How to write a Blog Bio that attracts engaged Readers and Subscribers
First of all, you are probably reading this article because you don’t know where to start or for that matter how to finish your bio.
Don’t worry, its the same for everybody and by the time you finish this article, you will probably wonder what all the fuss was about.
When reading your bio, readers must believe that you are the one — the go-to person who can answer all their problems.
Most bios are not at all convincing, and every time you succeed with a guest post, nobody goes on to your blog.
So… what next?
So you are disappointed and frustrated, “Its a really good post, why is it not pulling in the readers”?
It’s simple really, they might like your post but you have not done a good job on selling your self.
People are all looking for a leader, but it’s not necessarily the best one who gets the vote. It’s the one with the best publicity campaign.
If they get to your bio they’ve read your post to the end and you’ve earned their attention. However, unless you can convince them you have more to offer then you are quickly forgotten.
So you need to make every word count.
So let’s fix that.
The Do’s and Don’ts of how to write a blog bio.
#1: [clickToTweet tweet=”When you meet someone who just talks about themselves and how clever they are, what is your reaction? Meeting a blog writer for the first time is not that different.” quote=”When you meet someone who just talks about themselves and how clever they are, what is your reaction? Meeting a blog writer for the first time is not that different.”]
Everybody is different but in my experience, people just don’t like that and they try to avoid meeting them again.
What happens when you meet someone who shares your problems and who can perhaps solve them for you? Somebody sympathetic, modest and light.
Once again everybody is different, but these people usually have more friends. The difference between a reader experience and that of chatting to a friend is not that very different.
There are lots of free writing guides that will help you get the right message across to your public.
Whatever the message is, it has to be clear, precise and focused on the goal your reader wants to achieve. So use phrases like: “How I developed my confidence and style,” or “how to make your mark”.
In this blog on How to write a Blog Bio that attracts engaged Readers and Subscribers we will cover the following points:
1/ What are the reasons people blog?
2/ Posting your CV
3/ Sharing Irrelevant Details
4/ Don’t ramble on – Keep it short and to the point
5/ Being over formal and using esoteric jargon
6/ The 3 Steps to get people to click your Author Bio
1/ What are the reasons people blog?
Use some of them like “Many people start to blog because…”:
- To connect with like-minded people
- Networking
- To create awareness or get their voice heard
- To help others
- Self-promotion
- To stay in touch
- To satisfy their creative side
- Advertising and Branding
- To create a record
- To gain Knowledge
So mention these in your blog bio in order to strike a chord.
2/ Posting your CV
The only thing people care about is whether or not you have the solutions they are looking for.
Your bio should include your assets that directly relate to your audience’s problem.
To conclude select the most pertinent facts about your career, education, and skills, that are going to impress the audience you are writing for.
What are your Qualities as a Good Blogger and how did you acquire them?
- Reading and Writing Skills
Describe what you read and how you practised.
2. Networking Skills
Show how you bonded with other bloggers by commenting on their platforms.
3. Industry Knowledge
How do you keep up to date with the trending issues in your niche?
4. Passion
Talk about your passion, If you are not passionate about writing and researching, then blogging is not for you.
- SEO Knowledge
If you do not know your SEO, then nobody will ever find your article. To be a successful blogger you need to know about WordPress or equivalent, SEO, Link building and Social media.
3/ Sharing Irrelevant Details
Your audience doesn’t care about your hobbies, passions (outside of blogging), and personal opinions, only if they are relevant to the problem they want to solve. So how to write a blog bio that solves peoples problems?
As mentioned earlier, only share the details that your audience will find relevant.
If you like travelling and collecting “bottle tops” but your blog is about travel, best not mention the bottle tops.
4/ Don’t ramble on -Keep it short and to the point
It seems that if you are so interesting and qualified your bio will be very long. So the chances are you will bore or alienate your audience.
Probably if you have two degrees and two master’s degrees and you can speak four languages, you are a champion at the Times crossword, a scratch golfer, an expert at SEO and you have read the 100 best books written in English, French and arhhhh!
So stop! Just mention the master’s, some good authors and mentors, and the SEO experience.
Finally does this piece of information make a difference to my AVATAR? If the answer is no, delete it, and limit your bio to two or three sentences.
5/ Being over formal and using esoteric jargon
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6/ The 3 Steps to get people to click your Author Bio
So let’s write that bio!
Easy. Just follow this simple three-step process to write a bio that your ideal readers can’t resist clicking.
Step #1: Introduce Yourself
Remember the introduction and now state, who you are and what makes you special. You need to spark their interest and curiosity and get them to “read on”.
Let’s start with this example from a blogger in the personal development niche.
This states what Julia does, but it’s not very original in the very competitive world of language blogs. There’s nothing to make her stand out or create curiosity, interest. So it’s time to spice it up…
Much more interesting. As a result, Julia now appeals to her readers on different levels by coming across as educated, professional, and experienced at the same time. She now shows how she connects with people on all levels.
An alternative could be:
Now, this one is rather more similar to the first example, but here she’s pulling rank— “certified TEFL program” sounds much more credible than “has a degree in” which could mean she has just qualified” — now she is different. She not only has a speciality, but she has a track record. She can pull ranks. If you want to learn a language, find someone Fluent, qualified, skilled as a teacher?
