How to write a professional bio (with examples and templates)

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Which three words would you use to describe yourself? Most of us have been asked this question and many of us have fumbled through it awkwardly.

Coming up with a personal description can be daunting. But there are times when it’s essential - whether we’re updating our LinkedIn profiles, blogging for Medium or creating a business website of our own.

In this post, we’ll go over how to write a bio, step by step. To help guide you, we’ve also included a handy template, along with some professional bio examples for your inspiration. With these resources, you’ll find that writing a bio, as part of learning how to make a website from scratch, is much easier than you might think.

What is a short bio?

Before you learn how to write a bio, you should have a clear understanding of what it is and why you need it.

In the world of literature, a personal biography can span the length of an entire novel, like Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom or Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala. In the online world, however, a bio is a short paragraph in which you introduce yourself. Typically, some of the best business websites place bios on a designated About Us page in their website, as well as on their social media pages and other networking platforms.

What to include in a short bio

Depending on your audience and goals, your bio can highlight your personal interests, your professional achievements or a mix of both. Here are some of the elements a bio might include:

• Job title or workplace

• University degree and other qualifications

• Hometown or city of residence

• Personal or professional goals

• Mission statement and values

• Skills and expertise

• Interests and hobbies

The goal of writing a bio is to provide people with a snapshot of who you are. This is important for a variety of reasons, whether it’s drawing people toward your personal website or promoting your blog, attracting clients and business partners to your brand, or highlighting your achievements for job interviews.

How to write a short bio

The most effective online bios are both professional and concise. Here’s how to write a short professional bio that suits your website or brand:

1. Introduce yourself

2. State your company or brand name

3. Explain your professional role

4. Include professional achievements

5. Discuss your passions and values

6. Mention your personal interests

01. Introduce yourself

Begin your bio by stating your first and last name. If you’re writing in the third person, these should be the first two words of the paragraph. This makes your name easy for your audience to identify and remember. Your bio is a huge part of your personal branding efforts, and should start with a strong intro to make a positive impact.

02. State your company or brand name

Think about whether you want your bio to represent yourself on a personal level, or whether you’d like it to come across as more professional. If you have a personal brand or business - for example, a blog, freelance business or eCommerce site - be sure to mention your brand name at the beginning of your bio. Don’t be afraid if the name sounds simple or redundant. It’s perfectly fine, for instance, to say Mary Smith is the founder and CEO of Smith Digital.

Likewise, feel free to mention the name of another company or brand that you work for if you’d like to associate it with your professional accomplishments - e.g., Mary Smith is a consultant at Google and the founder and CEO of Smith Digital.

03. Explain your professional role

Next, briefly explain your current position. This is relevant whether you’re the founder of a company, a high-level specialist or a beginner in your field, and it can be similar to the description you have on your resume. Your website visitors won’t necessarily know what your job involves, so elaborating on your primary responsibilities helps paint a picture of who you are and what you have to offer. This can also be used, if needed for employment and recruitment opportunities. If you're a freelancer a strong bio can make all the difference in how successful sourcing work can be.

04. Include professional achievements

In addition to explaining what your job entails, highlight milestones that make you stand out. Even if you haven’t won an award or gained external recognition, you can discuss ways in which you’ve contributed to your professional role and touch on new ideas or approaches that you bring to the table.

05. Discuss your passions and values

Once you describe what you do and how you contribute to your role, you’ll need to explain the why. This is one of the most important elements to focus on as you consider how to write a bio.

Think about the values and passions underlying your work, as well as your professional philosophy. What gets you up in the morning? What’s the driving force behind what you do?

You can also think of this part of your professional bio as a kind of mission statement. Perhaps your mission is to serve others, contribute to society, grow your expertise or learn new skills. Whatever your reasons, expanding upon these ideas can help your audience get a better understanding of what truly matters to you. Don't be afraid to deploy storytelling in this part of creating your bio. Explore your narrative and then convey it.

06. Mention your personal interests

The most effective short bios will not only focus on your professional experience, but will also touch on what you like to do in your spare time. Consider mentioning:

• Your family

• Your hometown

• Your hobbies

• Side projects you’re working on

Transitioning to a more casual discussion of who you are outside of work is a great way to conclude your bio. This will present you as a more well-rounded person while making you relatable for your audience.

Professional bio template

As you go through the steps on how to write a bio, this handy template will help you get started:

Sentence 1: [Name] is a [job title] who [job description].

E.g., Lisa Green is an English teacher who teaches beginning to advanced literature courses for 10th and 11th grade students at Bloomfield High School.

