4 Steps to Writing a Bio That Gets You Noticed

4 Steps to Writing a Bio That Gets You Noticed

4 Steps to Writing a Bio That Gets You Noticed

Claire Winters
Claire Winters
9 years ago

Many of us feel panic and dread when we sit down to write our bios, cracking under the self-imposed pressure to paint a perfect portrait of who we are in this point in time.

But what if I told you that a great bio simply started the conversation of what you can bring to a project and then motivated your reader to to keep that conversation going with you – through a meeting, an audition, a Twitter follow, or a viewing of your reel? Most of us make the mistake of writing a bio that looks backward on what we've already done, instead of positioning what we've done to get the reader interested in what we're going to do in the future. I've written many bios for accomplished actors, writers and directors and have coached many more through my bio workshops in LA. Here are four steps I use to help clients create bios that they're proud to share.

  1. Make Your Entrance Count.

I'd say that a good 50% of bios I read start with where the artist was born. Yawn! That fact seldom tells me anything about the artist (it tells me more about your parents!) and it wastes the most valuable real estate in your bio – the first two sentences. Of course, there are exceptions. If you were born in a yurt in rural China and can weave your nomadic spirit through the rest of your bio, go for it. But “John was born in St. Louis, Missouri” is a bit of a bore. Instead, start with a recent “win,” your biggest accomplishment to date, or a joke that expresses your unique sense of humor. Here are three sample openings that make the reader pay attention.

"
  • Johnathan's directorial debut, the thriller “Fog on the Water,” screened in fourteen festivals last year, winning Best Feature at The Hamptons International Film Festival.
"
  • Jeannie Hudak: that's “Hu” for “Humor” and “dak” for “daquiris...”
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  • Anna Withers is best-known for her Obie-winning play Mountain Time, which starred Blythe Danner in its sold-out run at The Public Theater.
  1. Say Goodbye to Chronological Order.

In keeping with the dictum of making the first paragraph count, feel free to say goodbye to listing your credits in chronological order. You could organize your bio around the different media in which you've worked, or choose a few highlights and move on to your training and hobbies. The structure can be anything from a list to a faux-film script. But no matter what you decide, I implore you, put the biggest guns first! If you have meaningful awards, tell us right away. If you are just starting your career but graduated from an well-known training program and have a couple of minor professional credits, put the training program up front. When you're writing your bio, think of yourself as your own agent and the bio as your pitch. If you only had ten seconds to get the attention of whoever's listening, what would you say about yourself? What gives you the most professional credibility? That should be in your first two sentences. The truth is that few of your readers will read all the way through your bio, so leaving the best for last is not a great strategy.

  1. Show, don't tell.

I know, I know, everyone says you're hard-working and reliable, and nice and funny. And I'm sure you are...but funny people don't tend to go around saying they're funny - they're too busy cracking people up. So take a cue from your craft and use your bio to show us who you are, instead of telling us who you are. When you find yourself wanting to use an adjective to describe yourself, instead find an anecdote, accomplishment or observation that shows that aspect of yourself. That way the reader can come to her own conclusion about your amazing work-ethic, sense of humor, or winning good looks. Here are two examples from my clients:

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  • Instead of “hard-working” :

After high school, I continued a long line of military service in my family when I joined the U.S. Navy. There, I pulled engine room equipment apart as a nuclear mechanic on an aircraft carrier and then helped put my colleagues together as a career counselor, a position for which I won The Navy Achievement Medal (NAM).

"
  • Instead of “funny” :

Let's get a few things out of the way:

  1. You pronounce 'Jamila' like 'tequila.'

  2. I'm from St. Louis, which means I'm a not nearly as southern as you think I am. It also means I'm a whole lot more southern than I think I am.

  3. Straightening up before the hotel housekeeper comes is not crazy. It's manners.

Ok. Now that we've cleared the air, I'm feeling a lot better. Oh, you wanted to know about my acting? Yeah, alright. Look, I'm not going to sugar coat it. Things are going...very well, thank you.

