Don’t start every sentence with "I."

Showing instead of telling is a great approach.

Let’s say you’re a writer who wants to create a short professional bio. Instead of saying, "I love to write," you can say, "Writer. Bad but enthusiastic dancer."

This portrays your writing skill, shows your personality outside of writing as a dancer, and includes a little sense of humor, which is essential for a writer.

Remember, you know yourself better than anyone.

Adding a back story to your bio helps create context for the roles and successes you write about. Think of it like a case study about who you were, what you are now, and the process that got you to your current position.

Focus on useful details.

Quick facts about you can showcase your identity and values. For example, if you're writing a bio for LinkedIn, think about how you can tie your hobby into what you do.

Let's say Animal Crossing is your hobby. Does it align with your career aspirations? If your goal is to pursue a video game career, it can be a great addition to your bio.

However, if your interests lie elsewhere, including a more relevant hobby is better.

How to Write a Third-Person Bio

Third-person bios sound more authoritative and objective. So, if you’re job searching in a formal industry, applying for grants, or trying to get published, you may want to stick to the third person.

For instance, when you write a third-person bio, you may start with:

"Jasmine Montgomery is a Senior Hiring Manager at L’Oreal based in New York. She recruits across several business units to connect with the brightest talent from around the globe."

By only using your name and pronouns to speak about yourself here, you are letting your title and skill set speak for themselves.

These bios create distance between the subject of the bio (you) and the reader through a third person. This person could be anyone, but they usually speak in a tone that emphasizes their expertise.

This makes third-person bios feel aloof or overly formal sometimes.

Ideally, your third-person bio should sound friendly but polished, like a message from a close colleague at work. Here are a few tips on how to write a great third-person bio.

Write from the perspective of someone you know and trust.

It can be tough to write about yourself, so try to see yourself from the perspective of your favorite person at work or a mentor you trust. This can help you write from a position of authority without feeling self-conscious.

Show the reader why they should trust your opinion.

A professional bio often reflects a specific industry or niche. With this in mind, your text should include relevant details that professionals in your industry know. Avoid jargon whenever you can.

Remember, you're telling a story.

If you want a third-person bio, but you're used to writing in first-person, it may help to write it the way that's most comfortable for you.

Your professional bio is an important piece of writing, so edit it carefully. Edit your writing from both points of view and see which works best for your target audience.

Here's how to write a professional bio, step by step.

• Create an 'About' page for your website or profile.
• Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.
• Mention any associated brand name you might use.
• State your current position and what you do.
• Include at least one professional accomplishment.
• Describe your values and how they inform your career.
• Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.
• Use humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

If you’re anything like me, you probably don't think about your professional bio until you’re suddenly asked to "send one over via email."

You have approximately one afternoon to come up with it, so you scramble together a bio that ends up reading like this:

"Rodney Erickson is a content marketing professional at HubSpot, a CRM platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers.

Previously, Rodney worked as a marketing manager for a tech software startup. He graduated with honors from Columbia University with a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing."

To be fair, in certain contexts, your professional bio needs to be more formal, like Mr. Erickson's up there. But there are also cases where writing a personable and conversational bio is good.

Whether you choose the formal or casual route, use the following steps to create a perfect bio.

1. Create an 'About' page for your website or profile.

You need an online space to keep your professional bio. Here are a few to consider (some of these you might already have in place):

• Facebook Business page .
• Industry blog byline .
• Instagram account .
• Personal website .
• LinkedIn profile .
• Industry website .
• Personal blog .

As you'll see in the professional bio examples below, the length and tone of your bio will differ depending on the platforms you use.

Instagram, for example, allows only 150 characters of bio space, whereas you can write as much as you want on your website or Facebook Business page.

2. Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.

If your readers remember nothing else about your bio, they should remember your name. For that reason, it's a good idea for your first and last name to be the first two words of your professional bio.

Even if your name is printed above this bio (hint: it should), this is a rare moment where it's okay to be redundant.

For example, if I were writing my bio, I might start it like this:

Lindsay Kolowich

Lindsay Kolowich is a Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

3. Mention any associated brand name you might use.

Will your professional bio represent you or a business you work for? Ensure you mention the brand you associate with in your bio. If you're a freelancer, you may have a personal business name or pseudonym you advertise to your clients.

Here are a few examples:

• Lindsay Kolowich Marketing.
• SEO Lindsay.
• Kolowich Consulting.
• Content by Kolowich (what do you think ... too cheesy?).

Maybe you founded your own company and want its name to be separate from your real name. Keep it simple like this: "Lindsay Kolowich is the founder and CEO of Kolowich Consulting."

4. State your current position and what you do.

Whether you're the author of a novel or a mid-level specialist, use the next few lines of your bio to describe what you do in that position. Don't assume your audience knows what your job title entails.

Make your primary responsibilities known so readers can know you and understand what you offer to your industry.

5. Include at least one professional accomplishment.

Just as a business touts its client successes in the form of case studies, your professional bio should let your audience know what you've achieved.

What have you done for yourself — as well as for others — that makes you a valuable player in your industry?

6. Describe your values and how they inform your career.

Why do you do what you do? What might make your contribution to the market different from your colleagues? What are the values that make your business a worthwhile investment to others?

Create a professional bio that answers these questions.

7. Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.

Transition from describing your values in work to describing who you are outside of work. This may include:

• Your family.
• Your hometown.
• Sports you play.
• Hobbies and interests.
• Favorite music and travel destinations.
• Side hustles you're working on.

People like connecting with other people. The more transparent you are about who you are personally, the more likable you'll be to people reading about you.

8. Use humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

End your professional bio on a good note — or, more specifically, a funny note. By leaving your audience with something quirky or unique, you can ensure they'll leave your website with a pleasant impression of you.

It's important to follow the steps above when writing your bio, but don't obsess over any one section. People consume lots of information daily. So ensure your bio hooks 'em in the first line, and you won’t lose them.

(P.S. Want to boost your professional brand? Take one of HubSpot Academy's free certification courses . In just one weekend, you can add a line to your resume and bio that over 60,000 marketers covet.)

Why Good Bios Are Important for a Professional

Now you may think, “How many people read professional bios, anyway?”

The answer: A lot. Though there's no way to tell who is reading it, you want it to be catchy. Done right, your professional bio will delight the right people who come across it on multiple platforms.

Professional bios can live on your LinkedIn profile , company website, guest posts, your speaker profiles, Twitter bio , Instagram bio , and many other places.

And, most importantly, it's the tool you can leverage most when you're networking.

Bottom line? People will read your professional bio. Whether they remember it, and whether it makes them care about you, is a matter of how well you present yourself to your intended audience.

So, what does a top-notch professional bio look like? Let's go over a few sample bios for professionals like you and me. Then, we'll cover bio examples from some of the best people in the industry. 

Short Sample Bios

Your bio doesn't have to be complicated. Here are five samples to glean inspiration from. 

Example 1: Friendly Sample Bio

"Hey! My name is Ryan, and I'm a marketing specialist with a passion for digital advertising. I have five years of experience managing a wide range of online campaigns and improving brand visibility for clients across multiple verticals. I love analyzing consumer behavior and leveraging data-driven strategies to maximize ROI. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, taking funny photos, and exploring new hiking trails."

Example 2: Mid-Career Sample Bio

"Jennifer Patel is a versatile graphic designer known for her creative approach and attention to detail. With a background in visual arts and eight years of experience, Jennifer has worked on diverse projects ranging from logo designs to website layouts. Her ability to understand client needs and translate them into visually striking designs sets her apart. Jennifer finds inspiration in nature, music, and pop culture."

Example 3: Sales Sample Bio

"I'm a seasoned sales executive with a track record of exceeding targets and building strong client relationships. With a background in B2B sales, I've built a natural ability to understand customer needs and consistently exceed quota every month. I pride myself in my communication skills and strategic approaches, which have helped me thrive in highly competitive markets such as SaaS sales. Outside of work, I enjoy playing basketball and volunteering at local charities."

Example 4: HR Sample Bio

"I am a dedicated human resources professional with a passion for fostering a positive workplace culture and facilitating employee development. With eight years of experience in talent acquisition and HR operations, I've played a key role in building high-performing teams. I'm known for my strong interpersonal skills and ability to create inclusive and supportive work environments. In my free time, I enjoy practicing yoga and exploring new culinary experiences."

Example 5: Software Engineer Sample Bio

"David Chang is a senior software engineer specializing in backend development. With a strong background in computer science and six years of experience, David has successfully built scalable and efficient solutions for complex technical challenges. He is well-versed in various programming languages and frameworks, such as C++, Java, and Ruby on Rails. In his spare time, David enjoys reading science fiction novels and playing the guitar."

Below, we've curated some of the best professional bio examples we've ever seen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the various places where you might describe yourself.

Check 'em out and use them as inspiration when crafting your own.

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Author
• Chima Mmeje: SEO Content Writer
• DJ Nexus: DJ
• Lena Axelsson: Marriage & Family Therapist
• Mark Levy: Branding Firm Founder
• Audra Simpson: Political Anthropologist
• Marie Mikhail: Professional Recruiter
• Wonbo Woo: Executive Producer
• Chris Burkard: Freelance Photographer
• Lisa Quine: Creative Consultant
• Nancy Twine: Hair Care Founder
• Trinity Mouzon: Wellness Brand Founder
• Alberto Perez: Co-Founder of Zumba Fitness
• Ann Handley: Writer and Marketer

1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie : Author

Bio platform: personal website.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie begins her professional bio with an invitation to her roots.

In a few paragraphs, she describes when and where she was born, her family, her education, her honorary degrees, and the depth of her work, which has been translated into 30 languages and several publications.

Along with her notable writing career, Chimamanda highlights her annual creative writing workshop, which introduces readers to a well-rounded view of who she is as a professional.

From there, her bio seamlessly flows into her recent work and a glimpse into how and where she spends her personal time — the United States and Nigeria.

Finally, Chimamanda’s bio ends with a call to action to read a more detailed biography, giving the reader a choice to read the information available about her life and career.

Why We Like It

• It’s written in the third person, allowing it to show authority.
• It provides a brief but engaging account of Chimamanda’s life and experiences.
• Mentioning her honorary doctorate degrees makes readers know Chimamanda is one of the best writers in the world.

2. Chime Mmeje : SEO Content Writer

Bio platform: linkedin.

A bio with a hook will keep you reading. Chima Mmeje is a freelance SEO copywriter who’s "extremely good at one thing" — helping companies rank for their target keywords.

By leading with a powerful hook that aligns with her target audience’s marketing needs, she’s able to keep readers engaged.

What comes next is a unique differentiator in Chima’s professional bio. Instead of listing accolades, Chima shares a few wins secured for clients.

This nifty section does two things: it builds the readers’ confidence in Chima’s ability to deliver results, and it’s a practical way for Chima to name-drop some clients in her professional bio.

In the body of the professional bio, Chima briefly lists the processes that can help potential clients get a bird's-eye view of what they can expect.

The simple call to action "Drop a message" is a casual invitation to learn more about Chima's services.

• There’s clarity about who Chima serves.
• The hook is bold, catchy, and compels anyone to read further.
• Including client results make clients visualize what they can expect.

3. DJ Nexus : DJ

Bio platform: facebook.

This New England-based DJ has single-handedly captured the Likes of over 2,000 people in and beyond Boston, MA. And even if you don't listen to the type of music he produces, it's hard not to read his compelling Facebook bio.

For instance, consider his tagline, under "About" — " Quiet during the day. QUITE LOUD at night! " DJ Nexus tells you when he works awesomely. I got goosebumps just imagining a dance club in which he might play his music.

DJ Nexus's bio brilliance doesn't stop there.

DJ Nexus links his Facebook account to his personal website , where he has the space to tell the full story of his background. Here's a preview:

In this story, DJ Nexus describes how he got his name, including information about a company he founded before going to college.

This is a terrific lesson for professional bios: Customers want to learn about you. Consider how you might also lead your visitors off your Facebook page and onto your website to learn more about who you are.

• The eight compelling words in the bio pack a punch and grab attention.
• The bio gives off the feeling that DJ Nexus is great at his craft.

4. Lena Axelsson : Marriage & Family Therapist

Bio platform: industry website.

No matter where it lives, your professional bio does not differ from any other persuasive copy. One common mistake people make is thinking of it as its own beast, separate from other pieces of writing.

If you think about it that way, you’d likely write a painfully uninteresting bio.

When you sit to write your professional bio, don’t watch that cursor blinking on the screen. Instead, think about how you would introduce a blog post. You don't dive right into the meat of the thing, do you? No. You start with an introduction.

The best bios are often concise (around 200–300 words), so you don't have a lot of room to play around.

But a single sentence that sets the stage for your reader and provides a context for your accomplishments could make the rest of your bio more persuasive.

Take Lena Axelsson's bio, for instance. She's a marriage and family therapist — a job where empathy and compassion are a big part of the job description.

That's why she opens her bio with a great introductory sentence: "When human beings experience trauma or severe life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel."

Then, she goes into why she's passionate about her job, how she helps her clients, and how she caters her approach to each patient. The necessary educational information is left for the end after the reader has been hooked.

Your bio doesn't have to be super serious, nor does it have to start with a joke. This bio shows how you can capture your reader's attention by being empathetic and showing how that empathy shapes a valuable professional.

• It summarizes Lena’s background as a therapist, including her approach to therapy.
• The tone of the bio is professional and informative, rather than overly personal or casual.
• The bio focuses on Lena’s audience. This makes readers know that Lena wants to help.

5. Mark Levy : Branding Firm Founder

Mark Levy is a small business owner. While the professional bio on his website takes a traditional approach, it still speaks to Mark’s audience.

What we love about his bio is the way he's set it up: On his business' "About" page, he's listed two biographies, which he's labeled "Mark Levy's Biography #1" and "Mark Levy's Biography #2."

Click here to see the full version .

The first biography is a "short version," which includes a combination of bullet points listing his credentials and a few brief paragraphs.

The second is the "long version," which is even more interesting than the first. Why? It reads like a story — a compelling one, at that. In fact, it gets hilarious in some parts.

The second sentence of the bio reads: "He was frightened of public school, loved playing baseball and football, ran home to watch ape films on the 4:30 Movie, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books."

Here's another excerpt from the middle:

Of course, the fantastic copywriting isn't a surprise, given that Mark wrote several books. But the conversational tone and entertaining copy let his quirky personality (and great writing skills) shine.

