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Top 5 Writing Warm Ups To Start Flexing Your Creative Muscle

Nothing is more frustrating for content creators than staring at a blank page. It feels like you're being taunted by that blinking vertical bar. So what do you do to write past your writer's block? The answer is simple: Writing warm ups. I don't mean doing lunges or crunches. Writing warm ups are prompts and techniques that will ease you into writing. After reading this post, you'll have plenty of writing warm up prompts to get your ideas flowing. You won't be intimidated by a blank page again! As a bonus, we'll also list multiple ways to look for new content ideas. Ready to start flexing your creative muscle?

But First, Why Do You Need Writing Warm Ups?

Writing warm up exercises help you jumpstart your writing process . For one, it helps get your fingers moving. Second, it puts your writer's brain at work. But more importantly, these exercises help you get out of your creative rut. Writing warm ups aim to …

  • Make writing a habit
  • Immerse yourself into the writing process without committing to a "big" project
  • Start writing without judgment or expectation
  • Pave the way to easily express your thoughts

Remember, you're not expected to produce a publishable output. The whole point of these warm up exercises is to flex your creative muscle so you'll be ready to work on bigger writing tasks. In a minute, you'll learn about different writer's warm up techniques. But before that, we'll dive more into the benefits of writing exercises.

Sharpen Your Writing Skills

Practice makes perfect. That's what we often say. And this is true for writing as well. Sharpening your skills doesn't only involve grammar and information exercises. It's also important to spend time on creative writing exercises. This allows you to ease into writing much quicker. Writing habitually allows the ideas in your head to flow easily. You can write your thoughts on a page faster. That's how you sharpen your skills.

Build Confidence

For one, writing prompts allow you to explore your own voice. They also allow you to look at different perspectives without fear of judgment. Use these prompts to find your voice. In fact, you can explore different subjects to get your brain in gear. As a result, you're more confident when writing your opinions.

Clarify Your Thoughts

Staring at a blank page can be intimidating. Especially when you have a deadline looming in the background. So sometimes, you end up with muddled thoughts and ideas. Writing warm up exercises will help clarify your thoughts. So you can focus on one idea at a time without feeling obligated to create a publishable material. For example, perhaps you're a digital entrepreneur who needs to come up with a viral campaign. You start by writing a short story about your target customer. Or you can write about their hobbies and interests. This allows you to put your focus on the right subject. Or if you're a copywriter who needs to create a Facebook Ads headline. Start by writing headline variations. They don't need to be perfect. Gather your thoughts and turn them into words on a page.

Be Open to New Ideas

With writing prompts, you can be as creative as you want to be. You can build worlds that don't exist. Or write about different situations and characters. How is this beneficial? It helps stimulate your imagination. In doing so, you'll be more open to new ideas. Focus your thoughts on other things so you can discover alternative solutions. Let's say you're a content writer tasked to write about a topic you're not familiar with. Writing exercises will help stimulate your creative muscle. This allows you to look at the topic from a different perspective so you can come up with more innovative ideas. Whether you're a content creator, creative writer, or copywriter, the writing warm ups in the next section will help you get started. Ready?

Fun and Creative Writing Warm Ups for Content Writers and Copywriters

Here's a reminder before we start with these writing warm up techniques: Don't spend too much time doing these warm up exercises. You can pick one warm up and do it for less than 10 minutes. Don't feel pressured. No one expects you to produce a perfectly written outcome.

Practice Automatic Writing

Automatic writing is also known as freewriting. It’s a warm up process where you write anything that comes to mind. With this exercise, you can write without a filter. The aim is to simply get past your writer's block or any resistance. This exercise doesn't need feedback. This means …

  • No worrying about grammar and structure
  • It's okay to veer off-topic
  • No one will read what you wrote

So how do you start? As a tip, you can choose a topic and set a time limit. A 2- to 5-minute mark works great. Remember to write continuously until you've reached the time limit. If you find your mind wandering off-topic then write about it. Even if the topic becomes nonsensical and incoherent. Simply put the words on the page. Here are a few warm up writing prompts to get you started:

  • Your favorite vacation
  • What was your first job
  • Write about how you currently feel
  • Review the TV show or movie you watched recently
  • Outside your window, what do you see?

You don't have to stick to the initial topic. The prompts are there only to help you get started!

Jot Down Successful Ads On Paper

Gary Halbert, a copywriter, and direct mail marketer, suggests taking a successful ad. Then copy it word-for-word on a piece of paper. This exercise eases you into writing. Can't I just type them on my computer? The simple answer is no. You need to write it down in your own handwriting. Why? When you write things by hand, the neural activity in certain parts of your brain is activated. In fact, according to a 2017 study , long-form notetaking integrates more sensory-motor skills. Additionally, writing by hand allows you to slow down. You can focus on what you're writing and connect with the words. This leaves a more lasting impact on your brain. As an added benefit, studies have proven that handwriting helps improve memory and comprehension.

Write Different Headline Variations

Not sure how to start your blog post? Or are you having a hard time writing the perfect headline copy? Writing headlines can be pretty intimidating. In fact, you might find yourself stuck trying to come up with the right one. So if you're having a staredown contest with a blank page, try writing "draft" headlines. This takes the pressure off. Write a few headline variations. The goal of this writing warm up exercise is to get your creative juice flowing. So don't worry about getting it right the first try. Here's what you need to do for this warm up:

  • Write the first headline you want to use
  • Start writing different variations of your initial headline
  • Repeat the process

Try not to over-analyze your headlines. Be as creative or emotional as you want to be. Allow yourself to write terrible drafts. You'll realize how liberating that feels. After this exercise, I bet you'll have some interesting drafts. Use these drafts to help you get started.

Skip the Intro

"The introduction needs to be catchy!" "It should hook the readers!" "It's the most important part of your article!" These intimidating thoughts keep running in your head. So your fingers freeze on your keyboard.

writing warm ups

If you’re having trouble getting started, then skip the introduction! Create an outline for your blog posts instead. Then start from there. Simply go back to your intro once the scope of your article is clear. This allows you to properly set the tone and let your readers know what to expect. Here's a few writing exercises you can do while skipping the intro:

  • List down the topic and the goal
  • Write about your audience and what you want them to take away from your content
  • Is your content going to appear on a blog, sales copy, or social media?
  • Are there word count restrictions?

List these details down so you can get them off your mind. As a tip, write these details on top of the page.

Brainstorm Ideas

Suffering from writer's block? Lucky for you, we have a few tips on how to look for new content ideas. We'll get to that in a minute. But first, here's a writing warm up to flex your creative muscle. In this exercise, you'll need to look at your blog categories. Choose one and write content ideas for that category. No, you're not going to write a full-blown article. Instead, simply write content topics or ideas. In doing so, you're opening up your mind to possibilities. This exercise takes the pressure off from committing to writing a publishable article. Simply brainstorm. Be excited about your content ideas. And ease your mind into writing.

Writer's Block? Top 3 Ways to Look for New Content Ideas

What is the secret to coming up with new content ideas fast? From social media, to blog comments, to books. Content ideas are everywhere! In this bonus section, we'll show you the ways to look for new topics.

Follow Trends in Social Media

Start by looking into your audience. For instance, tap into your social media followers.

  • Look at what they're sharing
  • Read what they're tweeting about
  • What brands or content are they engaging with

This gives you an idea of what type of content or topics they're currently leaning into. Your followers are a great source of ideas. You can also directly ask your followers. Use the poll stickers on Instagram Story or the poll feature on Twitter.

Quora is full of content ideas. It's a general forum where people ask a variety of questions. This gives you an idea of what your audience is asking. From there, you can come up with lists of topics. To get started, simply type the topic that your audience is interested in. For example, you're in the digital marketing industry. You can then type certain keyword phrases into the search box. Once done, you'll find questions that you can write about.

Tap Into Answer the Public

Answer the Public is a search listening tool. It’s especially useful if you don’t have a huge audience whom you can tap into for ideas. Simply type in your topic or niche. You will then see the top questions being asked about that particular topic.

Answer the public

Take a look at these questions. Then create content for some of them. This is a great resource for podcasters, content writers, YouTubers, and other content creators.

What Are Your Writing Warm Ups to Flex Your Creative Muscle?

It's natural to suffer from writer's block from time to time. But it's your choice whether to stay stuck or move forward. The writing warm ups we've listed above will help keep your creative juice flowing. And when you're feeling stuck, consider our tips for coming up with new content ideas.

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Kid-Friendly Writing Warm-Ups That Spark Creative Writing

by Kim Kautzer | Feb 15, 2021 | Teaching Homeschool Writing , Writing Games & Activities

Have you ever put off a tough task only to realize it wasn’t as bad as you imagined—once you simply got started? It seems that beginning   something new is often the most challenging part of a project.  Marquise du Deffand says it perfectly:

The distance is nothing; it’s only the first step that is difficult.

Writing can feel the same way. A blank piece of paper stares back at your child. He imagines how long the writing assignment is going to take and all the drafts and edits that await him. Taking the very first step is the hardest part. Once he plunges in and the words start flowing , he may even find he doesn’t want to stop!

This natural inertia that makes those first steps so hard is why young writers need warm-ups . These pre-writing activities and kid-friendly writing warm-ups provide structure for thinking about the writing task and a low-risk way to take those first forward motions.

1. Writing Prompts

While some students are full of ideas and resist being forced to write about an assigned topic, most children appreciate the nudge that an interesting or humorous writing prompt offers. We have an entire category of  writing prompts   here on the WriteShop blog to keep you stocked with ideas.

Don’t expect every prompt to appeal to your child. That’s why we write so many of these—so your young writer can choose a topic that genuinely interests him .  And since writing prompts are merely starting points, allow your child to tweak the prompt to his own liking. One prompt can even be a springboard to a completely different writing topic altogether.

The point is not that your child sticks with a prescribed topic, but that he has a starting point for his own writing.

2. Story Starters

Again, all a child needs sometimes to begin a creative writing project is a gentle push in the right direction. While prompts offer a topic or ask a question,  story starters actually provide the first sentence . Write one of these on a sheet of paper to  avoid the blank page panic .

Kid-friendly story starters make great writing warm-ups! Here is a list of 15 first lines with  humorous or far-fetched themes that you can use as story starters. For added fun, print the prompts on cards and let the kids draw a prompt from the pile.  Blank game cards are perfect for this!

Story Starter Ideas

  • I will never forget the day I became a whale (mole, giraffe, sea gull, ladybug, etc.).
  • I had an exciting adventure when I rode a camel through the desert.
  • It had rained all night and all day. I was lost and far from home.
  • When I looked in the mirror yesterday, a monkey’s face was staring back at me.
  • My Uncle Pye lived in an upside-down house.
  • Ethan’s pillow told him exciting bedtime stories. One night . . .
  • Bella’s aunt invented a board game with pieces that could move by themselves. Bella would tell the pieces where to move and they would obey her voice. One day, the pieces began ignoring her.
  • Hunter bought a robot that cleaned his room. But last week, the robot forgot how to do the chores.
  • Finola Feather was always floating away. Her feet wouldn’t stay on the ground. One day . . .
  • The trouble started when Sofia brought home a _______ last week.
  • Yesterday, Grandpa came up with the craziest invention in his laboratory!
  • I remember the year it snowed in July.
  • Micah flew to the moon in his new rocket ship. But when he landed, he was in for a big surprise!

If your child struggles to put words on paper, it may be helpful to set a timer and write a little each day . Start out with five minutes, increasing the time as his confidence grows. When time is up, he can stop writing. His story will build day by day! Encourage him to wrap it up by the end of the week.

Verbal children might enjoy dictating their story as you write it down , especially if they are struggling or reluctant writers . Alternatively, let them use a recording device .

Jumpstart your writing lessons with these kid-friendly warm-ups!

3. Round Robin

In a round robin, players take turns adding to a story as it moves around the table from person to person. The writing prompts and story starters mentioned in #1 and #2 above are great ways to get the ball rolling. Or download this free printable round-robin prompt !

  • You can play with as few as two people or as many as five (e.g., you and your child, three or four siblings, or small groups of three to five in a class or co-op).
  • There are different ways to play, making it easy to adapt for families whose kids read or write at different levels.
  • Remind children that as the story passes from one to the next, it will take unexpected or silly twists and turn s. If they understand this ahead of time, it helps ward off disappointment when the story line starts heading in a different direction from what they had in mind.

Oral Round Robin

Kid-friendly round robins, especially when done orally, make awesome writing warm-ups! This activity is ideal for mixed ages. No writing is involved , so even children who can’t read or write well can play.

Directions : Give an older child a writing prompt. Set a timer for one minute, and have her begin adding to the prompt to tell a story. When the timer goes off, even if the story is in mid-sentence, the child to the left picks up where the tale left off. Keep going around the table from child to child.  After 7-8 minutes, give notice that it’s time to draw the story to a close so the last two children will know to wrap it up.

Write Around the Table

This activity is better for children who are reading and writing independently.

Directions: Each child chooses a story prompt and begins writing. When the timer rings, stories pass to the person on the left, who will add to the plot. Each time papers are passed, increase the amount of time allotted , as children will need time both to read and add details to the growing stories. When four or five students are playing, they will write the conclusion when their original story finally makes its way back to them. Alternatively, you can simply give a heads up when it’s time to wrap up the story that’s in front of them.

4. 6-word Rhyming Poems

Challenge your kids to write 2-line, 6-word poems using active, descriptive words. Here are four examples:

OUCH ! Climbed the tree, Skinned my knee.

NIGHT SKY Moon glows white, Black sky’s nightlight.

PLAYTIME Shaking rattles, making noise. Baby toys .

AT SEA Stormy sea! Crashing waves frighten me.

Rhyme Zone is a kid-friendly, helpful resource to use during writing warm-ups that involve poetry. Invite your children to glean from it whenever they write  rhyming poems .

5. Poetry Strips and Word Banks

Writing is made up of words , so words themselves may inspire your children to write. Offer themed word banks of related words  you have pre-selected, or let your children help you create the word banks.

Content-area word banks are a great warm-up for writing across the curriculum . Use new vocabulary from your science or history lessons to make word lists that can then inspire creative writing. 

Upper-elementary students may enjoy browsing the dictionary for interesting words to include in a story. For younger kids, download this free printable of word strips or, better yet, make your own!

Poetry Word Strips | Free Printable from WriteShop

6. Storyboards

Storyboards are great for children who like to draw. Their sketches can serve as a launching pad to creative writing .

  • Provide writing prompts or StoryBuilders  and ask your kids to choose a story idea.
  • Give them nine index cards. On the first three cards, invite them to draw simple pictures of what might happen at the beginning of the story (one scene per card).
  • On the next three cards, have them draw pictures of what might happen in the middle of the story.
  • Ask them to think about how their story could end, and draw their ideas on the last three cards.

The beauty of storyboarding? They’re not getting caught up worrying about word choice, spelling, or grammar. They’re just playing with ideas. And if they want to make changes, it’s so easy to move those ideas around—or even swap them out for others.

7. The Sound of Things

Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound. Here’s a fun exercise that helps kids think of sound words.

Hiss  can be an animal sound, the sound of an air leak, or a “quiet” sound. A pipe, a person, or the wind can groan . So don’t worry if there is overlap between categories— it’s just fun playing with the sounds of words!

If you need help guiding your kids, these websites feature lists of onomatopoetic words.

  • WrittenSound.com
  • 5 Examples of Onomatopoeia
  • Examples of Onomatopoeia for Kids
  • Onomatopoeia Word List
  • Talk about water in its many forms and the different sounds water can make. What sounds would you hear from rainfall or waterfalls? Puddles or oceans? Little creeks or rushing rivers? Hoses or pipes? Faucets or fountains? Straws in a glass of lemonade? What about melting icicles or slush? Together, come up with  a list of water words , such as plop, drip, and gurgle .
  • Play again, coming up with sounds animals make , such as  chirp, hee-haw , and moo . Other categories could include air or wind sounds (hiss, rustle, gasp, flap) , machinery or vehicle sounds (whirr, thrum, clank, chug), explosion sounds (bang, kaboom, crash) , or different sounds voices make (mumble, blurt, groan) . You can also ask for “quiet” words or “loud” words.

8. A Great Book

Picture books, chapter books, and reading aloud can inspire great writing too.

Fan Fiction

Write fan fiction that remains true to the setting and to the character’s personalities. Invite your child to:

  • Choose a pivotal decision that a character made in the book, and rewrite the story with the character making a different decision.
  • Extend the story beyond the ending. Write the sequel or an additional chapter.
  • Put the characters into a brand-new setting (maybe via a time machine, for example).

Model Forms

Picture books make great kid-friendly writing warm-ups . Many picture books are based on a formula or structure that  serves as a model for your own story on a different topic. For example, the familiar book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie  can give kids a formula for writing a chain of hilarious events sparked by a single, innocent action.

Wordless Books

While wordless books have no words, they certainly have a story . Your children can  put that story into words after reading a wordless book . This can be especially fun to do in a group setting where kids can compare versions with each other. It’s fun to see how motives and feelings were interpreted by different writers in the group.

creative writing warm ups

WriteShop J unior is a partnership between you and your child—because that’s how writing is best taught! You’ll love all the hands-on activities and tools, including kid-friendly writing warm-ups,  graphic organizers, and detailed brainstorming instructions  for each and every story. Not only that, you’ll learn how to model the brainstorming process with simple dialogues and writing examples.

Would you like to see how WriteShop Junior teaches 3rd-6th grade kids to plan a story?

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10 Writing Warm-Ups to Engage Your Students in the Middle School ELA or High School English Classroom

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In the public education setting, timed-writes are a required part of many standardized tests. Rather than try to cloak that reality, embrace it! One great way to do this is with fun and engaging writing warm-ups! Show your students that timed writing can be a fun challenge, and develop their expository and analytical prowess by beginning every class with a writing warm-up. These warm-ups should take only five to ten minutes, and you can easily implement them into your daily bell-ringer routine.

Here are 10 writing warm-ups  to build your students’ writing confidence:

1 minute story.

Get your students in the habit of writing from the word “go.” Set the time for 60 seconds and task them with writing a complete short story with a beginning, middle, and end in that time. The first time, many of them will probably find themselves caught up in the pressure or struggle over what to write. That’s okay! The more they practice, the better they will become at thinking quickly and excluding any unnecessary information. By the end of the school year, an essay in forty-five minutes will seem like a piece of cake! It’s best not to score these short stories. Instead, work on progress. If a student has trouble with this, encourage them to keep adding to their story with the one-minute you give them in class.

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Put an image up on the board, and have your students write a short paragraph about it. You can have them pen a short story, a long-form poem, or an explanation of what a student perceives the situation depicted to be. This exercise will encourage creative and critical thinking skills, both of which are essential in rhetorical analysis.

Note: the image should have as much or as little visual information as is appropriate for the type of response you are seeking. For example, for a poem, a picture of an apple would suffice; whereas, a stock photo of a couple might better suit a short story or analysis.

Teaching Resource: Descriptive Writing .

Musical Manuscripts

Using instrumental music is a great way to activate your students’ creativity and ability to write intuitively. Play the piece once in its entirety, and allow your students to make notes along the way. Then have them determine the mood of the song in a single word, and write a paragraph about why the song is “sad”, “happy”, “romantic”, etc. Because most of your students probably won’t yet have written a master’s thesis in music theory, this activity will force them to think analytically to get their point across. Plus they’ll get to listen to music in class!

Everyone’s A Critic

Have your students write a short review of a book, television show, or movie they recently read or watched! Reviews have a clear, if highly subjective, prompt: Was it good or bad? This warm-up is a wonderful practice for plot analysis, critical thinking, and supporting claims with evidence from the source. Plus, you may be able to avoid a bad film or two yourself. Kids are notoriously harsh critics, after all.

Alphabetical Order

This activity will make your students groan, but it will undoubtedly get them focused. This exercise will require your students to write a 26 line account of their day so far, each line beginning with the corresponding letter of the alphabet. For example: “ A bird flew by my window this morning. B irds are nice. “ C aw,” the bird said…” Students may experience frustration, but the structure will help them become used to producing fantastic work while working with strict guidelines. Furthermore, this activity will get them thinking about the process of writing.

10 Writing Warm-Ups to Engage Your Students in the Middle School ELA or High School English Classroom

Reverse! Reverse!

