Twitter leads the list of essential marketing and customer service platforms for businesses and entrepreneurs looking for ways to expand brand, attract customers and open doors to new networking opportunities. But crafting a killer Twitter bio that communicates your expertise and piques curiosity in just 140 characters can be a challenge. Here are a few tips for creating a great bio, along with some examples to inspire you.
Use Niche Related Keywords
Your bio is your introduction to potential followers, and it should position you as an expert in your field or niche. Since you’re targeting a specific audience, make sure your bio is rich in niche related keywords that will help that audience find you. Specific keywords that describe what you do, such as “food blogger,” “blues musician,” “documentary photographer” can help attract others in your field, as well as users looking for your particular skills.
To find effective keywords for your bio, think about what your target audience is searching for. Make a list of the skills you want to be known for and rank them from most to least important. Then rephrase the most important ones as searchable keywords and build your bio around them.
Include a “Value Proposition”
Your bio should clearly tell visitors why they should be following you. Add a clear “value proposition” to answer that question, and make sure that it relates to the keywords you’ve been using. Don’t use your bio for a hard sell of a product or service. Instead, keep it focused on your skills and expertise that can benefit your followers.
Twitter can give you or your company the much-needed publicity, so make sure to give followers something to follow you for.
List Your Achievements
Your professional achievements are a way to clearly demonstrate your value. Share them briefly (remember, you only have 140 characters) but don’t brag or overhype what you’ve done. Include at least one professional description that clearly communicates what you’ve done in a keyword or two.
Focus on actions – what you do, not who you are. As always, the more specific, the better. For example, instead of saying you’re an entrepreneur, say you’ve launched five businesses. When listing your achievements, keep your value proposition in mind. How can your achievements help your followers?
Add Personal Info
Although your Twitter bio is aimed at presenting you in the best professional light, adding a bit of interesting personal information can make you seem human and relatable. Twitter is filled with business-related generic bios, so a word or two about your personal life, likes, dislikes and interests can help you stand out and attract like minded followers.
Personal information should be reserved for the end of the bio, after you’ve wowed visitors with your professional achievements and value. If you’d rather not get too specific about your personal life, you might instead add a brief statement about your philosophy or beliefs. Make sure that the personal information you share supports, and doesn’t undermine, the professional identity you’re creating.
Be Amusing and Humorous
Since one purpose of your bio is to intrigue visitors and turn them into followers, add a dash of humor or wit. Appearing professional, authentic and cool in just 140 characters may seem like a tall order, but all you might need is one word or phrase that is unexpected or unusual (or at least not boring). That word/phrase should fit well with the other parts of your bio and the persona you’re trying to present.
Avoid Buzzwords and Clichés
Your bio should reflect your unique identity, so steer clear of clichés and empty buzzwords such as guru, ninja or aficionado. Avoid filling space with quotations from famous people, song lyrics, sayings or proverbs. Use the first person “I” to talk about yourself – it makes you sound like a real person speaking to other real people. Though press kits and other kinds of official bios use the third person “he/she”, such phrasing will make you sound distant and even pompous.
Pay Attention to the Form
Like any other piece of writing, your bio represents you. Make sure spelling, grammar and punctuation are perfect, and be consistent with whatever style you choose. Capitalize consistently and proofread carefully. Mistakes stand out clearly in such a small space.
Use Hashtags, @s, and Links
You’re crafting your bio for Twitter, so make use of its tools. Include links to other accounts that relate to your professional identity. Name your company or employer, too. You’ll appear in search results when users search for the company name. Hashtags are also a good way to target specific searches, but too many can be distracting, so use them sparingly.
If you are a business owner, you may want to include a link that your existent or would-be customers will benefit from – for example, you can provide a link to your content-rich website. Everyone knows how important it is to keep customers engaged at all times, and it can all start with a purposefully positioned link in your Twitter bio.
Update and Revisit Your Bio Often
Your bio isn’t static. As you add new achievements and skills to your resume, edit your Twitter bio accordingly. Revisit your goals, too, and make changes that reflect what you want to accomplish on Twitter and why people should follow you.
Get Inspired
The best way to build a great bio is to learn from others. Visit the profiles of people with lots of followers and see what strategies you can adopt. Think about people you follow, too. What features of their bios intrigued you and made you want to follow them?
Here’s a quick look at some great Twitter bios.
American actor Tom Hanks’ bio reads just as he speaks – dryly witty and brief.
Mike Davidson, who’s Twitter’s very own Vice President of Design, follows his title with an unusual and memorable observation.
Blogger Julie Rosien packs her bio with short, punchy keywords in an upbeat tone.
Entrepreneur Alexandra Skey covers all the essentials: keywords, organization she works for, a list of achievements, and a look at her personal interests.
Your online reputation is defined by your social media profiles. Your Twitter bio serves as your “elevator speech” to attract followers, showcase your expertise and reveal your authentic self. Your bio doesn’t have to include every element we’ve discussed. However, building your bio with these points in mind can help you stand out in your niche and grow your following, all in just 140 characters.
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