As a result those are some excellent points that both offer a point of interest and add credibility.
1. Mark Levy
Mark Levy the founder of Levy Innovations. Here is a shortened version of his professional bio. Read on:-
“Mark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation, a marketing strategy firm. David Meerman Scott has called him “a positioning guru extraordinaire,” and Debbie Weil referred to him as “a horse whisperer for writers and business thinkers.” He has written for The New York Times, and has written or co-created five books. His latest is a revised, expanded, and re-subtitled edition of his bestseller, Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content. Mark also creates magic tricks and shows. His work has been performed Off-Broadway, in Las Vegas, and on all the major television networks. Visit him and read his blog at levyinnovation.com.”
2. Lena Alexson
Lena uses the first person narrative in her blog bio and the description about herself is beautiful.
The text is written below:
“When human beings experience trauma or severe life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel. My great passion is bringing healing to people who have been through a traumatic/stressful experience. I help my clients, who include children, adults and families, to find healthy perceptions of themselves and strengthen their relationships so they can know themselves as peaceful, complete, whole and safe.
…
I know that no single approach is the right one for every individual, and so I have been trained in a range of modalities including Relational Gestalt Therapy, Gestalt Play Therapy, Somatic Experiencing and NARM somatic approaches to the treatment of trauma
My educational background includes a MA in Counseling Psychology and a Doctor in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College in Los Angeles. I have a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Stockholm, Sweden a graduate certificate in Gestalt Psychotherapy from the University of Derby in the U.K.
Call or Email Lena Axelsson for a free phone consultation now – (831) 216-6727.”
You can find another version of her professional bio (third person narrative) on her official website.
3. Laura Zigman
Laura has a good sense of humour and that reflects in her professional bio. She takes the help of third person narrative to describe her journey as a blogger and a novelist. Here is how she does it:-
“Laura Zigman grew up in Newton, Massachusetts (where she felt she never quite fit in), and graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (where she didn’t fit in either) and the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course (where she finally started to feel like she fit in).
She spent ten years working (slaving away) in New York in book publishing where she was a (much-abused under-appreciated) publicist for Times Books, Vintage Books, Turtle Bay Books, Atlantic Monthly Press, and Alfred A. Knopf.
After moving to Washington, D.C. (because she was burnt out and didn’t know where else to go) and working briefly as a project manager for The Smithsonian Associates (she had a cubicle) and a consultant for Share Our Strength, an anti-poverty non-profit group (she didn’t even have a cubicle), she (finally) finished her first novel (that she’d been writing in her “spare time” for the last five years).
…
(The thinly-disguised autobiographical novel) Animal Husbandry was published in 1998 by The Dial Press and became a national bestseller. It was published in fourteen countries (or more, she’s not sure — see here) and in 2001 the film based on the book, Someone Like You, (they changed the title at the last minute because they were afraid people wouldn’t “get” the meaning of the original title — not that she’s complaining or anything) starring Ashley Judd and (excuse her while she drools) Hugh Jackman, was released by Fox 2000. Her second (thinly-disguised autobiographical) novel, Dating Big Bird, also published by The Dial Press, came out in 2000, and her third (thinly disguised autobiographical) novel, Her, published by Knopf (where she once worked — an exquisite irony), followed in 2002. Her latest (thinly-disguised autobiographical) novel, Piece of Work, to be published by Warner Books on September 25, 2006 (finally, after four long years in between books — maybe her parents will now leave her alone), is based on her (horrific but entertaining) experiences as a publicist and has been optioned by Tom Hanks’ production company, Playtone Pictures, with My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s Nia Vardalos (luff her) set to write the screenplay and star in the movie (please God let that happen).
She currently lives outside Boston (in the same town she grew up in — how weird is that? — and where she now feels like fits in) with her husband and young son.”
You can find other versions of Laura’s bio in Huffington Post and Twitter.
Step #2: How to write a blog bio that strikes a chord with your audience. Remember to sympathise
Remember, this isn’t about you. It’s about what you can do for your audience. So you need to define who they are and what problem of theirs (their key fear or desire) you can solve.
You should aim for both a logical and emotional connection.
1. You must be interesting
Stimulate our emotions. “Arousing a feeling of interest.”
Most of all: make your reader experience some Kind of positive emotion.
2. Paint pictures in your reader’s mind
We think in pictures.
Most noteworthy: use words that conjure up pictures like Houses, Boats, Books…
Not abstract words like general concepts…
3. Write a story
Telling your readers good stories will connect them to you, and make them eager to find out what happens next.
Hence you are writing a story.
4. Build a relationship
Tell them about something they can use to solve a problem in their life. As a result you will build a relationship.
Step #3: Make Clicking attractive
– Offer something Free is one of the biggest persuaders to motivate action. So if your service is free or has a free trial, make it obvious for the user to see.
This three-step process is simple, but it’s not easy. So in addition give your bio the time it requires. You should brainstorm several options for each of the steps, and as much as possible.
A good Bio is hard to write, they are however one of the most effective pieces of marketing that exist.
Write your best bio ever and you will get an audience
Consequently you will be their mentor, the man to go to.
They’ll click through to your site, ready. And they’ll be willing subscribe to their new coach.
You.