If you enjoy nonsensical fun, look no further! In this exercise, you will select any word out of the English language and present it to your students. Then reverse all the letters, creating an entirely new word. Each of your students will decide the meaning of this new word, and provide a dictionary entry for it, complete with a definition and an example sentence. This is a fun little exercise that gets the creative juices flowing and lets students feel more in control of language.

Tip: To make the activity more challenging, place specific guidelines on how the word fits into the English language, i.e., “this word is a verb,” etc.

Dear New Me,

Letters are a great, low-stress activity that still helps your students practice communicating their thoughts effectively in writing. In this exercise, students will write a short message to their future selves, detailing personal goals or worries about the near future. I recommend doing this at the beginning of a new unit or even before an extended assignment/project so that students can go into the next learning experience with a more focused mindset. Self check-ins are necessary and important!

Dear Old Me,

Here’s a fun mirror of the above warm-up, in which your students will write to their past selves! This can work in a broader sense, such as writing a letter full of things they’d wish they had known when they were six. They can also use this as a reflection upon the ending of a unit or project. It can even pair with the “Dear New Me” project, resulting in a constant stream of conversation that marks each student’s progress. It’s a great way to remind students that we are all learning and growing every day.

Dear Alter Ego,

Yet another twist on letter writing: This activity is one students can engage with every day and one that allows them a snippet of fantasy to liven up the classroom. Ask your students to create an alter ego for themselves. Then set aside a few minutes at the beginning of each class for your students to write to their alter egos. Not only is this an exercise in writing, but it’s also an exercise in self-esteem. Often alter egos are who we imagine ourselves as, but fear we are too plain or weak to be. The more acquainted your students become with their alter egos, the more they will realize that they are exalting themselves and their own potential.

Everything comes out better when love is added to the mix. When you ask someone about a subject they love, it seems as if they could talk for hours. Ask your students to write down a list of things they are passionate about: This can be anything from food to a sport to a stuffed animal they always keep on their bed. Have them choose one, set the timer, and let them write! They’ll surprise themselves with how much they have to say. Some more specific questions you can use to prompt them are: Why is ___ special to you personally? When did you first become interested in ___? What are 3 facts you know about ___?

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creative writing warm ups

Free Creative Writing Worksheet with 5 Warm-up Exercises

  • by Domestika @domestika

Download these free writing exercises to challenge your creativity and come to the blank page filled with inspiration

Writing a unique and engaging book that readers simply can’t put down often means finding ways to put a twist on well-known tropes and writing habits. Prompts are a great way to open your mind by introducing new ideas and rules to experiment with .

Emily Barr ( @emily_barr ) is an award-winning novelist and Domestika teacher who combines a love for travel with her talent for writing addictive thrillers to take readers on a journey. Here, she shares five warm-up prompts that will help you stretch your writing muscles in a downloadable PDF worksheet.

How to get started with writing prompts

“It’s much easier to not write a book, than to write a book!” Emily explains. As the author of several adult and young adult thrillers in the UK, and horror and sci-fi in the US, she needs to stay motivated and engaged with her projects through lots of drafting and editing.

While reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way , Emily was introduced to the practice of morning pages , where you begin a writing day by filling three pages by hand. This can help “unstick” your mind.

And if you’re struggling to think of things to write about, writing prompts are your best friend. They might be a single word or image you can bounce off, or they might be a whole scene waiting to be explored.

Writing freely for a set amount of time or pages can open your mind at the start of a writing day.

Benefits of using writing prompts

1. You can discover new ideas and themes you want to explore in your main project.

2. It’s easier to get started on a slower writing day.

3. You can experiment with styles or genres you don’t usually write.

4. They give your brain a break from writing the same thing every day.

5. It’s liberating to write something completely silly, that you don’t have to share with anyone!

Emily builds out from early drafting to create her larger plot for a thriller in her course.

Download the free PDF worksheet with five writing warm-up exercises

After clicking on the download button below, you’ll find a PDF file titled Creative Writing Warm-up Worksheet by Emily Barr in your Downloads folder.

Inside, you can learn more about Emily’s course, and also discover the prompts she recommends to stimulate your creativity before you work on your novel. They will push you to think about a range of aspects in your writing, from dialogue to description—and even challenge you to write a story with every letter of the alphabet!

Join for Free and download

EN download-20230825T091752Z-001.zip

Sign up for Emily’s course, Writing a Psychological Thriller . There, you’ll write the opening of your own book, a 25-word synopsis, and plan the rest of your plot with an experienced novelist as your guide.

Discover more writing resources

1. Try these two additional writing exercises to overcome creative block.

2. Learn the difference between a novel and a short story , so you can make the right choice for your narrative.

3. Watch these six free creative writing tutorials for all levels.

4. Go from the blank page to a daily writing practice with this course by Aniko Villalba.

5. Develop your first novel idea with this course by Shaun Levin.

Nathan Ams

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Ways to Warm Up for Writing (At All Ages and Stages)

creative writing warm ups

Athletes warm up before practice, musicians warm up before a rehearsal–so why wouldn’t writers warm up before writing?

Warming up for writing means getting your mind ready to write. For some writers, that means recalling your most recent word solving or spelling strategies so that they are fresh on your mind when you need them. For other writers, that might mean doing something to generate ideas for content, and for others it might mean doing something to refresh your memory on where you left off.

Here are a few quick and easy warm up routines that some of your students might find helpful.

Reading the Word Wall or a Ring of High Frequency Words

In many K-2 classrooms, teachers introduce a handful of high frequency words each week, adding them a few at a time to a “word wall” displayed in the classroom for easy reference. Other variations include adding to a smaller personalized word wall or ring of index cards. If this a tool that exists in your classroom, kids can warm up for writing by reviewing the word wall words – then those words will be fresh on their mind as they write. They might simply read the words to themselves, or they might write them on a dry-erase board in different sizes, or they might do a word hunt, searching through their previous writing for word wall words. Anything that gets them reading and/or writing the words they’ve been studying will give them extra practice with the words and set them up for success with spelling those words when they encounter them in their work.

A Spelling or Conventions Checklist Warm Up

For some kids, there are a few particular conventions that they seem to have trouble with day in and day out. With things like writing in lower case (instead of a mix of upper and lower case), common spelling errors, or fogetting punctuation, daily reminders and routines can be very helpful. After all, most conventions are habits, and habits really aren’t developed in one single sitting, or in just one minilesson. Instead, repetition is what forms a habit.

A short checklist highlighting just a few priorities for the indivdual student can help them self-monitor their own habits. Reviewing the checklist as a warm up to writing will put those conventions at the front of the writer’s mind as they begin to write, helping them incorporate the items on the checklist into their writing during writing, instead of always waiting until after writing to go back and check for mistakes.

Doodling or Drawing

For some writers, doodling or drawing helps them get ideas for what to write. It can also serve as a nice transition from an unrelated activity (recess, a math game, a science project…) into writing workshop. Ambient music or white noise often goes along nicely with doodling, and can have a calming effect, in addition to helping kids get ready to do their best work.

Talking or Rehearsing Aloud

Another way that writers often warm up for writing is by talking… talking A LOT. This might take the form of talking into a device to record all their great thinking, or talking to another person to brainstorm ideas, or rehearse a story idea to see how it sounds out loud. Talking might involve a lot of drama and expression, perhaps even role-playing different parts, or taking on different voices–or it might be done quietly and individually, whispering to oneself and sketching out a few ideas for what to write.

Re-reading What You’ve Already Written

Adults might do this without even thinking twice about it, but to novice writers it may not occur to them to reread what they’ve already written before they get started on new work. You can reread with many different lenses – reading your own work out loud helps you hear how it sounds and may help you discover parts to add on to, or shorten up. Rereading for spelling or punctuation from previous days work is helpful because you have fresh eyes for finding your own mistakes when you’ve taken a break from it. And rereading old finished work can help you generate new ideas for your next piece of writing.

Taking a Look at Some Mentor Texts

As a student, I would often get so carried away with a project or a piece of writing that I would lose sight of what the actual assignment was supposed to be. Now, I’ve developed a routine of looking at examples nearly every time I write. Sometimes I look to published, professional authors, but often I look to student writing, or writing created by friends or colleauges. This not only helps me stay focused on what I’m “supposed ” to be doing, I find it helps me generate new ideas, and gets my mind ready to write. Sometimes I look at a mentor text and I think, “Oh! I could use the same strategy in my work!” Other times I think, “Oooh. I would not do it that way. I think I’ll do it this way instead.” Either way, revisiting an example (or mentor text) is a helpful for routine for a lot of writers — especially those of us who benefit from clear expectations and focus on the task at hand.

Putting Warm Up Routines into Practice

In the classroom, each of your students may benefit from warming up for writing in a different way. In your next unit of study, near the beginning of the unit, perhaps you’ll introduce a few of your own favorite warm up routines that students can choose from, and invite them to invent their own routine. Then, each day at at the start of independent writing time, you can remind all your students to warm up, each in their individualized way. You may want to have a set ending time for warming up, signaling to students to stop warming up and start writing — or you may find that students transition into their work on their own and don’t need the signal.

For the writers in your classroom that need a little time to get settled in, a warm up routine might be just the thing that was missing.

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creative writing warm ups

Published by BethMooreSchool

Literacy Coach, Consultant, Author, Graduate Course Instructor, and Mom. Passionate about fostering a love of reading and writing in learners of all ages. View all posts by BethMooreSchool

3 thoughts on “ Ways to Warm Up for Writing (At All Ages and Stages) ”

Such great ideas! Thanks for this awesome post Beth!

I appreciate the way you likened warming up for writing to warming up for a workout. I’d never just jump right into exercise without getting ready. Same should be said/done for writing too!

Love this list! I could see this at all ages for sure!

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All Write Alright

Creative Writing Warmups and Exercises

creative writing warm ups

As with any skill, writing requires practice if you want to get any better at it. However, unique ideas can be hard to come up with on your own. If you want to warm up and get some ideas flowing, or you need some prompts for practicing a new technique, check out some of the ideas below! 

A lot of these prompts work best if you have an existing character (or several) to use, but you can also make up a character on the spot if you’d rather do that. 

Short Story Rewrite

Write a short story. It can be about anything, and don’t worry about making sure it’s perfectly edited—it’s a first draft, after all. Write the whole story in one sitting, then set it aside and don’t look at it again. (If you can’t write it all in one sitting, try starting over with a shorter story!)

Immediately after you finish writing your short story, start over. Don’t look at your first draft at all, and rely only on your memory to rewrite the story from scratch. Once you’re done, set the story aside and come back tomorrow.

The next day, rewrite the story again without reading or looking at your first two drafts. If you can’t remember everything, try to fill in the gaps with new ideas that will draw the plot towards the same conclusion. 

Once you’re done, compare the three stories. How similar are they? What aspects are different? Rewrite the story one last time, using all three drafts as a reference. Take your favorite parts of each draft—whether that’s dialogue, phrases, descriptions, ideas, etc—and combine them into one. 

Writing About Confrontation

Write a scene in the first person where a character is confronted by their loved ones about something. What is the reason for the confrontation, and how do the other characters present the issue?

Focus on the emotions of the scene. Is your main character defensive about the problem, or ashamed? Or something else? Remember that emotions can be confusing and multi-faceted, and try to convey that complexity based on the character, the situation, and the other details. 

The scene can be as short or as long as you want to be, but if you feel like continuing the story with extra scenes, do so! Explore the character’s emotional journey to acceptance or denial to bring the story to a logical conclusion.

The Silent Film Approach

Write an emotionally charged scene, like a big argument or a character getting bad news. Describe the scene with absolutely no dialogue . Do not write any thoughts, spoken words, or written notes like diary entries or anything like that. Do not include dialogue in flashbacks.

Narrate the story with as much emotion and descriptive language as you can to bring the story to life without writing a single line of dialogue from either character. Try to convey the meaning behind this scene using only the emotion, the setting, and the details you include.

You can of course imply that the characters are speaking, but do not write what they are saying. Leave some things for the readers to imagine, and illustrate the scene like it’s a silent film.

Different Perspectives

creative writing warm ups

Write a short scene in first-person or closed third-person where your main character is attacked by another character. An easy option for this is to write about someone mugging them with a weapon, like a knife or gun, but I won’t limit the possibilities. Work through the main character’s reaction to the situation, and how they come to a decision about what to do, whether that’s fight back, run away, give in to the attacker’s demands, or something else.

Then, rewrite the entire scene, but this time from the perspective of the attacker. What’s going through their mind as they carry out their plan? Does the story still start from the same point in time, or does it have to go farther back in time for more context? What is their reason for doing this? Are they a sympathetic character, or are they just despicable? Work through their emotions and motivations, then their reaction to whatever the victim does. Are they able to walk away with what they want in the end?

Rewrite the story again, now from an omniscient perspective. Layer the first two scenes together to show how each character struggles individually with the situation at the same time. There was a witness to the scene, but they never come forward, and otherwise would have been absent from the story from the closed perspective of the first two characters. How does this additional character and enhanced perspective provide more context and interest to the scene? Is it too much context?

After you’ve written all three stories, consider which of the three perspectives best communicates the story’s intent. Which was the easiest to write? Which one makes the most interesting story? If you were making a second draft, which option would you move forward with, and why?

Stream of Consciousness

Your character hasn’t been sleeping well. As they lay in bed, staring up into the darkness of their room, what are they thinking about? What are the thoughts that are keeping them awake? Has this always been a problem for them, or is this insomnia the result of something that happened to them recently?

The world feels different at 3 am. Explore the character’s unique state of mind at this moment, and follow their stream of consciousness wherever it takes you. Let their mind wander uninterrupted, and write out each thought as it leads to the next. You might learn some things about them that you hadn’t considered before. 

If you need a little help with this, check out Losing Sleep Over How to Write a Character with Insomnia?

Unreliable Narration

Write a story with an unreliable narrator.

There are many ways to create a story with an unreliable narrator. Your narrator could have biases, and want to steer readers towards believing the same thing they do. Your narrator could experience hallucinations or delusions that make it difficult for them to understand objective reality. Your narrator could be deceptive and tell lies or be untrue to themself. Your narrator could be a child who doesn’t fully understand the complex workings of society within the context of your story. 

However you choose to make your narrator unreliable, you need to find a way of making readers question the narrator’s credibility. Does the narrator’s unreliability become more obvious over time, or was it always obvious that they are not to be trusted? Is there a plot twist at the end that reveals that they’re unreliable? 

An unreliable narrator can vastly alter the tone of a story. Consider what you’ve written. How would this story be different with an objective or omniscient perspective? How can this technique be useful in adding depth to a story? 

Subjective Setting

A character’s mood can change how they perceive a setting, and the way a setting is described can have a large impact on the overall tone of a scene. 

Think of a particular environment, such as a countryside in the rain, a cityscape late at night, or a breezy beach at sunrise. Once you’ve decided on the environment, write a really brief, objective description of it, as if you are setting the scene for a script. These are just notes to keep the setting consistent. 

Describe this setting from the first-person perspective of a pessimistic character who has had a really rough day. They’re in a bad mood, and maybe they just dislike this type of weather or location in particular. How would they perceive their environment? What words do they use to describe what they see around them? What do they think about where they are? How does their environment impact the way they feel?

Now, write a new description for the exact same setting , but from the first-person perspective of a character who is feeling at peace and happy. Maybe this is their favorite weather or place. Maybe they’ve just received really good news. Regardless, this character is feeling good about life and where they are right now. How does their description differ from the pessimistic character’s description? 

Compare these two descriptions of the same location at the same point in time. How do they influence the tone of the scene? How can the way a setting is described add more depth to a character’s emotions? Based on how this scene is described in each of these descriptions, what can you expect to happen here? 

Personal Experience

creative writing warm ups

Think about a time you did something stupid as a child. How old were you? What were you doing? What did you think about what you were doing? 

Take this memory, and write about it in first-person and present tense . Try to make your protagonist think and act like a young child, or however old you were at the time of this incident. Use your experience and the way you remember the situation to help you write an internal monologue for this child protagonist.

If you can’t remember everything that happened, then just fill in the gaps with anything that fits the narrative. If you want to, you can even write a different ending from the one that actually happened in your past.

If you find yourself struggling, try checking out A Guide to Writing Child Characters Authentically . 

Changing Genre

Take an old story you’ve written and rewrite it to be a different genre.

If the story you wrote is filled with magic and myth, how can you keep the overall plot while retelling the story in a realistic, modern setting? If you wrote a romance, how can you keep the general themes the same while placing the characters into a horror setting?

Stories often have core meanings (like “nothing can stop true love” or “friendship always prevails”) or simple fundamental plots (like “save the girl” or “dispose of a cursed object”). Interesting things can happen if you find a new and creative way of sending the same message within an unexpected context. 

Try to find the overarching themes of your story. Does a character overcome a major internal struggle? Do the characters go on a road trip? Do the characters have to embark on a grand quest to retrieve a priceless artifact? Then, consider how you can keep these themes intact as you manipulate the other elements of the story to fit into the conventions of a new genre. 

If you’ve never written fanfiction before, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to learn from your fellow storytellers! 

Take a show, movie, book, game, or any other piece of media that you enjoy, and try to come up with a story that you could tell with the characters within the confines of their world. This will require analyzing each character you use to fully understand the nuances of their personality, behavior, and manner of speech. It will also require a deep understanding of the setting in which their original story takes place, so you can keep your story authentic to the canon. 

Fanfiction is a great way of analyzing another story’s worldbuilding and characters. You can create a new conflict for the characters to deal with, explain a loose end that was never tied up in canon, or delve into lore that is never completely explained. You can even explore a possible dynamic between characters who have never met in canon, or rewrite a new ending for the story.

There are many possibilities when it comes to writing fanfiction, but no matter how you choose to write it, you’re going to end up learning something. Fanfiction is fun, but it also requires a lot of analysis, and you can end up learning a lot from other creators this way. 

Use Your Environment 

Take a look around you right now. 

How would you describe your exact surroundings in a story? Which details do you think would be important to include, and which details would you omit? How would you give readers a sense of who you are based only on how you describe your surroundings? If your characters walked into this room, what would be the first things they notice? How would they feel about it, and why? How would you bring readers into your space, and share with them what your environment represents? 

Exercises like this can make you better at capturing the essence of an environment, as well as make your scenes feel more realistic overall. It’ll help you add little touches of personality to characters’ rooms, ground readers in a setting, and make the world around your characters feel all the more immersive. 

I hope you find these exercises useful! 

Write on, writers!

creative writing warm ups

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Writing warm-ups.

“Don’t wait for inspiration. Work inspires inspiration. Keep working. If you succeed, keep working. If you fail, keep working. If you’re interested, keep working. If you’re bored, keep working.”

— Michael Crichton

15 Ways to Jump-start Your Day

In a candlelit garret, William Shakespeare spins in a circle, rubs a quill between his hands, then spits over his shoulder before sitting down to put plume to parchment.

That scene from 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love” is played for laughs, but in today’s world of deadlines and day jobs, warm-up rituals are no joke. A warm-up routine can help you banish distractions, loosen “cold” creative muscles, and get down to the serious business of putting words on pages.

I recently asked the most prolific writers I know—the members of Romance Writers of America—to reveal how they jump-start their writing each day. Here, they share 15 fresh ways to get beyond the “blank page” stage as quickly as possible.

