Bios are the new resumes.

Whether for your personal website, a social media blurb, your company team page, or your pitch deck it is arguably the most important copy that you will ever write about yourself.  It is the number one thing you will be asked for by companies, conference organizers, or podcast hosts who are interested to work with you. Your bio is your top marketing asset; a place where you want people to not only get an accurate picture of you but a place to showcase your work, your personality, competence, and area of expertise.

Whatever opportunities you are pursuing right now, your bio is the one critical item you’ll need as part of your strategy.

When you write your bio, you’ll want to be sure that it is compelling, inspiring, and best of all, unforgettable.

No pressure, right?

Because your bio is that important, it is the most hardest thing for many of us to write. We would rather stick our heads in the sand than write about ourselves. So how do we come up with a document that takes the best parts of ourselves and distills it into something that potential clients, decision makers and influencers will clamor over?

It’s important to remember that people want to connect with real people and absent an actual face to face meeting, your digital mark is the one place people make their impressions of you. Your bio should contain four things: (1) Who you are, (2) What You do, (3) Why you do it, and (4) How.

Here’s a guide of what it would look like:

1. Name, title, Who you help

2. What you know or believe about the work you do - this is your ‘why’ statement. Should be inspiring and vision oriented.

3. # of years in your field - this info is a great way to quickly show depth of experience. It helps the brain make a quick assessment of expertise.

4. Compelling experiences and wins - this can include projects you’ve been involved with or client highlights

5. Relevant trainings, certifications, awards received - this can include degrees, areas of study, universities attended.

6. Contact - this info includes website, email, Linkedin profile, social media handles or any other ways people can find you on the internet.

Here’s an example:

Ariane Hunter is the CEO & Founder of Project She Went For Her Dreams; a personal branding & marketing firm in New York City and serving clients globally. She works with enlightened women and businesses to develop creative brands and build artistic marketing strategies to standout in a meaningful, authentic way.  Ariane believes in amplifying our voices at home and and work in order to impact our world and communities.

Ariane draws on decades of experience working for the top marketing and branding agencies in New York City and supporting high profile clients become key players in their industry. She holds an MBA and is a certified coach. Ariane has worked with industry leaders including Women in Stem Leadership at Stony Brook University, Women’s Catalyst group at HP, Oracle, and many more. She has spoken for NYU Stern Women in Business, Karen Millen, ABC Home, Emerging Leaders for NY Arts, and has been featured guest on numerous empowerment podcasts. Ariane is also a published writer whose work appears in Time.com, Levo League, Ivy Exec, and The Muse. She’s been quoted in The Daily Worth, Her Agenda, and more. You can learn more by visiting www.shewentforherdreams.com or contact via email:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arianehunter/     | Instagram: @arianehunter

Your bio should not be too long; keep it succinct. Anything longer than two paragraphs or ten sentences starts to get too wordy. Keep in mind that your bio should evolve as you do. You may need to tweak it as you go along depending on your audience but now that you’ve got your draft down it will be easier to rework it.

This template is meant to be a guide but ultimately you get to decide how you word and craft your bio. It should make you feel proud and capture the essence of your work in an authentic way. Additionally, it will help you to be able to talk about your work more clearly and confidently.