Tips for Writing a Great Bio

Tips for Writing a Great Bio

Presentation is everything. Most of us have heard the phrase “Content is King.” Well, it’s true!

Prospective clients often make a decision about you simply by reading your bio and topics. Based on the written word alone, they may make this decision before picking up the phone or watching your video. What does your eSpeakers profile say to your prospective customers? Does it say “King,” or is it a less-than-desirable description of what you can actually offer?

Common Mistakes to Avoid:
  1. No introduction or background on you as a presenter
  2. Big blocks of text
  3. No bold or italicized wording
  4. No bullet points outlining your most requested topics or offered programs
  5. No testimonials
  6. No engaging text. Without compelling content, readers will fall asleep! Many presenters struggle to write a bio that’s engaging, effective, and even grammatically correct.
Too much information:
  1. How you’re an expert on this and this and this and this and this…
  2. Your position as a student body officer in junior high and high school
  3. Anecdotes irrelevant to your expertise
Your bio is the first place a meeting planner will look for information about you. This is where you have a chance to let potential customers know why they should hire you.

To maximize the effectiveness of your bio, we suggest the following:
  1. Your bio should be several paragraphs long and take two or three minutes to read through completely. Don’t overdo it—three full pages of text could easily discourage readers from reading it.
  2. Use a “hook” in the opening paragraph to pull readers in and keep them reading. The hook is different for each person; it may be something extraordinary you’ve accomplished or experienced, or it may be the benefits your audience will receive.
  3. Have you done something extraordinary? Example: "I climbed Mount Everest seven times by the age of 20," or "CEO of 9 fortune 500 companies," etc.
  4. If something unusual or extraordinary is not part of your pitch, talk about the benefits the audience will receive. Example: “Your audiences will be more willing to embrace change as a manager after hearing Alan’s 5 step process,” or “After Steve shares the remarkable sales process from his bestselling book, your sales team will immediately start producing more and better sales.”

After the initial 1-2 paragraphs explaining audience benefits, talk about your qualifications: books written or articles published; most requested presentation topics; share a testimonial from a powerful client, etc. Meeting planners have their audiences in mind so let them know how the audience will be improved after hearing from you.

Add some simple formatting options like bold text and bullet points. Use these sparingly, but use them. Don’t lump your captivating words into one big (ugly) block of text. Use paragraphs to keep ideas separated. Use bulleted lists for your speech titles and impressive client names.

Don’t Want to Write Your Own?

eSpeakers has professional writers on staff that understand the speaking business are ready to help you look great. Learn more  »

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