  • Create a routine . Become a creature of habit. “I arise at 6 a.m., read the newspaper and take a short swim,” says Virginia Henley (The Border Hostage, Dell). “Once I’ve begun step one of the ritual, I can’t turn back, and therefore I turn on that computer and start work at the same time every day.” Take note: All of the New York Times bestselling authors who responded to the survey stressed this point.
  • Don’t use e-mail or the Internet as a warm-up . Going online is the fastest way to make your writing time vanish without a trace. “I smack my hand when it tries to push the Outlook Express button first thing,” says Kathleen Eagle (Once Upon a Wedding, William Morrow). Reward yourself with Net surfing at the end of your writing session, after you’ve met your daily goal.
  • Set a limit on warm-up time . A warm-up ritual is meant to improve your productivity, not give you another excuse to procrastinate. As you read this list, circle two or three ideas that appeal to you, then weave them into a daily routine that lasts about 10 to 20 minutes. If you find yourself overdoing it, set a timer.
  • Relocate. Take your show on the road: Pack up your laptop and head for the nearest dining room, coffee shop, park or beach. One New York Times bestselling author starts every day far from her office: After waking up and making a quick pit stop, “I hop right back under the covers with my laptop,” says Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Breathing Room, William Morrow). “I like to write this way for about an hour before I go downstairs and tend to everything else. Two hours later, when I finally get resettled in front of the computer, I already have something to show for my day.”
  • List. If you’re nagged by thoughts of errands to run and groceries to buy, banish your distractions by jotting a quick to-do list. Put a star next to anything that needs to be done today (just as soon as you’re finished writing). Now set the list aside and focus on your book.
  • Dictate . If you find the “blank page” stage too daunting, turn off your computer and dictate the rough draft of your scene into a digital recorder. Use a portable model and jump-start your writing in the car, at your daughter’s soccer game or anywhere that’s convenient.
  • Type . Put your fingers on the keyboard and type whatever pops into your head: random phrases, a description of the weather, the room where the scene takes place—anything that will move you into the story. “I know I can delete these ramblings, and I often do,” says Victoria Hinshaw (The Fountainebleu Fan, Zebra Regency). “I’m sometimes surprised, however, to find a new insight or even a worthwhile sentence or two.”
  • Plot . Take a moment to think about what you want this scene to accomplish: Who are the focal characters? What are their motivations? What conflicts will they encounter? What action might take place? What’s the emotional tone? How will this scene move the story forward? Brainstorm 10 or 20 quick ideas and dive in.
  • Skim . “If I’m stalled, I often go back and speed-read through the entire manuscript,” says Robin Lee Hatcher (Firstborn, Tyndale House). “Major procrastination usually indicates that I’m missing motivation for one of my characters. This helps me find the answer.”
  • Journey . If you’re a historical author, take a time-traveling journey into the era you’re writing about: Look at letters, diaries, prints or other material from the period. While writing The Exiles (Zebra), Nita Abrams started her day by tracing her characters’ movements on a map of 1813 Vienna.
  • Spark . Decorate your writing space with pictures that instantly spark your creativity. In her “Poof, It’s a Book!” workshop, Susan Wiggs (Passing Through Paradise, Warner) suggests making a collage with clippings from magazines. The collage for my current novel-in-progress features photos of Alaskan scenery, a helicopter, Mel Gibson, a blonde in a slinky red dress and phrases like “Strong & Beautiful.”
  • Believe . Create a folder filled with self-esteem boosters: inspiring quotes, praise from contest judges or critique partners, award certificates—anything that helps you believe in yourself and your talent. Spend a moment looking through it before you start your day.
  • Relax . A few minutes of guided relaxation can quiet your mind and awaken your creative spirit. Step-by-step instruction is available on DVD or audio CD. Try “Yoga Journal’s Yoga Practice for Relaxation” (DVD) or “The Theta Meditation System” by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson (CD), both available at Amazon.com, or “Ten Minutes to Relax” by The Relaxation Company (CD, available at www.therelaxationcompany.com).
  • Ask a question. Before leaving the keyboard, ask yourself a question about tomorrow’s scene: What’s the heroine feeling at this point? Or, How are they going to get out of this alive? Write it down and sleep on it. Your subconscious might provide a surprising answer.
  • Blaze a trail . Type a few quick sentences to be continued. “I try to always end my workday by beginning a new strand of action or adventure—just enough to draw me into the next day’s work with a bit more ease,” says Ruth Ryan Langan, author of more than 70 novels (His Father’s Son, Silhouette).

Experiment a bit until you find the warm-up that meets your needs. If any part of your routine causes you trouble, change it. “What will motivate one writer may not work for another,” says Tina St. John (White Lion’s Lady, Ballantine). “It’s important to look for the things that inspire you, then use them shamelessly.”

USA Today bestselling author Shelly Thacker has earned lavish praise from Publishers Weekly, Locus, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Detroit Free Press and booksellers who have called her “a virtuoso beyond compare.” A two-time RWA RITA Finalist, she has won numerous other honors for her fiction, including a National Readers’ Choice Award and many Romantic Times Certificates of Excellence. There are more than one million copies of her novels in print.

Published in Writer’s Digest’s Writer’s Forum magazine, Winter 2005 © Shelly Thacker. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for individual writers to print one copy of this article for personal use. Any other reproduction by any means, print or electronic, is strictly prohibited without written permission of the author.

Newsweek

Strange Glow Over Moscow Skies Triggers Panic as Explosions Reported

B right flashes lit up the night sky in southern Moscow in the early hours of Thursday morning, new footage appears to show, following reports of an explosion at an electrical substation on the outskirts of the city.

Video snippets circulating on Russian-language Telegram channels show a series of flashes on the horizon of a cloudy night sky, momentarily turning the sky a number of different colors. In a clip shared by Russian outlet MSK1.ru, smoke can be seen rising from a building during the flashes lighting up the scene.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify the details of the video clips, including when and where it was filmed. The Russian Ministry of Emergency situations has been contacted via email.

Several Russian Telegram accounts said early on Thursday that residents of southern Moscow reported an explosion and a fire breaking out at an electrical substation in the Leninsky district, southeast of central Moscow.

Local authorities in the Leninsky district told Russian outlet RBC that the explosion had happened in the village of Molokovo. "All vital facilities are operating as normal," Leninsky district officials told the outlet.

The incident at the substation in Molokovo took place just before 2 a.m. local time, MSK1.ru reported.

Messages published by the ASTRA Telegram account, run by independent Russian journalists, appear to show residents close to the substation panicking as they question the bright flashes in the sky. One local resident describes seeing the bright light before losing access to electricity, with another calling the incident a "nightmare."

More than 10 villages and towns in the southeast of Moscow lost access to electricity, the ASTRA Telegram account also reported. The town of Lytkarino to the southeast of Moscow, lost electricity, wrote the eastern European-based independent outlet, Meduza.

Outages were reported in the southern Domodedovo area of the city, according to another Russian outlet, as well as power failures in western Moscow. Electricity was then restored to the areas, the Strana.ua outlet reported.

The cause of the reported explosion is not known. A Telegram account aggregating news for the Lytkarino area described the incident as "an ordinary accident at a substation."

The MSK1.ru outlet quoted a local resident who speculated that a drone may have been responsible for the explosion, but no other Russian source reported this as a possible cause.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Moscow with long-range aerial drones in recent months, including a dramatic wave of strikes in late May.

On Sunday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the region's air defense systems had intercepted an aerial drone over the city of Elektrostal, to the east of Moscow. No damage or casualties were reported, he said.

The previous day, Russian air defenses detected and shot down another drone flying over the Bogorodsky district, northeast of central Moscow, Sobyanin said.

There is currently no evidence that an aerial drone was responsible for the reported overnight explosion at the electrical substation in southern Moscow.

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Stills from footage circulating on Telegram early on Thursday morning. Bright flashes lit up the night sky in southern Moscow, new footage appears to show, following reports of an explosion at an electrical substation on the outskirts of the city.

how to write a good biography

Published In: Brief

How to Write a Biography (Examples & Templates)

A biography is a written account of a person’s life that details their life in chronological order. Another person usually writes this detailed account, and it contains reports of their childhood, career, major life events, relationships, and social impact. It also details their relationships with their family, children, and life accomplishments.

The best way to find out more about a popular figure is through reading their biographies, so you need to make sure you get the correct information. Before writing a biography, you need to do a lot of research and interviews to represent a person’s life accurately.

Types of Biography

A biography is the story of someone’s life as written by another writer. Most biographies of popular figures are written years, or even decades, after their deaths. Authors write biographies of popular figures due to either a lack of information on the subject or personal interest.

A biography aims to share a person’s story or highlight a part of their life.

There are different types of biographies, depending on the story. Some biographies are written true to the story, while some are written as fictional works. Biographies can give you true understanding of a person on an internal as well as external level along with a lot of life lessons.

Autobiography

An autobiography is different from a biography because it is written by the subject of the story, themselves. The author writes in the first-person narrative, and it flows step-by-step like a story of their life. Autobiographies contain personal accounts of the subject’s life, along with their perspectives and opinions on events in their life.

How To Write a Biography

Pick a subject.

Picking a subject is the first step in writing a biography. You can pick an already famous person or a relatively unknown person with a great life story. If you already have a few in mind, you can start by asking yourself some questions such as;

  • What has the subject accomplished that makes them a good subject?
  • Have they had an impact on society?
  • Is the subject a celebrity or a well-known personality?
  • Will the biography appeal to a wide audience?

Get Permission

When you pick a subject, the next thing to do is to get permission from them or their family or rights owners. Although, with some historical figures, there may not be any need for permission. Getting permission from your subject makes it easier for you to get stories to put into your book. You can get the chance to obtain additional personal stories and anecdotes that will make your book more interesting by doing so as well.

Do The Research

Research is the most important part of a biography’s process as the entire content of the book is dependent on it. Irrespective of what you know about the subject, you need to carry out as much research as possible to get the story’s facts precisely.

Biography research comes from various sources, depending on the book’s subject. Firsthand reports from family, friends, or personal accounts from the subjects are primary sources. They are usually the most accurate and reliable, and they are crucial for a biography. Secondary sources come from other sources like magazines or documentaries.

Pick a Format

Biographies come in various formats, with each of them having their pros and cons. A typical biography will start at the beginning, usually with the birth and childhood of the subject. Yet, if the biography’s theme involves a different event in their life, the author may want to explore the flashback option or one with concurrent events from different times.

Usually, biographies have a theme or a general life lesson at the center. The author’s role is to tell the subject’s story leading up to the major event.

Which-ever format you choose should place the theme at the center, with the other events detailing the journey.

Create a Timeline Of The Story

Since a biography takes place in chronological order, there needs to be a timeline of the events in the right order. The timeline should contain the key events in the subject’s life, in the order the author plans on revealing them. A great way to declutter the story and keep it interesting is to use flashbacks . This way, the author can introduce past events and explain later events excluding the element of monotony.

Add In Your Thoughts

The good thing about biographies is that you don’t have to stick to the hard facts only. As the author, you can share your opinions and emotions in writing. The author has the freedom to do this by commenting on a significant action by the subject in a manner that describes why they feel the subject may have done what they did.

The author can also include commentary on events depicted in the biography – how it was influenced society or its impact on the lives around them. Recounting these events through a different perspective can make the biography more relatable and interesting to read.

FAQ’s

Why is a biography template important.

A biography template has an outline that makes the writing easier for the author. Biography templates usually contain a sample timeline, format, and questions that provide more information about the subject. With a great biography template, you can cut your writing time in half and spend less time coming up with an outline.

How are biographies better in comparison to autobiographies

Since a different person writes biographies, they tend to be more objective and somewhat accurate than autobiographies. An autobiography tells things from the author’s perspective, so their views and perspective cloud it. Thus, a biography will likely tell a more factual story.

These are the important steps you need to take to help you write a great biography. Now, to make things easier for you, we have a free customizable autobiography and biography template that you can use to start your first book. Get the template and start writing today

What are some of the most important elements to keep in consideration while writing a biography?

Any author looking to write a biography must consider the factors below. They aren’t the only important factors, but a biography isn’t complete without them. • Date and place of their birth • Academic background • Professional expertise • Death, if deceased • Facts and anecdotes about the person • Main accomplishments • Detailed accounts of their child and adult life

Biographies tell the untold stories of some incredibly relevant people in the world. But biographies are not always strictly accurate. So, every biographer needs to follow the necessary steps to provide a biography with all the requirements.

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How to write a professional bio (with examples and templates)

  • Rebecca Strehlow
  • 11 min read

How to write a bio

Which three words would you use to describe yourself? Most of us have been asked this question, and many of us have fumbled through it awkwardly.

Coming up with a personal description can be daunting. But there are times when it’s essential - whether we’re updating our LinkedIn profiles, blogging for Medium or creating a business website of our own.

In this post, we’ll go over how to write a bio, step by step. To help guide you, we’ve also included a handy template, along with some professional bio examples for your inspiration. With these resources, you’ll find that writing a bio, as part of making a website , is much easier than you might think.

What is a bio?

Before you learn how to write a bio, you should have a clear understanding of what it is and why you need it.

In the world of literature, a personal biography can span the length of an entire novel, like Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom or Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala . In the online world, however, a bio is a short paragraph in which you introduce yourself. Typically, people place bios on the About Us page of their professional website, as well as on their social media pages and other networking platforms.

What to include in a bio

Depending on your audience and goals, your bio can highlight your personal interests, your professional achievements or a mix of both. Here are some of the elements a bio might include:

Job title or workplace

University degree and other qualifications

Hometown or city of residence

Personal or professional goals

Mission statement and values

Skills and expertise

Interests and hobbies

The goal of writing a bio is to provide people with a snapshot of who you are. This is important for a variety of reasons, whether it’s drawing people toward your personal website or promoting your blog, attracting clients and business partners to your brand, or highlighting your achievements for job interviews.

How to write a short bio

The most effective online bios are both professional and concise. Here’s how to write a short professional bio that suits your website or brand:

Introduce yourself

State your company or brand name

Explain your professional role

Include professional achievements

Discuss your passions and values

Mention your personal interests

01. Introduce yourself

Begin your bio by stating your first and last name. If you’re writing in the third person, these should be the first two words of the paragraph. This makes your name easy for your audience to identify and remember. Your bio is a huge part of your personal branding efforts, and should start with a strong intro to make a positive impact.

02. State your company or brand name

Think about whether you want your bio to represent yourself on a personal level, or whether you’d like it to come across as more professional. If you have a personal brand or business - for example, a blog, freelance business or eCommerce site - be sure to mention your brand name at the beginning of your bio. Don’t be afraid if the name sounds simple or redundant. It’s perfectly fine, for instance, to say Mary Smith is the founder and CEO of Smith Digital.

Likewise, feel free to mention the name of another company or brand that you work for if you’d like to associate it with your professional accomplishments - e.g., Mary Smith is a consultant at Google and the founder and CEO of Smith Digital.

03. Explain your professional role

Next, briefly explain your current position. This is relevant whether you’re the founder of a company, a high-level specialist or a beginner in your field, and it can be similar to the description you have on your resume. Your website visitors won’t necessarily know what your job involves, so elaborating on your primary responsibilities helps paint a picture of who you are and what you have to offer. This can also be used, if needed for employment and recruitment opportunities. If you're a freelancer a strong bio can make all the difference in how successful sourcing work can be.

Green image with peach squares that say "be concise" plus lavender circles that say "Know your audience" and "Bio".

04. Include professional achievements

In addition to explaining what your job entails, highlight milestones that make you stand out. Even if you haven’t won an award or gained external recognition, you can discuss ways in which you’ve contributed to your professional role and touch on new ideas or approaches that you bring to the table.

05. Discuss your passions and values

Once you describe what you do and how you contribute to your role, you’ll need to explain the why . This is one of the most important elements to focus on as you consider how to write a bio.

Think about the values and passions underlying your work, as well as your professional philosophy. What gets you up in the morning? What’s the driving force behind what you do?

You can also think of this part of your professional bio as a kind of mission statement. Perhaps your mission is to serve others, contribute to society, grow your expertise or learn new skills. Whatever your reasons, expanding upon these ideas can help your audience get a better understanding of what truly matters to you. Don't be afraid to deploy storytelling in this part of creating your bio. Explore your narrative and then convey it.

06. Mention your personal interests

The most effective short bios will not only focus on your professional experience, but will also touch on what you like to do in your spare time. Consider mentioning:

Your family

Your hometown

Your hobbies

Side projects you’re working on

Transitioning to a more casual discussion of who you are outside of work is a great way to conclude your bio. This will present you as a more well-rounded person while making you relatable for your audience.

Professional bio template

As you go through the steps on how to write a bio, this handy template will help you get started:

Sentence 1: [Name] is a [job title] who [job description].

E.g., Lisa Green is an English teacher who teaches beginning to advanced literature courses for 10th and 11th grade students at Bloomfield High School.

Sentence 2: [Name] believes that [why you do the work you do].

E.g., Lisa believes that written and analytical skills are not only a fundamental part of academic excellence, but are also the building blocks of critical thinking in high school and beyond.

Sentence 3: [Name/pronoun] has [mention your achievements].

E.g., In addition to managing the English curriculum for the school, she runs an after school program where she works one-on-one with students.

Sentence 4: [Name/pronoun] is a [mention any relevant awards, training or honors].

E.g., She has also been nominated Teacher of the Year for two consecutive years.

Sentence 5: [Name/pronoun] holds a [insert degree] in [field of study] from [university].

E.g., Lisa holds a BA in Creative Writing and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Michigan.

Once you’ve filled in this template, put it all together into a single paragraph to create an initial framework for your professional biography. Note that you can shorten or expand upon this bio according to your unique needs.

A professional bio template graphic that says [name] is a [job title] who [job description]. [Name] has [Academic Qualifications] from [University]...

Professional bio examples

Now that you know the basics of writing a professional bio, here are some short bio examples to inspire you. You can use these examples as additional templates for guidance as you craft your own personal biography.

Like the creators of these examples, you can place your bio on your personal or professional website and, later, revise the structure for other online platforms.

01. Bristol Guitar Making School

Professional bio examples: Bristol Guitar Making School

Of all the professional bio examples, Alex Bishop’s content exudes passion. Strategically placing the bio on the About page of his small business website , he highlights his skills and explains why he finds his work meaningful. In particular, we love his description of why he chose to pursue guitar making:

“​My passion as a guitar maker comes from a life-long obsession with making things. From a young age I have always tried to manipulate objects and materials in order to create something entirely different. I find that working with wood is a way for me to connect with nature. The simple act of shaping wood to make something functional or beautiful brings me endless satisfaction.”

He also lists his accomplishments and awards, adding credibility to his business and building trust among prospective clients.

02. Alexandra Zsigmond

Professional bio examples: Alexandra Zsigmond

As someone who has served as art director for both The New York Times' opinion section and The New Yorker , it's no surprise that Alexandra Zsigmond's bio is thorough and detailed. Providing statistics or reflections on the things she achieved in her career is a clever way to demonstrate her value without saying so directly. As she explains:

"She has collaborated with a roster of over 1000 artists worldwide and art directed over 4000 editorial illustrations. She is known for greatly expanding the range of visual contributors to the Times, drawing equally from the worlds of contemporary illustration, fine art, animation, and comics."

03. Amanda Shields Interiors

Professional bio examples: Amanda Shields Interiors

Amanda Shields provides us with another effective bio example on her interior design website. Importantly, she spices up her bio by explaining how home decor aligns with her personal life and why it’s so close to her heart as a mother and entrepreneur:

"After working as a product designer for numerous retailers over the years, and after I had my first child, I decided to take the plunge and start my own home staging business…. Coincidentally, a month later I discovered I was pregnant with my second child. I loved the new challenges I faced as a new entrepreneur and mom and it didn't take long for me to discover that this was my calling…. I felt the need to expand my business and launch Amanda Shields Interiors as its own entity to focus specifically on residential interiors and design."

By placing this content on her website’s About page, she provides potential clients with insights into her expertise and professional experience. She expands upon the choices she made along her career path, strategically making note of her achievements and acquired skills along the way.

Tips for writing a bio

As you write your bio using the professional template above, make sure to keep the following tips in mind:

Keep it concise: Your bio should be sufficiently explanatory, but it should also be short and to the point. A good rule of thumb is to keep each element of your bio - from your job description to your mission statement and hobbies - to about 1-2 sentences. That way, you’ll end up with a brief paragraph that holds your readers’ attention without rambling on.

Consider your audience: The voice and tone you choose for your biography largely depends on your audience and personal goals. If you’re looking for a job and are writing primarily for recruiters, you’ll want to use a serious, professional tone. On the other hand, if you’re creating an Instagram bio , consider using more casual, conversational language that reflects your personality.

Add humor: Relatedly, consider adding humor when appropriate. This is especially valuable if you’ve founded your own business or created your own website , as it can give you a distinct brand identity while helping your audience build a stronger sense of connection with your brand.

Link to your website: When writing a bio for a platform other than your own website - a social media page, another company page, or a guest blog or publication - remember to include a link to your website. This will help you promote your website while highlighting your professionalism and authority.

