Hi blogger, when was the last time you thought about writing a game-changing author bio? Maybe not at all and it’s justified. There are a lot of things that take top priority in marketing and business. Why you might have not paid attention to your author bio is because it is not a raving topic. Even the internet has close to nothing about it.
Four reasons you must take your guest post bio seriously
Readers who get to the part of your author bio are your potential and loyal followers
You should give yourself a pat on the back when you are able to lead readers to that point. Therefore, you should use this to your advantage to prolong their attention span.
Curious cats and Scanners always read it
It’s mostly known that people don’t read the full content but usually read the last part. When readers get captivated, they always want to know the person behind it.
Here’s where you have to garnish your author bio and even lead them on to your site for more.
It can lead readers from the host blog to your own blog
Since the main reason behind guest blogging is to get more eyes and a brand new audience for your content. The only link to bring them home to you is your author bio. It’s up to you to make it engaging enough or otherwise. You are there when you get them to wonder about you and eventually click to see more of your site.
It’s an opportunity to make a good first impression
You will either repel or attract people you meet for the first time. How you have composed your author bio is a determining factor in this. So you get to choose whether to attract or repel your guest audience.
And the question now should be what your author bio should include?
There are four basic questions that you should answer for your guest audience. These questions should be treated with considerable seriousness and honesty to make them stay. Your guest audiences want to know you, your job, for whom you work, and a valid reason to trust you.
You should spice up your answers with interesting but relevant information about yourself and your job. Yeah, just enough to arouse curiosity. Also, you should never make your answers very detailed. Keep it short and simple.
Below are six elements of a bio that can entice readers to you and your site:
1. Head your bio with a professional portrait or headshot
You are the face of your content and site. So it should be for your author bio. Your photo must ring a positive bell to your audience because they tend to see it first before the details. It also occupies a considerable amount of space. Whether you like it or not, your guest audience can come to any conclusion based on just your photo. According to LinkedIn, a good profile picture can increase your connection requests and views.
You have to take yourself seriously for people to do the same. Make sure to display a photo that looks professional. Something that oozes an air of competence and also puts your guest audience at ease. LinkedIn through an analysis of top profile photos that a smile is always included. Not just a smile but a full teeth-revealing smile is known to work best. The social media is all about meeting people anyways. Don’t forget that you have to be consistent with your photos, do this to create an identity.
2. Tell readers who you are and what you do in a simple language
After your profile picture, the top questions on the minds of your guest audience are about you and your job. You should clear the air with simple and straightforward answers to these questions. Do not try to create an air of mystery around your identity. This mostly makes your audience have a hard time understanding you. You should also be memorable in telling your audience what you do. Make it all about them and what they stand to gain by working with you.
3. Show off your credentials to boost your credibility
One thing your guest audience will be curious about is what you are made of. Let them know why it should be you over all the others. What exactly is it that makes you different? This is when your proof of expertise comes into play which will eventually command authority.
You can choose to mention top blogs that have your content.
You can let them know about your certifications and books by you.
You should also make them know how long you’ve been at your craft and the big names you have been involved with. The whole point here is to wow your guest audience and establish your credibility. If you earned it, then be proud of it.
You should however make sure to include only the relevant achievement to the niche of your guest audience.
4. Humanize your brand
In an attempt to sound professional, most author bios end up being uptight and impersonal. This never gets the attention of readers and it won’t for you if you do the same. Instead, you should do something contradictory in your author bio. Come down to a relatable and approachable level with your guest audience. You can choose to give a peek into your personal life. Like the things you do in your spare time or something strangely fun about you. Never forget to use humor, it will bring you closer to your audience. It’s assured that they will connect with you on a deeper level. Humour is a universal language after all.
5. Stay consistent with your brand style
In order to maintain the trust of your audience, you have to show forth an unchanging brand image on all platforms. Anything otherwise can lead to confusion. Ensure that your author bio matches the reputation of your brand. This will give your audience a smooth avenue to work with you without thinking twice. You have to keep it real with whatever image it is that your brand projects.
6. End with a strong call to action
You are on track if you get your audience to this point. What’s left is to finally bring them along to your site. This is the anticipated moment!
You should be careful not to direct your guest audience to a homepage where nothing is happening. You have to take them to where they get endeared to do something. Like a service-focused page. This strategy will work in your favor if you are heavily involved in guest blogging. Your pages of services tend to get an increased ranking.
Whether it’s to take an offer, a discount, a free trial or download additional content, just make sure they get more and use simple words that spell out what to do. For example, do not say Obtain a free copy when you can say; get your free copy.
By doing this, your chances of building potential followers and customers increase.
Bonus tip: To get more interactions, vary your author bio to meet the lifestyle of your guest audience. Always do a touch up to your author bio to mention the things your audiences hold dear. You are indirectly trying to find a common bond with your audience when you do this.
Conclusion
The next time you are writing an author bio, keep in mind that it’s more than just a tool. It is your meeting area to bond with a new audience, do a personal promotion as well as give your site the optimization it needs. From now, you should never look at an author bio the same way again.