A Simple Bio

In this activity, we are going to write a simple “bio statement” that will enable you to tell people what you do, and how it might apply to them.

You’ll find this statement incredibly helpful. It will mean, for example, that people visiting your social media can know exactly what you’re about at first glance. Same goes for your website, newsletter or blog.

If you are featured in the media and the editor asks for one or two lines to explain who you are and what you do, you’re ready with a response that truly reflects you.

Your bio will be invaluable at conferences and networking events, markets, for retailers who stock what you make, and on third-party platforms like online shops and teaching platforms.

A simple bio needs to be short: short enough to be an elevator pitch, and short enough to fit on one or two lines of a screen. As any poet will tell you, shorter isn’t always easier (editing is hard!), but I’m here to help.

A basic formula

There’s a basic formula that almost anyone can use to develop a bio, that encapsulates what you do in a succinct and engaging manner. To write a compelling bio, you simply need to share:

  • WHO you serve (your ideal audience)

  • WHAT you bring to the table (the thing you do / make / share)

  • HOW it helps (what they gain from you / the transformation they achieve)

When you put these three elements together, a simple but effective bio will look something like this:

“I help WHO with WHAT to achieve TRANSFORMATION.”

You can switch the order around, and sometimes people choose to leave out the transformation, but this basic formula is  commonly used and a great way to articulate your bio.

For example, my own bio is “Branding and content for creative and big-hearted women at the start of something new”. My WHO is “creative and big-hearted women,” my WHAT is “branding and content” and the TRANSFORMATION I help them achieve is “the start of something new”.

Real-brand examples

Following are some other examples - see if you can spot the WHO, WHAT and HOW/TRANSFORMATION in each of them:

  • “I teach entrepreneurs and bloggers how to grow their audience and skyrocket their income” (Melyssa Griffin)

  • “Workshops, a podcast, and ecourse inspiring farmers and country creatives to tell their stories to supportive online communities” (My Open Kitchen)

  • “Travelling the world making wedding cakes that tell your story” (Gillian Bell)

  • “Stationery shop for the lovers of simple things, created by @tinasosna” (Lovely Envelopes)

  • “I help big-hearted creatives make things happen in their creative life and business on their own terms, in their own way, and by their own rules” (Jen Carrington)

  • “A food and family magazine that’s down to earth and fun for parents and kids” (Lunch Lady Magazine)

  • “I help amazing creative people like you to find your own clarity and direction and to work together to create a marketing strategy that will make you grow with soul” (Kayte Ferris)

  • “Office sundries for the modern workspace” (Present and Correct)

In Workbook 2 on page 16, make some notes in the boxes to identify what it is you actually do, who it is for (a summary of your audience persona), and what they achieve when they work with you. Then in the final box, have a go at pulling these together (and mixing around the order if you need to) to create a simple bio for yourself.