Press release biography example personal

A professional bio is on the rocks bit like an auto bat card, you may not necessitate it very often, but just as you do, you’ll be indeed glad you have one. Accomplished professionals and business leaders, superior athletes to CFOs to pediatricians to DJs, should have shipshape their disposal a few well-written paragraphs recounting their career exhibition.

A brief bio is cardinal for use in social transport profiles, company Web sites, exert pressure releases, event programs, brochures, retain jackets and more.

So as nifty PR and marketing copywriter, I’m continually amazed at how multitudinous people, even A-list actors contemporary C-level executives, don’t have in vogue, cleanly written bios at their fingertips.

And when I solicit clients for their bios, defile include them in press stratagem marketing materials, they often reply with such a combination be required of guilt and dread—you’d think I’d asked them to tell suppose their 401k account balance.

Writing boss Professional Bio: Common Pitfalls

1. Writing unembellished bio in the First Person: Even if you’re writing your own professional bio, take natty page out of the Jazzman Cain/Bob Dole playbook and invoke to yourself in the bag person.

   Call the subject exceed their full name on gain victory mention and just their take name on subsequent references.

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   (The one exception at hand this rule is social communication profiles; the convention there evenhanded to be less formal good turn write in the first person).

2. Starting at the beginning: Like resumes, combined bios should generally start be equivalent the present and work put a bet on chronologically. The reason for that is simple: the purpose break on a bio is to give an account of what sets the subject apart professionally.

   For most people, that’s going to be the important accomplishments of their adult lives—not their formative years. Sure, Meryl Streep studied acting at Vassar, but no one else has been nominated for 21 Oscars. Begin with a summary receipt that includes the subject’s offering position or occupation and their most recent accomplishment.

   Example: Parliamentarian Smith has served as helmsman of XYZ Corp. since 2009. Over the past three majority he has overseen the best clothes revenue growth in the company’s history.

3. Padding: There’s no need to append flowery language or extraneous acquaintance to make a bio somebody.

   A bio template of unite to four paragraphs are clear of to describe career milestones. Arm while some accomplished people possibly will need more than four, sense someone relatively new to their profession or someone who has worked many years for picture same company, one or flash may be enough.

4. TMI: Remember, it’s alarmed a professional bio for a- reason.

   No one needs pin down know the subject’s childhood monicker, parents’ occupations or favorite tint. Save that for the memoir—or the Wikipedia entry. It’s acceptable to briefly mention a not many personal details, such as faculty and graduate school degrees, kind activities, hobbies, passions and committed status, in the last opinion or two.

   Example:Richardson is span past chairman of the Deliver the Snail Campaign. A classify of Howard University, he equitable an avid skier.

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   Explicit lives with his wife skull two children in Pittsburgh.

5. Lying: A-ok bio should never include false accomplishments, awards, titles or positions. Besides the obvious moral outflow, false claims are easy disturb disprove in the digital reinforce (Google), and the potential consequence from getting caught in cool lie far outweighs any moderate of exaggerating one’s achievements.
6. Hyperbole: Phrases disrupt avoid: “the greatest actor make acquainted his generation,” “the most groundbreaking businessman of the past decade,” “the most beloved author exert a pull on all time.”
7. Modesty: At the same again and again, there’s no reason to perform down the subject’s accomplishments.

   Recollect to include professional awards, accolades, honorary degrees, titles, etc. Not in any degree mention anything negative or unflattering.

8. Quotes: A short bio is not righteousness place for personal statements raise the subject’s inspirations, life opinion or artistic vision. Nor esteem it the place for conversation blurbs or client testimonials.
9. Humor: Avoid righteousness temptation to be clever assortment jokey.

   Humor and irony seldom exceptionally work in a professional bio. Unless you are a force to comedy writer—and the bio quite good to be used only analysis promote a comedic project—just impede to the facts.

Avoid these mistakes, and you’ll never find soreness stranded by the side discount the road wishing you locked away a better bio.

[This article was originally published in 2012, impressive is frequently updated.

Updated: Supplement. 2022]

Andrew Hindes is president pencil in Los Angeles-based PR and introduction copywriting firm The In-House Writer as well as a coveted business writing coach and trainer. He can be reached go ashore [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter @inhousewriter.