Ever wonder how to write up a little bio for your “about the author” box? It’s really easy. Here are my 5 simple steps:
1. State who you are and how you help clients. In one sentence, make it clear what you do (your business category), who you do it for (target market) and ultimately what problem you solve for them (e.g., what does the result of your work ultimately provide for clients?).
2. Focus on them, not you. No one cares about your background, what all your professional designations or affiliations are, how many years experience you have, blah blah blah. They care about how you can help them, what you can do for them. This is the WIIFM (“what’s in it for me?”) factor and you always want to write from that perspective.
3. Use “you” and “your,” not “me, me, me.” What I mean is that you want to write using the 2nd person point of view (“you,” “your”). This draws the reader into your message by making it personal.
4. Include a call to action at the end. A “call to action” is a sentence that tells the reader exactly what to do next. This is part of the proverbial marketing funnel that leads readers to your website and onto your mailing list. Example: “For more free strategies for success, subscribe to my Biz Tips ezine at….”
5. Keep it short and sweet, about 3-5 sentences. No one wants to read your life story, and your call-to-action will get lost in the details if you make the reader work too hard to get to the point (i.e., WIIFM?).
Is this post helpful to you? Please let me know in the comments!
Danielle:
Your comments about WIIFM and using the KISS principle are so accurate. Whenever VABS sends out an initial contact to a prospective client we do exactly as you suggest.
Thanks for keeping us on our toes.
Paula S. Pike
Thanks for this timely post…I was struggling with a bio for an article submission earlier this week. Your post will make a great outline for me to use next time. Thanks so much!
Hi Danielle:
Your posts are dyanmic and very helpful to me. I am currently employed by a government entity but as I approach retirement, I am considering administrative consulting. My area of expertise is meeting and conference planning, from small meetings of 25 people to larger conferences of 100+. I am looking for insights on how to define my marketability and cast my net to attract clientel that needs those services. Can you direct me? Thanks so much!!
That’s great, Deb! Business ownership is quite an adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Regarding marketability, one of the first pieces of advice would be to understand what business you’re in and calling yourself something appropriate. The expertise you are looking to build a business around is called event planning rather than administrative consulting. What you want to understand is that your specialty IS your business category. If you are someone who specialize in event planning, you are an Event Planner or Event Organizer. This is something different from Administrative Consultants, whose specialization and area of expertise is administrative support. It’s important to understand this distinction because it’s how you will draw to you the right clients who are looking specifically for what you are in business to do.
Much success to you in your entrepreneurial journey!
I appreciate this article because I was having THE WORST time trying to figure out what to include and what not to include in my bio. Thanks Danielle for keeping your articles relative.
You are very welcome! Glad its helpful 🙂