Adapt for different platforms: You’ll most likely need to adapt the length and writing style of your biography to suit different platforms. For example, you may place a longer bio on your website’s About page and a shorter one on your LinkedIn page. In these cases, use the same main principles for writing a bio while scaling down the most important elements.

By following these tips, you can create a powerful bio that helps you stand out in your field and allows your audience to get to know you better.

How to write a bio in four sentences or less

Really need to create a super short bio? We'd suggest following some of the tips above, just condensing them into less word for a short bio that still makes impact.

But if we really had to choose we'd say focus on - you, your professional role and company. That condenses everything that matters for bio into three sentences. Humor, creativity and uniqueness still all matter just use less words to convey them.

Creating a bio for your website

As we’ve noted in the examples above, one of the most strategic places to put your bio is on your website - so be sure to consider it within your web design plans. Whether the goal of your site is to start and promote your business , showcase your design portfolio or display your resume, including a bio gives your audience a glimpse into the person behind your content. It can also kickstart your professional growth . Show the world what you do, how you do it and why it matters, and people will be drawn to your passion and inspired by your experience.

Pro tip: You can add a bio to many different types of websites, so using templates can help you create yours faster. For example, if you're creating a portfolio website, explore portfolio website templates to help you get started.

Creating a bio for social media

Crafting a professional bio for social media is vital as it introduces you or your brand, and it builds credibility and trust. A well-written bio establishes your expertise, attracts the right audience, and fosters engagement. It helps maintain a consistent brand image, optimizes search and discovery, and opens doors to networking and career opportunities. A compelling bio delivers a concise, informative snapshot of who you are, what you do, and the value you bring, leaving a lasting impression on visitors and potential collaborators alike.

You may need to edit your bio depending on which social media platform you plan to use it on. Some of the most popular ones include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Focus on getting your bio right on the platforms you plan to focus your personal or brand social media marketing efforts on.

Writing a bio with AI

If you're looking to write your bio fast while creating your website, consider using an AI text generator to build your draft. You'll still need to make sure it goes through. an intensive editing process, so that it really captures the essence of who you are and your professional skills. A bio is about much more than just basic information, so don't forget to include the storytelling too. Build a website with Wix and you can make use of the in-built AI text generator within its Editor .

Why good bios are important for a professional

A well-written bio is an essential tool for any professional. It serves as a concise and informative introduction, highlighting your skills, experience and accomplishments. A strong bio can effectively showcase your expertise, attract potential employers or collaborators and establish your credibility in your field.

Here's why a good bio is important for a professional:

Creates a positive first impression: A well-written bio is often the first thing someone will read about you, whether it's a potential employer, client or collaborator. A strong bio will make a positive first impression and pique their interest in learning more about you.

Highlights your skills and experience: A good bio allows you to succinctly summarize your key skills, experience and accomplishments. It's an opportunity to showcase your expertise and demonstrate your value to potential employers or collaborators.

Establishes credibility: A professional bio that is well-written and free of errors conveys credibility and professionalism. It shows that you take yourself and your career seriously and that you are someone they can trust.

Attracts opportunities: A strong bio can help you attract new opportunities, whether it's a job interview, a project collaboration or a speaking engagement. A well-crafted bio can make you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of being noticed.

Builds your professional brand: Your bio is a key component of your professional brand. It should reflect your personality, values and aspirations, and it should be consistent with your overall online presence.

Networking tool: A well-written bio can serve as an effective networking tool. It can help you connect with potential employers, clients or collaborators who share your interests or expertise.

Demonstrates continuous learning: A bio that is regularly updated to reflect your latest skills, experience and accomplishments shows that you are committed to continuous learning and professional development.

Showcases your communication skills: A well-written bio demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively in a concise and engaging manner. It shows that you can articulate your thoughts and ideas clearly and professionally.

Personalizes your job search: When applying for jobs, tailoring your bio to each specific position can increase your chances of getting noticed. Highlight the skills and experience that are most relevant to the job you are seeking.

Builds confidence: Having a strong bio that you are proud of can boost your confidence and make you feel more prepared to take on new challenges and opportunities.

How to write a bio FAQ

What is a short bio.

A short bio, short for biography, is a concise summary of a your life or professional background. It provides a brief overview of your key achievements, qualifications, experiences, and relevant details. Typically written in the third person, a short bio is often used in various contexts, such as professional profiles, social media accounts, introductions for speaking engagements, author descriptions, and other situations where a brief introduction is required. The length of a short bio can vary, but it's generally kept to a few sentences or a short paragraph to provide a snapshot of the person's background and expertise.

How do I write a bio about myself?

Don't be afraid to be unique. Even in a professional bio you'll want to focus on what makes you stand out and truly you. Take the time to brainstorm the important points you want to include and make sure to have someone else review and edit it before using.

What should I include in a short bio?

In a short professional bio you should include your professional qualifications and training, your experience and expertise. You should also include something memorable that makes your bio stand out, in a positive way.

How do you write a fun bio for work?

Writing a fun bio for work can be a great way to inject your personality into your professional profile and make yourself more memorable to potential clients, employers or colleagues. To accomplish that, make sure your bio is an authentic reflection of your personality and interests. Try using humor and vivid language to make your bio more engaging and memorable.

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How to Write Engaging Personal & Professional Bios (with Examples)

Last Updated: August 24, 2023 Fact Checked

Writing Personal and Professional Bios

Writing student bios, making your bio stand out, sample bios.

This article was co-authored by Melody Godfred, JD and by wikiHow staff writer, Glenn Carreau . Melody Godfred is a Career Coach, Entrepreneur, and Founder of Write In Color, a full-service resume and career development company that specializes in developing compelling personal narratives and brands. With over ten years of experience, Melody has worked with clients at entertainment and media companies including Apple, Disney, Fox, Netflix, Riot Games, Viacom, and Warner Bros, among others. The Muse invited Melody and Write In Color to serve as one of its 30 trusted career counselors (out of 3,000) to provide one-on-one coaching and resume services to the platform's more than four million active users. Melody earned a JD from Loyola Marymount University and BS from the University of Southern California. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,712,733 times.

Personal bios are a great way to show people who you are and what you do. Whether writing a bio about yourself for a personal or professional website, a college application, or a social media account, bios are an important part of connecting with your audience or customer base. It’s important to take your time and be thoughtful as you write to ensure you get the right message across! Read on for a complete guide to writing a personal (or professional) bio about yourself, along with writing tips to make it as engaging as possible.

Things You Should Know

  • Start with your first and last name in a quick introductory sentence. Then, explain your job, greatest achievements, and professional mission statement.
  • Expand on personal details, including where you’re from, your educational background, and a quick summary of passions that aren’t related to your job.
  • Mention any projects you’re working on and end the bio with your contact information. Write in the third-person perspective unless it’s for social media.

Step 1 Identify your purpose for writing the bio and your potential audience.

  • The difference between personal and professional bios is all in the tone you use. Both cover your job and skills, but the bio you write for a personal website might sound less formal than the one you write for a job application.
  • As you write your bio, adjust your tone to make your bio appropriately formal, funny, professional, or personal.
  • If you can’t figure out what to write, check out bios from other people in your field and get a sense of their writing strategy. You can use their bios as models and write yours based on their overall structure.

Step 2 Write in the third person unless you’re writing for social media.

  • For example, begin a third-person bio with a sentence like, "Joann Smith is a graphic designer in Boston," and a first-person bio with "I am a graphic designer in Boston."

Step 3 Begin with a brief introduction citing your name and claim to fame.

  • For example, a simple yet solid introduction sentence could be, “Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times.”
  • Avoid writing a nickname in your bio. Even if your bio isn’t strictly for professional use, it’s best to treat it like a formal introduction to other people.
  • Be sure to mention your company or brand within your introduction. You might work for a company or own your own business with a personal brand.

Step 4 Explain your professional role, skills, and attributes in more detail.

  • For example, “Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. He specializes in writing public interest stories on the latest technology.
  • Both personal and professional bios typically include job information; personal bios simply present that information a little more informally.
  • If you’re writing about your job informally, you might write something like, “Joann Smith is a passionate knitter who also happens to own and run her paper supply company.”

Step 5 Write about your greatest professional achievements to date.

  • “Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. His 2011 series "All that and More" earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation.”
  • Don’t make up accomplishments if you don’t have anything notable to add and only include achievements that relate to the career information or skills discussed in the bio.
  • Avoid buzzwords like "innovative," "experienced," "creative," and so on, which are often so overused that they don’t mean anything to people. Show readers what you can do through specific details, not catchy phrases.

Step 6 Come up with a mission statement that sums up your personal values.

  • For example, “Dan is committed to helping people understand and embrace the true power of technology.”

Step 7 Include personal details, interests, and passions to intrigue readers.

  • For example: “When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, Dan spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies.”
  • The details you share can vary by bio. For a strictly personal bio, include details like hobbies, personal beliefs, and mottos.
  • For a bio that falls between "professional" and "personal," try sharing details that give a sense of who you are but won’t alienate others.
  • Avoid self-deprecating comments and details that are too intimate or potentially embarrassing for you or your audience.

Step 8 Summarize any projects you’re currently working on, if applicable.

  • For example: “Dan is currently working on a memoir.”
  • Keep this part of your bio short and sweet! A sentence is two is all you need.

Step 9 Leave your contact information at the end of your bio.

  • If you publish this bio online, format your email address carefully to avoid spam. Many people write email addresses online like: “Greg (at) fizzlemail (dot) com.”
  • This clearly tells readers how to spell out your email without making it easy for spammers and bots to copy and use your information.

Step 10 Edit, revise, and get feedback on your bio before publishing it.

  • Ask your friends and family (especially anyone who is a strong writer) to proofread your bio and give you feedback. A fresh pair of eyes can catch mistakes that you may miss!
  • Online editing software like Grammarly can grade your piece in terms of readability and suggest minor improvements.
  • Every once in a while, go back and update your bio. By putting in a little work frequently to keep it up to date, you'll save yourself a lot of work when you need to use it again.

Step 1 Tell a story with your bio instead of listing facts about yourself.

  • Chronological. Start at the story's beginning and end at the end. It’s simple and works well if you’ve had an interesting life that has taken you from points A to B to C in unusual or impressive ways.
  • Circular. Start at an important moment (D), then backtrack to the beginning (A), and explain all the events leading up to that moment (B, C), eventually bringing the reader full circle. This is good for building suspense!
  • Zoomed In. Focus on one critical event (C) to symbolically tell a larger story. Use a few small surrounding details (A, B, D) to orient the reader, but give that one moment enough emphasis to stand on its own.

Step 2 Focus on yourself and explain why you’re a good fit for the college.

  • Avoid statements like, "UCSF has one of the top-ranked research-based med schools in the world, which would provide me with the foundation necessary to achieve my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor."
  • Instead, write something like, “Watching a trauma surgeon save my brother’s life is a moment I’ll never forget. Since then, I’ve known undoubtedly that I would dedicate my life to medicine. My brother was lucky that his surgeon studied at one of the best programs in the country. By doing the same, I hope to one day mean to another family what Dr. Heller does to mine."

Step 3 Write in your own voice without trying to squeeze in fancy words.

  • Avoid statements like, "Having had a rather minimalistic upbringing, I find that I continue to assiduously value hard work and frugality above all else."
  • Instead, try something like, "Growing up very poor taught me that hard work and thrift are sometimes the only things a person can afford."
  • Well-written ideas make you seem far more intelligent than big words do. Focus on expressing yourself clearly, and don’t worry about the syllable count!

Step 4 Include concrete details to help readers get a sense of your abilities.

  • Avoid statements like, "I learned a lot from my experience as a camp counselor."
  • Instead, try something like, "I came out of my time as a camp counselor with a better understanding of empathy than before. Now, when my younger sister acts up, I know how to help her without sounding bossy or controlling."

Step 1 Keep the bio concise and consider any word count restrictions.

  • Different types of bio have different word count expectations. For instance, the average brief personal bio is around 250 words. For a resume or job search, it’s okay to have a personal bio of around 300 to 500 words.
  • For longer personal bios (ones you might post on an “about me” page for a professional website, for example), aim for around 1,000 to 2,000 words. Include all the details you can, but keep them concise.
  • Some social media sites, such as Twitter, restrict your bio to a certain number of words or characters. Ensure that you make the most of that space.

Step 2 Use humor to give your writing a personal touch.

  • For example, Tom Hank’s personal bio on Twitter reads, “I'm that actor in some of the movies you liked and some you didn't. Sometimes I'm in pretty good shape, other times I'm not. Hey, you gotta live, you know?”

Step 3 Use active verbs, so your writing sounds more alive and interesting.

  • Passive: "The window was broken by the zombie."
  • Active: "The zombie broke the window."
  • The difference between these sentences is stark: in the first, you have no idea whether the window just happened to be broken. The second is obvious: the zombie broke the window, and you need to hit the road.

Step 4 Be authentic and let your content speak for itself.

  • Avoid statements like, "Reading The Great Gatsby was a pivotal moment in my life that made me totally rethink my preconceptions about what it means to live in modern America. Thanks to that assignment, I want to pursue American Studies."
  • Instead, try something like, "My family’s ties to this country aren’t glamorous. We didn’t arrive on the Mayflower or have our surname butchered at Ellis Island. We settled in four states across the Midwest, where we’ve lived happily for over 100 years. The magic of that simple act isn’t lost on me, which is why I’ve chosen to major in American Studies."

Step 5 Link to your social media profiles or professional website in the bio.

  • For example, if you’re writing an Instagram bio, include a link to your personal website too—especially if there’s a longer and more detailed bio for readers to check out there.
  • Include a brief call-to-action, too! For example, if you have contact info, you might write “Contact me using the following” before you add the links.

Step 6 Use best SEO practices for your bio and optimize your online visibility.

  • On your website, longer bios (between 1,500 and 2,000 words) will have the best online optimization. If your bio needs to be shorter, be sure to at least use third-person POV, since your name is another keyword.
  • For example, your website’s “About” page could easily support a 1,500+ word bio. However, from there, you’d need to edit that bio down to a few sentences (a short paragraph) for your LinkedIn profile.

how to write a good biography

Community Q&A

wikiHow Staff Editor

  • Throughout the process, think back to the purpose and audience you identified in Step 1. This will help guide your writing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • If you're writing online, include hyperlinks to things you mention, such as projects you worked on or a personal blog you keep. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

how to write a good biography

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About This Article

Melody Godfred, JD

When you write a personal bio, write in the third person so it sounds more objective and professional. Start with a sentence that includes your name and what you do for a living. Then, mention your most important accomplishments that are relevant to your field of work. Briefly mention a couple of your hobbies or interests to make your bio more relatable. End with a sentence on any big projects you’re currently working on. Try to keep your bio around 250-500 words. For help writing a personal bio for college applications or social media, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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27 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We've Ever Seen [+ Templates]

Lindsay Kolowich Cox

Published: November 16, 2023

80+ Professional Bio Templates & Examples

how to write a good biography

Create a compelling professional narrative for a proper, attention-grabbing introduction.

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Your professional bio is not only relevant when applying for jobs, seeking new clients, or networking — it also gives the world a brief snapshot of who you are and your professional ideals.

hands around laptops typing professional bio examples

To help you author one that packs a punch, we’ll teach you how to write a professional bio, give you professional bio templates, and show you the best professional bio examples you can get inspiration from.

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What is a professional bio?

Professional bio templates, how to write a professional bio, best professional bio examples, how to write a short bio.

how to write a good biography

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A professional bio or biography is a short overview of your experience. Professional bios usually include details about education, employment, achievements, and relevant skills.

Purpose of Professional Bios

A bio tells an audience about who you are, what you've done, and what you can do. It can help potential employers, fans, or customers get a sense of your personality and what you stand for.

Writing your bio may be hard to achieve without a starting point. Below, we've included professional templates to expedite the process of writing a great bio.

With professional bios, keeping your message honest and to the point is best practice. So how do you write one that will effectively market you and your brand? You use a professional bio template.

By sticking to a predetermined format, all you have to do is fill in the blanks with your most relevant career information. These bio templates will guide you on where you should place your:

  • Occupation or job title
  • Passions and goals
  • Skill set and expertise

Work history

Of course, while there is no one-size-fits-all template for a professional bio, these templates are a quick way to start building your long or short bio before customizing it.

But before choosing your bio template, there are some key elements to include to ensure yours is effective.

For example, say you're looking for a job. Your professional bio should give recruiters a peek at your career accomplishments and experience.

What if you've recently published a book or are applying for a grant? In those situations, highlight organizations you support or include catchy anecdotes.

And if you’re a recent graduate? A well-written professional bio helps you communicate how your life experience makes you the best candidate for the roles you’re seeking.

Bottom line: Tailoring your professional bio to your goals and who you want to reach will make it more effective.

To structure your professional bio to stay true to these objectives, try our 80+ downloadable professional bio templates — for both short- and long-form bios — to start creating a bio that hits the mark.

Screenshot of a short professional bio (left) and long professional bio (right)

What should a professional bio say?

Your professional bio should be as unique as you.

When writing your bio, include important professional roles and achievements. Add your passions, interests, and how you bring your values to your work. Finally, your bio should give readers a chance to know you and reflect your personality.

Here are the elements I recommend including when writing a professional bio:

Professional Roles and Achievements

It's essential to highlight your career roles and achievements in your bio. This can include your current position, previous roles, and notable accomplishments. It will not only help establish your expertise and credibility, but start your bio on the right note.

Passions and Interests

This might not be as essential, but it will help humanize you. Remember: Bios are shared via an impersonal medium, like a screen, and can sometimes feel distant if we don't take the right steps.

Share your passions and interests, whether or not they're related to your work or industry. That way, you can show your enthusiasm and dedication outside of your professional life. Plus, you could potentially find common ground with readers — which is always beneficial.

Values and Work Approach

Your values can sometimes show your work ethic more effectively than your career path. It can also help you endear yourself to employers and colleagues who want to work with people with similar values. 

So don't be shy: Share how you incorporate your values into your work. Whether it's a commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, or ethical decision-making, explain what drives you, and be enthusiastic about it.

Your Personality

Don't forget: Your bio should always include a taste of your personality! Your sense of humor, creativity, or collaborative nature could all give readers a sense of who you are. This helps readers connect with you on a more personal level.

Remember to tailor your bio for different platforms and audiences. Also, keep it concise and impactful while highlighting the most relevant information in each context.

Next up, we cover first-person and third-person bios, and when you should use each one. 

First-Person Bio vs. Third-Person Bio

While first-person bios are quite common, third-person bios can be more effective in formal situations.

Your decision to write your professional bio in the first or third person depends on your desire to leave a more personable or assertive impression.

Both approaches work, provided you tailor them to your goals and audience. What’s important is to be clear and tell your story in a way that connects with your reader.

How to Write a First-Person Bio

Writing in the first person can be a great way to connect with your audience when building a personal brand. When you write a first-person bio, use "I" or "me" to make yourself relatable and approachable.

Here's one way to write a first-person bio:

"I’m a freelance writer specializing in small business content. I’ve worked with companies in a variety of industries like home care to fine leather goods."

By speaking in the first person here, you connect with a client or brand based on your personal experience and opinions. Put another way, writing a first-person bio is like telling your story to your audience.

Here are a few tips to make your first-person bio great:

Don’t start every sentence with "I."

Showing instead of telling is a great approach.

Let’s say you’re a writer who wants to create a short professional bio. Instead of saying, "I love to write," you can say, "Writer. Bad but enthusiastic dancer."

This portrays your writing skill, shows your personality outside of writing as a dancer, and includes a little sense of humor, which is essential for a writer.

Remember, you know yourself better than anyone.

Adding a back story to your bio helps create context for the roles and successes you write about. Think of it like a case study about who you were, what you are now, and the process that got you to your current position.

Focus on useful details.

Quick facts about you can showcase your identity and values. For example, if you're writing a bio for LinkedIn, think about how you can tie your hobby into what you do.

Let's say Animal Crossing is your hobby. Does it align with your career aspirations? If your goal is to pursue a video game career, it can be a great addition to your bio.

However, if your interests lie elsewhere, including a more relevant hobby is better.

How to Write a Third-Person Bio

Third-person bios sound more authoritative and objective. So, if you’re job searching in a formal industry, applying for grants, or trying to get published, you may want to stick to the third person.

