How To Write A Memorable LinkedIn Bio

This question has come up a lot lately. “How do I tell people about myself in a way that is more than just a list of career milestones?” Business leaders want to learn about other people in a way that provides a more factual introduction to the person. WHO is this person, really? What will they be like to collaborate with? Would it be worthwhile to have coffee with them and learn more?

When you want to move away from the key dates on your resume and write a LinkedIn bio that is more memorable and human-centered, remember these five principles.

#1 Share something personal, not private

Share a story that is personal but not private. You want to be memorable, but in a good way. Don’t over share. Picking a personal habit or tendency is a great way to separate yourself from the crowd. How many introductions have started with these words “I am passionate about…”

I am passionate too, but instead of stating this quality in my LinkedIn bio, I describe it like this: “I begin my Mondays with a 1,000-meter swim and a raw jalapeño. Diving into each workweek, the energy and zest are fuel for the thinking and creativity required to serve my clients…” This story is personal, unique, even a bit quirky, but not private.

#2 Springboard into a theme

Use your personal story to launch into something bigger. By sharing a unique, personal story you not only highlight your personality, humanity and relatability, you can use the story to springboard into sharing a quality about yourself or a theme from your career without listing a bunch of dates and credentials.

So when you share about a habit or tendency, provide analysis. In my example above, the Monday morning jalapeño and swim show the energy I bring to client engagements. My publisher and marketing professor Jeff James’ shares on his LinkedIn profile that he has a tendency to be an “instigator” which means in the marketing world he’s a “builder of new initiatives.”

#3 Remember everything is forgettable

Even if you don’t remember your third grade teacher’s name, you may remember how they made you feel as a student. Perhaps you remember the joy of the gold star on a test or the shame of getting in trouble at recess. Poet Maya Angelou sagely put this phenomenon to words: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

These wise words are certainly also true of a LinkedIn profile. That’s why there is a work history section on LinkedIn. It’s a portable resume you can brush up on when you are meeting with a colleague for coffee. The About section doesn’t need to rehash your career history, job titles or credentials.

What will linger after scanning your LinkedIn page is the emotion we brought and inspired in them. So think about how you want your LinkedIn readers to feel after they read your bio.  You may want to share your passion or zest or to demonstrate your dedication or discipline.

My daughter attended a writing class and learned from a celebrated author that excellent writing boils down to the three W’s. Wow. Wee. Woo.

Wow your audience; inspire them.

Make your reader say “Wee;” thrill them.

Leave them feeling Wooed, in awe.

In the short space of the About section make your bio stand out from the rest with a story that shows your personality and takes them on a journey with you that conveys an emotion.

#4 Avoid cliches

Cliche is a death knell. People tune out when they hear or read something so familiar they can finish the sentence themselves. Each industry has its own set of cliches. Write down a list of cliches that are specific to your industry. Look through the About section of people in your industry and see what words or phrases repeat again and again. Perhaps you find a flood of “Results-driven”; or “Passionate about healthcare.” Whatever you find, take the time to write them down so you know to avoid those.

Remember cliches were once helpful phrases; once they helped people describe a feeling. characteristic, or event but as the phrase was repeated over and over again it loses power and meaning. It no longer conjures an image or emotion in the reader’s mind. If you find that people in your industry use the cliche “I’m a team player,” over and over again, demonstrating you thrive when working on teams may be an important quality you want to highlight, but simply without using that phrase.

Whether you’re mainly looking to expand your network or next job, you should utilize keywords on LinkedIn. However, defaulting to cliches can be counter-productive.

#5 Figure out a target

Who do you want to meet on LinkedIn? What do you want to learn? If you are a jobseeker you may have the goal of getting hired. But before someone hires you there are 10 smaller steps that need to happen. Focus on the next action you wish this person you are meeting to do. Do you want them to invite you for an interview? Give you a referral? Follow up with more information? Football players know which way to run because they know where the end zone is. Having a focus on what you want out of your introduction will help you shape it. Be realistic and immediate.

One way to reach out to people you don’t have direct connection to is by having great questions for that person. Friend and longest serving CEO of YPO Scott Mordell often says, “Wherever you go, you should have two questions in your back pocket that you are ready to ask.” Great questions make the other person feel good and, by asking questions, you invite the person you are meeting to share their stories. To be a storyteller, you also need to be a story collector. 

Join our next Story Lab session if you need to workshop your LinkedIn bio.

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