No matter what app or platform you’re using, writing a bio or profile description is one of the hardest things you’ll need to do. From your Tinder bio to your company’s Twitter description, it’s hard to write about yourself and get it sounding right and creating the impression you want to create.

After all, people come to your pages; this will be their first impression of you and how you present yourself to the world. It’s a struggle, but there some key things to remember if you want to give yourself the best foot forward. Today, we’re going to explore seven really powerful ways you can write a bio that makes the best impact, no matter what social media platform you’re using.

1. Write for the Platform

The first and foremost thing you’ll need to think about is what social media platform you’re writing for and how the description should be used. For example, if you’re writing on Twitter, you’re going to want something short and punchy that quickly makes an impact, whereas, on a site like LinkedIn, you’re going to want something much longer.

It always pays to write an original piece of content for each platform, rather than just copying and pasting the same thing across the board. Make sure you keep it updated with the latest information and refresh it from time to time to keep things fresh and exciting; ultimately ensuring it’s the best it can be.

2. Keep it Short and Sweet

Just because you have a set number of characters in your bio, which differs depending on which platform you’re using, don’t feel forced to use them all. In fact, keeping your bio short and sweet can have way more impact than a mini paragraph where you’ve attempted to squeeze everything in.

It’s common knowledge today that many people don’t actually read things properly, but instead scan for key relevant points, so just keep these in your bio for the best effect. A great way to approach this is to think of your bio as a headline to your page. Make it snappy and punchy.

3. Be Visually Different

Nowadays, there are plenty of characters and symbols that are supported by bio description boxes, so there’s no reason why you can’t use them. Of course, I’m talking about emojis and text art symbol boxes.

Many people use them to bullet points and separate different sections of their bio, perhaps as a writer saying they love coffee, then having a coffee emoji, and then something like ‘Book Lover’ with a book emoji, and so on.

“You can get infinitely creative with how you use these emojis and symbols, and the more original you can be, the better. The more visually appealing your bio is, the more attention it’s going to attract,” shares Harry Runswick, a marketer at Big Assignments and Bestbritishessays.

4. Be Proud of Yourself

Your social media page is all about you, and people are coming to your page to hear what you have to say, so don’t shy away from this opportunity to be proud of yourself. Don’t be afraid to tell people what you’ve done, whether that’s job roles you’ve accomplished, the skills you have, awards you’ve won, or achievements you’ve acquired.

The best bios are the ones that stand out and show how different you are from everyone else. Give people a reason to listen to what you have to say and really make it your own.

5. Choosing Keywords and Buzzwords Carefully

It’s easy to fill up a bio with a ton of buzzwords that try to explain who you are to the rest of the world, but this can feel super generic and overused to a lot of people. For example, if you’re a blogger, having standard terms like ‘travel guru,’ ‘blogger,’ ‘writer,’ ‘influencer’ etc., can seem too generic.

Try to avoid these words because they don’t tend to add anything to your description, and they’re too generic for people to relate to. Of course, it’s important to use some keywords because it helps people locate your profiles and understand what you’re about but try to avoid the oversaturated ones.

6. Use Calls to Action

In most professional social media bios, you’ll have a call to action that will take people further into the profession or content you have to offer. For example, if you’re an author, you might have a link to your website or book. If you’re a business, you may funnel people through to your website.

“A call to action is a great piece of text to have because you’re allowing people to click on you and take themselves straight through to something they’re probably interested in. After all, if they wouldn’t have clicked on your profile if they’re not interested in what you have to offer. Couple this with the points above, and you’ll be onto a winning description,” explains Sarah Allen, a social media manager at Topcanadianwriters and Ukwritings.

7. Be a Human Being

The final, and easily most important consideration you need to remember, is that you need your profile description to be human. There’s no point in sounding like a robot, or just having a paragraph full of annoying and dismissive buzzwords or hashtags.

You need to talk to people as though you’re talking to them as a friend or a colleague. You don’t’ want your ego to be in the way, and you don’t want to make people feel like you’re above them. We’re all human beings looking for real connections, and that’s what social media is for.

A great way to do this is to simply add something personal, something that makes you, you. Reflect your personality, and you’ll soon see relevant people being attracted to your page.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can go about writing a profile, but the most important note is to get creative and be original. Take some of these points and mix them together in your own way to create a proper profile bio that’s different and intriguing to anyone who comes to your page.