10 Top Bloggers Reveal Secrets Behind Their Author Bio

You know your one friend that just constantly talks about themself? Their job, their new boyfriend/girlfriend, their new house or dog. And you’re just sat there thinking: “when can we talk about me?” But that time never comes… Because even when you join the monologue with a neutral topic he/she somehow manages to bring it back to their favorite subject? Themselves. OK, thanks Tom, but what does this have to do with the author bio on my next BIG Roundup guest post on the one blog I have been trying to secure a writing position on for the past 3 weeks? Everything. It is your responsibility to incentivise your soon to be readers to take your relationship to the next level: to click that link to your landing page, follow button on Twitter or submit button on the feature box on your blog. And how do you do this? With a gripping, informative and humorous Evergreen Ad (your author bio). But don’t listen to me (I only have 2,198 followers on Twitter)… It just so happens that I reached out to a few of my blogger friends to see what they had to say on the topic… I sent them JUST this simple question: If you had just 1 tip for writing an awesome author bio, what would it be? Take it away guys…

Kevin J. Duncan – Be A Better Blogger

“Want an awesome author bio people will read rather than gloss over? Be different. Use humor. Offer an outside-the-box value proposition. Include an opt-in bribe readers haven’t seen a hundred times. In short, don’t do what everyone else is doing. Stand out!”

Nick Loper – Side Hustle Nation

“To focus on answering: “what’s in for me, the reader?””

Zac Johnson – ZacJohnson.com

“To write an awesome bio, you need to peak the interest of the audience reading it and also provide a call-to-action to track your performance.”

Neil Patel – NeilPatel.com

“Don’t fluff up your bio with unnecessary information. Put your best points forward so people get an understanding of why they should listen to you. From your accomplishments to awards, focus on the statements that will encourage people to listen to you.”

Pete Sandeen – PeterSandeen.com

“Everyone has an “author bio.” And almost everyone’s bio looks like every other one out there. Something about your bio should be unusual—something personal and memorable. If it’s unusual enough, it also makes people more likely to actually read the rest of your bio. That’s where you make them an offer they (hopefully) can’t refuse. That’s all your bio needs to do. Try to do more, it probably won’t work.”

Adam Connell – BloggingWizard

“Tweak your author bio to suit the occasion. Maybe you want to write a guest post for a large blog. Give the usual who you are, what you do and how you can help but add in a link to a landing page so you can encourage email sign ups.”

Matthew Tyson – WideNet Blog

“Consider what information is going to be most valuable to your audience. Example: I’m a massive, obsessive Star Wars fan, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have to put that in my bio. I see the author bio as another way of marketing yourself. I want people to know where I work, where I write, and how they can contact me.”

Brian Dean – Backlinko

“Give people a reason to click on your result. Saying “I’m so and so and I’m blah, blah, blah doesn’t make someone want to learn more about you. So make sure you show them EXACTLY why they should click over to your site (which is the ultimate goal of an author bio anyway).”

Loz James – Content Champion

“When writing a great bio be specific and cut right to the chase. Tell people about your experience to build instant authority, and then outline exactly what they can learn from you. If the host site will allow it, use a post-specific content upgrade within your bio as well to help build your email list.”

Aaron Lee – Ask Aaron Lee

“Through my years of guest blogging, I learned the best way to write the perfect bio and stand out is to have a cool title and a call to action that leads to a landing page.”

Over to you

Let’s summarize:

• Be cool and different
• Ensure you can track your results from posts/author bio tests
• Look at the world through the eyes of your reader and include a call to action that speaks directly to them
• Send people directly to a landing page
• Remove any fluff that doesn’t inform your reader or inspire their action

I’m getting nervous… Why? Because I’m about to craft my author bio for this very post and am quaking in the knowledge that it will undergo massive scrutiny by all of you lovely readers. Well, here goes! On a serious note, if you have a friend that writes BORING author bio’s, use the social icons below to send this article over, you could be doing them a massive favor. Furthermore, if you are feeling brave, paste your latest author bio into the comment box below and I will give a scathing review!