Which length to use where
Most places ask for one of three sizes, and having all three ready saves you rewriting each time:
- One-liner (10 to 20 words): social profiles, email signatures, event badges, the top of a link-in-bio page.
- Short bio (about 50 words): podcast and event listings, guest post bylines, author notes, the opening of your LinkedIn About section.
- Longer bio (about 100 words): your website's about page, speaker introductions, press kits and media kits.
First person or third person?
First person ("I help...") feels direct and friendly. Use it anywhere you're speaking for yourself: your own website, social profiles, LinkedIn and newsletters.
Third person ("Maya helps...") is the norm when someone else introduces you: speaker pages, conference programs, press releases, book jackets and guest articles. Organizers often paste your bio straight in, so sending it in third person saves them an edit.
Whichever you pick, stick with it. Switching between "I" and "she" in the same bio reads like a mistake.
What makes a short bio work
Specifics beat adjectives. "Helped more than 40 small businesses rebrand" says more than "passionate, results-driven designer". Numbers, names and outcomes are what people remember.
Lead with what you do and who it's for, then give one piece of proof, then something human. The personal line matters more than it looks: it's often what people bring up when they meet you.
Write for the reader. A bio for a podcast audience can be warmer than one for a corporate panel, so it's worth keeping a professional and a friendly version on hand.
A formula you can reuse
Almost every good short bio fits this pattern, in this order. Fill it in once and you can resize it for any form:
- Who you are: your name and role.
- Who you help: the people or businesses you work with.
- Proof: one achievement with a number, a name or a result in it.
- Something human: a hobby, a place or a habit people can ask about.
- Next step: where to find you or how to get in touch (longer versions only).
Editing what you get
Treat each result as a first draft. Read it out loud, and if a phrase isn't something you'd say, change it. Swap the general middle sentence for a real detail about how you work, and update your highlight every few months so it stays current.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a short bio be?
Around 50 words, or three to four sentences. A one-liner is 10 to 20 words and a longer bio is about 100. If a form gives a character limit instead, check your text with a character counter before you paste it.
Should a professional bio be in first or third person?
Third person for anything someone else publishes about you, like a speaker page or press release. First person for your own website, LinkedIn and social profiles.
What should I include in a short bio?
Your name, what you do, who you do it for, one specific achievement and, if there's room, a personal detail. Leave out full job histories and long lists of skills.
Can I use this for my LinkedIn profile?
Yes. Use the one-liner as a starting point for your headline, which allows 220 characters, and the 50 or 100-word version, in first person, to open your About section.