• Mark’s funny and approachable personality shows all over his bio.
• Mark writes his bio in the third person, which positions him as an expert.
• It uses storytelling to humanize Mark and pull the reader into Mark’s world.

6. Audra Simpson : Political Anthropologist

With a classic take on the professional bio, Audra Simpson crafts an overview of her career in just a couple of paragraphs.

She emphasizes the "why" behind her work in the first half of her bio before transitioning to the way she carries out that work in practice.

The second half of her bio combines her body of work and the awards she’s won. This subtle timeline gives readers a picture of her experience in political anthropology without listing her resume in detail.

• Audra’s bio shows how experts can succinctly discuss their years of experience in a few words.
• It proves Audra is an expert political anthropologist.
• It shows Audra’s interests, giving readers a sense of what she likes as a professional.

7. Marie Mikhail : Professional Recruiter

Marie Mikhail checks nearly every box that makes an excellent bio.

A professional recruiter, she expresses her "passion for recruiting" in the first sentence, while using that sentence to hook her profile visitors into a brief story of her background.

But there are a lot of recruiters out there, and Marie knows that.

So, to differentiate herself, she closes the first paragraph of her bio by explaining that she likes "getting people excited about the things [she's] excited about."

It's a well-put value proposition that sets her apart from the rest of the HR industry.

Marie concludes her bio with a smooth mix of professional skills, like her Spanish fluency, and personal interests, such as podcasting and Star Wars (she mentions the latter with just the right amount of humor).

• Straight off the bat, Marie uses a story to share her experiences of how she began as a recruiter.
• It provides a subtle pitch for readers to check out her podcast.
• The bio exudes Maries approachable, fun, and playful personality.

8. Wonbo Woo : Executive Producer

Wonbo Woo is the executive producer of WIRED's video content and has several impressive credits to his name. What does this mean for his professional bio? He has to prioritize.

With this in mind, Wonbo opens his bio with the most eye-catching details first (if the image below is hard to read, click it to see the full copy ).

Not only does Wonbo's bio start strong, but he also takes readers on a suspenseful journey through some of his most harrowing assignments — where he was when news broke and how he responded. You can see this quality below.

The accomplished journalist concludes his gripping bio as strong as it began. He mentions his experience with the states and countries he's visited in his career. Overall, it's a fantastically concise bio for as much detail as it holds.

• The first sentence of the bio leads with authority and instantly gets the reader’s attention.
• The bio dives into the many exceptional projects Wonbo Woo has executed.
• Wonbo Woo uses lots of specificity to pass points across, like WIRED's YouTube channel nearly quadrupled subscribers (+375%) and views (+391%), publishing over 100 videos annually with over a million views each.

9. Chris Burkard : Freelance Photographer

When writing your bio, you don't want to boast while showcasing your accomplishments. Chris Burkard's LinkedIn bio does this well.

Written in third-person, his bio tells a fluid story, starting with his ultimate mission — "capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature" — before diving into more tangible accolades (giving a TED Talk, publishing books, etc.).

Best of all, rather than using his bio as an opportunity to brag, he instead ties his talents into how he hopes to help others , writing, "Through social media, Chris strives to share his vision … and inspire [his followers] to explore for themselves."

I wouldn't necessarily be inclined to follow Chris if his bio had simply read, "I post beautiful images." But images that inspire me to travel? Now that's something I can get behind.

Last, he ends on a humble, sweet note: "He is happiest with his wife Breanne raising their two sons." So inject personal information into your bio — it makes you seem approachable.

• It highlights Chris’s achievement without bragging.
• The last sentence portrays Chris as a responsible man who loves his family.
• The well-written bio speaks to nature lovers who like the outdoors, surfing, and more. This gives them reasons to follow Chris.

10. Lisa Quine : Creative Consultant

Bio platform: portfolio website.

Creative professionals who specialize in visual art may find it challenging to balance the writing of their bio and displaying of their portfolio. Not Lisa Quine. Lisa has an exceptional balance of her professional bio and creative work.

Throughout her bio, you’ll notice the number of murals she’s completed and a brief timeline of her career. This helps her paint the picture of who she is as a professional.

• Lisa’s bio checks the box on nearly all of our recommendations for a great bio. She begins with her full name, her location, and what she does best.
• Lisa gets creative by mentioning the brands she’s worked with and highlighting some of her favorite projects.
• Written in the third person, this bio invites the reader behind a metaphorical door to meet Lisa as a professional, traveler, learner, wife, and mother.

11. Nancy Twine : Hair Care Founder

Bio platform: company website.

As Founder and CEO of Briogeo — a popular natural hair care line that's received rave reviews in publications such as Allure and InStyle — there are undoubtedly plenty of accolades Twine could boast about.

But she starts her bio from a humbler place, stating: "Nancy Twine is no newcomer to the beauty-sphere — in fact, she made her first foray into the world of natural product formulation at the ripe age of five."

The rest of her bio similarly focuses on Twine's strengths as someone who's able to take hair care "back to basics."

Similarly, you might use your personal bio as an opportunity to highlight your bigger purpose or vision. As Twine shows, sometimes it's best to keep it simple and let your message resonate with the right audience.

• The bio explains why Twine started her company and what ultimately drives her.
• It uses the founder’s story to connect with its audience.
• Using a video further shows the face behind the brand and helps Twine connect with her audience.

12. Trinity Mouzon : Wellness Brand Founder

From the first sentence, I gravitated toward Mouzon's bio: "I'm obsessed with leveling the playing field."

Mouzon effectively grips the reader's attention with this introduction and then dives into some of her impressive accomplishments — including a brand now sold at Urban Outfitters and Target.

The language used throughout Mouzon's bio is authentic, real, and honest.

For instance, in the second paragraph, she admits:

"While building a brand may have looked effortless from the outside, starting a business at age 23 with no resources or funding quickly forced me to realize that early-stage entrepreneurship was anything but transparent."

• It tells a story and quickly transitions into how Trinity built her brand.
• This bio highlights Trinity’s impressive background, including how she can help her readers start and scale their businesses.
• Focusing on the reader lets Trinity show that a good bio can convert new readers into leads and customers.

13. Alberto "Beto" Perez : Co-Founder of Zumba Fitness

As an avid Zumba fan, I was excited to include this one. Perez styles his LinkedIn bio as a short story, starting with his background as a hard-working teen who held three jobs by age 14.

His bio tells the fun and fascinating origin story of Zumba, in which Perez, an aerobics teacher in Florida at the time, forgot his music for class and used a Latin music cassette tape instead ... "And it was an instant hit!"

His bio continues:

"Shortly after he was connected to Alberto Periman and Alberto Aghion, and Zumba was officially created ... What started as a dream now has 15 million people in more than 200,000 locations in 186 countries who take Zumba classes every week."

Learn how to write your professional bio with more free tips, templates, and inspiring examples.

• Perez tells the story of his business, rather than list out his accomplishments.
• The bio positions Perez as both relatable and inspirational.

14. Ann Handley : Writer and Marketer

If you're a marketer, you've likely heard of Ann Handley. Her list of credentials is lengthy, and if she wanted to, she could go on and on about her accomplishments.

But when people list their accomplishments in their bios, they risk sounding slightly egotistical.

Sure, you might impress a handful of people with all those laurels, but many people who read your bio will end up feeling either intimidated or annoyed. Think about it: Is that how you want most readers to feel when they read your bio?

To minimize the egoism that comes with talking about yourself, think about how you can list out your accomplishments without sounding like you're bragging. Ann does this really well, choosing a tone in her bio that's more approachable.

Best of all, Ann focuses on her readers' challenges and motivations, rather than her own.

For instance, she writes, "Ann Handley writes and speaks about how businesses can escape marketing mediocrity to achieve tangible results. >And she will inspire you to do work you're proud of. "

Follow the link , and you'll see the page dedicated to a fuller bio, which she's divided into two parts: a "short version" (literally a bulleted list of key facts) and a "long version," which includes traditional paragraphs.

There's something in there for everyone.

• The last section of the bio shows Ann’s warm personality — “Ann lives in Boston, where she is Mom to creatures two- and four-legged.”
• Written in the third person, this bio has lots of proof (like followers), which shows Ann is a terrific marketing leader.

If you're posting a bio on a social media account or sending a quick blurb to a client, you want to keep it short and sweet while showcasing your accomplishments.

To get started, use these best practices for writing your short professional bio:

• Introduce yourself.
• State what you do.
• Add key skills or areas of expertise.
• Include a personal mission statement
• Celebrate your wins.
• Provide your contact information.
• Show them your personality.

1. Introduce yourself.

Your introduction is your first impression, so always begin by telling people who you are. You may start with a greeting like, "Hello, my name is" or "Hi! Let me first introduce myself …" when sending your bio as a message.

If you’re writing a bio for an online platform, stating your name at the beginning works as well.

Leading with your name — even as a question — is important for recognition and building relationships.

2. State what you do.

Give people an idea of what you do daily and where you work. Your job title is how the people put you into context and consider whether your profession relates to their industry.

So detail your most relevant work in your short bios, like CEO, professor, and author.

Take a cue from Angela Duckworth , who specifies what she does in her LinkedIn bio:

If your specialty is writing, your title could be "Freelance Writer," or if it's Help Desk or Information Technology, you may use "Freelance IT Specialist."

3. Add key skills or areas of expertise.

If you send a bio to a client or potential employer, highlight your most valuable skills. For instance, if your expertise is in social media marketing and content creation, like Ivanka Dekoning , list these skills.

4. Include a personal mission statement .

What do you hope to achieve through your work? Why do you do what you do? Answering these questions can help give your bio’s mission statement some direction.

For instance, Farmer Bea has a goal of helping to raise awareness about all things bees.

5. Celebrate your wins.

Your short bio can be a proud showcase of your accomplishments, so add one to two successes you’ve achieved through your skills or mission.

For instance, if you got recognition from industry leaders like Art Critic Jerry Saltz , you can list your wins like his:

6. Provide your contact information.

People who visit your profile or receive your message already know your social media account. But to take business off the app, include your email address, website, or any other professional profiles where they can reach you.

Political Commentator and Sports Correspondent, Angela Rye , shows a great example of this in her short professional bio on Instagram:

7. Show them your personality.

Don’t be afraid to add a bit of charisma to your short professional bio. “Professional” doesn’t have to mean plain. You can best portray your personality through:

• A joke. "Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. At least that’s what I learned when I created…"
• Mention a hobby. "I’ll be honest: for me, tennis is life — Go Nadal!"
• A fun fact. "Every year, I watch 100 new films! I’m a cinephile and love every movie genre."
• A few emojis related to your interests. "🎶🤖🎾🎬🎭"

Whichever way you choose to get personal, give people a glimpse into who you are as an individual.

When writing a short bio, it can be tempting to pack in as much relevant information about yourself as possible — but this isn’t the most effective approach.

Instead, focus on including the details that you and your audience care about most and leave out the fluff.

Let's dive into a few examples of short professional bios.

Short Professional Bio Examples

• Corey Wainwright: Principal Marketing Manager
• Lianna Patch: Copywriter
• Precious Oboidhe: Content Strategist and Writer
• Rebecca Bollwitt: Writer
• Megan Gilmore: Cookbook Author
• Bea Dixon: Feminine Care Founder
• Tammy Hembrow: Instagram Influencer
• Dr. Cody: Chiropractor
• Larry Kim: Founder
• Dharmesh Shah: Founder and CTO
• Lily Ugbaja: Content Strategist
• Ian Anderson Gray: Marketer
• Van Jones: Political Commentator, Author, and Lawyer

1. Corey Wainwright : Principal Marketing Manager

Bio platform: blog byline.

Corey Wainwright is a Principal Marketing Manager here at HubSpot. She's written content for HubSpot's Marketing Blog for years, and her blog author bio caught my eye before I ever started working for HubSpot.

(Back then, it started with, "Corey just took a cool vacation.")

What I love most about Corey's bio is that it's a great example of how to deliver information about yourself without taking things too seriously. And in this context, that's totally appropriate.

Despite having several impressive accomplishments under her belt, she simply doesn't enjoy displaying them publicly. She prefers making her author bio a little "light."

Her bio reads, "Corey is a Bruce Springsteen fan who does content marketing, in that order."

It works in this context because, at HubSpot, our blog authors prefer to make themselves friendly and approachable — while letting their content speak for itself.

It helps that authors' social media accounts are located right below our names and above our pictures. This lets folks click the LinkedIn button and go to the author's LinkedIn page.

( You can read this blog post to learn how to create social media buttons and add them to your website.)

• It’s short and simple.
• It pitches her company’s product as the best CRM software.
• Pairing her perfect smile and the mention of a popular singer — Bruce Springsteen — adds humor to her bio, shows singing may be one of her interests, and makes her appear friendly.

2. Lianna Patch : Copywriter

Lianna Patch is a rockstar copywriter who has written for popular publications like Copy Hackers. What’s striking about Lianna’s bio is that it sums up everything you want in a copywriter.

I mean, see the first sentence of her bio — “Lianna’s greatest dream is to make your customers pause, smile, and click (in that order).”

• It’s punchy and welcoming.
• It shows the outcome companies can get by working with her.
• It has a call-to-action (CTA).

3. Precious Oboidhe : Content Strategist and Writer

I don’t check out an author's byline unless the post is interesting. My guess is you do the same. And most times, you do this because you may be interested in working with the writer.

This is where a short bio that speaks to your needs comes in. An example? An example? Precious' bio that shows off his skills as a freelance content strategist and writer.

• It states that Precious is for hire, causing interested prospects to contact him.
• It includes his website, where prospects can learn more about him.
• People can connect with Precious on social media to learn more about his work.

4. Rebecca Bollwitt : Writer

Bio platform: instagram.

Instagram is a notoriously difficult platform on which to write a good bio. Similar to Twitter, you don't have room for a professional bio that includes everything about you.

And because Instagram is primarily a mobile app, many viewers read about you passively on their mobile devices.

Instagram's limited bio space requires you to highlight just your most important qualities. Blogging icon Rebecca Bollwitt does just this in her own Instagram bio excellently.

Rebecca's brand name is Miss604, and she cleverly uses emojis in her Instagram bio to tell visitors what makes her a valuable content creator. See the screenshot below:

The rest of her bio follows suit, breaking up the text with an appropriate emoji and a perfect collection of nouns to tell me who she is as a person.

