This is All You Need to Write the BEST Social Media Bio

When was the last time you updated your social media bio? Did you struggle to find the right words? If so, you're not alone. Whether the struggle is over what to write, how to write, or what to include, crafting your bio can be tough.

But here's the good news. Sharing your strengths, skills, and unique talent doesn't have to be difficult. That's why I've put together a 4-step process to help you write the best social media bio for every social network. Sound daunting? Don't worry! Here's the simple process, plus a quick video to walk you through the process.

STEP 1: Audit your social media bio

Before we jump into the formula to create the perfect social media bio, let’s first analyze what yours looks like across each social network. To do this, take 15 minutes and:

1. Go to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest.
2. Complete this checklist and answer each question for all social channels.

Bio audit questions

1. Is your name the exact one you’re using on all online profiles?

Make it easy for people to find you. For example, if the name of your company is Amy’s Bakery and your Facebook Page is Amys Cupcakes, you'll need to fix that. It's important to keep your branding consistent. Otherwise, people have to hunt and peck to determine if that’s you. Consistency is the key to getting found.

2. Does your bio incorporate keywords that are relevant to your industry and niche?

If not, go to Google Search. Type in 3-5 terms (2-3 word phrases) that your audience would use when searching for your business. What you want to use in your keywords:

• Company name
• Your name (if personal brand)
• Location
• Topics
• Product name

Using Amy's Bakery as an example, keywords might be:

• “bakery los angeles”
• "best cupcakes los angeles"
• "birthday cakes los angeles"

Your next step is placing those organically into your bio. This doesn't mean shoving each one into your bio.Here’s the difference:

• Amy’s bakery Los Angeles makes the freshest cakes in town vs.
• Amy’s bakery has the freshest cakes in Los Angeles

See and hear the difference? One is conversational while the other sounds robotic.No one understands this more than Ann Handley, Head of Content at MarketingProfs.

3. Have you completed your full “About” section?

Sites like Facebook give you a lot of real estate to work with. Take full advantage of this extended bio to add all contact information:

• Story
• Website
• Blog
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

4. Is your profile picture consistent across all social profiles?

Writing your best social media bio also includes maintaining a consistent brand. Your profile picture should be:

• Professional
• Engaging
• Inviting

And if you're a personal brand, let people get to know you and your personality.No phony avatars or grainy pics.

5. Are you using hashtags where relevant?

Hashtags don't work on all social channels, but where they do - you should incorporate the most relevant one.

Use hashtags to get found on each social channel. This would be what you want to be known for. When people search, how will they find you? Incorporate them where you can organically, don't keyword stuff just for the sake of it.

Jeff Sieh with Manly Pinterest Tips infuses his personality into everything he does. He's known for that beard and it shows up across his social channels. While you might now have a beard to put on display, you are known for something. Don't be afraid to share that!

STEP 2: Find your WIN

In an online world of "more of the same," creating differentiation is a must. Sure - standing out can be tough. But blending in is often the kiss of death when it comes to social media success.

Whether you like it or not, assumptions are being made right now about your business. Your product, service, customer experience, and online presence are all factors in driving consumer perception. But your social media and online presence are so much more than just that. It’s the brand you’ve created, including the reputation and relationships you’ve built over time.

Everything from your conversations to your daily actions, the way you’ve treated your customers along the way and, of course, all of the super-duper awesomeness that makes you so wonderfully and delightfully you - is tied up into your brand perception.

The challenge for most companies is translating these characteristics into a brand that attracts, engages and inspires potential customers across social media. So before you can share what sets you apart and why your target audience should work with you, it’s imperative that you identify your WIN (Who, Issues, Needs)

For example:

• Who are you speaking with on social media: small business, entrepreneurs, marketers.
• What issues or problems do you solve: not enough time, bandwidth, budget, conversion.
• What are their specific needs when they come to you: create more content, social media engagement, ease of use, long-term solution, trusted solution.

Let’s take a minute to practice. I want you to think about your WIN and write down 3 answers to each of these questions. They will become a driving force behind:

• Your social media content.
• The positioning of your marketing message.
• How you craft your social media bios.

