This is the latest tip in a series of “50 Tips for Free Publicity” which I’m pinning on Pinterest. Follow me there, and if you like my tips, comment and repin. Just click the button with the red “Pin It” above.
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Some of the most interesting people I know write the most boring bios.
If you’re a freelance writer or publicist who writes bios for your clients, the best way to find out personal information is to ask your client open-ended questions. If you write your own bio, simply ask yourself the same questions.
Then weave the best answers into the copy. They will lead to a much more interesting bio, and they just might make the reader smile. Start with these questions:
- Who is your hero? And why?
- What one event in your childhood had the greatest effect on your life?
- If you weren’t doing what you do today, what other job would you have?
- Who is your best friend and what do you like best about him or her?
- What “lesson from mom” do you still live by today?
- What’s the one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
- If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- What’s the most unusual thing in your desk drawer? (Although you might not include this in the bio, it could lead to even more interesting questions and responses.)
- Do you have a pet? If so, tell me about it.
- What’s the worst mistake you ever made in life that taught you a valuable lesson?
- What’s the most unusual place you have visited?
- What’s the craziest thing you have done?
You can probably come up with dozens of questions like these to add to the list. I’d love to see them in the Comments section, as well as your other tips on how you’ve written an interesting bio. Please share the link, too.
I’ve been collecting some of my very favorite bios, written in a wide variety of different styles and formats, and I feature them in “Special Report #46: Tips for Rewriting Your Boring Bio.”
When you see how clever these writers are, and read my other tips on how to gather information about yourself, you’ll be inspired to take a crack at rewriting your own bio. The report was updated this year, along with my other special reports.
If you rewrite your bio, come back here and share the link in the Comments section.
These are wonderful tips about how to write a fascinating bio, Joan. They’re some of the best I’ve ever read!
Maris
Glad I could help, Maris. Be sure to read the other ideas that are listed here in the comments section.
Fab ideas. Always looking for creative ways to make a bio more compelling and not so boring for my clients! These will definately put a smile on the face of the person reading it.
Some other ideas that could be added to the mix above:
– Fact that few people know about you.
– Best quote or saying that you like to live by or that inspires you
– Do you support any charitable organizations?
Thanks for sharing these ideas!
Best Yasmin
Yasmin, these are all excellent ideas. I love the one about the best quote or saying that inspires you. Thanks so much for adding a few gems to my list.
This is such a great idea, Joan! I tend to use a different author bio for every site I guest post on, so it not only gets confusing but it also becomes a challenge to say something new.
I love the “most unusual thing in your desk drawer” prompt! Maybe I’ll use that one! Sometimes I stick completely random tidbits in my author bio, like my 3 desert island movies or a guilty pleasure. But I try to keep it 95% professional and 5% playful (depending on the blog’s tone).
It’s kind of weird to repeatedly write about myself in the third person…that’s the one thing that irks me about bios. Guest posting is one of my favorite things, though, so it’s well worth the effort!
Thanks again for the bio prompts, I’ll have to give them a try and let you know if they produce any sparkling results! 🙂
Three desert island movies and guilty pleasures are perfect for bios! And I like your suggestion to keep it 95 percent professional and 5 percent fun. You can do that with longer bios. But for shorter ones, like two- and three-sentence author resource boxes at the end of articles, you might end up with a formula that looks more like 60-40.
Thanks for your ideas, Jill.
Love all of this. Not sure exactly how to weave it into a bio however. I will think on it and see what I come up with.
Gayle, you can’t, and shouldn’t, weave all this info into your bio. But you’ll find that some of the answers will certainly apply. My special report gives you several examples of how other people have done this.
This is a really different and interesting approach, Joan. At first some of them might not seem to ‘belong’ in a bio, but I can see how injecting just one or two – with a bit of a twist to make them ‘fit’ the current bio – would really inject life into a bio. And it’s a great idea to check out other people’s bios, to see (a) how they grab your attention and (b) what they do RIGHT!
Yes, Marg. You certainly don’t want to inject several of these answers into the blog or it might come off sounding amateurish. But just one or two little personal details can make all the difference. Thanks for commenting.
I have to agree on this note. I’ve seen sites that have included some of these tips. Some sounded off the wall whereas others did leave one laughing. Good idea!
Even though you’re using fun facts, you still need to keep the bio professional. Thanks for stopping by, Gin.
Before writing client bios, I’ll often ask them to share a defining moment in their life and also what led them to select their current profession. Answers to these questions are usually quite bio-worthy and good anecodes for the media.
Fabulous suggestions, Chris. I love the fact that my list is growing thanks to comments from people like you. Thanks for sharing.
Since bio space is often limited I’ve got to watch word count but I try always to include a brief phrase indicating that I didn’t start writing until I was 70 and am not a kid any more, and/or the fact that I designed custom lighting fixtures and light sculptures for 25 years before retiring, and/or the observation that my first endeavor, a sci fi novel, will never be published because most of what I wrote in the 1990s has since come to be (and besides, it wasn’t very good), and/or a link to a local article in some cases–
http://rohnertpark.towns.pressdemocrat.com/2012/02/news/from-lighting-to-writing/
Yes, you’ve got the idea! I love the one about your sci fi novel never being published “because most of what I wrote in the 1990s has since come to be.” Thanks for giving us even more examples to add to the list.
Thanks for your wonderful tips about how to write a fascinating bio, Joan. They’re some of the best I’ve ever read! I really appreciate it.
Glad to help, but some of the credit goes to my other Publicity Hounds who have added fabulous tips to my own list. Stop by again, Liz.
In addition to the great list and comments above, here’s a few questions I’ve used to help write bios and About sections for websites:
Are you an early bird or night owl?
Name a couple of items on your “bucket list”.
What was your first job?
Describe your perfect day.
Hope these help someone!
Gladys, I love the bucket list idea! Thanks for sharing these and adding to the list.