While en route to a speaking engagement, I found a page in Airtran Airways’ in-flight magazine that’s a great lesson on how to write thumbnail bios. These are one- or two-sentence bios that you can tack onto the end of articles you write for other publications, along with your contact information such as an email address and website URL. You can use them almost anywhere you want people to sit up and take notice.
The issue had a full listing of all the contributing writers. No stuffy, pretentious bios about the degrees they earned. Just a few sentences that give readers a glimpse into their lives, loves and hobbies. Here are my favorites:
Mimi Smith-Fleishman describes herself as “a soccer mom who doesn’t play soccer.” She and her family live in a Philadelphia suburb that’s just the right size.
Sandy Pantino has collected sand on no fewer than 253 beaches worldwide. Each sample is neatly labeled and stored in a container purchased from a souvenir stand at the beach in question. “Sand isn’t just sand, it’s all different,” she explains. “Believe me, I know.”
Associate Editor Wendy di Lampedusa is defiantly happy, and justifiably so.
Yolanda LaPert is a spiritual therapist and motorcycle drag racer. She is currently seeking corporate sponsorship for an all-woman expedition to Zanadu.
The Publicity Hound asks: Can you write a thumbnail bio about yourself that’s actually interesting? If so, then write a slightly longer version, and another even longer version, and post them all at your website under a button called Media Room. But keep your bio interesting.