She even links out to her husband's Instagram account after the heart emoji (an adorable addition) and assures her followers that all of her pictures are authentically hers.

Take a lesson from Miss604 and show your personal side. Branding yourself as a professional shouldn’t involve discarding many things that make you human . Often, your most personal attributes make for the best professional bio content.

• Using emojis gives off Rebecca as a friendly person.
• Rebecca highlights her most important qualities in a few words.

5. Megan Gilmore : Cookbook Author

Bio platform: instagram.

Megan Gilmore is a best-selling cookbook author. She often posts healthy recipes on her Instagram page and inspires her followers to learn not to sacrifice taste for the sake of health.

You can glean most of this information immediately from her Instagram bio, which is short and to the point: "Gluten-free recipes and meal plans."

Gilmore further includes a CTA link within her Instagram bio that leads followers to free, ready-to-use recipes. You might think, " Why would she do that since it discourages people from buying her book?"

But that couldn't be further from the truth.

By giving her followers the chance to try out her recipes, she's slowly turning leads into customers. After I tried a few of her Instagram recipes and loved them, I bought her book, knowing I'd like more of what she offered.

• The bio is short and direct.
• The CTA link includes an invitation for people to join her newsletter. Meaning, she can build her email list.

6. Bea Dixon : Feminine Care Founder

Bea Dixon, Founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company, efficiently uses the space on her Instagram profile to highlight who she is as a well-rounded human — not just a businesswoman.

For instance, while she highlights her girl boss attitude with a tiara emoji, she equally calls attention to her fashion interests (Free People), her pets, Boss and Sadie, and her love for ramen noodles.

• It shows who Bea is outside work.
• It includes a CTA that lets people check out everything Bea offers.

7. Tammy Hembrow : Instagram Influencer

Tammy Hembrow is a founder, fitness model, Instagram Influencer, and entrepreneur. These are a lot to fit into one Instagram profile. And this is where a summary of what you do and where people can find you take center stage.

If you wear many hats like Tammy, be sure to mention your biggest traffic driver in your Instagram profile and include a link to all you do.

• It shows Tammy’s core channel besides Instagram — YouTube.
• It includes a CTA that lets people learn more about what Tammy does.
• It links out to other pages owned by Tammy.

8. Dr. Cody : Chiropractor

Dr. Cody is a Sydney-based chiropractor. Like Tammy, Dr. Cody brilliantly uses the limited space on his Instagram profile to convey vital info to his audience.

Adding his TikTok account with almost three million followers is another excellent move.

• No one gets three million followers by doing a poor job. By including 2.9M+ TikTok followers in his bio, Dr. Cody instantly proves his expertise to his audience.
• Including his TikTok handle is a subtle pitch for people to follow his account on TikTok.
• The CTA link is great for those who want to learn more about Dr. Cody’s offers.

9. Larry Kim : Founder

Bio platform: twitter.

Forget about words for a moment. Looking at Larry’s bio, you immediately know what he prioritizes above all else — his family.

This could endear people to him. And don’t forget the inclusion of “Christian” — this instantly shows what he stands for.

• It shows what Larry takes seriously besides work — his family and his faith.
• The popular publications give people a reason to follow Larry.

10. Dharmesh Shah : Founder and CTO

Dharmesh Shah is the co-founder and CTO of HubSpot. Dharmesh’s bio is exciting because it has social proof, gives people a reason to follow him, and shows what people can expect.

• It shows what followers can expect.
• Dharmesh’s warm smile is welcoming, and his personal mission is inviting.
• It calls attention to Dharmesh’s business — HubSpot.

11. Lily Ugbaja : Content Strategist

Look no further than Lily's if you want inspiration for a Twitter bio packed with social proof.

Lily is a content strategist and writer for popular companies like HubSpot, WordPress, and more. When you read Lily’s bio, the second sentence grabs your attention immediately because it shows the result you can get by working with her.

• It has catchy social proof elements.
• It contains a CTA encouraging people to subscribe to her newsletter.

12. Ian Anderson Gray : Marketer

Details matter, especially when there’s a cap on the number of words you can use to express yourself.

For instance, the funny and impactful bio of Ian Anderson on his Twitter page reads:

"Dad & Husband. Confident Live® Marketing Podcast 🎧 & Show 🎥 Helping you level up your impact, authority & profits through the power of Confident Live Video."

What more do you need to know?

Ian doesn't take his bio too seriously but uses every character to highlight everything about him.

He includes his skill as a marketer and podcast host, who he is outside work as a dad, and what he can help you do. His smiles also give the bio a sense of humor and realness.

• It highlights everything about Ian in a few words.
• It includes a CTA to check out Ian’s podcast.
• It shows Ian’s fun personality, an important trait for podcast hosts.

13. Van Jones : Political Commentator, Author, and Lawyer

Someone known for various talents and skills may find it difficult to capture who they are in a professional bio. The feat is nearly impossible when limited to just over 100 characters on Twitter.

But Van Jones effortlessly explains who he is and why it matters to everyone who visits his Twitter profile.

He starts his professional bio with a token of personalization and prioritization of his values. By mentioning that he is a dad first, we recognize what’s important to him in his long list of successes.

As we’ve seen in other bios, sharing who we are outside of work makes us more personable and should find its way into your bio, if possible.

What’s great about Van’s Twitter bio is his ability to link valuable offerings to his readers. He invites us to check out his latest book and has his website magiclabsmedia.com linked at the top.

• It includes a CTA.
• It shows Van’s personality and what he cares about.
• It shows one of Van’s accomplishments as a 3X NYT bestseller.

Create Your Own Professional Bio

Prim and proper, relaxed, or studded with accomplishments, your bio reflects your best professional self. Your professional bio will often precede your physical presence. Before people meet you for the first time, they’ll probably read your bio.

Whether you’re creating an about page for your website or social media profile, one thing’s for sure: You’ll want to put your best foot forward with a top-notch professional bio.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding

11 Tips On How To Write A Personal Biography + Examples

We’ve all been there: agonizing over how to write a bio that doesn’t sound too self-promotional or fall flat with modesty.

“What is a biography?” you may ask. A bio is a piece of work that details a person’s life. In addition to basic facts, like education and employment, it is meant to portray their lived experiences as well. 

Writing a biography that’s professional and actually  sparks interest  can be tricky. And optimizing it for greater visibility in search engines can make your job even harder.

In many cases, your personal biography will define your first impression online when you’re Googled by:

• A potential employer or client before an interview.
• Someone at a networking event who wants to learn more about you.
• A potential client or customer looking to get more info before working with you.

And when someone finds your social media profiles, personal website, or company bio page, your bio will be there to greet them.

It can make or break whether someone wants to take the next step and work with you.

So it’s important to make it count.

1. How to write a bio about yourself that checks all the boxes.

When it comes to writing a personal or professional bio, there are a few items that are standard to include. While a bio may not have all of these things, if any of the following apply to you, then they should be included. Use the following bullet points to write out a list of information about you. From there, you can draw info from each line item to start crafting your bio.

• Your current role
• Hometown/Current place of residence
• Work experience
• Education history
• Special skills & attributes
• Professional accomplishments
• Personal accomplishments
• High-level personal goals & aspirations
• High-level professional accomplishments
• Hobbies & pastimes
• Personal passions
• Awards or Accolades
• Press Mentions
• Miscellaneous (What makes you unique!)

Starting with a list ensures you won’t leave anything out.

2. Introduce yourself… like a real person.

This is one of the most important pieces of understanding how to write a personal biography. Always start with your name.

When many people start learning how to write a bio, they skip this important part. People need to know who you are before they learn what you do. Remember that your most important details should go in the very first sentence.

Keep the first sentence short and sweet, either by describing what you do at a high level or going into more detail about your specific role. Aim to describe yourself in a way that’s professional…but also human.

3. Watch your word count.

When you start writing a bio about yourself, determining the length may seem like an afterthought – something that just happens once you stop typing. However, it is something that you need to think about before you start writing – and your ideal word count may shift depending on your primary focus.

From an SEO perspective, the more words you use in your personal bio, the better. If you are filling in the bio section of a profile, find out the word or character limit – that’s how long your bio should be. If you are writing the bio on your personal website, the longer, the better. Plan to write 500 words – minimum. If you have 1,500 to 2,000 words in you, that’s even better.

From a branding perspective, you may have a different take on the length of your bio. Perhaps you would prefer to keep things short and sweet or don’t feel the immediate need for a 1,500-word count. If so, that’s fine too. Cater your personal bio to your goals. Start small. The length suggestion can change based on your situation and ultimate goals.

4. Write your biography in the third person.

This is one of the most common steps that you may struggle with when learning how to write a bio about yourself. While it can feel strange to talk about yourself in the third person at first, there are some very clear benefits from doing so:

From an SEO perspective, writing a bio in the third person allows you to include your full name throughout the bio. This lets search engines know that this lengthy, original, and well-written piece of content is about  you . While making it clear that this awesome work is about you is important when it comes to search engine optimization, don’t let speaking in the third person become too much of a good thing.

Never overuse your name when writing a bio or include it in a way that seems unnatural. Instead, use your name when it is appropriate. By dropping your name too frequently, search engines may think that the article looks suspicious/spammy – or isn’t written very well.

5. Write a story, not a list.

When writing a personal bio, it can be easy to fall into the trap of rattling off accomplishments, but that’s what your resume is for. Your bio should go above and beyond your awards and get to the core of who you are and what you’re about.

Now, that may seem like a tall order, but with a bit of planning, you can pull it off. You can understand how to write a bio from a technical standpoint, but looking at it through this lens will help be your guideline going forward. Ask yourself questions like, “Who is your audience?” or, “What are the main takeaways for your reader?” and “What events in your life best illustrate those main points?”. Turn your biography into a story that engages the reader.

Those who have mastered the steps of how to write a bio spend a lot of time doing this. If you approach writing a bio like a story, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to differentiate yourself from others and truly connect with the reader.

6. Edit ruthlessly, analyze with free tools, and update constantly.

Your online bio is the authoritative source for you. That means that it needs to reflect you in the best light possible. This also means that it should be kept as up-to-date as possible. The proper action plan for how to write a bio is never truly finished because of this.

A lengthy, well-written, and regularly updated piece of content is like search engine gold. So when you complete your initial version of the longer personal bio that you will use on your website, know that you’re not finished.

As you gain more experience or perhaps shift your professional focus, include these changes in your bios. And keep asking other people that you trust to take a look at your main bios to edit them. Writing a bio is an ongoing process that you should never ignore for too long.

Read your bio aloud to yourself, use free editing tools like the  Hemingway app ,  Slickwrite , or any other number of free resources that will help you write a great bio about yourself that keeps readers interested.

7. Link to your work.

Regardless of your profession, it’s likely that you have samples of your work that are pertinent to the audience reading about you. In addition to being an introduction to who you are and what you do, let your personal bio act as a marketing tool. In case you need some ideas, see this  good real estate marketing teamwork  where you can draw ideas. Many people want to learn how to write a bio effectively, but they don’t spend enough time learning how to use it as a promotion.

You can do this by including links to your product, company, or service. Avoid doing this in a heavy-handed way since nobody wants to read a direct sales pitch when they’re trying to learn about a human being. Mention the product, company, or service in a way that helps you tell your own story in a natural way.

These links should enhance and illustrate what you’re already describing yourself. This shouldn’t be a distraction or take anything away from the main thrust of your personal narrative.

If you have a lot of work and accomplishments to choose from, be selective! Highlight work that’s impressive, relevant, tells your story and makes you proud.

If you don’t currently have much to link to within your personal bio, don’t worry.

Start by learning more about  personal branding . Make a note in your calendar, planner, or journal that this is something to work on outside of creating your personal bio. But don’t let this fall by the wayside. Set some time aside in the next few weeks to actively work on fixing this.

Whether it’s writing an article on your company’s website, submitting a post to a site that’s related to your industry, or finally getting your passion project’s website live… do it! And once that is live, get the most out of it by linking to it in your bios. Look to other professionals in your field who have a well-developed online presence for inspiration.

8. Don’t forget to share your contact information.

Even if you have a contact page on your site, or perhaps widgets on your website that link to your social media sites, make a point to include the most direct mode of connection at the end of your personal bio. This could be your email address, a link to your contact page, or a link to your LinkedIn account. When it comes down to it, understanding how to write a biography aids you in creating new and valuable connections.

By including this type of information at the end of your bio, you’re not only letting your audience know how you prefer that they get in touch with you but directing them to another hub that lets them learn even more information about you (if you so choose). Give some thought about what you want your audience to do after they have just been introduced to you through your personal bio.

9. Write a bio for all of your different profiles.

As you build your online presence, you will need different versions of your bio. They’ll vary in length depending on where you place them. So to start, don’t feel like you have to fit your entire life story into one bio.

It’s important to have multiple versions of your bio for two main reasons:

• From a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) perspective, unique content helps your profiles and websites rank better in search results. Why? Because search engines like Google want to provide a broad range of information, not content that seems plagiarized (even if you just plagiarized yourself).
• From a branding perspective, it’s helpful to have different versions of your bio at the ready for different platforms. For example, your Twitter bio will be very short due to character limitations, but your LinkedIn bio (called your summary) can be longer.

Both of these reasons fit into the bigger picture of managing your online presence. A lot goes into this process, which is why we put together this comprehensive  online reputation management guide .

10. Use an online tool to ensure the bios on all your profiles are well-branded and optimized to rank high in search engines.

Understanding how to write a bio is a lot easier when you have a little help. At BrandYourself, we’ve built  reputation management software  that walks you through building an impressive online presence.

It includes a useful personal bio analyzer that helps you ensure your bios across all profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter, About.me, your website, etc.) are well-branded and optimized to show up as high as possible on Google. Just submit your profiles and quickly find out which bios need improvement.

If you want to analyze the bios on your own profiles,  create a free account now . Just submit your main profiles, then click “optimize” on each one to see a list of ways you can improve them – including enhancing your personal bio.

11. Get help from an expert. 

Sometimes you just need a second pair of eyes on your personal bio – or you can have a specialist write it for you. That’s part of the larger  reputation management services  we provide at BrandYourself.

If you’re interested in working with one of our in-house reputation specialists, we can help. As part of your kickoff strategy session, we’ll help define the most powerful way to talk about yourself, position yourself effectively against others in your industry, and ensure your bios are working for you across all your online profiles and websites. Our reputation specialists understand the ins and outs of how to write a bio that helps you achieve your goals, and it’s one of the first things they go over with you.

