So, tell me about yourself. We’ve all been asked this—and may have overshared, or maybe not dove deep enough— but how do you describe yourself in a professional setting?
A professional bio is essential for the world to get a full picture of who you are—these are found on event agendas, LinkedIn profiles, personal websites, and anywhere else you want people to know you.
Figuring out where to begin can be a challenge but we’re here to share our best tips on writing a professional bio that will get you noticed.
Before you begin:
Professional bios are usually written in the third person. Depending on the platform and formality of where you’re using your bio, you can also choose to write in the first person.
Keep it brief! Speaker bios should be between 75 to 100 words so highlight only the important elements you would like people to know.
Know your audience. Once you have your base profile, you can edit it for specific groups. For example, if you’re speaking to an alumni group, make sure to include any similar collegiate experience.
Elements to include:
Name and professional title
A brief overview of your role and a mention of work history
Professional achievements
Any previous speaking experience (plus examples/links)
End with something memorable
Name and professional title
Begin your bio by introducing yourself with your first and last name, along with your professional title and company (if you are currently between positions, state your last job title). If you are able to hyperlink, we suggest linking your name to your LinkedIn profile.
A brief overview of your role and a mention of work history
Titles vary from company to company, so if your title isn’t clear, including a quick, 1-sentence overview describing what you do, projects you oversee, or specifics of your day-to-day helps event organizers and producers understand if you would be a good fit for their agenda or interview. Mentioning past work history gives insight into how you got to where you are today, and what other experience you bring to the table, or what you’d be able to discuss in a session or on a panel.
Professional achievements
Now’s the time to show off a little! Stating professional achievements— including academics, awards, funding, or landing a spot on a list—can help showcase your credentials. These can be tailored for different circumstances. For example, if you’re aiming to speak at an event about entrepreneurship, make sure to highlight your company statistics, to show you are qualified to speak.
Previous speaking experience
If you’ve spoken before—podcasts and interviews count—make sure everyone knows. Add in a few examples (not the entire list, if you’ve spoken extensively, just the highlights), and link to the video or audio player, if possible. Giving events and attendees a sample of what you’re like on stage or on air gives a sense of your on-stage presence.
End with something memorable
Showcasing your personality can pique the interest of your audience and allows people to see you as personable and authentic, so it’s important to end your bio with something memorable. If you’d rather not share personal details, end on a career highlight.
Pulling everything together
What does all of this look like in action? You can find all of these aspects in the bio of our CEO and Founder, Caitlin Bartley:
Caitlin Bartley, CEO & Founder, cred
With more than 10 years of event marketing and branding experience, Caitlin Bartley is the Founder and CEO of a boutique PR agency, cred. Focusing solely on building thought leadership through events, cred has worked with 200+ speakers and brands, like Pinterest, Ripple, Warner Media, SaaStr, and others, across 1000s of events in every industry, worldwide. She has spoken about her experience as a founder at events including the Women in Business Club. Prior to founding cred, Caitlin worked in brand strategy and planning working at an Advertising Agency in Australia. Before moving abroad, Caitlin ran marketing and communication efforts at LiveRamp, a leading company in data connectivity, that was acquired by Acxiom in 2013 for $310 million.
Interested in seeing your bio on agendas, and getting out there speaking? Get in touch!
