6 Tips for Writing a Professional Social Media Bio

As summer internships and graduation approaches, it’s the perfect time to start building your personal brand - especially on social media. This is a great way to network and make connections with potential employers. But for them to be interested in you, they need to see what you’re all about! To do that, you need to catch their attention with a great bio. Here’s a few easy ways to get started.

Make a List of Important Topics

When writing a professional social media bio, you need to talk about who you are. There could be a lot of things you want to say, but no way to structure it. To help you out with this process, grab a sheet of paper and make a list of everything you want to say about yourself. This could include your major, your location, any internships you’ve done, special skills, achievements, or what you’re interested in pursuing.

Make a Sub-list of Details

Once your list is done, write down any extra details you want to include. Maybe you want to add more details about your internships than your interests. Write down exactly what you want to say and make sure it’s relevant. For example, don’t just say you work well under pressure. Explain what experience you had that demonstrated this characteristic. You can even link to your LinkedIn or personal website for more.

Put it Together

It’s important to remember that you don’t have much space in a social media bio (160 characters on Twitter and Facebook), so choose your wording carefully. Be brief. Show through things you’ve done, don’t tell. Eliminate the topics from your list that are too general. You want to include what you are best at and what employers are interested in. Try not to use too many cliches like “responsible” or “passionate.” Research a list of buzzwords to stay away from to help you write a better bio.  If you’re tempted to write that you're a “multi-tasker who thinks outside of the box,” don’t. Just don’t.

Include What You Can Bring

It’s great that you have a lot of job experience, but employers also want to know what you can offer them. Make sure you include this in your bio. Be specific when writing and remember, there’s nothing wrong with bragging about yourself a little!

Be Unique

The fact that you must be brief can force you to be more creative. (Speaking of “creative,” try to avoid that word too.) Try to write your bio in a way that makes you stand out. Research some examples to get an idea of how you want to write it.

Revise Often

Don’t get frustrated if you can’t write the perfect bio right away. This isn’t something you can do in five minutes. It might take some trial and error, and that’s okay! But once you do find the right wording, make sure you’re always going back to keep your bio up-to-date. Include new work experience and skills that you have acquired. Also think about the different social media platforms you are utilizing. LinkedIn allows more room than Twitter or Facebook does, so, make a note of anything additional you want to add or go into more detail about. Each platform is different, so customize your bio appropriately.