To learn more,  check out our reputation management services here . Otherwise, don’t hesitate to check out our other blog posts as you continue your journey in building your brand. And if you don’t want to miss out on similar tips and tricks in the future, just scroll up and subscribe.

Personal Biography Examples

1. noah kagan.

Read Noah’s full bio .

This is a good biography example that does a lot of the things we’ve mentioned well. Noah links to his work, writes with a friendly style, and even connects the reader with the people he works with.

The reason why we’re highlighting this bio, though, is that Noah makes it easy to get in touch with him via email. So many biography examples that you might find will include links to social media accounts only, which is fine. However, if you want to build up a fast connection with someone who just found you, email is the way to go.

Not only that, but because he wrote this bio in a fun and conversational style (the little mention about taco gift cards), it actually encourages people to reach out. Noah is great at building connections with people, and this biography example is no exception.

2. Katerina Jeng

Read Katerina’s full bio .

The biography example from Katerina Jeng illustrates how to introduce yourself like a real person while demonstrating professionalism at the same time. Katerina covers her background, useful traits, current work, and hobbies – all while keeping things light and conversational.

The balance in this bio example can be tough to replicate, but it’s worth exploring if it fits your writing style.

Going  too  casual or stuffy can leave a bad impression professionally and won’t give you the best possible opportunity to stand out. This is a good example of how to write a bio that does both.

3. Barack & Michelle Obama

Read the full bios . 

On Barack and Michelle Obama’s page, you can find textbook biography examples that show you how to write your bio in the third person without making it awkward to read. So many people struggle with this, so hopefully, these bio examples will make things easier by seeing it in action.

Both of these bios do a great job of not going overboard and varying the kind of third-person mentions you can include. This makes your biography more natural to read while still ensuring that it has the best chance of being seen when someone looks you up.

4. Darren Rowse

Read Darren’s full bio .

Using ProBlogger as a biography example for our tips is a perfect fit. When you check out the page, you’ll see that Darren wrote this bio to be comprehensive but also lead viewers right into his offerings (very smart).

He is mindful of his word count and makes sure to expand a bit more after he’s done talking about his background by continuing into what he’s working on now. This biography is a perfect example of how not being too brief can help the bio you wrote rank well in search engines while also catching the reader up if it’s their first time hearing of you.

5. Tim Ferriss

Read Tim’s full bio .

Tim is a master at promoting his work, and when he wrote his bio, he took full advantage of the opportunity.

Throughout Tim’s bio, he seamlessly links to his work, credentials, social media accounts, and books he’s written. If you had never heard of him before, he makes it quite easy to get up to speed and find out about his work.

One thing we like about this biography example is that he alternates between lists and paragraphs to help break things up. So many times, people write their bio as an extremely dense and text-heavy monster that ultimately never gets read fully. If you give the reader a break (especially in this age of skimming), more will be consumed in the long run.

6. Pete Kistler

Read Pete’s full bio .

Pete’s bio works in both his personal & professional story. Instead of being just a list of facts, it includes the story of how he was mistaken for a drug dealer in Google — and how it became the turning point in his career that led to  BrandYourself .

38 Comments

Thank you for your post. A bio accompanied with a powerful and enticing resume are your two most important sales tools.

When presenting these documents you only have on chance, first impressions count. Your blog goes a long way in creating the correct image with a bio.

Thanks again

This info was very helpful. Is there any info on creating a health bio?

Thanks for the input. One way I was able to create my own personal brand was by using a new website called personavita.com. it was really helpful in bringing all my thoughts ideas and accomplishments together. It builds credibility and others can validate my work. You can also create different Bios based on who you are showing it to. ( Future/existing employers, family, friends etc.) I think it really sets me apart.

Thank you for the tips. Being in the process of publishing my first book I’ve had to generate a bio and despite the fact that I call myself a writer I had a tough time with it. This site has given me a much better feel for the whole thing. Keep an ey on my site for the updated version.

I had the same problem lol I call myself a writer, author but this at first was so freaking difficult to write until I found this web site to break it completly down to like what first grade level for me. lol now it makes so much since. I’m glad we got it. 🙂

I know more much than the bio rules of the kindes of the people

Thank you. These tips are easy to follow and I didn’t know about the 3 bio rule! I really enjoyed the breakdown of the other bio and used that to help me get started writing mine.

Thanks again!

Thanks this was nice and simpe and easy to use.

Thanks! As a novice this was really helpful.

Thanks for posting this tool to the web. Over and over again, I recreate the wheel college course after college course and more recently for my introduction into the civilian arena. I am more confident now that I have this standardized method of writing bios in hand. Army Strong!

@Craig: Thanks, glad you loved it!

@Martin: Absolutely! Your bio is one of the most powerful tools to control first impressions. It’s got to pack a concise and serious punch.

@EASanders: The principles of bio writing apply to all fields. Think about what you’ve done that is noteworthy, and say it in as few words as possible 🙂

@Tim: Good luck with your book, Tim!

@LaKaye: I’m glad both of my bio articles could help. Sometimes it takes inspiration from other people to compellingly talk about ourselves.

@Rose: Thanks for the kind words!

@Martie: We’ve got a bunch of other excellent articles on resumes, cover letters, interviews, etc. if you’re looking to work on your entire career toolkit.

@Sapp: Great! The beauty of your bio is that once you consciously sit down and write it once, then you have a strong foundation that you can tweak for the rest of your life.

– Pete Kistler CEO, Brand-Yourself.com @pete_kistler and @brandyourself

Go get ’em tiger!

 Thanks for Guding ….. Wonderful tips..Thanks a lot

 Guiding

hi thanks so much for this wonderful guide. am so grateful.

great article – thanks for the tips!  you guys rock!

The tips are so helpful .  Thanks

thank you for the tips

great tips it helps me alot….

Thank you for this amazing and helpful tip.

supper is ready yum, come and get your biscuits!

tips are very useful. thank you so much

The best I’ve see yet

thank you so much this will really help me get in to the film fest from cruisinwithkenny

useful tips for me

thanx helped me alot

helpful tips…thanks!

That’s what I looked for . Thanx for that ♡♥

if you want to make a biography you need to know all about you ,family , and friends so you can write a biography

Really good information…especially the getting feedback part. While we may not want to hear it, we NEED it sometimes. Good friends who know what they’re doing can be very valuable in this situation.

So many things I wouldn’t even consider. Thanks for the tips. They are timely, since I am just going through a total rebrand!

You raise a good point, in fact you are ‘fixing’ something right now. You are adding your unique perspective as an ‘innovator’ in the information age that can assist other unlikely writers to get branded and ranked. Maybe it would be a great idea to answer questions in Quora, Yahoo Answers and the like. That can be your links to your ‘works’.

Nice article. thanks for share.

Surely in your many years of experience there are some good/funny/genius problems/solutions or stories you’ve lived or caused. Share them. 🙂

Thanks! TIps #3, #5, and #6 were especially helpful for me. I also find useful this article on how to write a biography so I recommend reading it as well. I also find really helpful suing samples. At least, it’s really helpful for me!

Thank you so much for this great blog. You wrote lot of valuable information about how to write Personal Biography . I like your post. I agree to all of your points that you have mentioned.

For me, the key to this article is section 6. Anymore, I DON’T think the expectation is a list of your accomplishments. I think the people who make the decisions based on biographies are looking for something different, a way to truly distinguish one person from another. A list says one thing about a person–a STORY says something much different. It SHOWS you are creative. A story gives you a lot of flexibility and opportunity to qualify yourself; a list is often reduced to a quantity. Dylan makes an excellent point about ‘sources’ or achievement; in a technician’s role, resolution can be rote, but my experience is solving problems presents lots of opportunities to get creative. David also makes an outstanding point: even if you truly don’t have anything that qualifies as an accomplishment, in this day and age, there are numerous ways to create demonstrable achievement. I believe that’s what the Gig Economy is all about. Dave mentions two specifics; there are dozens more opportunities. This could be an important consideration if you have been stuck for a while in a job that TRULY sucks. I’ve been in those. Then, the story REALLY comes in handy–’cause you don’t have to dwell exclusively on work related stuff. Never hurts to show people you are compassionate, or generous, or kind.

Comments are closed.

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How to Write a 200 Word Biography

How to Write a Personal Response Essay

Writing short biographies is becoming more popular with the establishment of company websites. Businesses often include staff biographies on their websites, and publish biographies in newspapers when a new employee is hired.

Make your biography accurate and current. Do research. Interview your subject, as well as people who know the individual well, if possible. Ask where the person has lived, worked and attended school. Inquire about the highlights of their education and professional life, as well as their personal interests and family. Jot your notes on separate notecards in pen, so your notes do not smudge. Use the Internet, library books and other sources to fact check your biography where necessary.

Identify the audience and format in which the biography will be presented. Arrange and rearrange your notecards around until you get them into an ordered arrangement that will make the most sense to your audience. You might choose to write the biography in chronological order, for example, or according to the person's accomplishments. Create an outline.

Use your outline to construct your first draft. Ignore limiting yourself to the 200 word limit in your first draft. Focus instead on getting all the material in a logical order and written well. Type your draft, save it to your computer and print out a copy. Write your word count on the top of the page in pen.

Place your draft aside for a few hours, or even a day or two if possible. Revise it after some time has elapsed. Focus on your content first. Eliminate adverbs and excessive adjectives, making sure your sentences are concise and interesting. Read your draft aloud to catch missing or extraneous words and edit accordingly.

Check your word count to see how close you are to the 200-word limit. Reduce your word count if necessary by truncating quotations and by tossing out excess or minor details. Focus on major achievements and degrees, rather than listing every small award. Make certain your biography is written in active voice, as passive sentence construction is wordy. Delete cliches and reduce lengthy phrasing to fewer words. Avoid redundancies.

Proofread for grammar and punctuation after you've streamlined your content.

• Make certain to keep your biography focused and organized.
• Write the draft out in full before you start editing for length.
• Do not plagiarize material from a website, book or neglect attribution of direct quotes.

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• Scholastic "Biography Writing with Patricia and Fredrick McKissack"

Alison Diefenderfer is a higher educational professional with experience in teaching and tutoring. She has been a freelance writer since 2007 and has been published in the science publication "AWIS Magazine." Diefenderfer has book reviews in both the "Journal of Latin and Caribbean Anthropology" and "Journal of International and Global Studies." She holds a Master of Science in interdisciplinary social science.

How to Write an Online Bio

Which three words would you use to explain your personality to a stranger?

If you could only think of “human with face,” or “professional needs job,” you’ve come to the right place. Learning how to write a bio is not easy; defining yourself in a few words even less so. But never fear—you can do it! Taking a few minutes to think about what you’re about isn’t just a great writing exercise, it’s a clarifying moment of personal development. Here are a few ways you can get started on your professional, website, LinkedIn, or short bio.

Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your  writing  shines? Grammarly can  check your spelling  and save you from  grammar  and  punctuation  mistakes. It even  proofreads  your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write.

Give your writing extra polish Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly

How to write a short bio

When most people think of online bios, they probably can readily name a few common short bio examples first. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest all have space for a short description of who you are and what you do. And you should make the most of the 1-2 lines you’re afforded here. Keep your social media bios short, sweet, and only filled with the most important things a stranger should know about you, such as:

• Your current role
• Your ultimate goal
• Your biggest achievement

How to write a professional bio

Professional sites like LinkedIn , AngelList, or a speaker bio on an event site all have space for a bio or summary section. For each of these, you’ll probably want to write a mid-length description of both your current role, professional aspirations, and biggest achievements. Professional bios allow you to go into a bit more detail than short social media bios, especially on LinkedIn. It’s generally a good idea to include:

• Your current role or professional tagline
• Your company or personal brand
• Your goals and aspirations
• Your 2-3 most impressive and relevant achievements
• One quirky fact about you (if it’s appropriate to the site)

What to include in a bio at work

Writing a bio for your company’s website, HR system, or Slack instance? Be sure to give your coworkers a sense of both your professional expertise—and your personality!

You should include anything you’d include in a professional bio in a bio for your company, but don’t be afraid to personalize it with a few personal details. Have a hobby you love? A favorite book? A professional hero you look up to? Add them to give your coworkers a sense of who you are before they work with you.

What to include in a bio on your website

The “About” section of any personal website can be a slog. A drain. A hassle. You’ve already created a whole website about yourself, so it can be difficult to muster the strength to write that final description of who you are and what you’re about.

But never fear! Your website bio doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs context on who you are and what you’ve done. This is an open, larger space, so you have room to list a few accomplishments and give context on why they’re important. You can also add a short paragraph about who you are outside of your nine-to-five. For this type of bio, you may also want to include a contact form or email, to help prospective clients, employers, or collaborators get in touch. If you do, be sure to include a clear call-to-action for your reader to contact you.

A bio template to use and customize

Even after you understand different types of bios, it can be difficult to get started. The words may not be flowing, you might not fully understand how your professional bio will be used, or you might just be stuck. Never fear! Here’s a bio recipe you can use across most sites.

• Your first and last name: Start by writing your name. That wasn’t so hard!
• Your company or brand: If you have a consulting firm, a brand you use for your side hustle, or a company you currently work at, list that next.
• Your current function: What do you do for work? You can either list your current title or a short, descriptive phrase about your role here.
• Your north star: People reading your bio will also want to get a sense of who you are. Listing your overall goal, values, or a statement that describes your ethos will help them get to know you, even in short bios.
• Your top three accomplishments: Especially in professional bios, you’ll need a few accomplishments to show off what you’ve done in your career. Choose the top two or three large milestones from your career (no more), and put them next.
• Your cute closer (optional): This may not be necessary in a shorter bio for Twitter or Instagram. But for a website or similarly professional bio, you may want to add a sentence describing who you are outside of work.
• Your contact info (optional): Depending on the site, you may also want to include an email, contact form, or another easy way for readers to reach you. List this information at the end of your bio.

4 quick tips on writing a bio

Even with all of this information on how to write a bio, it might still be difficult to write about yourself. Even for the most confident person, self-promotion can be exhausting. But never fear! There are a few ways you can keep your “about me” writing on point—without pulling your hair out.

Tip #1: Don’t overthink it

Bios are usually formulaic—and that’s OK! For most professional bios, LinkedIn summaries, and speaker bios at events, you won’t need to stray from the norm too much to stand out. Even adding an adjective that shows your personality or an unusual accomplishment can make your bio different from the crowd. You don’t need to create the next Between The World And Me to write a killer bio.