Doing this work, in the beginning, is a critical piece, especially if you’re currently working with clients. I invite you to do this now, rather than playing from behind and scrambling to put your WIN together down the road.

STEP 3: Identify your strengths

As business professionals, we tend to focus on fixing our weaknesses. Things like impatience, procrastination, or an inability to delegate can feel like roadblocks to success.

But seeing those as your Achilles heel and a hindrance to further growth is a skewed way to look at it. Today, I'm encouraging you to flip that thinking on its head. Through this exercise, you'll focus on expanding your strengths. Why?

For one, it creates a massive shift in your performance according to a Gallup survey. Plus, focusing on your strengths will improve your productivity and creativity. And most important, once you take the time to go through this 2-step process, you'll see how we pull this into your bio. It's a shortcut to creating a bio that not only converts but speaks volumes to your target market.

So let’s move the needle on your strengths and give your social profiles a BIG boost of positive energy.

Here’s how to get started... 1. Answer the reflection questions below. Add as much detail as you can to your initial answer.

• What are the top 3 things you love to do every day?
• What challenges have you overcome that you’re most proud of?
• What’s your biggest achievement and why does it matter to you?
• Are you innovative or traditional in thinking?
• How do you prefer to communicate?

2. Take your answers and condense them into a short bullet-point list. For example, the top 3 things you love to do every day might look like this:

• Talk with customers.
• Write blog posts.
• Design social media graphics.

Now that you’ve identified:

• The top 3 things you love to do every day.
• The biggest challenge you’ve overcome and are most proud of.
• Your biggest achievement and why it matters to you.
• What you do better than anyone else.
• Your biggest success story.

You're going to weave those into your bio for each social channel. Rather than a sterile-sounding bio, this will be an expression of your brand story.

STEP 4: The social media bio formula (do THIS one thing!)

Now comes the fun! Ready to write your social media bio? Here's the exact formula to follow. By the time you're done, you'll have written your 150 and 300-word bios - the length you’ll need for any social network - follow this process:

• Pick one thing you love the most from your list. What would you do every day even if you didn’t get paid for it?
• Now tell the story of your greatest achievement.
• And the person you love to help.
• Finally, write down what you do better than anyone else.

The formula looks like this:

150-word bio: One thing you love to do every day + the person you help + your solution = your bio.

Kim Garst is a prime example of a bio that shares exactly what her audience needs to know.

What does Kim love to do? Helps businesses grow with social media

Who should hire Kim? Small business owners.

What's Kim's solution? She focuses on brand awareness, company growth, building connections, and loyal communities. All of this can be seen in action on her own social channels.

300-word bio: One thing you love to do every day + the person you help + your solution + your greatest achievement = your bio.

Here's how Andrea Vahl, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies uses her bio on LinkedIn. See how she's using that space to tell her story, but in a way that speaks directly to her audience?

For me, the 150-word bio would be:

One thing you love to do every day: put a scalable business strategy in place

The person you help: growth-driven leaders

Your solution: create a comprehensive online marketing strategy to attract more customers and increase revenue

So, if we pull that together, this is what it sounds like:

We are the first and only specialized consulting firm that helps growth-driven leaders connect online marketing with a scalable business strategy to drive measurable revenue growth.

Now here’s the exciting part about this...Not only does this become your social media bio, but it also becomes your 30-second “elevator pitch.” You'll use it on social media (or anywhere else for that matter) to describe who you are, what you do, and who you help.

Your turn!

Take a moment to use the formula in your business and fill in the three blanks below.

Social media bio formula

• One thing you love to do every day +
• Your greatest achievement +
• The person you help +
• Your solution =
• Your new bio!

Voila! You now have a bio to add to each of your social networks. Use these to freshen up Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, your website, and blog. Consistency is the key to creating a streamlined brand that helps your brand shine online.

Here's the social media bio tutorial

How to Write the Best Social Media Bio from Rebekah Radice on Vimeo.