How to Write a Professional Twitter Bio
Should your Twitter account reflect your personal life or your professional background? Perhaps the answer is “both,” but it is not always easy to figure out how to balance the two identities.
Emily Godette of The Freelancer explains how to create a Twitter feed that lets people know about your professional work by reminding them of all the reasons they like you (and follow them):
Your feed doesn’t have to look like your LinkedIn profile – in fact, make sure it doesn’t! You should post content to Twitter that people love, but you should also add opinions, ideas, and updates to your professional life to your feed.
While her tips are specifically aimed at freelancers and content creators, they apply to traditional employees as well. Godette suggests using your Twitter bio to draw attention to your professional work while highlighting one of your personal interests, for example:
I also chose three main keywords to describe my professional functions: two serious (editor, podcast host) and one playful (dungeon master). While appointing editors doesn’t help me know I’m a seasoned Dungeons and Dragons player, it does improve their overall understanding of my “personal brand.”
After reading Godette’s advice, I updated my Twitter bio to read: “Writer, editor, teacher. Freelance work at Lifehacker, Vox, Bankrate and others. Author of biographies of ordinary people. Sometimes people pay me to sing. “
This accurately reflects what people will get if they follow me on Twitter ; links to my freelance work and upcoming classes, updates to the novel I’m writing, and jokes about the music I’m currently rehearsing.
In a world where employers and potential clients regularly use social media as a way of connecting and verifying people with whom they may work in the future, a social media presence that reflects both your professional and personal life can be a huge career boost. … If there was nothing on my Twitter other than a stream of links to my articles, for example, I would look over-impersonal (and boring, which is not good for someone who wants to make money as a writer).
However, my Twitter is still far from perfect; I don’t post many images, and while I often retweet and share other people’s work, I don’t always share the personal opinion that turns a simple retweet into a moment of connection.
If this all sounds like extra work, well … it is. But think of it as a new version of small talk; the minutes you need to spend away from your desk and its activities, sharing workable stories with other people on your team.
It’s just that on Twitter, your team includes everyone in both your professional and personal areas, as well as everyone who might eventually like your work and decide to follow.