Tip #2: Remember your worth

Writing a bio on a site like Twitter, Instagram , or LinkedIn can be daunting because there are already so many fantastic bios (and people!) out there. But don’t fall prey to bio comparison. Your story is only yours to tell, and it has value. Focus on staying authentic to your truth, and don’t worry about others’.

Tip #3: When in doubt, borrow

Bios can be repetitive, sometimes even tedious. So if you find a structure you like and think sounds unique, borrow it! You should never copy a person’s bio—after all, it’s their story, not yours—but you can mimic the structure if you’re feeling stuck.

Tip #4: Get writing help

You’re not alone in your quest to create a bio that stands out. Grammarly is here to help you choose powerful adjectives , clean up hedging language , and make your bio stand out.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

How to write a professional bio (with examples and templates)

• Rebecca Strehlow
• 11 min read

Which three words would you use to describe yourself? Most of us have been asked this question, and many of us have fumbled through it awkwardly.

Coming up with a personal description can be daunting. But there are times when it’s essential - whether we’re updating our LinkedIn profiles, blogging for Medium or creating a business website of our own.

In this post, we’ll go over how to write a bio, step by step. To help guide you, we’ve also included a handy template, along with some professional bio examples for your inspiration. With these resources, you’ll find that writing a bio, as part of making a website , is much easier than you might think.

What is a bio?

Before you learn how to write a bio, you should have a clear understanding of what it is and why you need it.

In the world of literature, a personal biography can span the length of an entire novel, like Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom or Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala . In the online world, however, a bio is a short paragraph in which you introduce yourself. Typically, people place bios on the About Us page of their professional website, as well as on their social media pages and other networking platforms.

What to include in a bio

Depending on your audience and goals, your bio can highlight your personal interests, your professional achievements or a mix of both. Here are some of the elements a bio might include:

Job title or workplace

University degree and other qualifications

Hometown or city of residence

Personal or professional goals

Mission statement and values

Skills and expertise

Interests and hobbies

The goal of writing a bio is to provide people with a snapshot of who you are. This is important for a variety of reasons, whether it’s drawing people toward your personal website or promoting your blog, attracting clients and business partners to your brand, or highlighting your achievements for job interviews.

How to write a short bio

The most effective online bios are both professional and concise. Here’s how to write a short professional bio that suits your website or brand:

Introduce yourself

State your company or brand name

Explain your professional role

Include professional achievements

Discuss your passions and values

Mention your personal interests

01. Introduce yourself

Begin your bio by stating your first and last name. If you’re writing in the third person, these should be the first two words of the paragraph. This makes your name easy for your audience to identify and remember. Your bio is a huge part of your personal branding efforts, and should start with a strong intro to make a positive impact.

02. State your company or brand name

Think about whether you want your bio to represent yourself on a personal level, or whether you’d like it to come across as more professional. If you have a personal brand or business - for example, a blog, freelance business or eCommerce site - be sure to mention your brand name at the beginning of your bio. Don’t be afraid if the name sounds simple or redundant. It’s perfectly fine, for instance, to say Mary Smith is the founder and CEO of Smith Digital.

Likewise, feel free to mention the name of another company or brand that you work for if you’d like to associate it with your professional accomplishments - e.g., Mary Smith is a consultant at Google and the founder and CEO of Smith Digital.

03. Explain your professional role

Next, briefly explain your current position. This is relevant whether you’re the founder of a company, a high-level specialist or a beginner in your field, and it can be similar to the description you have on your resume. Your website visitors won’t necessarily know what your job involves, so elaborating on your primary responsibilities helps paint a picture of who you are and what you have to offer. This can also be used, if needed for employment and recruitment opportunities. If you're a freelancer a strong bio can make all the difference in how successful sourcing work can be.

04. Include professional achievements

In addition to explaining what your job entails, highlight milestones that make you stand out. Even if you haven’t won an award or gained external recognition, you can discuss ways in which you’ve contributed to your professional role and touch on new ideas or approaches that you bring to the table.

05. Discuss your passions and values

Once you describe what you do and how you contribute to your role, you’ll need to explain the why . This is one of the most important elements to focus on as you consider how to write a bio.

Think about the values and passions underlying your work, as well as your professional philosophy. What gets you up in the morning? What’s the driving force behind what you do?

You can also think of this part of your professional bio as a kind of mission statement. Perhaps your mission is to serve others, contribute to society, grow your expertise or learn new skills. Whatever your reasons, expanding upon these ideas can help your audience get a better understanding of what truly matters to you. Don't be afraid to deploy storytelling in this part of creating your bio. Explore your narrative and then convey it.

06. Mention your personal interests

The most effective short bios will not only focus on your professional experience, but will also touch on what you like to do in your spare time. Consider mentioning:

Your family

Your hometown

Your hobbies

Side projects you’re working on

Transitioning to a more casual discussion of who you are outside of work is a great way to conclude your bio. This will present you as a more well-rounded person while making you relatable for your audience.

Professional bio template

As you go through the steps on how to write a bio, this handy template will help you get started:

Sentence 1: [Name] is a [job title] who [job description].

E.g., Lisa Green is an English teacher who teaches beginning to advanced literature courses for 10th and 11th grade students at Bloomfield High School.

Sentence 2: [Name] believes that [why you do the work you do].

E.g., Lisa believes that written and analytical skills are not only a fundamental part of academic excellence, but are also the building blocks of critical thinking in high school and beyond.

Sentence 3: [Name/pronoun] has [mention your achievements].

E.g., In addition to managing the English curriculum for the school, she runs an after school program where she works one-on-one with students.

Sentence 4: [Name/pronoun] is a [mention any relevant awards, training or honors].

E.g., She has also been nominated Teacher of the Year for two consecutive years.

Sentence 5: [Name/pronoun] holds a [insert degree] in [field of study] from [university].

E.g., Lisa holds a BA in Creative Writing and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Michigan.

Once you’ve filled in this template, put it all together into a single paragraph to create an initial framework for your professional biography. Note that you can shorten or expand upon this bio according to your unique needs.

Professional bio examples

Now that you know the basics of writing a professional bio, here are some short bio examples to inspire you. You can use these examples as additional templates for guidance as you craft your own personal biography.

Like the creators of these examples, you can place your bio on your personal or professional website and, later, revise the structure for other online platforms.

01. Bristol Guitar Making School

Of all the professional bio examples, Alex Bishop’s content exudes passion. Strategically placing the bio on the About page of his small business website , he highlights his skills and explains why he finds his work meaningful. In particular, we love his description of why he chose to pursue guitar making:

“​My passion as a guitar maker comes from a life-long obsession with making things. From a young age I have always tried to manipulate objects and materials in order to create something entirely different. I find that working with wood is a way for me to connect with nature. The simple act of shaping wood to make something functional or beautiful brings me endless satisfaction.”

He also lists his accomplishments and awards, adding credibility to his business and building trust among prospective clients.

02. Alexandra Zsigmond

As someone who has served as art director for both The New York Times' opinion section and The New Yorker , it's no surprise that Alexandra Zsigmond's bio is thorough and detailed. Providing statistics or reflections on the things she achieved in her career is a clever way to demonstrate her value without saying so directly. As she explains:

"She has collaborated with a roster of over 1000 artists worldwide and art directed over 4000 editorial illustrations. She is known for greatly expanding the range of visual contributors to the Times, drawing equally from the worlds of contemporary illustration, fine art, animation, and comics."

03. Amanda Shields Interiors

Amanda Shields provides us with another effective bio example on her interior design website. Importantly, she spices up her bio by explaining how home decor aligns with her personal life and why it’s so close to her heart as a mother and entrepreneur:

"After working as a product designer for numerous retailers over the years, and after I had my first child, I decided to take the plunge and start my own home staging business…. Coincidentally, a month later I discovered I was pregnant with my second child. I loved the new challenges I faced as a new entrepreneur and mom and it didn't take long for me to discover that this was my calling…. I felt the need to expand my business and launch Amanda Shields Interiors as its own entity to focus specifically on residential interiors and design."

By placing this content on her website’s About page, she provides potential clients with insights into her expertise and professional experience. She expands upon the choices she made along her career path, strategically making note of her achievements and acquired skills along the way.

Tips for writing a bio

As you write your bio using the professional template above, make sure to keep the following tips in mind:

Keep it concise: Your bio should be sufficiently explanatory, but it should also be short and to the point. A good rule of thumb is to keep each element of your bio - from your job description to your mission statement and hobbies - to about 1-2 sentences. That way, you’ll end up with a brief paragraph that holds your readers’ attention without rambling on.

Consider your audience: The voice and tone you choose for your biography largely depends on your audience and personal goals. If you’re looking for a job and are writing primarily for recruiters, you’ll want to use a serious, professional tone. On the other hand, if you’re creating an Instagram bio , consider using more casual, conversational language that reflects your personality.

Add humor: Relatedly, consider adding humor when appropriate. This is especially valuable if you’ve founded your own business or created your own website , as it can give you a distinct brand identity while helping your audience build a stronger sense of connection with your brand.

Link to your website: When writing a bio for a platform other than your own website - a social media page, another company page, or a guest blog or publication - remember to include a link to your website. This will help you promote your website while highlighting your professionalism and authority.

Adapt for different platforms: You’ll most likely need to adapt the length and writing style of your biography to suit different platforms. For example, you may place a longer bio on your website’s About page and a shorter one on your LinkedIn page. In these cases, use the same main principles for writing a bio while scaling down the most important elements.

By following these tips, you can create a powerful bio that helps you stand out in your field and allows your audience to get to know you better.

How to write a bio in four sentences or less

Really need to create a super short bio? We'd suggest following some of the tips above, just condensing them into less word for a short bio that still makes impact.

But if we really had to choose we'd say focus on - you, your professional role and company. That condenses everything that matters for bio into three sentences. Humor, creativity and uniqueness still all matter just use less words to convey them.

Creating a bio for your website

As we’ve noted in the examples above, one of the most strategic places to put your bio is on your website - so be sure to consider it within your web design plans. Whether the goal of your site is to start and promote your business , showcase your design portfolio or display your resume, including a bio gives your audience a glimpse into the person behind your content. It can also kickstart your professional growth . Show the world what you do, how you do it and why it matters, and people will be drawn to your passion and inspired by your experience.

Pro tip: You can add a bio to many different types of websites, so using templates can help you create yours faster. For example, if you're creating a portfolio website, explore portfolio website templates to help you get started.

Creating a bio for social media

Crafting a professional bio for social media is vital as it introduces you or your brand, and it builds credibility and trust. A well-written bio establishes your expertise, attracts the right audience, and fosters engagement. It helps maintain a consistent brand image, optimizes search and discovery, and opens doors to networking and career opportunities. A compelling bio delivers a concise, informative snapshot of who you are, what you do, and the value you bring, leaving a lasting impression on visitors and potential collaborators alike.

You may need to edit your bio depending on which social media platform you plan to use it on. Some of the most popular ones include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Focus on getting your bio right on the platforms you plan to focus your personal or brand social media marketing efforts on.

Writing a bio with AI

If you're looking to write your bio fast while creating your website, consider using an AI text generator to build your draft. You'll still need to make sure it goes through. an intensive editing process, so that it really captures the essence of who you are and your professional skills. A bio is about much more than just basic information, so don't forget to include the storytelling too. Build a website with Wix and you can make use of the in-built AI text generator within its Editor .

Why good bios are important for a professional

A well-written bio is an essential tool for any professional. It serves as a concise and informative introduction, highlighting your skills, experience and accomplishments. A strong bio can effectively showcase your expertise, attract potential employers or collaborators and establish your credibility in your field.

Here's why a good bio is important for a professional:

Creates a positive first impression: A well-written bio is often the first thing someone will read about you, whether it's a potential employer, client or collaborator. A strong bio will make a positive first impression and pique their interest in learning more about you.

Highlights your skills and experience: A good bio allows you to succinctly summarize your key skills, experience and accomplishments. It's an opportunity to showcase your expertise and demonstrate your value to potential employers or collaborators.

Establishes credibility: A professional bio that is well-written and free of errors conveys credibility and professionalism. It shows that you take yourself and your career seriously and that you are someone they can trust.

Attracts opportunities: A strong bio can help you attract new opportunities, whether it's a job interview, a project collaboration or a speaking engagement. A well-crafted bio can make you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of being noticed.

Builds your professional brand: Your bio is a key component of your professional brand. It should reflect your personality, values and aspirations, and it should be consistent with your overall online presence.

Networking tool: A well-written bio can serve as an effective networking tool. It can help you connect with potential employers, clients or collaborators who share your interests or expertise.

Demonstrates continuous learning: A bio that is regularly updated to reflect your latest skills, experience and accomplishments shows that you are committed to continuous learning and professional development.

Showcases your communication skills: A well-written bio demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively in a concise and engaging manner. It shows that you can articulate your thoughts and ideas clearly and professionally.

Personalizes your job search: When applying for jobs, tailoring your bio to each specific position can increase your chances of getting noticed. Highlight the skills and experience that are most relevant to the job you are seeking.

Builds confidence: Having a strong bio that you are proud of can boost your confidence and make you feel more prepared to take on new challenges and opportunities.

How to write a bio FAQ

What is a short bio.

A short bio, short for biography, is a concise summary of a your life or professional background. It provides a brief overview of your key achievements, qualifications, experiences, and relevant details. Typically written in the third person, a short bio is often used in various contexts, such as professional profiles, social media accounts, introductions for speaking engagements, author descriptions, and other situations where a brief introduction is required. The length of a short bio can vary, but it's generally kept to a few sentences or a short paragraph to provide a snapshot of the person's background and expertise.

How do I write a bio about myself?

Don't be afraid to be unique. Even in a professional bio you'll want to focus on what makes you stand out and truly you. Take the time to brainstorm the important points you want to include and make sure to have someone else review and edit it before using.

What should I include in a short bio?

In a short professional bio you should include your professional qualifications and training, your experience and expertise. You should also include something memorable that makes your bio stand out, in a positive way.

How do you write a fun bio for work?

Writing a fun bio for work can be a great way to inject your personality into your professional profile and make yourself more memorable to potential clients, employers or colleagues. To accomplish that, make sure your bio is an authentic reflection of your personality and interests. Try using humor and vivid language to make your bio more engaging and memorable.

