Your Social Media Bio Should Speak for Itself

Image Credit: Anemone123 on Pixabay

 

I love connecting with other writers and authors, and as Executive Editor at Twisted Dreams Press, I hear from a lot of people online. But the thing about communicating with people online is that I don’t really know who I am communicating with!

 

If you’re one of those people who has been in my circle for years, there is no need for introduction. But if you’re someone who I have never worked with or commiserated with online in any way, then unless your bio says as much, I don’t really know if you are a writer, author, editor, publisher, or in some field related to the writing and publishing industry.

 

This is why it’s important to make sure you put your social media bio to good use.

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Your social media bio should tell the rest of the internet who and what you are. I mean, unless you are an international sensation (Stephen King) or your name needs NO introduction (R.L. Stine), then your social media bio is the next best thing to introducing yourself to others.

 

I know some people like to be cute with their social media bios. They like to share a funny quote, use some kind of nonsensical description of who they are or what they do, or just leave a link in their bio, but if you are trying to present a professional image of yourself on your social media account, you should have a professional bio.

 

I’m not saying you need to get all fancy about where you have been published (“John Doe has had essays published in TIME, Mother Love Jones and The Atlantic. His latest book, The Big Idea, was on the New York Times bestseller list and he has lectured extensively across the country”), or even try a modern approach to show you are a writer (“Words in WIRED, The New York Times and Vanity Fair”), but I’m saying that it would be helpful to the browsing social media user to have a good idea of who you are and what you do.

 

Something as simple as “Writer, book reviewer and cat mom” would suffice. Or even “My latest novel, Capturing the Sun, was released by Tor Books” would suffice as well.

 

For my social media bios, I try to include as much pertinent info about myself as I can. I try to note that I am a writer, an author, a freelance writer, book reviewer, columnist, poet, newsletter publisher and Executive Editor at Twisted Dreams Press. If I can only include one word, then it’s “Writer.”

 

I receive a lot of invitations to connect with others online, and I’m always interested in checking out the profiles of the people who send me these requests. The first thing I want to know: Are you a writer, author, editor, publisher or someone involved in the writing/publishing field? If so, then I’ll accept the request to connect. How do I find out this info? With your bio. Your bio should tell me this in some way. If I don’t see that information there, then I won’t accept your request.

 

With family and friends, I’ll just accept the request to connect. But for everybody else, especially people I don’t know, I will check their profile out. I will look at the bio to see who and what they are. If their bio does not have any mention of being a writer, author, editor, or involved in the writing/publishing community in any way, I won’t accept the request to connect.

 

For a professional social media account, you should have a professional social media bio. Plain and simple. Let visitors know who and what you are, what it is that you do, so that they can know whether or not they should connect with you. This way, you can connect with the right people and watch your connections with others grow from there.