For instance, when you write a third-person bio, you may start with:

"Jasmine Montgomery is a Senior Hiring Manager at L’Oreal based in New York. She recruits across several business units to connect with the brightest talent from around the globe."

By only using your name and pronouns to speak about yourself here, you are letting your title and skill set speak for themselves.

These bios create distance between the subject of the bio (you) and the reader through a third person. This person could be anyone, but they usually speak in a tone that emphasizes their expertise.

This makes third-person bios feel aloof or overly formal sometimes.

Ideally, your third-person bio should sound friendly but polished, like a message from a close colleague at work. Here are a few tips on how to write a great third-person bio.

Write from the perspective of someone you know and trust.

It can be tough to write about yourself, so try to see yourself from the perspective of your favorite person at work or a mentor you trust. This can help you write from a position of authority without feeling self-conscious.

Show the reader why they should trust your opinion.

A professional bio often reflects a specific industry or niche. With this in mind, your text should include relevant details that professionals in your industry know. Avoid jargon whenever you can.

Remember, you're telling a story.

If you want a third-person bio, but you're used to writing in first-person, it may help to write it the way that's most comfortable for you.

Your professional bio is an important piece of writing, so edit it carefully. Edit your writing from both points of view and see which works best for your target audience.

Here's how to write a professional bio, step by step.

  • Create an 'About' page for your website or profile.
  • Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.
  • Mention any associated brand name you might use.
  • State your current position and what you do.
  • Include at least one professional accomplishment.
  • Describe your values and how they inform your career.
  • Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.
  • Use humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

If you’re anything like me, you probably don't think about your professional bio until you’re suddenly asked to "send one over via email."

You have approximately one afternoon to come up with it, so you scramble together a bio that ends up reading like this:

"Rodney Erickson is a content marketing professional at HubSpot, a CRM platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers.

Previously, Rodney worked as a marketing manager for a tech software startup. He graduated with honors from Columbia University with a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing."

To be fair, in certain contexts, your professional bio needs to be more formal, like Mr. Erickson's up there. But there are also cases where writing a personable and conversational bio is good.

Whether you choose the formal or casual route, use the following steps to create a perfect bio.

1. Create an 'About' page for your website or profile.

You need an online space to keep your professional bio. Here are a few to consider (some of these you might already have in place):

  • Facebook Business page .
  • Industry blog byline .
  • Instagram account .
  • Personal website .
  • LinkedIn profile .
  • Industry website .
  • Personal blog .

As you'll see in the professional bio examples below, the length and tone of your bio will differ depending on the platforms you use.

Instagram, for example, allows only 150 characters of bio space, whereas you can write as much as you want on your website or Facebook Business page.

2. Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.

If your readers remember nothing else about your bio, they should remember your name. For that reason, it's a good idea for your first and last name to be the first two words of your professional bio.

Even if your name is printed above this bio (hint: it should), this is a rare moment where it's okay to be redundant.

For example, if I were writing my bio, I might start it like this:

Lindsay Kolowich

Lindsay Kolowich is a Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

3. Mention any associated brand name you might use.

Will your professional bio represent you or a business you work for? Ensure you mention the brand you associate with in your bio. If you're a freelancer, you may have a personal business name or pseudonym you advertise to your clients.

Here are a few examples:

  • Lindsay Kolowich Marketing.
  • SEO Lindsay.
  • Kolowich Consulting.
  • Content by Kolowich (what do you think ... too cheesy?).

Maybe you founded your own company and want its name to be separate from your real name. Keep it simple like this: "Lindsay Kolowich is the founder and CEO of Kolowich Consulting."

4. State your current position and what you do.

Whether you're the author of a novel or a mid-level specialist, use the next few lines of your bio to describe what you do in that position. Don't assume your audience knows what your job title entails.

Make your primary responsibilities known so readers can know you and understand what you offer to your industry.

5. Include at least one professional accomplishment.

Just as a business touts its client successes in the form of case studies, your professional bio should let your audience know what you've achieved.

What have you done for yourself — as well as for others — that makes you a valuable player in your industry?

6. Describe your values and how they inform your career.

Why do you do what you do? What might make your contribution to the market different from your colleagues? What are the values that make your business a worthwhile investment to others?

Create a professional bio that answers these questions.

7. Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.

Transition from describing your values in work to describing who you are outside of work. This may include:

  • Your family.
  • Your hometown.
  • Sports you play.
  • Hobbies and interests.
  • Favorite music and travel destinations.
  • Side hustles you're working on.

People like connecting with other people. The more transparent you are about who you are personally, the more likable you'll be to people reading about you.

8. Use humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

End your professional bio on a good note — or, more specifically, a funny note. By leaving your audience with something quirky or unique, you can ensure they'll leave your website with a pleasant impression of you.

It's important to follow the steps above when writing your bio, but don't obsess over any one section. People consume lots of information daily. So ensure your bio hooks 'em in the first line, and you won’t lose them.

(P.S. Want to boost your professional brand? Take one of HubSpot Academy's free certification courses . In just one weekend, you can add a line to your resume and bio that over 60,000 marketers covet.)

Why Good Bios Are Important for a Professional

Now you may think, “How many people read professional bios, anyway?”

The answer: A lot. Though there's no way to tell who is reading it, you want it to be catchy. Done right, your professional bio will delight the right people who come across it on multiple platforms.

Professional bios can live on your LinkedIn profile , company website, guest posts, your speaker profiles, Twitter bio , Instagram bio , and many other places.

And, most importantly, it's the tool you can leverage most when you're networking.

Bottom line? People will read your professional bio. Whether they remember it, and whether it makes them care about you, is a matter of how well you present yourself to your intended audience.

So, what does a top-notch professional bio look like? Let's go over a few sample bios for professionals like you and me. Then, we'll cover bio examples from some of the best people in the industry. 

Short Sample Bios

Your bio doesn't have to be complicated. Here are five samples to glean inspiration from. 

Example 1: Friendly Sample Bio

"Hey! My name is Ryan, and I'm a marketing specialist with a passion for digital advertising. I have five years of experience managing a wide range of online campaigns and improving brand visibility for clients across multiple verticals. I love analyzing consumer behavior and leveraging data-driven strategies to maximize ROI. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, taking funny photos, and exploring new hiking trails."

Example 2: Mid-Career Sample Bio

"Jennifer Patel is a versatile graphic designer known for her creative approach and attention to detail. With a background in visual arts and eight years of experience, Jennifer has worked on diverse projects ranging from logo designs to website layouts. Her ability to understand client needs and translate them into visually striking designs sets her apart. Jennifer finds inspiration in nature, music, and pop culture."

Example 3: Sales Sample Bio

"I'm a seasoned sales executive with a track record of exceeding targets and building strong client relationships. With a background in B2B sales, I've built a natural ability to understand customer needs and consistently exceed quota every month. I pride myself in my communication skills and strategic approaches, which have helped me thrive in highly competitive markets such as SaaS sales. Outside of work, I enjoy playing basketball and volunteering at local charities."

Example 4: HR Sample Bio

"I am a dedicated human resources professional with a passion for fostering a positive workplace culture and facilitating employee development. With eight years of experience in talent acquisition and HR operations, I've played a key role in building high-performing teams. I'm known for my strong interpersonal skills and ability to create inclusive and supportive work environments. In my free time, I enjoy practicing yoga and exploring new culinary experiences."

Example 5: Software Engineer Sample Bio

"David Chang is a senior software engineer specializing in backend development. With a strong background in computer science and six years of experience, David has successfully built scalable and efficient solutions for complex technical challenges. He is well-versed in various programming languages and frameworks, such as C++, Java, and Ruby on Rails. In his spare time, David enjoys reading science fiction novels and playing the guitar."

Below, we've curated some of the best professional bio examples we've ever seen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the various places where you might describe yourself.

Check 'em out and use them as inspiration when crafting your own.

  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Author
  • Chima Mmeje: SEO Content Writer
  • DJ Nexus: DJ
  • Lena Axelsson: Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Mark Levy: Branding Firm Founder
  • Audra Simpson: Political Anthropologist
  • Marie Mikhail: Professional Recruiter
  • Wonbo Woo: Executive Producer
  • Chris Burkard: Freelance Photographer
  • Lisa Quine: Creative Consultant
  • Nancy Twine: Hair Care Founder
  • Trinity Mouzon: Wellness Brand Founder
  • Alberto Perez: Co-Founder of Zumba Fitness
  • Ann Handley: Writer and Marketer

1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie : Author

Bio platform: personal website.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie begins her professional bio with an invitation to her roots.

In a few paragraphs, she describes when and where she was born, her family, her education, her honorary degrees, and the depth of her work, which has been translated into 30 languages and several publications.

Professional bio example from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Along with her notable writing career, Chimamanda highlights her annual creative writing workshop, which introduces readers to a well-rounded view of who she is as a professional.

From there, her bio seamlessly flows into her recent work and a glimpse into how and where she spends her personal time — the United States and Nigeria.

Finally, Chimamanda’s bio ends with a call to action to read a more detailed biography, giving the reader a choice to read the information available about her life and career.

Why We Like It

  • It’s written in the third person, allowing it to show authority.
  • It provides a brief but engaging account of Chimamanda’s life and experiences.
  • Mentioning her honorary doctorate degrees makes readers know Chimamanda is one of the best writers in the world.

2. Chime Mmeje : SEO Content Writer

Bio platform: linkedin.

A bio with a hook will keep you reading. Chima Mmeje is a freelance SEO copywriter who’s "extremely good at one thing" — helping companies rank for their target keywords.

By leading with a powerful hook that aligns with her target audience’s marketing needs, she’s able to keep readers engaged.

how to write a good biography

What comes next is a unique differentiator in Chima’s professional bio. Instead of listing accolades, Chima shares a few wins secured for clients.

This nifty section does two things: it builds the readers’ confidence in Chima’s ability to deliver results, and it’s a practical way for Chima to name-drop some clients in her professional bio.

In the body of the professional bio, Chima briefly lists the processes that can help potential clients get a bird's-eye view of what they can expect.

The simple call to action "Drop a message" is a casual invitation to learn more about Chima's services.

  • There’s clarity about who Chima serves.
  • The hook is bold, catchy, and compels anyone to read further.
  • Including client results make clients visualize what they can expect.

3. DJ Nexus : DJ

Bio platform: facebook.

This New England-based DJ has single-handedly captured the Likes of over 2,000 people in and beyond Boston, MA. And even if you don't listen to the type of music he produces, it's hard not to read his compelling Facebook bio.

For instance, consider his tagline, under "About" — " Quiet during the day. QUITE LOUD at night! " DJ Nexus tells you when he works awesomely. I got goosebumps just imagining a dance club in which he might play his music.

Professional bio example from DJ Nexus

DJ Nexus's bio brilliance doesn't stop there.

DJ Nexus links his Facebook account to his personal website , where he has the space to tell the full story of his background. Here's a preview:

Nexus bio

In this story, DJ Nexus describes how he got his name, including information about a company he founded before going to college.

This is a terrific lesson for professional bios: Customers want to learn about you. Consider how you might also lead your visitors off your Facebook page and onto your website to learn more about who you are.

  • The eight compelling words in the bio pack a punch and grab attention.
  • The bio gives off the feeling that DJ Nexus is great at his craft.

4. Lena Axelsson : Marriage & Family Therapist

Bio platform: industry website.

No matter where it lives, your professional bio does not differ from any other persuasive copy. One common mistake people make is thinking of it as its own beast, separate from other pieces of writing.

If you think about it that way, you’d likely write a painfully uninteresting bio.

When you sit to write your professional bio, don’t watch that cursor blinking on the screen. Instead, think about how you would introduce a blog post. You don't dive right into the meat of the thing, do you? No. You start with an introduction.

The best bios are often concise (around 200–300 words), so you don't have a lot of room to play around.

But a single sentence that sets the stage for your reader and provides a context for your accomplishments could make the rest of your bio more persuasive.

Take Lena Axelsson's bio, for instance. She's a marriage and family therapist — a job where empathy and compassion are a big part of the job description.

That's why she opens her bio with a great introductory sentence: "When human beings experience trauma or severe life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel."

Professional bio example from Lena Axelsson

Then, she goes into why she's passionate about her job, how she helps her clients, and how she caters her approach to each patient. The necessary educational information is left for the end after the reader has been hooked.

Your bio doesn't have to be super serious, nor does it have to start with a joke. This bio shows how you can capture your reader's attention by being empathetic and showing how that empathy shapes a valuable professional.

  • It summarizes Lena’s background as a therapist, including her approach to therapy.
  • The tone of the bio is professional and informative, rather than overly personal or casual.
  • The bio focuses on Lena’s audience. This makes readers know that Lena wants to help.

5. Mark Levy : Branding Firm Founder

Mark Levy is a small business owner. While the professional bio on his website takes a traditional approach, it still speaks to Mark’s audience.

What we love about his bio is the way he's set it up: On his business' "About" page, he's listed two biographies, which he's labeled "Mark Levy's Biography #1" and "Mark Levy's Biography #2."

Professional bio example from Mark Levy

Click here to see the full version .

The first biography is a "short version," which includes a combination of bullet points listing his credentials and a few brief paragraphs.

The second is the "long version," which is even more interesting than the first. Why? It reads like a story — a compelling one, at that. In fact, it gets hilarious in some parts.

The second sentence of the bio reads: "He was frightened of public school, loved playing baseball and football, ran home to watch ape films on the 4:30 Movie, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books."

Here's another excerpt from the middle:

Professional bio excerpt from Mak Levy’s bio

Of course, the fantastic copywriting isn't a surprise, given that Mark wrote several books. But the conversational tone and entertaining copy let his quirky personality (and great writing skills) shine.

  • Mark’s funny and approachable personality shows all over his bio.
  • Mark writes his bio in the third person, which positions him as an expert.
  • It uses storytelling to humanize Mark and pull the reader into Mark’s world.

6. Audra Simpson : Political Anthropologist

With a classic take on the professional bio, Audra Simpson crafts an overview of her career in just a couple of paragraphs.

She emphasizes the "why" behind her work in the first half of her bio before transitioning to the way she carries out that work in practice.

Professional bio example from Audra Simpson

The second half of her bio combines her body of work and the awards she’s won. This subtle timeline gives readers a picture of her experience in political anthropology without listing her resume in detail.

  • Audra’s bio shows how experts can succinctly discuss their years of experience in a few words.
  • It proves Audra is an expert political anthropologist.
  • It shows Audra’s interests, giving readers a sense of what she likes as a professional.

7. Marie Mikhail : Professional Recruiter

Marie Mikhail checks nearly every box that makes an excellent bio.

A professional recruiter, she expresses her "passion for recruiting" in the first sentence, while using that sentence to hook her profile visitors into a brief story of her background.

Professional bio example from Marie Mikhail

But there are a lot of recruiters out there, and Marie knows that.

So, to differentiate herself, she closes the first paragraph of her bio by explaining that she likes "getting people excited about the things [she's] excited about."

It's a well-put value proposition that sets her apart from the rest of the HR industry.

Marie concludes her bio with a smooth mix of professional skills, like her Spanish fluency, and personal interests, such as podcasting and Star Wars (she mentions the latter with just the right amount of humor).

  • Straight off the bat, Marie uses a story to share her experiences of how she began as a recruiter.
  • It provides a subtle pitch for readers to check out her podcast.
  • The bio exudes Maries approachable, fun, and playful personality.

8. Wonbo Woo : Executive Producer

Wonbo Woo is the executive producer of WIRED's video content and has several impressive credits to his name. What does this mean for his professional bio? He has to prioritize.

With this in mind, Wonbo opens his bio with the most eye-catching details first (if the image below is hard to read, click it to see the full copy ).

 Professional bio example from Wonbo Woo

Not only does Wonbo's bio start strong, but he also takes readers on a suspenseful journey through some of his most harrowing assignments — where he was when news broke and how he responded. You can see this quality below.

wonbo woo bio

The accomplished journalist concludes his gripping bio as strong as it began. He mentions his experience with the states and countries he's visited in his career. Overall, it's a fantastically concise bio for as much detail as it holds.

  • The first sentence of the bio leads with authority and instantly gets the reader’s attention.
  • The bio dives into the many exceptional projects Wonbo Woo has executed.
  • Wonbo Woo uses lots of specificity to pass points across, like WIRED's YouTube channel nearly quadrupled subscribers (+375%) and views (+391%), publishing over 100 videos annually with over a million views each.

9. Chris Burkard : Freelance Photographer

When writing your bio, you don't want to boast while showcasing your accomplishments. Chris Burkard's LinkedIn bio does this well.

Written in third-person, his bio tells a fluid story, starting with his ultimate mission — "capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature" — before diving into more tangible accolades (giving a TED Talk, publishing books, etc.).

Professional bio example from Chris Burkard

Best of all, rather than using his bio as an opportunity to brag, he instead ties his talents into how he hopes to help others , writing, "Through social media, Chris strives to share his vision … and inspire [his followers] to explore for themselves."

I wouldn't necessarily be inclined to follow Chris if his bio had simply read, "I post beautiful images." But images that inspire me to travel? Now that's something I can get behind.

Last, he ends on a humble, sweet note: "He is happiest with his wife Breanne raising their two sons." So inject personal information into your bio — it makes you seem approachable.

  • It highlights Chris’s achievement without bragging.
  • The last sentence portrays Chris as a responsible man who loves his family.
  • The well-written bio speaks to nature lovers who like the outdoors, surfing, and more. This gives them reasons to follow Chris.

10. Lisa Quine : Creative Consultant

Bio platform: portfolio website.

Creative professionals who specialize in visual art may find it challenging to balance the writing of their bio and displaying of their portfolio. Not Lisa Quine. Lisa has an exceptional balance of her professional bio and creative work.

Throughout her bio, you’ll notice the number of murals she’s completed and a brief timeline of her career. This helps her paint the picture of who she is as a professional.

Professional bio example from Lisa Quine

  • Lisa’s bio checks the box on nearly all of our recommendations for a great bio. She begins with her full name, her location, and what she does best.
  • Lisa gets creative by mentioning the brands she’s worked with and highlighting some of her favorite projects.
  • Written in the third person, this bio invites the reader behind a metaphorical door to meet Lisa as a professional, traveler, learner, wife, and mother.

11. Nancy Twine : Hair Care Founder

Bio platform: company website.

As Founder and CEO of Briogeo — a popular natural hair care line that's received rave reviews in publications such as Allure and InStyle — there are undoubtedly plenty of accolades Twine could boast about.

But she starts her bio from a humbler place, stating: "Nancy Twine is no newcomer to the beauty-sphere — in fact, she made her first foray into the world of natural product formulation at the ripe age of five."

The rest of her bio similarly focuses on Twine's strengths as someone who's able to take hair care "back to basics."

Professional bio example from Nancy Twine

Similarly, you might use your personal bio as an opportunity to highlight your bigger purpose or vision. As Twine shows, sometimes it's best to keep it simple and let your message resonate with the right audience.

  • The bio explains why Twine started her company and what ultimately drives her.
  • It uses the founder’s story to connect with its audience.
  • Using a video further shows the face behind the brand and helps Twine connect with her audience.

12. Trinity Mouzon : Wellness Brand Founder

From the first sentence, I gravitated toward Mouzon's bio: "I'm obsessed with leveling the playing field."

Mouzon effectively grips the reader's attention with this introduction and then dives into some of her impressive accomplishments — including a brand now sold at Urban Outfitters and Target.

The language used throughout Mouzon's bio is authentic, real, and honest.

For instance, in the second paragraph, she admits:

"While building a brand may have looked effortless from the outside, starting a business at age 23 with no resources or funding quickly forced me to realize that early-stage entrepreneurship was anything but transparent."

Professional bio example from Trinity Mouzon

  • It tells a story and quickly transitions into how Trinity built her brand.
  • This bio highlights Trinity’s impressive background, including how she can help her readers start and scale their businesses.
  • Focusing on the reader lets Trinity show that a good bio can convert new readers into leads and customers.

13. Alberto "Beto" Perez : Co-Founder of Zumba Fitness

As an avid Zumba fan, I was excited to include this one. Perez styles his LinkedIn bio as a short story, starting with his background as a hard-working teen who held three jobs by age 14.

His bio tells the fun and fascinating origin story of Zumba, in which Perez, an aerobics teacher in Florida at the time, forgot his music for class and used a Latin music cassette tape instead ... "And it was an instant hit!"