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How to Write a Professional Bio, With Examples and Templates

What is a Professional Bio? 

A professional bio is a brief summary of your professional background, skills, and achievements. It provides potential employers, clients, or customers with a snapshot of who you are and what you can offer. A well-written professional bio can help you stand out from other candidates and build your personal brand. 

A professional bio is typically included on your website, LinkedIn profile, or in a business proposal. You can also use it for personal or professional networking opportunities, such as conferences or job interviews.

In a business setting, your professional bio may also provide insight into your unique selling points, such as specific areas of expertise or notable projects you've worked on earlier.

Example of a Professional Bio 

A professional bio can take many forms and can vary in length, depending on its intended use. Here's an example of a straightforward professional bio. 

"Jane Doe is a highly motivated and experienced marketing professional with over 10 years in the industry. She has a proven track record of creating and executing successful marketing campaigns, increasing brand awareness, and driving sales. Jane is an expert in digital marketing, with a focus on social media and email marketing. In her current role as Marketing Manager at XYZ Corporation, she has led the company to record-breaking growth. In her free time, Jane enjoys traveling and photography."

In this example, the professional bio provides a brief overview of the person's background, years of experience, and areas of expertise. It also mentions their current position and personal interest, which helps to round out their professional profile. 

Short Professional Bio Template That You Can Use Right Away! 

The template below serves as a guide for crafting a comprehensive professional bio. It provides a framework that can be easily adapted to fit different scenarios. However, feel free to modify the professional bio template as needed to best showcase your unique skills and experiences.

[Name] is a [role] dedicated to [helping clients, customers, or employers] by offering [a unique approach or output]. [Name] holds a strong conviction that [belief about work].

[Name] boasts a wealth of [impressive experiences, accomplishments, and skills]. Currently, [Name] is [pursuing/studying/planning] [next professional goal].

[Name] holds [relevant certifications/awards/honors] and holds a [degree type] in [field of study] from [University].

When not [brief description of work], [Name] can be found [enjoying a hobby or interest].  

What should be included in your bio

Certain elements are important to make your professional bio effective and impactful. These elements are vital to introduce yourself, showcase your skills and experiences, and establish your personal brand.

Here are the main components of a good bio. 

• Name and Title: Start with your name and professional title to establish your identity and set the tone for the rest of the bio.
• Professional Background: Highlight your education, experience, and accomplishments to demonstrate your expertise and credibility.
• Skills and Abilities: Outline your core skills and strengths, such as technical expertise, leadership qualities, or communication skills.
• Unique Qualities and Personalities: Describe your unique personality traits and qualities that set you apart from others, such as your passion for your work or your ability to work well under pressure.
• Professional Interests: Mention your areas of interest and expertise, such as your passion for a specific industry, technology, or project type.
• Awards and Recognitions: List any professional awards, honors, or recognitions you have received to further show your accomplishments and expertise.
• Contact Information: Lastly, include your contact information, such as your email, phone number, and professional social media profiles.

By incorporating these elements into your professional bio, you can create an efficient and impactful introduction that accurately represents you and your abilities.

6 Steps to Write a Professional Bio

01. introduce yourself.

The starting point is an introduction. In this section, you will want to introduce yourself and provide a brief overview of who you are and what you do. Start with your full name (first name + last name) and current title or profession. 

You can also include your industry or field of expertise, as well as any relevant certifications or degrees you hold. 

This section should give your reader a good understanding of your background and qualifications, setting the stage for the rest of your bio. Try keeping it brief and to the point, as you will delve deeper into your achievements and professional experiences in later sections.

02. State your Company or Brand Name 

By specifying your company or brand name, you let your audience know what you represent and what kind of work you do. Remember to use the correct spelling and capitalize the first letter of each word to ensure that it looks professional and polished. 

03. Explain your professional role - what you Do 

Your professional role is a critical component of your professional bio, as it gives your audience an understanding of what you do and what you bring to the table. In this step, you should clearly state your current job title, niche, and your responsibilities within the organization. 

Explain what tasks and projects you handle regularly and what skills and expertise you bring to the table. 

Be specific and concise. Plus, avoid using overly technical terms that might be unfamiliar to your target audience. Remember, your goal is to make your professional role understandable and relatable to those reading your bio.

04. Include Professional Achievements 

When writing a professional bio, it's vital to include your professional achievements. It will give potential clients, employers, or colleagues a clear picture of your competence and help establish your credibility. Here are some tips on how to include your professional achievements in your bio. 

• Be Specific: Mention specific awards, certifications, or projects you have completed. It will give concrete examples of your accomplishments and show that you have experience in your field.
• Use Numbers : Quantify your achievements where possible. For example, if you received an award for being the top salesperson in your company, mention the number of sales you made and the timeframe you achieved it in.
• Highlight Your Skills: Focus on the skills you have developed through your professional achievements. These could be technical skills, leadership skills, or problem-solving skills, for example.
• Showcase Your Impact: Explain how your professional accomplishment has impacted your clients, colleagues, or the industry. It will give a better understanding of the value you bring to the table.
• Be Honest: Being honest is always a good idea. Do not exaggerate your achievements or include accomplishments that are not true. Your bio should be an accurate representation of your personal experience and accomplishments.
• Keep it Relevant: Only include achievements that apply to the audience you are writing for. 

05. Discuss your Passions, Values, and Personal Interests 

In order to stand out in today's competitive job market, you must create a professional bio that genuinely represents who you are as a person. That's why including information about your passions, values, and personal details is essential. Here are some tips to help you get started. 

• Get clear on your passions: What excites you? What are the things you would pursue even if you weren't getting paid for them? Highlighting your passions in your professional bio gives potential employers or recruiters a sense of your drive and motivation. 
• Showcase your values: Your values are the beliefs and principles that guide your decisions and actions. By including them in your bio, you're giving people a glimpse into what is most important to you and what you stand for.
• Share your personal interests: Your professional bio isn't just about your work experience. Including information about your personal interests helps to paint a more complete picture of who you are and what you enjoy doing outside of work. You can talk about your hobbies and what you're passionate about. 

06. Share your Contact Details 

It's important to share your contact details in your professional bio so interested parties can get in touch with you effortlessly. 

Whether you're an entrepreneur, freelancer, or job seeker, providing your email address, phone number, and other relevant details will make it easier for potential clients, customers, or employers to reach out to you. 

Make sure to include the most appropriate methods of communication for your line of work and to keep your information up to date.

Real-Life Bio Examples 

Here are some of the best real-life professional bio examples to inspire you to create yours today! 

• Ann Handley 

Source: NameCheap 

Why it works: Marketing expert Ann Handley's profile succinctly highlights her strengths and how she can benefit you and your business. This brief yet effective bio is ideal for personal websites and other similar platforms.

• Chima Mmeje 

Source: Hubspot 

Why it works: In her professional bio, Chima takes a unique approach to showcase her expertise and accomplishments. Instead of simply listing her accolades, she shares tangible results she has delivered for her clients, building reader confidence in her ability to deliver. 

It also serves as a practical way to name-drop her clients in a professional setting.

Chima outlines her process at a high level, offering potential clients a comprehensive overview of what they can expect when they work with her. The casual call-to-action, "Drop a message," in her email inbox serves as an invitation to learn more about her services and start the conversation.

Also Read: Blog: 20 Personal Bio Examples To Get You Inspired

• Marie Mikhail 

Why it works: As a seasoned recruiter, Mikhail immediately showcases her "passion for recruiting" in her opening sentence, effectively capturing the attention of her profile visitors with a compelling background story.

In a highly competitive industry, Marie recognizes the importance of standing out. To achieve this, she concludes her first paragraph by highlighting her unique value proposition of "getting people excited about the things [she's] excited about." 

It sets her apart from other HR professionals and showcases her genuine interest in connecting with her clients. 

• Chris Burkard 

Why this works: Chris Burkard's LinkedIn bio is a strong example of how to showcase your accomplishments without coming across as boastful. Written in the third person, his bio tells a compelling story, starting with his mission to "capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature."

He highlights his notable achievements, such as giving a TED talk and publishing books, but instead of bragging, ties his talents to his goal of helping others through social media. By sharing his vision, he hopes to inspire his followers to explore and discover new experiences. 

Adding personal information, such as being happily married with two sons, makes him seem more approachable and endears him to his audience.

• Alberto Beto Perez 

Why it works: Perez's LinkedIn bio is written in the style of a short story, beginning with his humble beginnings as a hardworking teenager who held three jobs at the age of 14. 

What we love most about this bio is Perez's creative approach to using the space to tell the story of his business rather than just listing his achievements. This approach makes Perez's introduction more personal and colorful, making him relatable and inspirational.

• Lisa Quine 

Why it works: Lisa Quine has taken a unique approach by quantifying her creativity in her professional bio. As you read through her bio, you'll see the number of murals she's completed and a timeline of her career, which provides a comprehensive view of who she is as a professional. 

Lisa's bio is a fantastic example of how to write an effective professional bio. She starts with her full name, location, and area of expertise. She then showcases her creativity by mentioning the well-known brands she has worked with and highlighting some of her most notable projects. 

Written in the third person perspective, this bio gives readers a glimpse into Lisa's life not only as a professional but also as a traveler, wife, mother, and learner. 

• Trinity Mouzon 

Why it works: Trinity's powerful introduction immediately draws the reader in and showcases her impressive achievements, including creating a brand that's now available at top retailers like Urban Outfitters and Target.

The language throughout her bio is genuine, sincere, and candid. For example, in the second paragraph, she candidly reveals the challenges she faced as a young entrepreneur starting a business with limited resources and funding.

This bio not only showcases Mouzon's background but also showcases how she can support readers in starting and growing their own businesses. By keeping the focus on the reader, Mouzon effectively demonstrates the power of a well-crafted bio to convert readers into leads and customers.

Tips For Writing a Short Bio 

Here are some tips for writing a short bio. You can use these to craft a Twitter bio or personal bio for Facebook or Instagram. 

• Keep it brief: Your bio should be no longer than two or three sentences. Stick to the most vital information and make every word count.
• Focus on your strengths: Highlight the skills and experiences that make you unique and set you apart from others.
• Show your personality: Your bio is a chance to let your personality shine through. Use a conversational tone and add a touch of humor if it fits your brand.
• Use keywords: If you want your bio to be searchable online, be sure to use keywords that describe your industry, skills, and experience.
• Update regularly: Your bio should reflect your current skills and accomplishments. So, update it regularly.

With these tips in mind, you'll be able to create a short and impactful bio that showcases your professional skills and personality.

Also Read: 250+ Instagram Bio Ideas You Can Copy Right Now 

Don't forget to share this post!  

If you found this blog helpful, don't forget to share it with your friends or family on social media or email. It'd help those in need of tips on how to write a professional bio. So don't hesitate and share it now! 

About Scalenut 

Scalenut is a leading AI-empowered SEO and content marketing platform that offers comprehensive resources and tools for individuals and businesses looking to enhance their professional profiles and build their personal brands. 

With a focus on effective writing and marketing strategies, Scalenut provides a variety of templates, examples, and tips for crafting the perfect professional bio.

Whether you're looking to create a compelling LinkedIn profile, a professional website, or a networking tool for your business, Scalenut has everything you need to get started and make a lasting impression. Sign up now!

ABout the AUTHOR

Shrikant is a growth marketer at Scalenut, where he focuses on developing strategies to nurture the Scalenut community and improve user experience through content marketing and SEO. In addition, he works to enhance the quality of AI outputs through prompt engineering. A MICA graduate and a Chartered Accountant, he utilizes both his creative and analytical skills to create effective solutions.

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20 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We’ve Ever Seen [+ Templates]

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Lindsay Kolowich Cox | HubSpot | October 13, 2022

Your professional bio is not only relevant when applying for jobs, seeking new clients, or networking — it also gives the world a brief snapshot of who you are and your professional ideals.

To help you author one that packs a punch, we’ll teach you how to write a professional bio and leverage professional bio templates with the best professional bio examples we’ve ever seen to draw inspiration from.

What is a Professional Bio?

A professional bio or biography is a short overview of your experience. Professional bios usually include details about education, employment, achievements, and relevant skills.

Purpose of Professional Bios

A bio tells an audience who you are, and what you’ve done, and also hints at what you are capable of doing. It can help potential employers, fans, or customers get a sense of your personality and what you stand for.

That may be hard to achieve without a starting point. Below, we’ve included professional templates to expedite the process of writing a great resume bio.

Read the full article and access templates here .

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The Best Short Professional Bios (Examples + Templates)

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Summary. To write a short bio you should first make an initial introduction introducing yourself in the first or first person. Your short bio should include your brand, your accomplishments, and your values and goals. Your short bio should be one to three short paragraphs or four to eight sentences long.

Knowing how to write a concise, informative, and interesting biography about yourself can help throughout various parts of the professional process. You can use your bio to capture the attention of potential employers or clients and convince them to choose to employ or work with you.

In this article, you’ll learn more about what goes into a short bio and how to write one, and you’ll also get to see some short bio templates and examples to help you get an idea of what yours should look like.

Key Takeaways

A short bio serves to introduce you, your achievements, and what you offer professionally to potential employers or clients.

It’s important to keep your bio brief so that readers stay engaged and will remember your main points.

You may need to adjust your bio for different audiences, as your clients may want to know different information than a recruiter would.

Talk about your skills and accomplishments in your bio, but don’t exaggerate them.

What Is a Short Bio?

How to write a short bio, what to include in a short professional bio, short bio examples, short bio templates, tips for writing a short bio, writing a short bio faq.

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A short bio serves as your introduction to the professional world. In terms of finding or expanding on your job, a bio will cover your:

Work history

Achievements

Any other relevant professional information

Think of it as a professional memoir that a hiring manager or consumer can read and understand quickly. It’s usually about one to three paragraphs depending on experience.

There’s an emphasis on being succinct when it comes to writing a professional bio. This is because a bio is supposed to be a preface to attract recruiter attention and incline them to reach out for more information. Many readers will get lost or bored with a lengthy bio.

Using a short bio can be helpful across very different industries, from marketing to accounting, from psychiatry to sales.

You’re probably familiar with providing short bios on social media websites and applications. While the information and skills you include in a professional bio may differ, the general formatting is similar.

There’s a lot of considerations to take into account when writing a short bio, and it can quickly become intimidating. Deciding what information is relevant and how to keep it near 140 characters is no small task.

