How to Write a Short Bio
This practical article provides a template for how to write a professional bio. The example that is used in the professional bio template is for a business coach. However, it's not hard to adapt this bio template to your own profession.
Why do you need a professional bio?
You'll use your bio for a range of networking and marketing purposes: listing yourself on job registries; summarizing your expertise for people introducing you at a speaking engagement; or attaching to the end of an article you have written.
Remember, your bio is not a resume
Think of your professional bio as a little advertisement for your business. Ideally, it addresses what I call the “four reader questions” (4RQs). These are the four questions that readers want answered in your professional bio: 1) 2) 3) 4) who you are... your expertise and how it addresses... their problem or goal, and how they can... contact you
Sample professional bio
Look at the sample professional bio below and see if you can identify the 4RQs: Jane Smith is a small business coach who helps women make the transition from full-time mom to successful entrepreneur. A grandmother now, Jane started her coaching business in 2002 to help other women deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of starting a new business while still running a household. Prior to raising her family, Jane spent over ten years as a teacher, corporate trainer and workshop leader. Today Jane offers a wide range of coaching programs and services – from individual coaching, to seminars and keynote speeches. To contact Jane, please visit her coaching website at http://www.janesmith.com
Were you able to identify the the 4RQs in this professional bio? Here is Jane’s professional bio again, with the 4RQs identified: Jane Smith is a small business coach (who Jane is) who helps women make the transition from full-time mom to successful entrepreneur (their problem or goal). A grandmother now (Jane’s expertise – shows she has been a mother
and is now older and presumably wiser), Jane started her coaching business in 2002 to help other women deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of starting a new business while still running a household (how Jane helps them overcome their problem or achieve their goal). Prior to raising her family, Jane spent over ten years as a teacher, corporate trainer and workshop leader (Jane’s expertise). Today Jane offers a wide range of programs and services – from individual coaching, to seminars and keynote speeches (how Jane can help). To contact Jane, please visit her website http://www.janesmart.com (how to contact Jane).
More tips for writing your professional bio
· keep your professional bio short · be selective - don't list your entire professional background · be very specific about who you work with and how you can help them · don't be bland - let your personality show · follow the professional bio template below
Professional Bio Template:
Below are some sentence starters for writing a professional bio. Limit a short professional bio to three or four sentences (a short professional bio is one that you would use when being introduced as a speaker, or at the end of an article you have written). For a longer professional bio (e.g. for your website) use as many sentences as you like, but make sure you break the bio up into paragraphs of no more than three sentences (short paragraphs increase the likelihood of people reading your professional bio). · ______________ (your name) is a _________ (the type of coach you are) coach who helps _________ (your target clients) to ___________ (a problem or goal your target clients have). · Prior to establishing her/his coaching business, _______(your name) spent _______ years as a ________________ (your relevant experience). · ________ (your name) offers a wide range of programs and services – from ___________, to __________ and __________ (your services)
· ________ (your name) specializes in coaching ______ (target clients) to ___________ (problem target clients want to solve, or goal they want to achieve) · After a successful career __________ (what you’ve been successful in), _______ (your name) now coaches other people to achieve the same success. · _________ (your name) is no stranger to ________ (the industry or problem you coach). She/he spent ___ years as a ________ (occupation: e.g. mother of three, professional dancer, corporate executive). · Her/his book ________ (book title) was published in ____ (publication year) and has since helped _______ (number: hundreds? thousands?) of people to _______ (problem book solved for them, or what it taught them) · To contact _______ (your name) please email ______ or go to _______ (your web site) This practical article provides a template for how to write a bio; how to write a professional bio; writing a professional bio; how to write a short bio; professional bio sample.