You know how it is, you see someone else’s bio or profile online and it is so punchy, fun and compelling you just wish you’d have written it for yourself.
In fact, you could kick yourself for not thinking of anything half so witty on your last attempt.
So, freshly motivated, you sit down to write something better for your own now tired second-rate looking bio but nothing comes to mind…nada…zilch….not even one speck of an idea. There is nothing remotely interesting or exceptional about you, and just saying you like reading books and travelling as interests just don’t cut it anymore.
So you try to think of some other hobbies, or somewhere über cool you’ve been.
“Kevin: likes reading, scuba diving and Spain. Works in IT”
Hmm…not quite working is it?
Yes okay, I hear you. Of course it is important that you are honest, but you can still write a compelling profile without turning into Walter Mitty.
Here’s how:
Be friendly
People are most likely visiting your profile for the first time; they don’t know anything about you so this is your chance to make a good first impression.
You could compare it in some ways to guests visiting your home for the first time, it’s nice to put out a welcome mat and invite them in with a hot beverage, a warm fire and a friendly smile.
After all, no one likes a cold welcome, unless it is in the shape of a nice chilled beer.
If you have the space, a simple ‘Hi, thanks for visiting’ on your profile can be a pleasant little opener.
Likewise if you have only a short space for a bio (such as Twitter) a bit of witty humour might not be a bad idea.
Cut the cr@p
I am sorry to report that nobody apart from your loved ones and perhaps the ‘good old’ tax man particularly care about your life story to date.
This is why most platforms intentionally keep the number of characters available in your profile to a minimum, so you don’t waffle on too much.
Generally, you should try to keep your bio as short and to the point as possible.
In the words of George Orwell (who I am sure would have been Twitter King if he were alive today) “If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.”
Some sites do encourage you to write more about yourself, in that case…write away, but just make sure what you write is relevant, this is especially the case for professional sites such as LinkedIn.
For example, if you are an awesome telemarketer then LinkedIn is your platform to say so, whereas the fact that you are also great at limbo dancing (as illustrated by that selfie at the full moon beach party in Goa) is best placed elsewhere, unless of course you are a professional limbo dancer.
If you have limited space, try just using carefully selected adjectives or adverbs incredibly effectively to best describe yourself.
Identify your USP (unique selling point)
You have one, everybody does, somewhere.
Perhaps you were really good at playing marbles as a youngster (before you lost them to social media); or perhaps you have a hidden talent you would like to share, or something unusual about yourself that others might find fascinating.
If it’s not ‘too much information’ (if you know what I mean) then why not share it with the world.
Adding a fun ‘human’ element to your bio can be a great way to connect, especially on Twitter.
The key is to let the best aspects of your personality shine through.
This brings me nicely on to the next point…
Write for your audience
Really think about what social media platform you are writing for and what sort of audience you would ideally like to attract. Trust me; it doesn’t take much to attract some highly unsavoury followers.
Okay, so you cannot 100% avoid spammers (or trolls), but you can do your best not to attract them in the first place.
Also, listing things you are interested in helps people to find you so you can connect with other like-minded people.
If promoting your product or service is your aim, then the same rules apply but remember; people are not going to be interested in just your product alone; give your profile some personality and share useful content if you want to be popular.
Another good tip is to tell people what sort of things you will be sharing in the future.
Get tinkering
Get in there and start tinkering and fiddling.
Just because you have written a great bio or profile, doesn’t mean it is set in stone. You can change it and have a bit of fun along the way.
I would try not to use the same profile blurb across all your social media platforms; it just gets boring, plus it might not be pertinent to that particular audience. As I mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is not Facebook is not Twitter is not 3tags.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with your profile, you don’t have to change it every day of course, but just review what you are putting out there once in a while.
Having an up to date and interesting profile can make all the difference in the fast paced world of social media. Enjoy!