Sentence 2: [Name] believes that [why you do the work you do].

E.g., Lisa believes that written and analytical skills are not only a fundamental part of academic excellence, but are also the building blocks of critical thinking in high school and beyond.

Sentence 3: [Name/pronoun] has [mention your achievements].

E.g., In addition to managing the English curriculum for the school, she runs an after school program where she works one-on-one with students.

Sentence 4: [Name/pronoun] is a [mention any relevant awards, training or honors].

E.g., She has also been nominated Teacher of the Year for two consecutive years.

Sentence 5: [Name/pronoun] holds a [insert degree] in [field of study] from [university].

E.g., Lisa holds a BA in Creative Writing and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Michigan.

Once you’ve filled in this template, put it all together into a single paragraph to create an initial framework for your professional biography. Note that you can shorten or expand upon this bio according to your unique needs.

One bio doesn’t fit all: Tailor it for every spot on your website

Not all bios are created equal—and that’s a good thing. The bio on your homepage serves a different purpose than the one on your About page or next to a blog post. Each bio has a job to do and when crafted well, they come together to tell a strong, consistent story. Here’s how to make each one count.

Professional bio (About page)

This is the heart of your site—the version most people will read to understand who you are and what you do. Typically 1–3 paragraphs, it sits on your “About” page or something like “Meet [Your Name].”

To make it stand out, skip the long list of achievements and focus on telling a story. Start with who you help and how. Then share a little background—how you got here, what makes you great at what you do and why it all matters. Wrap it up with a bit of personality: what drives you, what you care about or what makes your approach unique.

Personal bio (creator or portfolio-style websites)

A personal bio should still feel professional but it’s more casual and reflects your unique voice. It’s perfect for writers, artists or anyone building a connection around their story or creative work.

Share your journey, what fuels your passion or the values that drive what you do. Let your personality shine through—write like you’d talk (with a little polish) and sprinkle in a fun detail or a memorable story.

Short bio or summary (homepage, footer, blog)

This is the quick version of your bio—just a sentence or two. Use it under your name, in a footer or next to your photo on blog posts. Think of it as your elevator pitch, simplified.

Focus on your role and your niche: what you do and who it’s for. Add a dash of personality—like “Web designer for eco-friendly brands” or “Photographer capturing quiet moments as visual stories.” If your full bio is the story, this is the headline.

Team or contributor bios (agency or multi-author websites)

When writing bios for a group—like a creative studio, startup team or blog contributors—keeping a consistent style matters. Follow a similar format and tone for each bio while still highlighting what makes each person unique.

Keep it short and sweet—2–4 sentences tops. Start with their role and what they do, then add a quick note about their experience or background. Wrap it up with a light personal touch like a hobby, fun fact or favorite project to keep things relatable and human.

Social-style bio (for link-in-bio pages or landing pages)

This is the micro-bio — a single line of text that often shows up on mobile-friendly landing pages or “link in bio” hubs. It’s usually paired with a photo, some links and maybe a call to action.

Think of this as your tagline: fast, punchy and focused. Don’t cram everything in. Just say who you are and what you offer. For example: “Freelance copywriter helping founders simplify their message.” Or “Indie artist sharing songs and stories for quiet mornings.”

Why writing a bio feels hard (and how to make it easier)

Writing a bio is tough. You’re stuck in your own head trying to summarize a career full of detours, wins and tasks—big and small. It’s hard to know what matters, so you overthink, rewrite, delete and second-guess.

Here’s a tip: step back. Pretend you’re writing about someone else—a colleague you admire. What stands out about them? What’s essential?

When you shift perspective, you stop listing random details and start crafting a clear, focused narrative. It’s not about including everything—it’s about telling a story that connects. And once that clarity comes, the doubt fades.

Stop trying to sound like someone else  

Most bios feel stiff and forgettable because we try to fit into a “professional” mold—full of buzzwords and clichés that don’t mean much. The result? Safe, boring and uninspiring. But here’s the truth: your best bio sounds like you. Clearer, sharper and straight to the point.

Be real about where you started, what drives you and what you’re great at. Skip the “results-driven professional with 10+ years of experience” if that’s not how you’d actually describe yourself. People connect with honesty, not jargon. They’re looking for someone human, someone they can trust.

So ask yourself: what would make someone remember me or want to work with me after reading this? Keep it simple, relatable and uniquely yours. That’s what sticks.

Afraid to take up space?  

The fear of sounding arrogant is real—and it can hold you back. A bio is vulnerable; it’s your story, your value stripped down. What if it backfires or feels like bragging? That fear is normal—it shows you care. But a bio isn’t about proving yourself; it’s an invitation for the right people to see who you are.

