How to Write a Better Professional Writing Bio

For people in all industries, a professional bio is a crucial tool; for professional writers, it is particularly important. As a writer, your bio communicates a great deal about your experience, specialties, and writing style. By taking the time to craft a concise, informative bio, you can inform readers and make yourself more attractive to potential employers.

One of the easiest ways to improve your professional bio is to edit it for length. The ideal length will vary based on where the bio will appear. Authority Publishing recommends that you create bios in four different word counts: 50, 100, 200, and 500. Fifty-word bios is ideal for front-of-book "about the author" sections. The 100-word bio might appear at the end of an article, in a blog post, or anywhere else a short blurb is required. A 200-word bio can be used as an author bio or in a conference program, and a 500-word bio should be used when you need to promote your credentials extensively—in team grant proposals or on a corporate website, for example.

For many writers, a professional bio is an important marketing tool because it is visible to editors and other potential employers in the communications and media industry. As such, it should explain clearly who you are as a professional writer. It should establish your industry specialization, cite a few publications, and explain any additional qualifications. If you are a travel writer, for example, you might include a line about how you have traveled solo to forty countries. If you have a particularly interesting career history, mention it. Aim to give the reader an engaging, well-rounded picture of who you are as a professional.

When it comes to a professional bio, some writers get carried away and strive to include every publication credit. Instead, tailor your bio to include the most important or impressive publications that you've written for. To make it more relevant and timely, update your bio regularly. When it comes to self-editing, follow this advice from Writer's Digest: look at your work as an outsider would and be ruthless about cutting unnecessary lines or words.

Finally, you should edit your author bio for style. It should always be written in the third person—unless you are using it for a personal blog. The tone should be appropriate for your industry. If you write about engineering, use simple, professional language. If you are a comedic writer, you may choose to use a more relaxed style. No matter what your industry, your professional bio should be well written and error free.

A crisp, concise bio is a crucial self-marketing tool that establishes your authority with readers and markets you to potential editors. When you make an effort to keep your professional bio updated and polished, you'll always have it ready to go when needed.

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