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5 Easy Steps to Crafting a Complete, Professional Biography

Jacquelyn Gutc

Jacquelyn Gutc

Communications Manager at Rural Investment to Protect our Environment (RIPE) | Content Writer, Editor

Published Aug 21, 2017

One of the most common projects we get at Magpie Media is to craft professional biographies for clients. When you consider the fact that practically every website has an About page for executives and staff, that professional organizations have various places they feature members' bios, and that people typically throw together something on the fly just to fill the space, it's not all that surprising.

What we most often hear is someone say, "I wrote my bio myself and it sucks." But considering all the places that bio can end up, you don't want to be embarrassed by it! So if you find yourself needing a professional bio in a pinch and therefore writing it yourself, here are five super simple steps for writing a useful, complete bio you can be proud of. If you follow these suggestions (usually in this order, too), you will have no trouble filling the necessary space with good information.

  1. State what your current position is with a brief overview of what you do in that position. We're talking high-level, one sentence stuff here. Don't get bogged down with the details.
  2. Note why you love what you do, what drives you. It's a great way to connect with your audience and humanize yourself.
  3. Say when you began working in your current role and what came before that, both within your current organization and before that. Pro tip: When speaking of your current role, give an actual year you started it rather than saying "two years ago" or "for the past 10 years." While you will update your bio from time to time, a specific year is best here because it gives the reader a baseline to start with when following your past accomplishments and positions through your bio. It's also helpful because even if you haven't updated the bio content in awhile, there is no question about how long you've held this job.
  4. List any community and philanthropic organizations you're involved with. Again, this helps humanize you and give readers (and potential clients/customers) more ways to relate to you.
  5. Share something personal. Typically this is what town you live in and any family members you live with and maybe a couple of your favorite hobbies.

There's more detail than this that you can go into, and your role within the organization may make a difference in determining what more you want to say. For example, if you're the company founder, you may want to share more info about your story and what brought you to the business. For those instances, we are here to create bios with a more creative narrative for you. But no matter your level within your organization, the five steps above will cover all the bases for a solid initial bio before you get to the point of hiring a professional writer to handle it.

To find out how Magpie Media can craft a stellar bio for you that gets the attention you want and says the right things, send us an email at hello@magpie-media.com.

About Jacquelyn Gutc

I am the founder of Magpie Media LLC , a Metro Detroit and Colorado-based communications firm that provides writing, editing and marketing services to small businesses, nonprofits and professionals. If you're a business owner, you've got plenty to keep you busy day in and day out, so we're here to make your life less stressful. We focus on the writing and online marketing aspects of your business so you can focus on what you love about your business.

To find this original post and other helpful Magpie Musings, click here . To learn more about Magpie Media, head over to our website .

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