  1. Be a person.

Share a few details of your past professions, your family life, and/or hobbies. The extent to which you want to reveal your personal life in your bio will change as your tastes and career do. Do what feels right to you, but don't underestimate the relevance of the totality of your life to your artistic career. If you're an actor and have spent ten years as a medic that might, of course, be catnip to casting directors for medical dramas, but it also proves that you can work under pressure and have experience helping all kinds of people, both of which are meaningful qualities in many characters. If you're an aspiring screenwriter with twenty years teaching high school under her belt, that fact might position you perfectly to be considered to co-write a web series about teens. And it's always a nice note to end on to imagine this person whose career we've just gotten to know “in real life,” doing volunteer work, tracking down antiques, or playing with his sons. At the end of the day, bios and resumes get read, but people get hired.

If these ideas resonate with you, let us know in the comments below. If you're ready to take your bio to the next level, join me this Saturday, January 9th at 11am PST for the Stage 32 Next Level webinar What Gets You Noticed on The Page? Essential Bio Writing for Creatives. In the webinar I'll discuss how to make your bio resonate with the artists you want to work with, how to maximize your bio on your website and in social media, and how to update it as your credits grow.

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About the Author

Claire Winters

Claire Winters

Actor, Author

Claire Winters has spent the last fifteen years working as an actor, film and acting teacher, and writer/editor. In each incarnation, her mission has been to create and share deeply personal and entertaining stories. Her background as both a performer and writer gives her a unique understanding of...

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19 Comments on Claire's Article

