An authors bio is a small but powerful tool. It’s essentially a one paragraph summary about who the author is and why you should be reading their work. Having an author bio set up on your website is key for sharing articles, and if you have multiple people contributing to your blog posts. An authors bio is also perfect for articles you publish on LinkedIn or Medium, or another article marketing platform.
The best way to create a powerful bio is to write it with meaning, intention and a bit of personality. Think about your readers, establish your credibility, and make it memorable. At the end of the day, your little bio matters. People are going to read it so make it count.
Although the bio paragraph is short, it is critical. Not only does it connect the author to the article or blog post on a level beyond a title, it provides space for links back to your website or social profiles and ways for your readers to find out more about you.
How do you make your author bio compelling, powerful, and effective in so few words?
We’ve outlined the 5 most important features of any authors bio:
1. Always write in the 3rd person. This is just general practice and puts across a professional front.
2. Establish credibility. Tell readers why you are qualified to write on a particular subject and why they should believe you. Academic degrees are good here but only list them if they are relevant to the publication or article connected.
3. Inject some personality into what you do. It’s important to explain what you actually do but keep it to one line if possible and keep it consistent across all your online profiles. Then, add a bit of colour. Think about where your article is appearing, and who’s likely reading it. it’s good to remind readers that you’re human but keep it to a minimum – readers are only marginally interested in your personal life.
4. Tell readers what you can do for them. Even though this bio is about the author, it’s not actually about the author. It’s about the reader, and what that person is looking to learn or gain from the article. Briefly articulate how you add value to them.
5. Include a Call to Action. After your audience reads about you, what action do you want them to take? Most often, it’s reading more of your material, or following you on social media. In those cases, common CTA’s would be to follow you on your social media channel, or visit your blog. Ensure the CTA is strategic within the given context.
Keep it short, sweet and to the point. Readers aren’t going to pore over your bio for hours so you want to get across as much useful information is as little words as possible. Tweak your bio to suit the different platforms it will appear across but try keep it as consistent as possible.
Comment below if you’ve seen a particularly good bio you think is worth sharing.
If you’re struggling to get started with your social media marketing, organise a call with Nicole to find out how we can help you develop and implement a social media marketing strategy, that showcases your brand on the platform, that’s right for you.
