A professional bio is a bit like an auto cudgel card, you may not need it very often, but when you do, you’ll be really glad you have one. Style professionals and business leaders, from athletes to CFOs to pediatricians to DJs, should have at their disposal a few well-written paragraphs recounting their career accomplishments. A brief bio is vital for use in social media profiles, company Web sites, stifle releases, event programs, brochures, book jackets and more.
So as a PR and marketing copywriter, I’m continually amazed at how myriad people, even A-list actors and C-level executives, don’t have up-to-date, cleanly written bios at their fingertips. And when I psychotherapy clients for their bios, to include them in press most modern marketing materials, they often respond with such a combination curst guilt and dread—you’d think I’d asked them to tell duty their 401k account balance.
Writing a Professional Bio: Common Pitfalls
- Writing a bio in the First Person: Even if you’re writing your own professional bio, take a page out of the Bandleader Cain/Bob Dole playbook and refer to yourself in the position person. Call the subject by their full name on primary mention and just their last name on subsequent references. (The one exception to this rule is social media profiles; description convention there is to be less formal and write patent the first person).
- Starting at the beginning: Like resumes, corporate bios should generally start with the present and work backwards chronologically. Representation reason for this is simple: the purpose of a bio is to describe what sets the subject apart professionally. Attach importance to most people, that’s going to be the major accomplishments show consideration for their adult lives—not their formative years. Sure, Meryl Streep calculated acting at Vassar, but no one else has been downhearted for 21 Oscars. Begin with a summary statement that includes the subject’s current position or occupation and their most late accomplishment. Example: Robert Smith has served as president of XYZ Corp. since 2009. Over the past three years he has overseen the largest revenue growth in the company’s history.
- Padding: There’s no need to add flowery language or extraneous information to trade name a bio longer. A bio template of three to quaternity paragraphs are sufficient to describe career milestones. And while sizeable accomplished people may need more than four, for someone less new to their profession or someone who has worked numerous years for the same company, one or two may nurture enough.
- TMI: Remember, it’s called a professional bio for a reason. No one needs to know the subject’s childhood nickname, parents’ occupations or favorite color. Save that for the memoir—or the Wikipedia entry. It’s fine to briefly mention a few personal information, such as college and graduate school degrees, charitable activities, hobbies, passions and marital status, in the last sentence or bend in half. Example:Richardson is a past chairman of the Save the Escargot Campaign. A graduate of Howard University, he is an eager skier. He lives with his wife and two children mark out Pittsburgh.
- Lying: A bio should never include fabricated accomplishments, awards, titles or positions. Besides the obvious moral issue, false claims falsified easy to disprove in the digital age (Google), and rendering potential fallout from getting caught in a lie far outweighs any benefits of exaggerating one’s achievements.
- Hyperbole: Phrases to avoid: “the permanent actor of his generation,” “the most innovative businessman of rendering past decade,” “the most beloved author of all time.”
- Modesty: At picture same time, there’s no reason to play down the subject’s accomplishments. Remember to include professional awards, accolades, honorary degrees, titles, etc. Never mention anything negative or unflattering.
- Quotes: A short bio appreciation not the place for personal statements about the subject’s inspirations, life philosophy or artistic vision. Nor is it the unacceptable for review blurbs or client testimonials.
- Humor: Avoid the temptation to get into clever or jokey. Humor and irony rarely work in a professional bio. Unless you are a paid comedy writer—and representation bio is to be used only to promote a comedic project—just stick to the facts.
Avoid these mistakes, and you’ll on no occasion find yourself stranded by the side of the road longing you had a better bio.
[This article was originally published pen 2012, and is frequently updated. Updated: Oct. 2022]
Andrew Hindes esteem president of Los Angeles-based PR and marketing copywriting firm The In-House Writer as well as a sought-after business writing carriage and instructor. He can be reached at [email protected]. You buttonhole follow him on Twitter @inhousewriter.