If you’re having difficulty writing a short bio, follow the outline below to craft an introduction that engages your reader.

Make an initial introduction. You can’t jump right into everything you’ve done and what you want to do in the future before introducing yourself.

Your bio’s first sentence should begin with your full name in the third person or introduce yourself in the first person and continue to briefly outline your most notable skills and accomplishments. It’s a good place to state your current job and employer.

Go deeper with what motivates you. Once you’ve catchily illustrated who you are in your short bio, you can use the second sentence to describe your motivations for your work.

Stating what drives you to do the work you do is essential to employers and customers alike. Whether you work as a physician or fitness consultant , there’s a reason why this is your profession, and you should explain that in your short professional bio.

Describe your accomplishments. Your short bio is for detailing why you’re the ideal candidate to be trusted with handling an employer or consumer’s business. By describing your prior accomplishments, you let them know what you could offer as an employee and how you’ve succeeded in the past.

While you should avoid sounding braggy, the reader is looking for information about what your qualifications are , and your accomplishments generally measure these qualities.

Even though you could probably go on for ages about the details of your accomplishments, save that for an interview . In a short bio, only include the most impressive of your achievements to outline.

Accomplishments relevant to a short bio could include:

Impressive results on a project

Former promotions

Awards received in your field

Certifications received

Include contact information. The purpose of a short bio as either a business or a job seeker is to inspire the reader to reach out. Without contact information, this pursuit becomes futile. Make sure your short bio has some way to contact you at the end.

Relevant contact information may include:

Phone number

Professional networking profile

A short professional bio includes:

Your full name. You can choose to write your bio in the first person (I, me, my) or third person (he, she, they), but either way, you need to include your full name at some point. Branding doesn’t work so well without a brand name (i.e., you!)

Your brand. Of course, if you have an actual brand that you’re trying to market, you should include the brand name as well.

What you do. Summarize what you want the reader to know about what you do in one sentence — tricky, we know.

Your accomplishments. For a short bio, you can stick with just one major accomplishment from your professional life. Or, if you have a string of impressive achievements, try condensing all of them down to one sentence.

Your goals and values. Let the reader know what makes you tick — why do you do what you do and what do you hope to achieve with your work? People are compelled by a story more than anything else, so it’s important to get this part right.

Something personal (optional). If you have a quirky tidbit about yourself you’d like to include, go for it. Just make sure it doesn’t throw off te the tone of the rest of your bio.

Contact info (optional). If your bio is serving as a call-to-action to drum up business or get leads on job opportunities, it makes sense to include your contact information at the end of your bio. It’s not necessary if that information is available elsewhere on the page , though.

Entry-Level Job-Seeker Bio Example

Mitchell Morrison is an upcoming video producer and editor who believes in the art of visual organization. He is a recent graduate from the University of Washington and focused on post-production during his time studying there. He was introduced to the magical world of visual art production by watching his father work on editing commercials growing up and has been working towards his dream of becoming a video editor ever since. During his last year of college, Mitchell participated in a competitive internship with Digital Space Films. He was chosen out of 2,000 applicants based on his academic portfolio and personal statement essay. This internship was an incredible learning experience and resulted in three professional accreditations for music video editing. Mitchell currently lives in Seattle, Washington pursuing freelance opportunities and spending time with his Dog, Pikachu. To get into contact with Mitchell: MitchellMorrisonVideo.com/contact

Working Professional Website Bio Example

Lisa Kennedy is an experienced real estate professional. She knows how important a home is for long-term happiness and has invested her career in putting people in the house they’ve always dreamed of. Lisa was driven to pursue real estate from her passion for helping people during life-altering times, and a keen interest in high-end, luxury homes. She’s been working in the real estate industry for ten years and in that time has assisted over 3,500 people in finding homes. She was educated at the University of Los Angeles with a bachelor’s in business management. She’s worked for some of the most respectable Real Estate companies in Los Angeles and individually under her agency “Kennedy Homes.” Lisa has also been published in Real Estate Quarterly Magazine as the 2017 winner of the “Top Luxury Home Seller” award. Lisa loves the culture of Los Angeles and has been living there with her family of five since she graduated from college. She enjoys spending her free time exploring towns along the West Coast and swimming. If you’d like to get in touch with Lisa: Email: [email protected]

Professional Networking Profile Bio Example

Bianca Jones Marketing Manager Miami, FL The first step towards customer satisfaction is being reached by stellar product marketing, and that’s what I aim to provide. My professional experience as a product marketing manager has allowed me to assist many organizations in improving their sales margins and audience response to emerging products. I’ve brought dedication and positive results to the companies I’ve worked for because I am passionate about product perception, marketing, and business statistics. What drives a product to success interests and inspires me. I specialize in long-term growth strategies and audience outreach. In addition to eight years of experience in professional product marketing, I have also published two books on creating a career as a marketer called “What to Do After Your Bachelor’s” and “A Marketer’s How-To.” If you’re interested in learning more about how to market your business better, or just discuss more, feel free to contact me by email at [email protected].

Your first choice is whether you want your bio to be written in the third person or first person. These short bio templates show both options, and also include different ideas for what to include, and how. Feel free to pick and choose your favorite parts of each of the two.

[Full Name] is a [job title] who [believes/knows] in the power of [what you do]. [He/She/They] began their journey in [field] by [how you got started in the field], and now dreams of [what you hope to accomplish]. [His/Her/Their] biggest accomplishment to date has been [your biggest accomplishment]. [Full Name] lives in [where you live] and participates in [a hobby/interest]. To get in touch with [Full Name], call/email/message me on [how you’d like to be contacted].

I am a [job title] who helps [who you help] [what you help them do]. It’s my belief that [your unique perspective on the field]. In the past [# of years] years, I’ve [major accomplishment #1] through [how you accomplished it]. I have a passion for [your professional passion], but on the side, I also enjoy [personal passion]. Get in touch with me today at [contact info] — I look forward to talking with you about [what you want to talk to your readers about].

You have a firm grasp of the structure of a short bio and what to include. Now, you may need some tips for how to polish your short professional bio and make it stand out from the competition.

Be mindful of length. While you’re probably getting sick of hearing that your bio should be short, it’s good to keep in mind throughout the writing process. It’s easy to go off on a tangent while trying to include everything relevant or rationalize, making your bio too long.

Avoid this impulse. The point of a bio is that it’s limited. You want to intrigue the reader enough to inspire them to seek more information about you or your services.

Tailor your bio to your intended audience. Whether you’re using a short bio to attract a particular customer base or potential employer, tailoring it to fit their wants and needs is crucial. Consider your intended audience base and what they’re looking for in a candidate or service.

Be genuine. Your short bio should be an authentic representation of your traits, experience, and personality. People are repelled by what they interpret as stretching the truth. If you’re being received as disingenuous by the reader, they’ll probably move on.

Proofread. The only way to steer clear of errors in your short bio is by proofreading it. Imagine a hiring manager being completely interested in your bio.

They love what you have to say about yourself and find your prior experience enticing. That is, until they come across a mistake that clearly shows you didn’t do proofread or edit.

Include links to your portfolio, website, or networking profile. One way to circumvent the confining factor of keeping your bio short is by including links to more detailed sources.

This can be in the form of linking your portfolio or website to allow the reader to go deeper into your discussed skills if they please, without taking up more space in your bio.

Implement these links seamlessly into your bio by attaching them to anchor words that describe what clicking will lead them to.

Add some personality. You aren’t the only person who has an impressive list of accomplishments to put on a bio, so you’re going to need to find some additional ways to make an impression.

What should a short bio include?

A short bio should include your name, what you do, and your achievements. You should also include your company or product’s brand, if you have one, and your goals and motivations for doing what you do. This humanizes you and helps you stand out from the rest of the pack.

How long is a short bio?

A short bio is typically one to three paragraphs long. These should be short paragraphs though, as other experts say that between four and eight sentences is the ideal length for a short bio.

What makes a good bio?

A good bio is succinct and memorable. Readers don’t want to spend long reading about your professional and personal life, so go back and cut it down to the important parts multiple times after you draft it. You might be surprised at how little you actually need to include.

What should you avoid putting in a short bio?

You should avoid including anything negative or arrogate. It’s never a good idea to write anything negative about previous jobs or employers. Only include positive things in your professional short bio.

It’s important to include your achievements in a short bio, but there is a fine line between mentioning your achievements and bragging about them. Stick to the facts when talking about your accomplishments.

Fremont University – Building Your Professional Bio

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.

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5 Inspiring Short Bio Examples + How to Write a Professional Bio

POSTED ON Nov 23, 2023

Written by Shannon Clark

Are you a business owner who wants to share your expertise but is unsure of how to stand out in a crowded marketplace? Maybe you want to write a book or create a course but there’s still the matter of convincing people of why they should trust you. This is where a professional bio comes in.

When you are building a personal brand, every word you use matters. In this article, we’ll break down the parts of a professional bio, walk through the steps of creating one, and share some short bio examples. 

This guide for writing a professional bio includes:

What is a professional bio?

Your professional bio is a short, curated snapshot of your education, accomplishments, and career highlights. Similar to an author bio , it gives background information on why you are qualified to do what you do, but unlike an author bio that focuses only on a book, a professional bio is a broader take on who you are as a business owner and your brand.

The best professional bios are streamlined, highly focused, and targeted to your audience. They condense all of your years of experience and knowledge into a bite-sized snippet that you can share across various mass media outlets like your website, podcasts, social media, television interviews, and speaking engagements .

Creating a short bio that resonates with readers and doesn’t sound like a boring list of accomplishments may sound like a tall order, but it’s doable with the right template. 

How do you write a professional bio?

The challenge that many career professionals face when trying to write a short bio is that there’s so much information to sift through. What do you include? What do you leave out? When do you use generalities? When do you get specific?

Here are some basic steps for writing a professional bio. 

Gather the necessary information. Prewriting is a great way to pull everything together.

• Start with your personal brand. Think specifically about your current offer and the products and services that you sell. Write those down.
• Define your audience. As a business owner, you likely have an avatar or multiple avatars (marketing personas) of your ideal customer. Before writing your professional bio, you’ll need to know who will be reading it.
• Know your why. Where are you in your career currently? Why is now the time to define your personal brand? Knowing this will help you develop the tone for your professional bio. You don’t want your bio to be static and boring. You want it to have personality, and knowing your why will help you create an engaging one.

In this article, we’re focusing on short bios, and one of the best ways to get to a short bio is to start with a longer one. It’s easier to subtract from a short one than to try to make a short bio longer. You’ll need different bio lengths for different purposes, and starting with the longest and narrowing it down to the shortest will help make the process more efficient.

Here’s how to build your main bio.

There are several ways to write a professional bio, but one of the easiest is to use the 5-paragraph structure that's common in personal essays: introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Writing it in the third person is standard and often viewed as more formal and professional, but some opt for the first person which has a more casual feel. 

• Introduction (1 paragraph) – This opening paragraph sets the stage for the rest of the bio. You can start from your childhood if it’s relevant or whatever point on the timeline when your career focus began to take shape. Some even begin with their current title and position and move on from there. Wherever you start, you want this paragraph to catch everyone up to where you are now so you can tell them where you’re going.
• Body (3 paragraphs) – Your body paragraphs are where you “flesh out” your history. It’s your story. This is where you talk about your education, your accomplishments, and the whys that motivate you to do what you do.
• Conclusion (1 paragraph) – This is where you tell your reader where you are going—your vision for your brand and the people that you serve. 

Once you’ve written your full bio (up to 400 words, give or take), you’ll want to cut it to about 200 words to create the shorter version. This is where you go from specifics to generalities. For example, in a longer bio, you might mention the subject of your dissertation as it relates to your current career path, but in the shorter bio, it would suffice to say you received a Ph.D. and from where. 

5 short bio examples

Below I’ve shared 5 short bio examples from business owners who've put in the work to create outstanding personal brands. Some are solopreneurs whose personal and company brands are the same, while others head up large companies and have chosen to separate their personal brand from the company's. 

The first example from Whitney Johnson, the CEO and co-founder of Disruption Advisors shows her full bio (pulled from her LinkedIn profile). Underneath you’ll find the shortened version she displays on her website. I found even shorter versions on her YouTube and Twitter (X) pages. This is a good example of how to take a longer bio and shorten it.

1. Whitney Johnson

Area of expertise or Industry: Leadership training

Products / Services: Coaching, public speaking, books, workshops

Full bio ( source )

Word count – 372

Whitney Johnson is the CEO of Disruption Advisors (thedisruptionadvisors.com), a leadership development company, helping you grow your people to grow your business.

A Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, Whitney was named by Thinkers50 as one of the ten leading business thinkers in the world (2021). She is a world class keynote speaker and a popular lecturer for Harvard Business Publishing’s Corporate Learning. She has 1.7 million followers on LinkedIn where she was selected as a Top Voice in 2020. Her course on Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than one million times, and her LinkedIn Lives have more than 1 million cumulative views. In 2017, she was selected from more than 17,000 candidates for the initial cohort of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches, and was named as the #1 Talent Coach.

Johnson is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, as well as the author of the WSJ bestselling Smart Growth, Build an A Team, a Financial Times Book of the Month, and the critically acclaimed Disrupt Yourself. In these books, she codifies the S Curve of Learning and the Seven Accelerants of Personal Disruption, both of which operationalize disruption theory by applying it to the individual. Integral to her work is the weekly Disrupt Yourself Podcast which has millions of downloads. Guests have included Brené Brown, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Stephen M.R. Covey.

Johnson was the cofounder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen, through which they invested in and led the $8 million seed round for South Korea’s Coupang, currently valued at more than $25 billion. She was involved in fund formation, capital raising and the development of the fund’s strategy.

A former award-winning Wall Street stock analyst, Johnson applies her understanding of momentum and growth in stocks to people. She was an Institutional Investor–ranked equity research analyst for eight consecutive years, rated by Starmine as a superior stock-picker. As an equity analyst, stocks under coverage included America Movil (NYSE: AMX), Televisa (NYSE: TV) and Telmex (NYSE: TMX), which accounted for roughly 40% of Mexico's market capitalization.

She is married, has two children, and lives in Lexington, Virginia, where her family grows strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries and enjoys making jam.

Short bio (source)

Word count – 188

Whitney Johnson , CEO and Co-Founder of Disruption Advisors, is a world-class coach globally recognized thought leader, author, keynote speaker, and consultant helping organizations operationalize a high-growth mindset in their leaders and teams. 

