Writing a strong bio helps build your brand. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

Have you ever been asked to write a bio, whether as a member milestone or as a speaker? It’s an opportunity to brand yourself and share your uniqueness.

Too often, however, people simply include their name, professional highlights and education without making themselves stand out.

If you want to capture someone’s attention, you should spend time carefully crafting your bio. Here are some tips to do just that:

Identify yourself. Tell the reader who you are and what you do. It also helps to share a bit of your personality, such as a hobby or your community service. I usually include something about traveling or mysteries in my bios, for example.

Share your story. Readers connect with stories so tell yours. Did you overcome an obstacle? Did an experience move you to start a business?

Use a conversational tone. Pretend you are telling your story to a colleague and then write it that way. Skip the big words that may come across as if you are showing off.

Write tightly. Make every word count. If it’s boring to you, it’s probably going to be boring to readers. One way to make your writing stand out is to use the active voice and strong verbs. (This holds true for almost all writing.)

Include a photo. People like to put a face with the name and credentials. (This holds true for LinkedIn, too.)