His bio continues:

"Shortly after he was connected to Alberto Periman and Alberto Aghion, and Zumba was officially created ... What started as a dream now has 15 million people in more than 200,000 locations in 186 countries who take Zumba classes every week."

Professional bio example from Alberto Perez

Learn how to write your professional bio with more free tips, templates, and inspiring examples.

  • Perez tells the story of his business, rather than list out his accomplishments.
  • The bio positions Perez as both relatable and inspirational.

14. Ann Handley : Writer and Marketer

If you're a marketer, you've likely heard of Ann Handley. Her list of credentials is lengthy, and if she wanted to, she could go on and on about her accomplishments.

But when people list their accomplishments in their bios, they risk sounding slightly egotistical.

Sure, you might impress a handful of people with all those laurels, but many people who read your bio will end up feeling either intimidated or annoyed. Think about it: Is that how you want most readers to feel when they read your bio?

To minimize the egoism that comes with talking about yourself, think about how you can list out your accomplishments without sounding like you're bragging. Ann does this really well, choosing a tone in her bio that's more approachable.

Best of all, Ann focuses on her readers' challenges and motivations, rather than her own.

For instance, she writes, "Ann Handley writes and speaks about how businesses can escape marketing mediocrity to achieve tangible results. >And she will inspire you to do work you're proud of. "

Professional bio example from Ann Handley

Follow the link , and you'll see the page dedicated to a fuller bio, which she's divided into two parts: a "short version" (literally a bulleted list of key facts) and a "long version," which includes traditional paragraphs.

There's something in there for everyone.

  • The last section of the bio shows Ann’s warm personality — “Ann lives in Boston, where she is Mom to creatures two- and four-legged.”
  • Written in the third person, this bio has lots of proof (like followers), which shows Ann is a terrific marketing leader.

If you're posting a bio on a social media account or sending a quick blurb to a client, you want to keep it short and sweet while showcasing your accomplishments.

To get started, use these best practices for writing your short professional bio:

  • Introduce yourself.
  • State what you do.
  • Add key skills or areas of expertise.
  • Include a personal mission statement
  • Celebrate your wins.
  • Provide your contact information.
  • Show them your personality.

1. Introduce yourself.

Your introduction is your first impression, so always begin by telling people who you are. You may start with a greeting like, "Hello, my name is" or "Hi! Let me first introduce myself …" when sending your bio as a message.

If you’re writing a bio for an online platform, stating your name at the beginning works as well.

Leading with your name — even as a question — is important for recognition and building relationships.

2. State what you do.

Give people an idea of what you do daily and where you work. Your job title is how the people put you into context and consider whether your profession relates to their industry.

So detail your most relevant work in your short bios, like CEO, professor, and author.

Take a cue from Angela Duckworth , who specifies what she does in her LinkedIn bio:

Short professional bio example from Angela Duckworth

If your specialty is writing, your title could be "Freelance Writer," or if it's Help Desk or Information Technology, you may use "Freelance IT Specialist."

3. Add key skills or areas of expertise.

If you send a bio to a client or potential employer, highlight your most valuable skills. For instance, if your expertise is in social media marketing and content creation, like Ivanka Dekoning , list these skills.

Short professional bio example from Ivanka Dekoning

4. Include a personal mission statement .

What do you hope to achieve through your work? Why do you do what you do? Answering these questions can help give your bio’s mission statement some direction.

For instance, Farmer Bea has a goal of helping to raise awareness about all things bees.

Short professional bio example from Farmer Bea

5. Celebrate your wins.

Your short bio can be a proud showcase of your accomplishments, so add one to two successes you’ve achieved through your skills or mission.

For instance, if you got recognition from industry leaders like Art Critic Jerry Saltz , you can list your wins like his:

Short professional bio example from Jerry Saltz

6. Provide your contact information.

People who visit your profile or receive your message already know your social media account. But to take business off the app, include your email address, website, or any other professional profiles where they can reach you.

Political Commentator and Sports Correspondent, Angela Rye , shows a great example of this in her short professional bio on Instagram:

Short professional bio example from Angela Rye

7. Show them your personality.

Don’t be afraid to add a bit of charisma to your short professional bio. “Professional” doesn’t have to mean plain. You can best portray your personality through:

  • A joke. "Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. At least that’s what I learned when I created…"
  • Mention a hobby. "I’ll be honest: for me, tennis is life — Go Nadal!"
  • A fun fact. "Every year, I watch 100 new films! I’m a cinephile and love every movie genre."
  • A few emojis related to your interests. "🎶🤖🎾🎬🎭"

Whichever way you choose to get personal, give people a glimpse into who you are as an individual.

When writing a short bio, it can be tempting to pack in as much relevant information about yourself as possible — but this isn’t the most effective approach.

Instead, focus on including the details that you and your audience care about most and leave out the fluff.

Let's dive into a few examples of short professional bios.

Short Professional Bio Examples

  • Corey Wainwright: Principal Marketing Manager
  • Lianna Patch: Copywriter
  • Precious Oboidhe: Content Strategist and Writer
  • Rebecca Bollwitt: Writer
  • Megan Gilmore: Cookbook Author
  • Bea Dixon: Feminine Care Founder
  • Tammy Hembrow: Instagram Influencer
  • Dr. Cody: Chiropractor
  • Larry Kim: Founder
  • Dharmesh Shah: Founder and CTO
  • Lily Ugbaja: Content Strategist
  • Ian Anderson Gray: Marketer
  • Van Jones: Political Commentator, Author, and Lawyer

1. Corey Wainwright : Principal Marketing Manager

Bio platform: blog byline.

Corey Wainwright is a Principal Marketing Manager here at HubSpot. She's written content for HubSpot's Marketing Blog for years, and her blog author bio caught my eye before I ever started working for HubSpot.

(Back then, it started with, "Corey just took a cool vacation.")

What I love most about Corey's bio is that it's a great example of how to deliver information about yourself without taking things too seriously. And in this context, that's totally appropriate.

Despite having several impressive accomplishments under her belt, she simply doesn't enjoy displaying them publicly. She prefers making her author bio a little "light."

Her bio reads, "Corey is a Bruce Springsteen fan who does content marketing, in that order."

Short professional bio example from Corey Wainwright

It works in this context because, at HubSpot, our blog authors prefer to make themselves friendly and approachable — while letting their content speak for itself.

It helps that authors' social media accounts are located right below our names and above our pictures. This lets folks click the LinkedIn button and go to the author's LinkedIn page.

( You can read this blog post to learn how to create social media buttons and add them to your website.)

  • It’s short and simple.
  • It pitches her company’s product as the best CRM software.
  • Pairing her perfect smile and the mention of a popular singer — Bruce Springsteen — adds humor to her bio, shows singing may be one of her interests, and makes her appear friendly.

2. Lianna Patch : Copywriter

Lianna Patch is a rockstar copywriter who has written for popular publications like Copy Hackers. What’s striking about Lianna’s bio is that it sums up everything you want in a copywriter.

I mean, see the first sentence of her bio — “Lianna’s greatest dream is to make your customers pause, smile, and click (in that order).”

Short professional bio example from Lianna Patch

  • It’s punchy and welcoming.
  • It shows the outcome companies can get by working with her.
  • It has a call-to-action (CTA).

3. Precious Oboidhe : Content Strategist and Writer

I don’t check out an author's byline unless the post is interesting. My guess is you do the same. And most times, you do this because you may be interested in working with the writer.

This is where a short bio that speaks to your needs comes in. An example? An example? Precious' bio that shows off his skills as a freelance content strategist and writer.

  • It states that Precious is for hire, causing interested prospects to contact him.
  • It includes his website, where prospects can learn more about him.
  • People can connect with Precious on social media to learn more about his work.

4. Rebecca Bollwitt : Writer

Bio platform: instagram.

Instagram is a notoriously difficult platform on which to write a good bio. Similar to Twitter, you don't have room for a professional bio that includes everything about you.

And because Instagram is primarily a mobile app, many viewers read about you passively on their mobile devices.

Instagram's limited bio space requires you to highlight just your most important qualities. Blogging icon Rebecca Bollwitt does just this in her own Instagram bio excellently.

Rebecca's brand name is Miss604, and she cleverly uses emojis in her Instagram bio to tell visitors what makes her a valuable content creator. See the screenshot below:

Short professional bio example from Rebecca Bollwitt

The rest of her bio follows suit, breaking up the text with an appropriate emoji and a perfect collection of nouns to tell me who she is as a person.

She even links out to her husband's Instagram account after the heart emoji (an adorable addition) and assures her followers that all of her pictures are authentically hers.

Take a lesson from Miss604 and show your personal side. Branding yourself as a professional shouldn’t involve discarding many things that make you human . Often, your most personal attributes make for the best professional bio content.

  • Using emojis gives off Rebecca as a friendly person.
  • Rebecca highlights her most important qualities in a few words.

5. Megan Gilmore : Cookbook Author

Megan Gilmore is a best-selling cookbook author. She often posts healthy recipes on her Instagram page and inspires her followers to learn not to sacrifice taste for the sake of health.

 Short professional bio example from Megan Gilmore

You can glean most of this information immediately from her Instagram bio, which is short and to the point: "Gluten-free recipes and meal plans."

Gilmore further includes a CTA link within her Instagram bio that leads followers to free, ready-to-use recipes. You might think, " Why would she do that since it discourages people from buying her book?"

But that couldn't be further from the truth.

By giving her followers the chance to try out her recipes, she's slowly turning leads into customers. After I tried a few of her Instagram recipes and loved them, I bought her book, knowing I'd like more of what she offered.

  • The bio is short and direct.
  • The CTA link includes an invitation for people to join her newsletter. Meaning, she can build her email list.

6. Bea Dixon : Feminine Care Founder

Bea Dixon, Founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company, efficiently uses the space on her Instagram profile to highlight who she is as a well-rounded human — not just a businesswoman.

For instance, while she highlights her girl boss attitude with a tiara emoji, she equally calls attention to her fashion interests (Free People), her pets, Boss and Sadie, and her love for ramen noodles.

Short professional bio example from Bea Dixon

  • It shows who Bea is outside work.
  • It includes a CTA that lets people check out everything Bea offers.

7. Tammy Hembrow : Instagram Influencer

Tammy Hembrow is a founder, fitness model, Instagram Influencer, and entrepreneur. These are a lot to fit into one Instagram profile. And this is where a summary of what you do and where people can find you take center stage.

Short professional bio example from Tammy Hembrow

If you wear many hats like Tammy, be sure to mention your biggest traffic driver in your Instagram profile and include a link to all you do.

  • It shows Tammy’s core channel besides Instagram — YouTube.
  • It includes a CTA that lets people learn more about what Tammy does.
  • It links out to other pages owned by Tammy.

8. Dr. Cody : Chiropractor

Dr. Cody is a Sydney-based chiropractor. Like Tammy, Dr. Cody brilliantly uses the limited space on his Instagram profile to convey vital info to his audience.

Short professional bio example from Dr. Cody

Adding his TikTok account with almost three million followers is another excellent move.

  • No one gets three million followers by doing a poor job. By including 2.9M+ TikTok followers in his bio, Dr. Cody instantly proves his expertise to his audience.
  • Including his TikTok handle is a subtle pitch for people to follow his account on TikTok.
  • The CTA link is great for those who want to learn more about Dr. Cody’s offers.

9. Larry Kim : Founder

Bio platform: twitter.

Forget about words for a moment. Looking at Larry’s bio, you immediately know what he prioritizes above all else — his family.

Short professional bio example from Larry Kim

This could endear people to him. And don’t forget the inclusion of “Christian” — this instantly shows what he stands for.

  • It shows what Larry takes seriously besides work — his family and his faith.
  • The popular publications give people a reason to follow Larry.

10. Dharmesh Shah : Founder and CTO

Dharmesh Shah is the co-founder and CTO of HubSpot. Dharmesh’s bio is exciting because it has social proof, gives people a reason to follow him, and shows what people can expect.

Short professional bio example from Dharmesh Shah

  • It shows what followers can expect.
  • Dharmesh’s warm smile is welcoming, and his personal mission is inviting.
  • It calls attention to Dharmesh’s business — HubSpot.

11. Lily Ugbaja : Content Strategist

Look no further than Lily's if you want inspiration for a Twitter bio packed with social proof.

Lily is a content strategist and writer for popular companies like HubSpot, WordPress, and more. When you read Lily’s bio, the second sentence grabs your attention immediately because it shows the result you can get by working with her.

Short professional bio example from Lily Ugbaja

  • It has catchy social proof elements.
  • It contains a CTA encouraging people to subscribe to her newsletter.

12. Ian Anderson Gray : Marketer

Details matter, especially when there’s a cap on the number of words you can use to express yourself.

For instance, the funny and impactful bio of Ian Anderson on his Twitter page reads:

"Dad & Husband. Confident Live® Marketing Podcast 🎧 & Show 🎥 Helping you level up your impact, authority & profits through the power of Confident Live Video."

What more do you need to know?

Ian doesn't take his bio too seriously but uses every character to highlight everything about him.

He includes his skill as a marketer and podcast host, who he is outside work as a dad, and what he can help you do. His smiles also give the bio a sense of humor and realness.

Short professional bio example from Ian Anderson Gray

  • It highlights everything about Ian in a few words.
  • It includes a CTA to check out Ian’s podcast.
  • It shows Ian’s fun personality, an important trait for podcast hosts.

13. Van Jones : Political Commentator, Author, and Lawyer

Someone known for various talents and skills may find it difficult to capture who they are in a professional bio. The feat is nearly impossible when limited to just over 100 characters on Twitter.

But Van Jones effortlessly explains who he is and why it matters to everyone who visits his Twitter profile.

Short professional bio example from Van Jones

He starts his professional bio with a token of personalization and prioritization of his values. By mentioning that he is a dad first, we recognize what’s important to him in his long list of successes.

As we’ve seen in other bios, sharing who we are outside of work makes us more personable and should find its way into your bio, if possible.

What’s great about Van’s Twitter bio is his ability to link valuable offerings to his readers. He invites us to check out his latest book and has his website magiclabsmedia.com linked at the top.

  • It includes a CTA.
  • It shows Van’s personality and what he cares about.
  • It shows one of Van’s accomplishments as a 3X NYT bestseller.

Create Your Own Professional Bio

Prim and proper, relaxed, or studded with accomplishments, your bio reflects your best professional self. Your professional bio will often precede your physical presence. Before people meet you for the first time, they’ll probably read your bio.

Whether you’re creating an about page for your website or social media profile, one thing’s for sure: You’ll want to put your best foot forward with a top-notch professional bio.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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20 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We’ve Ever Seen [+ Templates]

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Lindsay Kolowich Cox | HubSpot | October 13, 2022

To help you author one that packs a punch, we’ll teach you how to write a professional bio and leverage professional bio templates with the best professional bio examples we’ve ever seen to draw inspiration from.

What is a Professional Bio?

A bio tells an audience who you are, and what you’ve done, and also hints at what you are capable of doing. It can help potential employers, fans, or customers get a sense of your personality and what you stand for.

That may be hard to achieve without a starting point. Below, we’ve included professional templates to expedite the process of writing a great resume bio.

Read the full article and access templates here .

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15 personal bio examples that are fun, creative, and get the job done.

Struggling to write about yourself? These personal bio examples show how you can talk about your professional and personal life in a creative, engaging way.

Published on Nov 27, 2022

By Austin Distel

how to write a good biography

Personal bios can be hard to write. Waxing lyrical about yourself can be uncomfortable, especially in the context of professional achievements and amazing things you’ve done.

But, in a world where we’re often separated from other humans via a screen, your personal bio is one of the easiest ways for a company, colleague, or a potential lead to learn more about you.

‍ If you don’t know what to include or how to get started, we’ve pulled together some personal bio examples that showcase a handful of creative and engaging ways to present yourself on your social media accounts, your personal website, and on any bylined articles you write outside of your site. 

We also provide some cool personal bio generator templates from our AI marketing platform , Jasper. Now you won’t have to scramble around at the last minute to come up with a short bio of yourself when you’re suddenly asked to send one over via email!

The business case for personal bios: why you should write one

You might wonder what the big deal is—it’s just a bio, right? Do people even read them? The answer is actually, yes; they do. Personal bios can be a great way to find out more about the person behind a website or an article. This helps establish a connection and encourages readers to relate to you. 

The thing is, you might not think a lot of people care about where you went to school or what you like to do in your spare time, but you just don’t know who’s reading your professional bio.

It might be a hotshot manager for your dream company who also loves to spend their weekends kayaking the coast. Or it might be the marketer for a well-known brand looking for a writer .

Learning little nuggets of information about you can put you ahead of other candidates they’re researching or other freelancers they’re in talks with. It could be the difference between getting that contract and not. 

What’s the difference between a personal bio and a resume?

Your resume is a list of your professional roles. Your personal bio digs deeper than this and gives readers an insight into things like: 

  • Your interests outside of work
  • Your backstory
  • What gets you up in the morning 
  • Your passions and values 
  • Your goals 

Understanding this information can help them see if you’d be a good fit, or if you have the personal qualities they’re looking for in someone they want to work with. This information also helps you connect better with like-minded people.

Say, for example, you’re scrolling through Twitter, see a fun Tweet, and click on the person’s bio only to find out they also run 5km every evening and are passionate about addressing climate change. Chances are, you’re going to want to connect with them. 

How to write a personal bio

Before we share some creative bio examples, let’s take a look at what your personal biography should include. Bear in mind that this will vary depending on what platform you’re posting it on (platforms like Twitter and Instagram have a limited word count).

However, you can have a “master” bio that you pull snippets from for other platforms. Not only does this keep your messaging cohesive across platforms, but it makes it easy to get a bio together at short notice because you already have all the information you need written down. 

What to include in a bio on your site

For this ‌exercise, let’s focus on what you need to include in a personal bio on your website. This will be your “master” bio as it’ll probably be the longest and go into the most detail.

People who are poking around on your website have already shown an interest in who you are and what you do, so they’re more likely to stick around and read a longer bio. Here’s what you should include:

  • Your name: obviously, you need to state your name. Most people choose to include their full name, including surname, at the start of their bio. However, if your website URL or personal brand is already your full name, you can shorten it to just your first name. 
  • Your position: your current position and the tasks you’re responsible for should get a mention. This is particularly important if you’re looking for jobs or are writing a bio for a networking platform like LinkedIn. 
  • Your work experience: mention any key roles you’ve held in the past and how you got to where you are today. Stories like this show readers your journey and give an insight into your specialisms and professional skills. 
  • What you do and who you do it for: kind of like stating your “niche”, talking about what exactly it is you do (like graphic design or paid ad campaigns), and who you do it for (like finance companies or busy e-commerce owners) can help readers identify if you’re a good fit. 
  • What you do outside of work: personal bios should be more personal than a resume or professional bio and should therefore include personal details about what you like to do when you’re not working. Do you frequent pop-up restaurants? Attend dog shows with your puppy? Rock climb in the mountains? 
  • Professional accomplishments: talk about what you’ve achieved both at work and outside of work. This gives readers an idea about the things you value and what you might be able to achieve for them (it’s also a great talking point for people who want to reach out). 
  • Personal story: share a personal, creative story to add a splash of personality. It can be anything from the disastrous first birthday party you held for your daughter to the time you were taken in by a local family after getting lost in Mongolia. Don't forget to add a custom image !

How often should you refresh your personal bio? 

The life you live now isn’t the same life you were living ten, five, or even two years ago. Your personal bio should reflect your current situation, which means it’ll probably need to be regularly updated.

If you’re not sure about when to give it a refresh, consider:

  • When you land a new job 
  • When you achieve a big milestone (either at work or in your personal life)
  • When your old one doesn’t have the same ring to it 

Schedule time every few months to go back over your personal bio and see if everything is still true and up-to-date. 

Where to display your personal bio 

Your personal bio can be displayed anywhere that you might want people to find out more about you. Often, this will be places like social media, your website, guest post bylines, or your speaker profile, but you can also include it in other marketing materials like flyers for events you’re hosting or the blurb for your latest ebook. 