Whitney is the WSJ, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author of Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company (Harvard Business Press, 2022). She shares her passion for personal disruption, helping individuals transform their lives, careers, teams, and companies through her keynote addresses; her popular podcast Disrupt Yourself; lectures at Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning; the award-winning books How to Build an A Team , Disrupt Yourself , and Dare, Dream, D o; and frequent article contributions to the Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review.

Whitney is ranked a top talent coach by Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the top 10 leading business thinkers in the world, and named Inc.’s 200 Female Founders of 2023. She is co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Clayton Christensen, and a former award-winning stock analyst on Wall Street, Whitney Johnson now applies her understanding of momentum and growth in stocks to people.

2. Tiffany Dufu

Area of expertise or industry: Peer coaching

Products / Services: books, public speaking

Short Bio ( source )

Word count: 203

Tiffany Dufu is founder of The Cru, a peer-coaching tech company acquired by Luminary in 2023. Their algorithm matches circles of women who collaborate to meet their personal and professional goals. She’s also the author of the bestselling book Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less. According to foreword contributor Gloria Steinem, Drop the Ball is “important, path-breaking, intimate and brave.”

Named to Entrepreneur's 100 Powerful Women and Fast Company’s League of Extraordinary Women, Tiffany has raised nearly $20 million toward the cause of women and girls. She is a frequent speaker on women’s leadership and has presented at Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit, MAKERS and TEDWomen. She was a launch team member to Lean In and was Chief Leadership Officer to Levo, one of the fastest growing millennial professional networks. Prior to that, Tiffany served as President of The White House Project, as a Major Gifts Officer at Simmons University, and as Associate Director of Development at Seattle Girls’ School.

Tiffany is a member of Women’s Forum New York, Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc. and is a Lifetime Girl Scout. She serves on the board of Simmons University and lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

3. Chris Do

Area of expertise or industry: Brand design

Products / Services: public speaking, courses, workshops

Word count: 123

First-person example

As the Founder and CEO of The Futur, I have over 27 years of experience in brand design, strategy, and consultancy, working with clients such as Microsoft, Sony, Nike, and Starbucks. I am passionate about helping people realize their value and communicate it to others, whether through design, content, education, or coaching.

I am also a sought-after public speaker and mentor, delivering keynote speeches, workshops, and courses at various events, conferences, and organizations around the world. I share my insights and expertise on topics such as branding, business, creativity, and social media marketing, reaching millions of people through my YouTube channel, podcast, and online platform. My mission is to empower the next generation of creative entrepreneurs and leaders to achieve their full potential.

4. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D

Area of expertise or industry: neuroscience

Products / Services: public speaking

Word count: 228

Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.

Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on brain states such as fear and high attention focus and developing rapid and effective tools for mitigating stress and improving sleep and other physiological metrics.

Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover and other top media outlets.

In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.

Alongside hosting the Huberman Lab podcast, Andrew Huberman is the co-founder of Scicomm Media, and actively invests in and advises a handful of businesses. 

5. Amy Porterfield

Area of expertise or industry: entrepreneurship

Products / Services: public speaking, book, courses

Word count: 204

I help entrepreneurs build businesses online. My areas of expertise include how to start and grow an email list, how to create digital courses and how to promote and sell courses online using webinars.

About My Podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy

How do I start an online business? Grow my email list to thousands of subscribers? Sell more and grow faster? These are just some of the big questions that leading online marketing strategist, Amy Porterfield, digs into on the top-ranked Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast.

Featuring insights from A-List online marketing experts (Russell Brunson, Jamie Kern Lima, Rick Mulready, Marie Forleo, etc.) as well as mini marketing masterclasses and step-by-step guides, each episode is designed to help you take immediate action on the most important strategies for starting, scaling and automating your online business.

My specialty is getting into the online trenches with you. Thinking about creating an online course? Want to promote with webinars? Need help building your email list? Discover why hundreds of thousands of online business owners turn to me to generate more profits and to make sense of the online marketing space, implement the strategies that really get results, and turn that side hustle into a business that lasts.

Final thoughts

When you are designing your personal brand, how you present yourself to the world will define how the world sees you. A well-written, engaging professional bio will pull newcomers into your world and invite them to stay awhile and look around. A dry, static list of your credentials will do the opposite—push potential followers away. 

By using the easy-to-follow guidelines above and learning from the short bio examples shared, you can create a standout professional bio that demands attention. 

Are you interested in sharing your expertise with the world as an authorpreneur ? Have you given serious thought to writing a book to grow your business? A book makes a great lead magnet to build your audience. Selfpublishing.com has a team of experts ready to show you how to create a book funnel and start growing your personal brand today!

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9 Steps to Write a Great Bio – Short and Sweet Characters

by Minter Dial | Sep 3, 2014 | Social Media | 11 comments

Do you think you could have a better bio ? I’m talking about the little blurb that you use to define your presence on various online networks. How to write a great bio isn’t a question we regularly discuss at work, much less at the family dinner table. And yet, I would argue that most of us should probably be a lot more attentive to our bio than we currently are. Having a well-worked bio is an essential part of your online reputation . Ask yourself:

• How strong is your bio?
• Does your bio, in 160 characters, accurately reflect you?
• Is your bio consistent across the web?
• Does it make you stand out?

The bio is yesteryear’s CV

Just recently, I was asked to send an organization my CV — yes, the good old-fashioned curriculum vitae, albeit as an attachment via email. Some of you might remember when we used to have to send them via the post. In today’s fast-paced and low-attention spanning world, the request for my CV was somewhat surprising, especially since it was to speak at a high-tech event (in China). Anyway, I took the cobwebs off and updated it. I doubt anyone will read it thoroughly, though. In today’s world, I would suggest that anyone asking for a heavily curated, historical and rather long document like a CV is in serious need of updating themselves. Without stating the obvious existence of Linkedin, Xing or Viadeo (Tianji in China), the lack of social proof in a CV feels absolutely inauthentic, almost artificial. Not that everything you write on LinkedIn is necessarily the gospel truth, but your LinkedIn profile — along with the recommendations and the crowd-sourced skills — stands out there in the public domain for all to see and the chances of getting called on an errant fact are rather large.

The healthy bio

One of the challenges with your bio is that it exists on multiple sites, at different times and in different sizes. One size does not fit all. Whereas in the olden days, you might have had a one-page and two-page version of your CV, the bio is de rigueur on basically all social media sites and comes in all shapes and sizes. Doing an audit of my own bios, in preparation for this post, I realized that I had a number of bios out there that needed updating. The problem is that there is no easy way to view all your bios. It basically requires trolling through all your online profiles singly. A good starting point is to Google yourself (not to snob Bing), and you can also try a few other services that have a person search function, such as Qwant.

The bio character limitation

Taking a look at the top social networks and sites, the range goes from 40 characters to unlimited (with some that don’t give you the option at all). When the option exists, the median length (in this list) is 160 characters . Here is a current list of the space limitations (in alphabetical order) for you to get your “short biography” across ( limits updated Feb 2021 ):

• Facebook – 255 characters (for the “fan page” overview)
• Goodreads – Unlimited, and allows for HTML tagging; the first 750 characters are visible.
• Google+ – Unlimited – SHUT DOWN Apr 2019
• Instagram – 150 characters
• LinkedIn – 60 characters per line for the professional title (summary has no limit). While you can add multiple lines, best to make sure the first line says it all.
• Path – none – SHUT DOWN Oct 2018
• Pinterest – 160 characters
• Quora – first 200 characters are visible; more text and hyperlinks possible. 
• Skype – 200 characters
• SlideShare.net – 700 characters
• Snapchat – none available
• Twitter – 160 characters (bio)
• Your own website – Site title meta tag (1st 40 characters)
• WhatsApp – 140 characters
• YouTube Channel – 1000 characters

Given the pre-eminence of Twitter, I have tended to use my Twitter bio as my anchor text. It’s a good idea to keep the top line of your bio clean and sharp. I recommend having a standard short bio at 200 characters. Naturally, if we are writing in Chinese or Japanese ideograms, the parsimonious nature of bios is a little less challenging.

To write a great bio

So, here are my 9 key learnings and tips to make your bio the strongest possible (you can tweet out the tips you like most!):

• Make sure your bio presents you in the best light: no typos , no unintelligible acronyms or obscure terms. { Click to Tweet }
• If you are really pressed for space , you can eliminate the space after a comma or period. Of course, only a single space after a period is become de rigueur . { Click to Tweet }
• If you work for a company (as opposed to for yourself), you should check on company policy about how you may include your company name and whether a qualifier (such as “tweets are my own”) is required. { Click to Tweet }
• Include a short-form (e.g. with bit.ly) link to your site in your bio if the profile area doesn’t feature a place for a link. { Click to Tweet }
• If a photo can be included, don’t use an egghead or an obscured image of yourself. My strongest advice is to use the same headshot as often as possible (in particular to improve the recognition in Google Images). { Click to Tweet }
• If you feel you need an expanded version of your profile in the short bio, use a service such as about.me (where you can add all your social media addresses as well as blogs and videos, etc.) or flavors.me . { Click to Tweet }
• Make sure your bio has the  keywords for which you would like to be found (Twitter has a search engine, too). { Click to Tweet }
• Create a series of “stock” bios in a space accessible from all your devices (i.e. in the cloud in Evernote ). I have created standard 160-character, 250-character, 500-character and 1000-character versions, with the premise that I will always update in the central document first before copy/pasting into the online profile. { Click to Tweet }
• Recognizing it is not feasible to keep all one’s bios up-to-date all the time, I recommend putting in the effort at least once every six months for three reasons: (a) to make sure the bios are reasonably consistent and appropriately fresh; (b) because updating your bio usually spins out an automatic update from the network (which is trying to create moments of interaction/engagement); (c) Google likes new news. In fact, you might want to consider changing either your bio or image a little more frequently on the more strategic sites. { Click to Tweet }

Your thoughts and comments, as always, encouraged!

***If you like my writing and are interested in fostering more meaningful conversations in our society, please check out my  Dialogos  Substack. This newsletter will feature articles on why and how we can all improve our conversations, whether it’s at home, with friends, in society at large or at work. Subscription is free, but if you see value in it, you are welcome to contribute both materially and through your comments. Sign up here:

11 Comments

Double spaces after the period were only added because of clarity on mono-spaced typewriters. Typesetters have been cursing ever since. Proper font faces will have adequate spacing built into the period.

If you are extending the examination of your bio to your cv, you might want to look at http://jsonresume.org/ but maybe that’s going to separate the true geeks from the “wannabes”…

You haven’t told us how to stand out!

Very helpful I’m implementing the 9 right now.

Your LinkedIn profile repeats the word ‘and’ in the first sentence.

Hello, your idea is very cool! It is understood and easy to see and use. Also, it is new to me, I have not seen someone using notes like this. But if you ever decide to use the professional service to do the writing a short bio , out online tool can help you with this daunting task. A free online writing tool has a lot of cons such as being free of charge, it provides results immediately and you do not have to wait. The quality is also good, do not believe people who tell vice versa.

How can i write about tech Bio

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BioTemplates.com

Write a personal or professional bio using our free biography examples for ideas.

100 Word Bio Examples

How many words exactly?

Twitter: 160 characters, which means only 20 – 25 words. Make each word count!

Pinterest: 200 characters, which translates into approximately 30 words.

Instagram: 150 characters, or about 20 words.

First-Person or Third-Person Format?

Before you get started though, you’re probably wondering if you should write in first-person (I am a …)  or third-person (your name, such as “Barbra is a …”).

In the past, experts would tell you that bios should always be written in third person. These days, particularly with informal social networks such as Pinterest and Instagram, first person is common. On  the other hand, on professional networks such as LinkedIn you’ll normally see bios written in the more formal third-person voice. It all depends on whether you want to project a formal, business-like feeling (third-person), or an informal social feeling (first-person).

Choose whatever works best for you

In the example templates below, I used both first-person and third-person formats. Choose whichever works best for your needs, but keep it consistent throughout your bio. In other words, don’t switch back and forth from first-person to third-person.

 Fill-in-the-blank templates

_______ (your name) is a _________, __________, and _________. He/She helps _______ (who you help, i.e. your clients or customers) to _________ (what you help them with, usually a problem you solve). __________

(your name) has always enjoyed starting and running businesses. In fact, by the time she/he was ________ (age), she/he had already ____________ . Soon afterwards, ___________ (your name) began a _________ and a ___________. Now she/he is the ________ (your title) of _________ (your business name), which __________ (short description of your business).

I’m the owner/operator of ________________ (your business name, linked to your website). ___________ (your business name) provides ___________ (your service or product) to ____________ (your customers) so they can ____________ (what your customers do with your service or product).

I got into this line of business in ______ (year) when _________ (tell how you got started).

My favorite part of having a ___________ (type of business) business is ____________, because it allows me to ____________ (why you enjoy it). Also, _________________ (a part of your job) can be a lot of fun!

When I’m not working on ___________ (your business name, linked to your website), I like to _________ (your hobbies).

I’m a _________, ________ and _________ (list three things that describe you, e.g. small business owner, writer, cat lover, devoted father) from __________ (list the general area you live in, e.g. country, state or city, but obviously: don’t ever give your address).

I think of myself as a _______ (your temperament e.g. quiet, bubbly, shy, outgoing) person, although I’ve also been known to __________ when __________ .

The things I love most in life are ______, _________ and ________ (list your favorite things, e.g. hanging with friends, my relationship with God, photography, cycling, family, my kids).

I’ve been ___________ (your profession or hobby) for ____ years, and I really love it.

My idea of the perfect day would start with _________. And then I’d _______ and finish off by ________. The kinds of people I’d like to meet are ones who are ________ and ________. That’s important to me because __________.

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Personal branding. Ahrefs’ Social Media Bio Generator can be a valuable tool for individuals who want to create a compelling and professional bio for their social media profiles. By inputting relevant information about themselves, their interests, and their achievements, the tool can generate well-crafted bios that effectively represent their personal brand. This use case helps individuals make a strong first impression and showcase their unique qualities and expertise.

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The technology behind Ahrefs’ Social Media Bio Generator

Ahrefs’ Social Media Bio Generator uses a language model that learns patterns, grammar, and vocabulary from large amounts of text data – then uses that knowledge to generate human-like text based on a given prompt or input. The generated text combines both the model's learned information and its understanding of the input.

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