Guidelines for Twitter Bios

Your Twitter bio is one of the most important pieces of content you will write on Twitter.  People will use it in search, to find people that match their interests. They will use it to decide whether to follow you back when you follow them.  You only have 160 characters, so it’s important to make the most of every one.  When you first get started, do the best you can to describe yourself but don’t worry about it too much; your bio can easily be changed.

There are different styles of bio but it’s best to stick to some general rules for crafting your Twitter bio. (At least until you become a household name, and then you can do whatever you want.)

Guidelines for Twitter Bios

• Use keywords that are descriptive of your work (realtor, chef, or copywriter)
• Modify these terms with specific words that help set you apart (realtor in Topeka, Asian-fusion chef or email copywriter)
• Add something personal about yourself if you occasionally tweet about it (tennis, mom, eats out a lot)
• Even in 160 characters, your bio can have a “voice.”  If it does, make sure it’s in keeping with your brand voice. The tone can be humorous, friendly, coy or sophisticated, as long as it is in keeping with the image you want to present
• Make use of the link that can be added to your bio (this will usually be your website), but you may also add a link in your Twitter bio if you have more than one site you want people to look at to learn about you. Don’t use a shortened URL if you can avoid it, because those links are also powerful branding for you (especially assuming they’re your blog or company website)

For more inspiration, check out these lists of Twitter bios that others have compiled.

• 20 of the world’s most clever Twitter bios – from Mark Schaefer
• 5 Twitter Bio Examples That Will Rock Your Socks – from Marian Schembari
• Twitter List of Effective Twitter Bios – a Twitter list comprised of people with effective Twitter bios, curated by Sree Sreenivasan
• And don’t use these: 20 Twitter Bios That Suck – from Devon Zdatny

Remember that your bio is your way of saying hello to potential followers.  You don’t want to be too salesy when you first say hello.  Think about who you want to appeal to and what might interest those people. Take your time crafting your Twitter bio and modify it as you learn and grow.

Portions of this post originally appeared at the Social Media School blog.

Image source: flickr (Asiatic League)

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Stephanie Schwab

CEO & Founder at Crackerjack Marketing

Stephanie has 20 years' experience in digital media and 12 in social media and content marketing, and has been blogging personally and professionally since 2004. She loves to try new social media platforms but mostly maintains her first love, Twitter, @stephanies.

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