When I was a little kid I played God in a Hebrew school play. I did great! ! Well, I thought so. But the teacher didn't. "You couldn't be heard." I've been working on being heard now for about 65 years. I've written several reference books in my field of social science, a play that got a staged reading in which Satan is the hero and God is a dilettante spending all his time creating parallel universes, and a novel "Vanilla Republic" that got great reviews from snarky Kirkus Discovery but no one bothered to read. In short I am a successful man by Winston Churchill's definition: a man who goes from disaster to disaster and Does It With Enthusiasm! My latest project, the one where I will finally be heard is a screenplay about an old veteran who wants to reenlist in the Army and decides to enter the NYC Marathon to prove he is fit. That is one part of the story. the other part is a horror mystery about a group of right wing fanatics who decide to murder a white baby in order to start a race war. the old guy sees them plotting and tells the deputy sheriff but since the old guy is a bit daft no one believes him. I can relate to that.
a year ago
This inspired me.
a year ago
Hunter Phoenix
Actor, Voice Artist
Excellent tips! Thank you for sharing this. Anyone can use this info... not just actors :)
9 years ago
Such impeccable insights, Claire. You are making the world a much better place through your effort and outlook. Brightest blessings.
9 years ago
My pleasure, Claire.
9 years ago
Claire Winters
Actor, Author
Thanks, Glen - that means a lot.
9 years ago
Stephanie Bell
Line Producer, Producer
Thanks for these excellent tips. I'm on a budget and just spent it on the crowd funding seminar but I'm definitely going to follow you! I'd love to learn more about what you charge for consultations!
9 years ago
Claire Winters
Actor, Author
Hi Stephanie - you can learn about my consultations at www.wit-and-spark.com & get the webinar is available on demand. We had a great time, and some brave souls jumped in for real-time bio coaching.
9 years ago
Kimmie Dee
Illustrator, Screenwriter, Author, Line Producer, Playwright, Filmmaker, Videographer, Makeup Artist, Host/Presenter
Those are great tips. Thanks.
9 years ago
Thank you. That was very helpful. Now I feel more confident in rewriting my bio.
9 years ago
CJ Walley
Screenwriter, Producer, Author
Great advice! Since working on my Stage 32 bio last year, I've gotten so many positive comments from new connections.
9 years ago
Leanne Sampson-Bowden
actor, screenwriter
Hey I would automatically do all those things so I didn't really need to read these ideas, haha! Wonder why I don't do better? But seriously who would really put down their birthplace. I mean I think people might do these things because they take the word bio literally?
9 years ago
Leanne Sampson-Bowden
actor, screenwriter
Oh that kind of Bio on IMDB I want to include that information - that's different - I actually go to IMDB when I want to know that info about actors etc. I mean when applying for jobs!
9 years ago
Geoff Harris
Director, Producer
Ever seen actor bios on IMDB, the majority start with their birthplace and parents! I've often wondered why!
9 years ago
Geoff Harris
Director, Producer
Very useful piece. It's hard to know how people respond when they read a bio, I guess you only know you're on the right track if people get back to you. Also useful for this Brit to know how people in the US, my main audience, will read a bio and what they take from it.
9 years ago
Hope Mackenzie Perry
Actor, Student
I think this was very useful. Should I keep letting my 11 year old wrote her own bio? 9 out of 10 times she writes it. She does put things like : Working actress, model & professional dork. or I have a dog named Trixie who is Siberian Husky & German Shepherd, but I think she's part horse. I think this was more for me because when I write her bios I put the boring stuff & describe her or how she donates money from every paycheck she gets. So this helped a lot. Thank you so much for taking the time to help us all.
9 years ago
Hope Mackenzie Perry
Actor, Student
She has a lot of experience, but in television its mostly bg. She does have a few featured, but all her principal is industrial, commercials & student films. She's still working hard though :-) This kid has passion! Thanks so much for writing back. When she read this she said "We have to fix all my bios" :-)
9 years ago
Claire Winters
Actor, Author
I think she's doing a pretty good job! If she's worked as an actor, she might put her specific credits up top...but I like the dork and the part-horse.
9 years ago
Great post Claire! Thank you for the advice!
9 years ago
Tomasz Mieczkowski
Comedian, Screenwriter, Producer
Haha. Very nice. I'm Tomasz Mieczkowski - that's "Mie" for someone asking surprisingly "meeeee?" and "czkowski" for who knows what. :) I really liked this and I'm looking forward to the webinar.
9 years ago
Stage 32 Staff
Director, Screenwriter, Editor
Czowski.... a nice Irish name.
9 years ago
Sandra Reed
Actor, Choreographer, Music Composer, Screenwriter, Singer, Dancer
Great advice! Let people see you from the inside out.
9 years ago
Stage 32 Staff
Director, Screenwriter, Editor
"I was born in Minnetonka on December 4 to my parents Debbie and Tom...." oh, wait, did I start my introduction wrong? Awesome blog Claire... now, I have to go polish my bio. Thanks for lighting a fire under me!
9 years ago
Amanda Toney - Next Level Education
Director of Operations, Producer
spectacular guidance claire. the webinar is a must for any and all creatives!
9 years ago
Samuel Minier
Screenwriter, Author
May try doing my bio as a faux-script for a slasher movie - thanks for the idea.
9 years ago
Don Dobrez Jr
Screenwriter, Filmmaker
Great article! One question... should my bio be written in the first or third person? Or a combination of both?
9 years ago
Claire Winters
Actor, Author
Thanks, Don. Both work - it depends on how you're trying to come across (you'll feel more accessible to your reader in the first person) and the venue in which you're using it. I'll be going into this deeper in the webinar on Saturday. Hope you can join us.
9 years ago
Mahesh Seelvi
Voice Artist, Author, Director, Screenwriter, Filmmaker, Actor
Wonderful ideas for the Bio. Really it works and put you strongly before the recruiters. You can win laurals when you place yourself well before the recruiters. Excellant Mahesh Seelvi Voice actor, Author, Translator, Screenwriter, Copywriter, Lyricist, Poet & Film Maker. Visit: www.filmNvoice.com
9 years ago
Max Adams
Screenwriter
Great post.
9 years ago
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