  • Twitter: cramming a personal bio into 160 characters can be hard, but it can also be a great lesson in identifying what information matters the most. Use up as many of the characters as you can, and use them wisely..
  • LinkedIn: the summary section of your LinkedIn profile gives you up to 2,000 characters to use. This is the ideal place to share your “master” bio.
  • Instagram: at 150 characters, you have just a few words to explain who you are and what you do on Instagram—use them wisely.
  • Personal website: people who land on your website are already interested in you—share your “master” bio here in all its glory. 
  • Guest posts: bylined articles need a couple of sentences about the author. Make it engaging to encourage readers to click through to your site or remember your name. 
  • Speaker profile: if you speak at events or conferences, you’ll need a short but sweet speaker bio that gets attendees interested in your session.

Get inspired: fun personal bio examples 

#1 twitter bio example: sally fox.

Sally Fox Twitter Bio

Sally includes what she does and who she does it for, as well as a humorous bit of information about her and her contact information—all within Twitter’s 160 character limit.

#2 Twitter bio example: Kash Bhattacharya

Kash Bhattacharya Twitter Bio

Kash showcases his accomplishments as well as a bit of backstory about what he’s doing and how long he’s been doing it.

#3 Twitter bio example: Jay Acunzo

Jay Acunzo Twitter Bio

Jay shares his mission in his Twitter bio, as well as what he’s best known for.

#4 Pinterest bio example: Grey & Scout

Grey & Scout Pinterest Bio

Liz of Grey & Scout introduces herself and tells her followers what they can expect to see from her—not an easy feat with such a limited word count.

#5 Guest post bio example: Justin Champion

Justin Champion Guest Post Bio

In this guest author byline, Justin uses the third person to introduce who he is and what he does, as well as share his goal with readers.

#6 LinkedIn bio example: Katrina Ortiz

Katrina Ortiz LinkedIn Bio

Katrina uses her LinkedIn bio to tell a story. Readers are hooked from the first sentence, but she also gives key insights into her specialties and achievements. 

#7 LinkedIn bio example: Karen Abbate

Karen Abbate LinkedIn Bio

Karen does things a bit differently with her LinkedIn summary and lists out key things readers might want to know about her and her career. 

#8 LinkedIn bio example: Katie Clancy

Katie Clancy LinkedIn Bio

Katie starts her LinkedIn bio with an analogy that serves to hook readers from the start. From there, she branches out into how it relates to her profession, as well as her key achievements and career highlights.

#9 Personal website bio example: Dave Harland

Dave Harland About Page Bio

Dave Harland’s About Page shares the story of how he got into writing‌. At the end, he highlights his experience and why this story has helped him become a go-to copywriter.

#10 Personal website bio example: Gummi Sig

Gummi Sig About Page Bio

Gummi Sig begins his bio in the third person before diving into first-person storytelling mode. Perhaps the best part about this personal bio is the call to action at the end that encourages potential leads to get in touch.

#11 Personal website bio example: Leigh Whipday

Leigh Whipday About Page Bio

Leigh Whipday of Toy Fight has a short professional bio on the website. It includes both his professional achievements as well as insights about his life outside of work to attract his target audience.

#12 Personal website bio example: Blake Fili Suarez

Blake Suarez About Page Bio

Blake includes both a short and a long version of his bio so that readers can choose the best option for them. Both include what he does as well as personal anecdotes about his life and business.

Create your own with the Jasper personal bio template

Jarvis Personal Bio Template

# 13 Personal website bio example: Kaleigh Moore

Kaleigh Moore Personal Bio

Besides a short professional bio that’s more focused on her work, Kaleigh Moore also has a personal bio on her site. It goes into detail about her first e-commerce business and how it led her into writing for the biggest names in e-commerce. It also shares some fun facts and photos of Kaleigh.

#14 Instagram bio example: Carlos Gil

Carlos Gil Personal Instagram Bio

Carlos Gil does a good job of using limited space wisely, mentioning accomplishments, what he does and for who, as well as what he’s working on.  

#15 Instagram bio example: Samantha Anderl

Samantha Anderl Personal Instagram Bio

Co-founder of Harlow, Samantha Anderl, uses her personal Instagram bio not only to promote the company but also to give some insight into her personality. As this bio shows, a little humor can go a long way in attracting like-minded people to both you and your business.

Struggling with a blank page? Not sure which words to put down first? Overwhelmed by all the great professional bio examples out there and have now got writer’s paralysis? That's where an AI writing assistant can come in handy. Jasper’s personal bio template, in particular, can save the day. 

Simply plug in a few key pieces of information about yourself (use the list we mentioned above as a starting point) and choose the tone of voice you want to portray . Jasper will then work its AI magic and create a collection of personal bios you can tweak or use as they are. For example, here’s the start of a short bio for Apple’s co-founder, Steve Jobs. 

Jasper Personal Bio Template

Jasper can create well-written, engaging bios for anyone in any role, as long as you provide the right info. For instance, besides setting the point of view and tone, we gave Jasper some basic details, including a fictional name, role, and location for a Senior Product Marketing Manager. 

As you can see from the bio options below, Jasper added emotion and personality to the details we gave. And he even added missing details such as past companies and years of experience, which we could easily swap out for factual details when writing a bio for a real person. 

Jasper Personal Bio Template For Marketing Manager

We provided similar details for the bio of a fictional social media marketer, feeding Jasper info on specialties, previous roles, and hobbies. This time in the third person, Jasper added flair to our inputs, as well as some additional details that could be verified or swapped out, such as Luisa being from Columbia. 

Jasper Personal Bio Template For Social Media Manager

Any of Jasper’s outputs could be combined, edited, or expanded in minutes to create a polished bio that showcases your areas of expertise, your professional goals, and your personality. Writing about yourself doesn’t have to be hard!

Also related: the Jasper company bio template

Companies can also make use of Jasper’s bio templates with the company bio template. Again, just input some key facts about your business, and— voila! —Jasper will create a fun and creative bio you can use wherever you like. 

Create your punchy personal bio today

Never again be asked to send over a personal bio “on the fly”. Instead, create a “master” bio that can be chopped up into engaging chunks and shared on your chosen promotional platforms.

Include key information about your job title, achievements, and what exactly it is you do, as well as personal anecdotes, your interests, and how you spend your spare time.

Your personal bio is a chance to connect with potential clients, hiring managers, and like-minded colleagues, so take the time to write one that really presents you as you want to be presented.

‍ Start a free trial to create your Personal Bio using Jasper today.

Meet The Author:

Austin Distel

Austin Distel

Austin Distel is the Sr. Director of Marketing at Jasper , your AI creative assistant. He's also an Airbnb superhost in Austin, Texas. You can follow Austin's adventures around the internet and the world at distel.com .

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How to Write an Interesting Biography

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A biography is a written account of the series of events that make up a person's life. Some of those events are going to be pretty boring, so you'll need to try to make your account as interesting as possible!

Every student will write a biography at some point, but the level of detail and sophistication will differ. A fourth grade biography will be much different from a middle school-level biography or a high school or college-level biography.

However, each biography will include the basic details. The first information you should gather in your research will include biographical details and facts. You must use a trustworthy resource to ensure that your information is accurate.

Using research note cards , collect the following data, carefully recording the source for each piece of information:

Including Basic Details

  • Date and place of birth and death
  • Family information
  • Lifetime accomplishments
  • Major events of life
  • Effects/impact on society, historical significance

While this information is necessary to your project, these dry facts, on their own, don't really make a very good biography. Once you've found these basics, you'll want to dig a little deeper.

You choose a certain person because you think he or she is interesting, so you certainly don't want to burden your paper with an inventory of boring facts. Your goal is to impress your reader!

Start off with great first sentence . It's a good idea to begin with a really interesting statement, a little-known fact, or really intriguing event.

You should avoid starting out with a standard but boring line like:

"Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774."

Instead, try starting with something like this:

"Late one afternoon in October, 1809, Meriwether Lewis arrived at a small log cabin nestled deep in the Tennessee Mountains. By sunrise on the following day, he was dead, having suffered gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

You'll have to make sure your beginning is motivating, but it should also be relevant. The next sentence or two should lead into your thesis statement , or main message of your biography.

"It was a tragic end to a life that had so deeply affected the course of history in the United States. Meriwether Lewis, a driven and often tormented soul, led an expedition of discovery that expanded a young nation's economic potential, increased its scientific understanding, and enhanced its worldwide reputation."

Now that you've created an impressive beginning , you'll want to continue the flow. Find more intriguing details about the man and his work, and weave them into the composition.

Examples of Interesting Details:

  • Some people believed that Lewis and Clark would encounter elephants in the western wilderness, having misunderstood the wooly mammoth bones discovered in the United States.
  • The expedition resulted in the discovery and description of 122 new animal species and subspecies.
  • Lewis was a hypochondriac.
  • His death is still an unsolved mystery, although it was ruled a suicide.

You can find interesting facts by consulting diverse sources.

Fill the body of your biography with material that gives insight into your subject's personality. For instance, in a biography about Meriwether Lewis, you would ask what traits or events motivated him to embark on such a monumental exercise.

Questions to Consider in Your Biography:

  • Was there something in your subject's childhood that shaped his/her personality?
  • Was there a personality trait that drove him/her to succeed or impeded his progress?
  • What adjectives would you use to describe him/her?
  • What were some turning points in this life?
  • What was his/her impact on history?

Be sure to use transitional phrases and words to link your paragraphs and make your composition paragraphs flow . It is normal for good writers to re-arrange their sentences to create a better paper.

The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim about your subject. It should point out your main points, re-name the person you're writing about, but it should not repeat specific examples.

As always, proofread your paper and check for errors. Create a bibliography and title page according to your teacher's instructions. Consult a style guide for proper documentation.

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The Best Short Professional Bios (Examples + Templates)

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Summary. To write a short bio you should first make an initial introduction introducing yourself in the first or first person. Your short bio should include your brand, your accomplishments, and your values and goals. Your short bio should be one to three short paragraphs or four to eight sentences long.

Knowing how to write a concise, informative, and interesting biography about yourself can help throughout various parts of the professional process. You can use your bio to capture the attention of potential employers or clients and convince them to choose to employ or work with you.

In this article, you’ll learn more about what goes into a short bio and how to write one, and you’ll also get to see some short bio templates and examples to help you get an idea of what yours should look like.

Key Takeaways

A short bio serves to introduce you, your achievements, and what you offer professionally to potential employers or clients.

It’s important to keep your bio brief so that readers stay engaged and will remember your main points.

You may need to adjust your bio for different audiences, as your clients may want to know different information than a recruiter would.

Talk about your skills and accomplishments in your bio, but don’t exaggerate them.

How to Write a Short Bio

What Is a Short Bio?

How to write a short bio, what to include in a short professional bio, short bio examples, short bio templates, tips for writing a short bio, writing a short bio faq.

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A short bio serves as your introduction to the professional world. In terms of finding or expanding on your job, a bio will cover your:

Achievements

Any other relevant professional information

Think of it as a professional memoir that a hiring manager or consumer can read and understand quickly. It’s usually about one to three paragraphs depending on experience.

There’s an emphasis on being succinct when it comes to writing a professional bio. This is because a bio is supposed to be a preface to attract recruiter attention and incline them to reach out for more information. Many readers will get lost or bored with a lengthy bio.

Using a short bio can be helpful across very different industries, from marketing to accounting, from psychiatry to sales.

You’re probably familiar with providing short bios on social media websites and applications. While the information and skills you include in a professional bio may differ, the general formatting is similar.

There’s a lot of considerations to take into account when writing a short bio, and it can quickly become intimidating. Deciding what information is relevant and how to keep it near 140 characters is no small task.

If you’re having difficulty writing a short bio, follow the outline below to craft an introduction that engages your reader.

Make an initial introduction. You can’t jump right into everything you’ve done and what you want to do in the future before introducing yourself.

Your bio’s first sentence should begin with your full name in the third person or introduce yourself in the first person and continue to briefly outline your most notable skills and accomplishments. It’s a good place to state your current job and employer.

Go deeper with what motivates you. Once you’ve catchily illustrated who you are in your short bio, you can use the second sentence to describe your motivations for your work.

Stating what drives you to do the work you do is essential to employers and customers alike. Whether you work as a physician or fitness consultant , there’s a reason why this is your profession, and you should explain that in your short professional bio.

Describe your accomplishments. Your short bio is for detailing why you’re the ideal candidate to be trusted with handling an employer or consumer’s business. By describing your prior accomplishments, you let them know what you could offer as an employee and how you’ve succeeded in the past.

While you should avoid sounding braggy, the reader is looking for information about what your qualifications are , and your accomplishments generally measure these qualities.

Even though you could probably go on for ages about the details of your accomplishments, save that for an interview . In a short bio, only include the most impressive of your achievements to outline.

Accomplishments relevant to a short bio could include:

Impressive results on a project

Former promotions

Awards received in your field

Certifications received

Include contact information. The purpose of a short bio as either a business or a job seeker is to inspire the reader to reach out. Without contact information, this pursuit becomes futile. Make sure your short bio has some way to contact you at the end.

Relevant contact information may include:

Phone number

Professional networking profile

A short professional bio includes:

Your full name. You can choose to write your bio in the first person (I, me, my) or third person (he, she, they), but either way, you need to include your full name at some point. Branding doesn’t work so well without a brand name (i.e., you!)

Your brand. Of course, if you have an actual brand that you’re trying to market, you should include the brand name as well.

What you do. Summarize what you want the reader to know about what you do in one sentence — tricky, we know.

Your accomplishments. For a short bio, you can stick with just one major accomplishment from your professional life. Or, if you have a string of impressive achievements, try condensing all of them down to one sentence.

Your goals and values. Let the reader know what makes you tick — why do you do what you do and what do you hope to achieve with your work? People are compelled by a story more than anything else, so it’s important to get this part right.

Something personal (optional). If you have a quirky tidbit about yourself you’d like to include, go for it. Just make sure it doesn’t throw off te the tone of the rest of your bio.

Contact info (optional). If your bio is serving as a call-to-action to drum up business or get leads on job opportunities, it makes sense to include your contact information at the end of your bio. It’s not necessary if that information is available elsewhere on the page , though.

Entry-Level Job-Seeker Bio Example

Mitchell Morrison is an upcoming video producer and editor who believes in the art of visual organization. He is a recent graduate from the University of Washington and focused on post-production during his time studying there. He was introduced to the magical world of visual art production by watching his father work on editing commercials growing up and has been working towards his dream of becoming a video editor ever since. During his last year of college, Mitchell participated in a competitive internship with Digital Space Films. He was chosen out of 2,000 applicants based on his academic portfolio and personal statement essay. This internship was an incredible learning experience and resulted in three professional accreditations for music video editing. Mitchell currently lives in Seattle, Washington pursuing freelance opportunities and spending time with his Dog, Pikachu. To get into contact with Mitchell: MitchellMorrisonVideo.com/contact

Working Professional Website Bio Example

Lisa Kennedy is an experienced real estate professional. She knows how important a home is for long-term happiness and has invested her career in putting people in the house they’ve always dreamed of. Lisa was driven to pursue real estate from her passion for helping people during life-altering times, and a keen interest in high-end, luxury homes. She’s been working in the real estate industry for ten years and in that time has assisted over 3,500 people in finding homes. She was educated at the University of Los Angeles with a bachelor’s in business management. She’s worked for some of the most respectable Real Estate companies in Los Angeles and individually under her agency “Kennedy Homes.” Lisa has also been published in Real Estate Quarterly Magazine as the 2017 winner of the “Top Luxury Home Seller” award. Lisa loves the culture of Los Angeles and has been living there with her family of five since she graduated from college. She enjoys spending her free time exploring towns along the West Coast and swimming. If you’d like to get in touch with Lisa: Email: [email protected]

Professional Networking Profile Bio Example

Bianca Jones Marketing Manager Miami, FL The first step towards customer satisfaction is being reached by stellar product marketing, and that’s what I aim to provide. My professional experience as a product marketing manager has allowed me to assist many organizations in improving their sales margins and audience response to emerging products. I’ve brought dedication and positive results to the companies I’ve worked for because I am passionate about product perception, marketing, and business statistics. What drives a product to success interests and inspires me. I specialize in long-term growth strategies and audience outreach. In addition to eight years of experience in professional product marketing, I have also published two books on creating a career as a marketer called “What to Do After Your Bachelor’s” and “A Marketer’s How-To.” If you’re interested in learning more about how to market your business better, or just discuss more, feel free to contact me by email at [email protected] .

Your first choice is whether you want your bio to be written in the third person or first person. These short bio templates show both options, and also include different ideas for what to include, and how. Feel free to pick and choose your favorite parts of each of the two.

[Full Name] is a [job title] who [believes/knows] in the power of [what you do]. [He/She/They] began their journey in [field] by [how you got started in the field], and now dreams of [what you hope to accomplish]. [His/Her/Their] biggest accomplishment to date has been [your biggest accomplishment]. [Full Name] lives in [where you live] and participates in [a hobby/interest]. To get in touch with [Full Name], call/email/message me on [how you’d like to be contacted].
I am a [job title] who helps [who you help] [what you help them do]. It’s my belief that [your unique perspective on the field]. In the past [# of years] years, I’ve [major accomplishment #1] through [how you accomplished it]. I have a passion for [your professional passion], but on the side, I also enjoy [personal passion]. Get in touch with me today at [contact info] — I look forward to talking with you about [what you want to talk to your readers about].

You have a firm grasp of the structure of a short bio and what to include. Now, you may need some tips for how to polish your short professional bio and make it stand out from the competition.

Be mindful of length. While you’re probably getting sick of hearing that your bio should be short, it’s good to keep in mind throughout the writing process. It’s easy to go off on a tangent while trying to include everything relevant or rationalize, making your bio too long.

Avoid this impulse. The point of a bio is that it’s limited. You want to intrigue the reader enough to inspire them to seek more information about you or your services.

Tailor your bio to your intended audience. Whether you’re using a short bio to attract a particular customer base or potential employer, tailoring it to fit their wants and needs is crucial. Consider your intended audience base and what they’re looking for in a candidate or service.

Be genuine. Your short bio should be an authentic representation of your traits, experience, and personality. People are repelled by what they interpret as stretching the truth. If you’re being received as disingenuous by the reader, they’ll probably move on.

Proofread. The only way to steer clear of errors in your short bio is by proofreading it. Imagine a hiring manager being completely interested in your bio.

They love what you have to say about yourself and find your prior experience enticing. That is, until they come across a mistake that clearly shows you didn’t do proofread or edit.

Include links to your portfolio, website, or networking profile. One way to circumvent the confining factor of keeping your bio short is by including links to more detailed sources.

This can be in the form of linking your portfolio or website to allow the reader to go deeper into your discussed skills if they please, without taking up more space in your bio.

Implement these links seamlessly into your bio by attaching them to anchor words that describe what clicking will lead them to.

Add some personality. You aren’t the only person who has an impressive list of accomplishments to put on a bio, so you’re going to need to find some additional ways to make an impression.

What should a short bio include?

A short bio should include your name, what you do, and your achievements. You should also include your company or product’s brand, if you have one, and your goals and motivations for doing what you do. This humanizes you and helps you stand out from the rest of the pack.

How long is a short bio?

A short bio is typically one to three paragraphs long. These should be short paragraphs though, as other experts say that between four and eight sentences is the ideal length for a short bio.

What makes a good bio?

A good bio is succinct and memorable. Readers don’t want to spend long reading about your professional and personal life, so go back and cut it down to the important parts multiple times after you draft it. You might be surprised at how little you actually need to include.

What should you avoid putting in a short bio?

You should avoid including anything negative or arrogate. It’s never a good idea to write anything negative about previous jobs or employers. Only include positive things in your professional short bio.

It’s important to include your achievements in a short bio, but there is a fine line between mentioning your achievements and bragging about them. Stick to the facts when talking about your accomplishments.

Fremont University – Building Your Professional Bio

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.

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How to Write a Biography: 10 Step Guide + Book Template

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023

Nicole Ahlering

Written by Nicole Ahlering

So you’d like to know how to write a biography. We can help with that! In this guide, we show you how to get from the initial book idea to publishing your book , and we throw in a free template to help you on your way. 

Let’s jump right in. 

This guide teaches you how to write a biography in the following steps:

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We will send you a Book Template for US Trade (standard paperback size).

Step 1: Read other biographies 

Austin Kleon, Author of Steal Like an Artist , says “the writer tries to master words. All of these pursuits involve the study of those who have come before and the effort to build upon their work in some way.”

