Your bio, a.k.a. the “about me”’ page of your website, is the third-most viewed page after the homepage and listings. People really do read your bio.

Having a bio that truly conveys who you are is critical. It is one opportunity to let people “know you before they meet you”, as is your website and overall branding if executed correctly. And having someone feel comfortable enough to call you is worth its weight in gold.

Luckily writing your bio isn’t as difficult as it sounds. There a few key elements to a bio that convinces people to call you:

1. Brand:

Your brand should quickly tell them who you are and what you do. If you don’t have that, now is a great time to work on it. For more info, check out this REM article on branding.

2. Length:

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to a bio. Ideally you want yours to be between 200 and 400 words. This is succinct enough to get your point across but short enough to ensure you aren’t filling it with fluff. Nobody can truly understand the breadth of who you are in 80 words, but 1,000 words are undoubtedly filled with some fluff.

You can make a bio any length you want, just ensure that it’s all critical to outlining who you truly are.

3. Frontload it:

While your entire bio should have words that offer value, the first 100 words are the most important (and read). Make these first sentences attention grabbers.

4. First person:

Many people write bios in the third person, but this only detaches you from the reader. Why not speak to them directly? This direct, first-person voice can help establish the all-important connection with your reader. Having said that, it should match the rest of your content. If the rest of your website content is written in the third person, then continue to do so.

5. Write to a client:

While a potential broker might read your bio, most will be potential clients. Write the bio as if you’re speaking to a future client (because they might be!) and avoid confusing terminology and “agent speak”. Even if a broker does read it, they will understand the client-focus of the bio.

6. Don’t be afraid to get personal:

While many salespeople keep their bios professional and say only, “‘I have X experience and won X awards”, people hire agents they like. Peppering in information on who you are can create a connection between you and the reader; a connection that might not be established by just rattling off your experience and awards.

Add items about you, your family, your hobbies, your organizations and the charities you support.

7. Visuals:

A bio without a great photograph of you won’t be as effective. It won’t create the connection you need (when someone can look you in the eye). Be sure to position your bio along with a photograph that truly represents you.

8. Inform, don’t sell:

A bio isn’t about selling yourself, it’s about informing the potential client. By informing and educating you have a greater chance of converting them to a client than if you try and give them the hard sell. A well-written bio doesn’t need to be “braggy”; it should simply inform them well enough to convince them to call you.

9. Elevator pitch it:

Every salesperson should have a two to five-minute pitch that convinces people they meet to use them. All of this should be in your bio.

10. Proofread it – thrice:

You’ve written an awesome bio – fantastic. But the first draft is never perfect. Neither is the second. Proofread it yourself a few times and have at least one other person review it. Small grammar or other mistakes can cost you more than the time needed to review it.

11. End it with a call to action:

A convincing bio is great, but you should end it with a solid call to action that convinces readers to contact you. This will depend on the content in the bio, but for example if your bio is geared towards seniors and downsizers, you could use something like, “Will your next move be forced or planned? Contact me and we can create a plan you’re excited about!”

12. Contact info:

If your bio is convincing, the potential client might be ready to contact you. If they are, make it easy and put your contact info front-and-centre at the bottom of the text.

You may need two (or three) versions of your bio, one short and one long, depending on the agent description length on the options listed above. You may also need a one to three-sentence elevator pitch. Consider creating all three.

Writing a rock star-quality bio is a critical step to branding yourself as an agent and expert. The next step is to put it to work. Once you have your bio you’ll want to add it to your

• Website “about me” page
• Brokerage agent profile
• Realtor.ca profile
• LinkedIn profile
• Facebook profile
• Other social media networks profile

Create a glossy version of it to hand to clients and potential clients, and include it anywhere else your name is displayed where you have the option to enter in information.

Expert tip:

Create a video bio. This is the ultimate way to let your potential clients “know you before they meet you”. Having both a great bio and an intro video is ideal, because some people like video while others prefer to read it in text.

Writing often isn’t the strong suit of salespeople, nor should it be. In fact, writing is a common mental block for salespeople and that’s okay. You should be selling houses. If you have a mental block on writing (or simple lack of hours in the day) find a local or Realtor bio-specific writer to help, or contact me for more information.