Try this: write a version that’s about 20% more honest than you’re comfortable with. Then tweak it until it feels like something you’d say to a close friend. Don’t aim for perfection—aim for connection. When your bio feels like a real conversation, it stops being so hard.

Striking the right tone

You want to sound accomplished but not full of yourself. Friendly but not too informal. Professional but not stiff. This balancing act often leads to over-editing. You write something bold, then water it down. Add something personal, then delete it because it feels “off.” The result? A bio that ends up feeling flat or forgettable — even when you’re anything but.

Here’s the solution: stop aiming for balance and focus on clarity. What’s the purpose of your bio? Is it about building trust, showing credibility or helping others connect with you? Once you’re clear on its goal, you can lean into the points that matter most and skip the fluff.

You don’t know who it’s really for

One of the most common reasons bios fall flat is that they try to speak to everyone. You imagine potential clients, future employers, old coworkers, strangers on LinkedIn—and suddenly your bio becomes a bland mix of jargon, job titles and safe adjectives.

But here’s the truth: the best bios aren’t written for a crowd. They’re written for one real person—someone who’s curious about who you are and whether they can trust you.

When you write with that single reader in mind, everything sharpens. You start using words they actually understand. You explain what you do in plain terms. You show personality instead of hiding behind polish. It becomes a conversation, not a résumé.

You don’t need to tell your whole story

It’s easy to feel like you have to pack every job, pivot and milestone into a few lines. And if your journey has been anything but straightforward, trying to “make it make sense” can feel overwhelming.

But here’s the truth: your bio isn’t your life story. It’s a snapshot—a quick glimpse of where you are right now and why it matters. Instead of listing everything you’ve done, focus on the thread that ties it all together and shows who you are today.

Think of it as a hook, not a history. Your goal isn’t to explain your entire path—it’s to invite the next step and leave them wanting to learn more.

Professional bio examples

Now that you know the basics of writing a professional bio, here are some short bio examples to inspire you. You can use these examples as additional templates for guidance as you craft your own personal biography.

Like the creators of these examples, you can place your bio on your personal or professional website and, later, revise the structure for other online platforms.

01. Bristol Guitar Making School

Of all the professional bio examples, Alex Bishop’s content exudes passion. Strategically placing the bio on the About page of his small business website, he highlights his skills and explains why he finds his work meaningful. In particular, we love his description of why he chose to pursue guitar making:

He also lists his accomplishments and awards, adding credibility to his business and building trust among prospective clients.

02. Alexandra Zsigmond

As someone who has served as art director for both The New York Times' opinion section and The New Yorker, it's no surprise that Alexandra Zsigmond's bio is thorough and detailed. Providing statistics or reflections on the things she achieved in her career is a clever way to demonstrate her value without saying so directly. As she explains:

03. Amanda Shields Interiors

Amanda Shields provides us with another effective bio example on her interior design website. Importantly, she spices up her bio by explaining how home decor aligns with her personal life and why it’s so close to her heart as a mother and entrepreneur:

By placing this content on her website’s About page, she provides potential clients with insights into her expertise and professional experience. She expands upon the choices she made along her career path, strategically making note of her achievements and acquired skills along the way.

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Tips for writing a bio

As you write your bio using the professional template above, make sure to keep the following tips in mind:

• Keep it concise: Your bio should be clear, informative and to the point. Aim for 1-2 sentences for each element, like your job description, mission statement or hobbies. This keeps your bio engaging and easy to read while avoiding unnecessary details.
  

• Consider your audience: Tailor your tone to match who you’re speaking to. Writing for recruiters? Keep it professional and focused. Creating an Instagram bio? Use a casual, conversational tone that showcases your personality.
  

• Check the guidelines first: If you’re writing a bio for a specific platform or publication, start by reviewing their submission guidelines. This helps you tailor your bio and include only the most relevant details.
  

• Write in third person: Keeping your bio in third person creates a professional tone and aligns it with standard industry practices.
  

• Look at examples for inspiration: Explore bios from others in your field. Notice what works, then adapt it to highlight your own experience, voice and goals. This is a great way to frame your accomplishments effectively.
  

• Keep it short: Aim for under 300 words. Short bios are the norm for professional use, offering a clear, concise overview of who you are without losing focus.
  

• Focus on clarity over creativity: It’s fine to add a bit of personality, but keep your bio clear and professional. Creativity should enhance, not distract from your main message.
  

• Add humor when it fits: A touch of humor can make your bio more relatable and memorable, especially if you’ve founded your own business or created your own website. It helps build your brand identity and creates a stronger connection with your audience.
  