In other words, to be a great writer, you need to read the best biographies written by other excellent authors!

In this case, it would behoove you to read several biographies – whether historical or celebrity biographies is up to you and your sub-genre. 

A good author to start with? Walter Isaacson . He’s written highly acclaimed biographies on everyone from Abraham Lincoln and Steve Jobs to Leonardo Da Vinci and Elon Musk. 

Step 2: Identify your subject

Next, it’s time to choose who you’d like to write about – if you don’t already have someone in mind.  

The most important factor will be, of course, your interest in the person you’re planning to write about. You’ll spend months (or even years) deep-diving into this person’s history, so you want to choose someone who you’re unlikely to tire of. 

Here are a few other factors to consider: 

  • How impactful has your potential subject’s life been? In other words, will people care to learn more about this person? 
  • How readily available is information about your potential subject? Biographies require extensive research, so it’s critical to choose someone who has enough information out there to dig into! Consider whether your subject has done interviews, written journals, has family or a partner willing to speak with you, and more. 
  • Are there already books written about your potential subject? Just because there’s an existing biography about the person you’re interested in doesn’t (necessarily) mean you can’t write another one. But if there are two or three biographies, you may want to reconsider. If you do choose to write about someone who has already been well-documented, be mindful about approaching the topic with a new angle or perspective. For instance, there are several biographies about George Washington, but author Alexis Coe wrote one about how Washington isn’t “quite the man we remember.” This brilliant iteration has over 12,000 ratings on Goodreads .
  • Is there a market demand for a book about your potential subject? If you’d like to publish your book, you need to be mindful of whether folks will want to read it. Do some research to determine if readers will be receptive to a book about the person you’re interested in. 

Related: Is a Biography a Primary Source?

Step 3: Get permission to write about your subject

We’ll start by stating the obvious. It’s a good idea to get permission to write about your subject, even if you’re not legally required to. For one thing, it’s just good manners. Plus, you’re much more likely to get unfettered access to the information and sources you need to write your book. 

But do you have to get permission? It depends.

In some cases, if your subject is considered a “public figure,” permission may not be required. The definition of a public figure varies depending on your jurisdiction, so you should always consult a lawyer before writing a biography. 

If you do decide to proceed without permission, be mindful of how your book will be received and any legal issues that may arise. 

Step 4: Create an outline

It’s critical to outline your biography before you begin writing it. Among other things, it helps ensure you cover every topic you’d like to and get the book in the correct chronological order. It also helps you identify themes that emerge as you organize your ideas. 

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Need help creating your outline? Learn how to do it (and take advantage of free templates!) in our guide to outlining a book . 

Step 5: Select a working title (using a title generator) 

Now is the fun part! It’s time to create a working title for your book. A working title is just what it sounds like: it’s a title that works – for now. 

Of course, it’s helpful to have something to call the book as you’re working on it. And it encourages you to think about the message you’d like your book to convey. When your biography is complete, you can always do a little more research on how to write book titles for your specific sub-genre and update your working title accordingly.

Or, you can decide you still love your initial title and publish your book with that one! 

We’ve made it easy for you to develop a working title – or multiple – using our book title generator . 

Book Title Generator

Don't like it?

Step 6: Write a rough draft 

Okay, now it’s time to start writing your rough draft. Don’t be intimidated; just focus on getting something down on the page. As experts on all things writing and self-publishing, we’ve got a rough draft writing guide to help you get through this phase of writing a biography.

Remember to be as balanced and objective as possible.

Make good use of your primary and secondary sources, and double-check all of your facts. You’ve got this!  

Step 7: Self-edit

There are several different types of editing that we recommend each manuscript undergo. But before you give your rough draft to anyone else to review, you should edit it yourself. 

The first step to self-editing?

Take a break! It’s essential to give your mind some time to recuperate before you go over your work. And never self-edit as you go!

After you’ve completed your break, here are a few things to consider as you edit: 

  • Grammar. This one is self-explanatory and usually the easiest. You can use an AI editor to make a first pass and quickly catch obvious spelling errors. Depending on prompts and your experience with the tool, you can also use AI to catch some grammar and syntax issues as well.
  • Content and structure . This is the time to make sure the bones of your piece are good. Make sure your content flows logically (and in chronological order), no important pieces of information are missing, and there isn’t redundant or unhelpful information. 
  • Clarity and consistency. Keep an eye out for any confusing copy and ensure your tone is uniform throughout the book.
  • Try reading your draft aloud. You’d be surprised at how many errors, shifts in tone, or other things you’d like to change that you don’t notice while reading in your head. Go ahead and do a read-through of your draft out loud. 

Step 8: Work with an editor

Once you’ve created the best draft you can, it’s time to hire an editor. As we mentioned, there are multiple types of book editing, so you’ll need to choose the one(s) that are best for you and your project. 

For instance, you can work with a developmental editor who helps with big-picture stuff. Think book structure, organization, and overall storytelling. Or you might work with a line editor who focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the like. 

There are also specialized copy editors, content editors, fact-checkers, and more.

It’s in your best interest to do a substantial amount of research before choosing an editor since they’ll have a large impact on your book. Many editors are open to doing a paid trial so you can see their work before you sign them on for the entire book. 

Step 9: Hire a book cover designer + get an ISBN 

Once you’ve worked with your editor(s) to finalize your book, it’s time to get your book ready to go out into the world. Your first step is to hire a book cover designer to create a cover that grabs readers’ attention (pssst: did you know that all SelfPublishing authors get done-for-you professional book design? Ask us about it !).

Then, you’ll need to get an ISBN number for your book – or an International Standard Book Number. It’s a unique way to identify your book and is critical for ordering, inventory tracking, and more. 

Bear in mind that each rendition of your book – regardless of when you publish them – will need their own ISBN numbers. So if you initially publish as a softcover and hardcover book and then decide to publish an ebook with the same exact content, you'll need 3 total ISBN numbers.

To get an ISBN, head to ISBN.org and follow the steps they provide.  Or reference our guide right here for step-by-step instructions (complete with photos) on how to get an ISBN number for self-published books.

Step 10: Create a launch plan 

Now is the most exciting part. It’s time to get your book out into the world! You’ll need to map out your plan, schedule events , finalize your pricing strategy, and more. 

We have an entire guide to launching a book to help you figure it out. 

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Learning how to write a biography can be challenging, but when you have a clear plan and guidance, the process is much easier. We've helped thousands of aspiring authors just like you write and self-publish their own books. We know what works – and how to become a successfully published author faster.

Take the first step today and down the book template below!

And, if you need additional help writing your biography, remember that we’re standing by to help. Just schedule a book consultation and one of our team members will help answer any of your questions about the writing process.

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Last updated on Feb 24, 2022

How to Write a Killer Author Bio (With Template)

✍️ This post was written by Kleopatra Olympiou, a writer from Cyprus and holder of an MA in Creative Writing from Durham University. 

An author bio is a brief passage, usually about a paragraph, that introduces an author and sums up their work, their authorly credentials, and anything else their readers might need to know about them. 

While author bios may seem like an afterthought, or something to fill up the backmatter of your book , it’s actually an unassuming but valuable piece of copy. Done well, an author bio can give you credibility and introduce your readers to your other works. It can also be used in other promotional or publishing materials, as former Penguin Random House marketer Rachel Cone-Gorham explains:

“An author bio is something that will let readers get a sense of who you are, and is an important part for pitching media and book proposals.” 

For this reason, it’s important to get your bio right. Here is a 4-step process for writing your author bio:

1. Start with the facts readers need to know

2. open up with relevant biographical details, 3. wow them with your credentials, 4. finish it off with a personal touch.

Start your bio with an opening byline that quickly summarizes your profile, plus your most recent release. In a world full of skimmers, some readers may not get past the first couple of lines of your bio, so it’s important to frontload the essentials. 

For instance, a byline might read:

“Jane Doe is a Professor of Anthropology at UCLA and author of Insights Into Our Past: Tracing the Legacy of Intergenerational Trauma in 19th Century America .”

“Jane Doe is a poet, writer, and author of the new novel We Were Already There .”

If your work has won any prestigious awards or earned bestseller status, make sure to mention that here, too.

The great part about writing a one-liner as your opener is that it can double as a short bio for guest articles, social media, etc. — all of which can be a valuable part of your book publicity plan . 

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Example: An attention grabbing intro

Novelist and short story writer Brandon Taylor's whole bio is great, but check out his heavy hitting first sentence that instantly tells you everything you really need to know:

how to write a good biography

If you’re stuck for words, you can use his bio, and other great “ About the Author ” examples for inspiration. 

RESOURCE: Your free author bio template

How to write an author bio: author bio template

FREE RESOURCE

Grab our Author Bio Template

Use this to write an awesome “about me” in less than 5 minutes.

Your author bio is, naturally, a chance for you to introduce yourself, but it’s also an opportunity for you to introduce readers to your body of work, and share a little about your writing history. If you have other titles that you’ve released previously, now’s the time to mention them.

You may also want to include any personal connections to your work, and signpost why they’re relevant. For instance:

With over a decade of writing obituaries for the local paper, Jane has a uniquely wry voice that shines through in her newest collection of essays, which explore the importance we place on legacy.

A professionally trained electrician, Jane has spent the last decade reading and writing romance novels giving her characters a palpable spark! Her latest work is the sequel to her debut novel, In the Arms of a Stranger .

Have an author bio already, but want a second opinion on it? Take our quick quiz to see if it checks off all of the boxes.

Let us grade your author bio

Find out if your author bio is a 10/10. Takes one minute.

Top Tip: Write in the third person

Despite the fact that an author often writes or approves their own bio, it should be written in the third person — ‘they’ rather than ‘I’. Not only is this the industry standard, it also makes it easier to toot your own horn, which you should definitely be doing here.

Example: An author’s lived experience

One great example of a bio that shares biographical details is author Niyati Tamaskar , whose memoir Unafraid draws on her own experiences of cancer and the cultural baggage surrounding it. You can learn more about Niyati and her publishing story here .

Niyati Tamaskar is a mother, engineer, entrepreneur, public speaker, and author. She speaks on issues of cultural bias, the stigma of cancer, and more. Her speaking and media appearances include her signature TEDx talk, a cover and feature spread in Columbus magazine on her journey and message of destigmatizing cancer, and a video created by Breastcancer.org on “How Niyati Tamaskar Overcame Cultural Cancer Stigma to Become an Advocate”—aimed at highlighting the minority experience while facing cancer.

MD43L5GTzqM Video Thumb

An important job of an “About the Author” section is to boost your credentials, says editor Rachel: “You want to show your qualifications and credibility so that a reader will feel validated in choosing your book to read.”

That being said, it’s not a good idea to start listing every softball trophy you won in middle school. Only stick to credentials that directly relate to the content of your book. According to Rachel, “Qualifications can include writing courses, college degrees, awards, bestseller lists, and accolades or, for fiction authors, even a lifetime of interest.” Here are a few of her examples:

Jane has an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College, and was the recipient of the Vermont College creative writing award.

Jane is a historian at Vermont College and has spent over a decade researching World War 2.

Jane has traveled extensively around Eastern Europe, learning about the history of the region and walking the paths of her characters.

For non-fiction authors, your credentials are incredibly relevant as readers are far more likely to trust an authority on a subject, while fiction authors can focus more on why they write in a specific genre.

Book marketing consultant Rob Eagar suggests that another way to boost your credibility is to “to weave in any endorsements you may have received from well-known outlets… Readers pay more attention to authors with a proven track record.”

For example:

[Famous author] says Jane Doe is a unique new voice in the thriller genre.

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Example: Amanda Ripley’s expert qualifications

One author using their credentials to their best advantage is non-fiction author Amanda Ripley. Check out her “About the Author”: 

how to write a good biography

Top tip: Keep it short

A good author bio is efficient beyond just the first line, as book launch specialist Joel Pitney suggests:

“People don't want to read long bios! Keep it under 300 words. Only include relevant materials and be as succinct as possible. If you've won a lot of awards, for example, only include the most impressive ones. Same goes if you’ve published a couple of books; only include your most successful three.”

Author bios are not a place for you to delve into a lengthy explanation of your history. However, you also don’t want your bio to be devoid of any personality. Adding a bit of color to your bio helps readers imagine who you are. Plus, if they can relate to you, it might be an extra push for them to buy your book. 

That’s why Joel Pitney suggests: “If there's room, and it's relevant, you can add some color, like where you live or something interesting that might not obviously relate to your writing career, but that makes you a more interesting person.”

This can be done subtly, like by referring to your location in your byline: 

“New-York based psychologist, Jane Doe…”

Or you can include a brief illustration of your lifestyle, says Rachel: “Jane lives and works out of her home at the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and spends her summers hiking and camping with her two children and husband.”

Finally, marketing consultant Rob suggests closing out with a quippy-one liner that illustrates what kind of writer you are. “If your writing is known for its humor, let it show in your bio.” For example:

Jane hopes to write her next novel soon, if she can stop reading other people's novels instead.

Example: Natalie Barelli’s chatty tone

Check out fiction writer Natalie Barelli’s bio for an example of personalization done right: 

Natalie Barelli can usually be found reading a book, and that book will more likely than not be a psychological thriller. Writing a novel was always on her bucket list, and eventually, with Until I Met Her, it became a reality. After He Killed Me is the second and final book in her Emma Fern Series. When not absorbed in the latest gripping page-turner, Natalie loves cooking, knits very badly, enjoys riding her Vespa around town, and otherwise spends far too much time at the computer. She lives in Australia, with her husband and extended family.

An author bio is unique to the writer, so everyone’s will look different — but by following our 4-step process and using the author bio template, you’ll include everything you need to maximize your chances of winning over readers.

And if you’re looking for more inspiration on how to build your online presence, check out more examples of the “ About the Author ” section or our course on how to build an author mailing list:

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how to write a good biography

8 responses

Diane says:

07/06/2018 – 09:10

Excellent post! I really liked the way explained each point with examples. Author can write a big book but broke into sweat when it comes to write a bio about themselves. Sometimes they also need paper writing help. It have to be short and interesting, not boring. In that case your article will help them to write a killer one.

Nancy Man says:

20/06/2018 – 00:10

This was super helpful -- thanks! Sticking to these four elements worked great for me. I've finally got a bio that I'm not rolling my eyes at. :)

Antigone Blackwell says:

08/12/2018 – 19:01

If someone is reading this article, it is highly unlikely that they can boast being bestselling authors or share that they are on the third book of a highly successful series. More examples with start up authors would be great.

India Government Schemes says:

12/03/2019 – 11:42

This is awesome, but i am seeing in this days mostly hide there Bio in Blogs, But they don't know In The Blog Author Bio is also a Ranking Factor in the Google Search Ranking.

Joe Robinson says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

Very helpful article that has helped me write my author bio for my upcoming book "Move Your Marriage to Greatness" a Marriage Replenishment Work designed to help couple achieve extraordinary accomplishments that are uncommon in many marriages today. I appreciate you making this article available.

Jitender Sharma says:

10/09/2019 – 05:00

Thanks for your post

Mike aantonio says:

14/11/2019 – 10:06

After reading the bio. samples mentioned above. Is it really necessary to introduce the author as a third party. Can't we directly say " Hi I am a blogger from so and so ......."

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

15/11/2019 – 09:15

You can do... but it's not standard practice.

Comments are currently closed.

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how to write a good biography

Using flashbacks allows the author to introduce relevant past information to the reader without bogging them down with paragraphs of background exposition. 6. Include your thoughts. A biography isn't just a transaction of facts. A biographer can share their own feelings and opinions on their subject's life.

Here are some steps you can follow to help you write a successful short bio: 1. Choose a voice. The first step in writing a short bio is deciding on a voice. For our purposes, choosing a voice involves deciding whether you are writing in the first or third person. Writing in the first person means using the words "I" and "me", and writing in ...

F. Legacy and Impact. a) Examination of the subject's lasting influence, contributions, or impact on society. b) Discuss how their work or actions continue to resonate or shape the world today. c) Reflection on their legacy and the lessons we can learn from their life story.

Learn how to write a bio for different purposes and platforms, from social media to professional sites. Find out what to include, how to structure it, and how to make it stand out with tips and examples from Grammarly.

A biography is the story of someone's life as written by another writer. Most biographies of popular figures are written years, or even decades, after their deaths. Authors write biographies of popular figures due to either a lack of information on the subject or personal interest. A biography aims to share a person's story or highlight a ...

1. Choose the appropriate name and professional title. Writing a professional bio starts by choosing the right name and professional titles to use. Different names and titles can change depending on the purpose and audience of the bio. For example, some people choose to use a different first name in their bio instead of their given name.

1. Go for a chronological structure. Start chronologically from the subject's birth to their death or later life. Use the timeline of the person's life to structure the biography. Start with birth and childhood. Then, go into young adulthood and adulthood.

7. Get feedback and polish the text. If you're going to self-publish your biography, you'll have to polish it to professional standards. After leaving your work to rest for a while, look at it with fresh eyes and self-edit your manuscript eliminating passive voice, filler words, and redundant adverbs.

2. Your Twitter bio. Even a snappy, 160-character bio can help set you apart. To write a great bio for social media, grab the first two sentences of the bio we just drafted. We've crammed a lot of great info in there: who you are, what you do, who you do it for, how you do it, and what you believe about the work you do.

Explain your professional role. Include professional achievements. Discuss your passions and values. Mention your personal interests. 01. Introduce yourself. Begin your bio by stating your first and last name. If you're writing in the third person, these should be the first two words of the paragraph.

If you're writing about your job informally, you might write something like, "Joann Smith is a passionate knitter who also happens to own and run her paper supply company.". 5. Write about your greatest professional achievements to date. If you've earned any relevant achievements or awards, include them in your bio.

This is a good example of how to write a bio that does both. 3. Barack & Michelle Obama. Read the full bios. On Barack and Michelle Obama's page, you can find textbook biography examples that show you how to write your bio in the third person without making it awkward to read. So many people struggle with this, so hopefully, these bio ...

3. Choose a point of view. In a personal bio, you can either write in a first-person or third-person point of view. First-person language uses words like "I," "we" and "me" to describe yourself. It's a good idea to write in the first person if you want to make a personal connection with your audience.

How to Write a First-Person Bio. Writing in the first person can be a great way to connect with your audience when building a personal brand. When you write a first-person bio, use "I" or "me" to make yourself relatable and approachable. Here's one way to write a first-person bio: "I'm a freelance writer specializing in small business content.

To help you author one that packs a punch, we'll teach you how to write a professional bio and leverage professional bio templates with the best professional bio examples we've ever seen to draw inspiration from. What is a Professional Bio? A professional bio or biography is a short overview of your experience. Professional bios usually ...

8. Send a copy to your subject. Consider sending a copy of your manuscript to the person whose life you wrote about in your book. The copy may serve as a thank-you gift, but also, if you intend to publish your work, you will need them to approve, as well as fact check, everything you put into the story.

Your resume is a list of your professional roles. Your personal bio digs deeper than this and gives readers an insight into things like: Your interests outside of work. Your backstory. What gets you up in the morning. Your passions and values. Your goals.

Start off with great first sentence. It's a good idea to begin with a really interesting statement, a little-known fact, or really intriguing event. You should avoid starting out with a standard but boring line like: "Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774." Instead, try starting with something like this:

Your short bio should include your brand, your accomplishments, and your values and goals. Your short bio should be one to three short paragraphs or four to eight sentences long. Knowing how to write a concise, informative, and interesting biography about yourself can help throughout various parts of the professional process.

LinkedIn profiles. Personal websites. Portfolios. Social media profiles. Resumes. Your professional bio provides others with an opportunity to get to know a little bit about who you are and what you do, and gives potential employers or clients a bit of insight into what you have to offer as an employee.

Step 2: Identify your subject. Step 3: Get permission to write about your subject. Step 4: Create an outline. Step 5: Select a working title (using a title generator) Step 6: Write a rough draft. Step 7: Self-edit. Step 8: Work with an editor. Step 9: Hire a book cover designer + get an ISBN.

Here is a 4-step process for writing your author bio: 1. Start with the facts readers need to know. 2. Open up with relevant biographical details. 3. Wow them with your credentials. 4. Finish it off with a personal touch.

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