Too many business owners write professional bios that are the literary equivalent of sleeping pills.
Don’t fall into the same trap of writing only about your professional history. Include a few fun facts about your personal life, like this one: I know all the words to the opening song on Talent Roundup Day (Friday) on the Mickey Mouse Club from the 1950s. When I mentioned this in a blog post, I was deluged with comments, especially from Baby Boomers who remember the show.
Trivia like that gives people an unexpected and sometimes humorous look at your personal side, quirks and all. Whether you’re updating your LinkedIn profile or creating an About Me for your website, be sure to weave in fun facts or include a separate section at the end called “Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Me.” If you do public speaking, weave them into your introductions. Authors, tuck a page of fun facts into your media kit. You can even include this personal trivia in short profiles for things like your Chamber of Commerce directory.
Here are 13 ideas to get you started.
Your childhood
How did your childhood prepare you for your job today?
Best-selling author Henry DeVries began one of his bios like this: At the age of 6, Henry began working on the family dairy farm. When his parents learned of Henry’s plans for the farm when he inherited it, they decided to sell. Forced out of the agriculture industry at the age of 12, he turned to writing. Life highlights include covering pro sports for the Associated Press, serving as president of San Diego’s third largest PR firm and losing $13,000 on the last question of the TV game show “Jeopardy!”
Your dream occupation
What’s your dream occupation — the one job you’d love to have if you weren’t doing what you’re doing now?
Your first car
Describe your first car and what you loved or hated most about it.
Your hidden talents
Do you have hidden talents most people don’t know about?
Your proudest accomplishments
What one accomplishment are you most proud of?
What you learned from you biggest mistake
What embarrassing mistake have you made that has taught you a lesson?
The most unusual item in your office
What’s the most unusual item in your desk drawer?
Your favorite sports team
What’s your favorite sports team and how far will you go to show your support? Business coach Stephanie Sammons includes fun facts like this one on her About page: “I love the Dallas Cowboys and I wear cowgirl boots.” In my own bios, I often refer to myself as a Green Bay Packers fan and confess to wearing a Cheesehead hat.
Your guilty pleasure
What’s your guilty pleasure?Mine is reading the National Enquirer online.
Your pet
Share something funny or endearing about your pet.
Your high school yearbook superlative
How did people describe you in your high school yearbook?
Your best friend
Who’s your best friend and why?
What’s on your bucket list?
What’s on your Bucket List? Get a head start right now by stating a fun fact about yourself in the comments below.
This article first appeared in www.entrepreneur.com
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Publicity expert Joan Stewart works with entrepreneurs who need free publicity in traditional and social media to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation, position themselves as experts, sell more products and promote a favorite cause or issue. Joan is a former newspaper editor and the author of 10 ebooks on publicity.