• Include a link to your website: If you’re sharing your bio on social media, a company page or a guest post, always add a link to your website. It reinforces your professionalism and helps drive traffic to your site.
  

• Adapt for different platforms: Adjust your bio’s length and tone based on where it’s being used. For example, write a more detailed bio for your website’s About page and a shorter impactful version for LinkedIn. Stick to the same core principles, emphasizing what matters most to your audience.

How to write a bio in four sentences or less

Really need to create a super short bio? We'd suggest following some of the tips above, just condensing them into less word for a short bio that still makes impact.

But if we really had to choose we'd say focus on - you, your professional role and company. That condenses everything that matters for bio into three sentences. Humor, creativity and uniqueness still all matter - just use fewer words to convey them.

Creating a bio for your website

As we’ve noted in the examples above, one of the most strategic places to put your bio is on your website - so be sure to consider it within your web design plans. Whether the goal of your site is to start and promote your business, showcase your design portfolio or display your resume, including a bio gives your audience a glimpse into the person behind your content. It can also kickstart your professional growth. Show the world what you do, how you do it and why it matters, and people will be drawn to your passion and inspired by your experience.

Bio for a website example:

Hi, I'm Alex Johnson, a passionate web developer with over 10 years of experience in creating dynamic and user-friendly websites. I specialize in front-end development, bringing innovative designs to life with clean and efficient code. When I'm not coding, you can find me exploring hiking trails, experimenting with new recipes, or buried in a good book. Let's build something amazing together.

Pro tip: You can add a bio to many different types of websites, so using templates can help you create yours faster. For example, if you're creating a portfolio website, explore portfolio website templates to help you get started.

Creating a bio for social media

Crafting a professional bio for social media is vital as it introduces you or your brand, and it builds credibility and trust. A well-written bio establishes your expertise, attracts the right audience, and fosters engagement. It helps maintain a consistent brand image, optimizes search and discovery, and opens doors to networking and career opportunities. A compelling bio delivers a concise, informative snapshot of who you are, what you do, and the value you bring, leaving a lasting impression on visitors and potential collaborators alike.

Bio for social media example:

🌟 Tech Enthusiast | 📚 Avid Reader | 🎨 Amateur Artist | 🌍 Explorer

Passionate about AI and its impact on our future. Sharing insights on tech trends, book recommendations, and my travel adventures. Lover of all things creative. Let's connect and inspire each other

You may need to edit your bio depending on which social media platform you plan to use it on. Some of the most popular ones include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Focus on getting your bio right on the platforms you plan to focus your personal or brand social media marketing efforts on.

Writing a bio with AI

If you're looking to write your bio fast while creating your website, consider using an AI text generator to build your draft. You'll still need to make sure it goes through. an intensive editing process, so that it really captures the essence of who you are and your professional skills. A bio is about much more than just basic information, so don't forget to include the storytelling too. Build a website with Wix and you can make use of the in-built AI text generator within its Editor.

Why good bios are important for a professional

In a world where first impressions matter, a well-crafted bio can make a significant impact in establishing trust and credibility with potential clients, employers or collaborators. It also offers insight into your personality and values, helping to forge authentic connections with your audience. It acts as a powerful tool for personal branding, allowing you to differentiate yourself in a competitive landscape and leave a memorable impression.

A strong bio also serves as a gateway to opportunities, whether it's securing new clients, landing job interviews or establishing partnerships. It acts as a professional introduction, allowing you to showcase your expertise. A polished and impactful bio is essential for you to effectively communicate your professional identity and stand out in your field.

Writing a bio without experience

Writing a bio when you don't yet have experience can be challenging, but it's an opportunity to showcase your potential and aspirations.

Begin by highlighting your educational background, skills and any relevant coursework or projects you've completed. Focus on your passions, interests and personal qualities that make you unique. Consider including volunteer work, internships or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your commitment and initiative. Emphasize your eagerness to learn and grow in your chosen field and express your future goals and aspirations. Don't be afraid to be honest about your current stage and your willingness to gain experience and develop professionally.

If you don't know what to write in your bio, start by brainstorming your key experiences, achievements, skills and personal attributes. Consider what sets you apart and what you want others to know about you. Look for inspiration from other bios or profiles in your field, and consider seeking feedback from friends, mentors or colleagues. Don't hesitate to highlight your passions, interests and goals, as well as any unique experiences or perspectives you bring to the table. Remember to keep it concise and engaging, and don't be afraid to revise and refine your bio until it accurately represents you.

How to write a bio FAQ