5 Ways To Improve Your Professional Bio
WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL BIO WORTH?
As an entrepreneur, my workday never really ends. But I have made it a habit to stop communicating with clients once my family, especially my three-year-old, is back in my stratosphere.
I broke that rule last week when on the way home from dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, a client, whom I submitted work to the day before, gave me a call. Usually, a call like this and at that time would automatically go to voice-mail, but that night I decided to answer the phone.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN YELLED AT BY A CLIENT?
Once I answered with a hello, the voice on the other end began to yell.
Thankfully, the yelling of my name was all celebratory. The client began yelling, “Terrence, I got it. I got the gig.”
Those are the best phone calls to have, so I was happy to have broken my rule on that on Tuesday night.
SO THE STORY IS…
That weekend I came in contact with this client who was in the running to be selected as a featured speaker for the event.
This event, with a long-standing organization, is one she had been shooting to be a part of for a while and only now was she in the final running. The last step for consideration was her professional bio.
I’ve written bios for speakers, consultants, business owners, authors, and the list goes on. This project was unique though. I say that because it allowed me to see how important a bio can be and should be.
A PROFESSIONAL BIO CAN BE WORTH A TRIP TO BERMUDA?
I am used to clients wanting a very general bio for their website or a speaker bio for an engagement they have already secured.
This time there was a heightened significance because this bio had the potential to open up doors for more businesses in her life and in case I didn’t mention this before, an opportunity to travel to the beautiful island of Bermuda, where the event is being held.
The client was understandably anxious to be selected so she wanted my assistance to make sure everything was perfect.
With a short deadline, I got to work.
I have to say, it never ceases to amaze me, even as an experienced writer and marketer, how important proper messaging is in ALL writing.
YOUR WORDS ARE EVERYTHING
It’s so important for all business, new entrepreneurs especially, to understand that every word you write is advertising copy — language catered to a specific audience that calls them to a specific action.
This truth became clear to me, even for a professional bio. Reading over her previously developed bio, I saw what I usually see. An individual who is professional, experienced and incredibly knowledgeable. But that was the problem. We see that on every bio. What was missing was the language to help stand out from the ordinary.
After researching the organization she was attempting to partner with, I revamped the bio in a way that would help her stand-out and win the gig.
The considerations I made and the steps I took, other speakers, consultants and business professionals can use to easily create a winning bio of their own.
5 WAYS TO CREATE AN ENGAGING PROFESSIONAL BIO
1. Consider your professional bio as a living document
It is common to create a bio and leave it as is, disseminating on your website, LinkedIn and other social media platforms and everyone who asks for one. This is a mistake. Just like the rest of your messaging, your speaker bio should speak directly to the audience you are targeting or who is requesting.
Think about the recent Dolly Parton Challenge. The picture you post for the different platforms is specific to each platform. The same goes for your bio. Understand the personality and culture of those who will see your bio.
This gets you away from believing you need a static bio and instead give you the opportunity to create multiple bios, both short and long, that allow you to highlight significant parts of your experience and leave out those which are insignificant to your intended audience. This may take a little more work, but it will give you a certain edge over others when competing for jobs and trying to connect with certain organizations.
If you can speak their language before you come in contact, you are already one step ahead of the competition.
2. Your professional bio is personal branding
Though your main focus is on your target audience, your bio should also be looked at as a personal branding tool. This is an opportunity to be relatable and a chance for others to see the passion in what you do.
You can achieve this by sharing a unique aspect of your life that may endear you to those looking for your services or products. You can also put in a personal quote that you live by. Include a fun hobby or talk about your family. There are many ways you can accomplish this, but whatever you choose, it’s important to include a little personality and passion in between your experience and educational accomplishments.
3. Your bio should tell a story
Story is at the heart of everything we are in business and in our personal lives. Your bio is no exception. A professional bio is a great way to share a journey and keep the reader reading.
Think about it. How many bios do you actually read, and how many do you skim through? No comparison, right?
The problem is, most bios are boring. They don’t grab the attention of a reader and they don’t even try. If you instead take your life experiences, passions, education, certifications and are able to craft a brief narrative (not as hard and doesn’t have to be as long as you think), it makes a world of difference to your reader and it will encourage them to invite themselves to become a part of your journey by hiring you, partnering with you, or having you come to speak to and teach their audience.
4. Your bio is NOT a resume
Your bio should not be a restatement of your Professional CV or resume.
It’s easy to begin stating what you have done in chronological order, but to be effective you need to show what you have done (and feel free to put that in chronological order).
Choose exciting action words, reveal the results of doing your job. Get your reader excited. Don’t just state you are a professional or expert with X years of experience. Anybody can go to school or be in a job for a long period of time and labeled themselves as an expert. What makes you an expert? What has your expertise allowed you to do in your field? How has your professional experience translated into helping and serving others? How has your combined experience and knowledge helped in growing profits?
Whatever it may be that your target needs to hear or read, elaborate on these facts and allow people to know that you are not simply a doer, you are motivated by results.
5. Include an appropriate picture for the platform and audience
Back to the Dolly Parton challenge. It’s important to have a picture, but it’s just as important to have the right picture. Imagine attaching a bikini-clad or shirtless photo on the speaker bio of someone coming to speak to a group of high school students. That person may be qualified, but that picture alone is probably going to cancel them from consideration.
That may be an extreme example, but business professionals must know what is appropriate. You may need a professional headshot for your bio. For a youth event, maybe you can provide a photo that shows some more of your personality. Understand who is going to see the picture and understand just like your words do, your photo sends a message as well, so send the right one.
This is important to understand too. When you have a killer bio and people can put a face to it, they start to make another level of connection with you before they even meet you in person or talk to you on the phone. They will start to feel as if they really know you and this is significant because when your name comes up in conversations for consideration, the first thing they will remember is your face and attached to that will be all of the great info they learned about you.
It All Has Meaning
After the client calmed down, she stated the organizers were impressed with her bio because it let them know a little piece of her and most importantly, it spoke directly to their needs as an organization. Needless to say, she is already preparing her speech and making plans to experience Bermuda in all of its glory. Who would have thought that a well crafted, targeted bio is what brought her over the hump?
I am a believer and, if you aren’t already, you should be too. Don’t let your professional bio be a boring, static afterthought of a document. You never know what a little thought and effort can mean for you and your future.
What Can An Upgraded Professional Bio Get You?
How about a free evaluation of your professional bio? Visit me at www.terrencedjakes.com and let’s get you started today.
