Writing a Twitter profile can be overwhelming. You only have 160 characters to basically sum up your entire brand, be clever, be unique, and be memorable.  That’s a lot to accomplish in a short space, but it’s not impossible if you know the five easy steps to take when writing your Twitter bio!

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Your Twitter bio should represent your brand.  If you’re a blogger, then you and your brand are one in the same.  This is your online reputation. This is the first impression people will have of you and your brand. Make these 160 characters count!

Here is a screenshot of my Twitter Bio.  I’ll be referring to it throughout this post.

I’m a wife, mom, & Mixologist of Media writing about the Cocktail of Life! Let’s Toast Technotini! #IBABloggers #ToastingTuesdays http://Periscope.TV/Technotini

Step 1:  Upload a profile picture.

This can be a picture of you or your logo and should be consistent across all social media platforms to increase brand recall.

I included a fun picture of myself in which I wrote my blog name across my sunglasses.  Here I was trying to channel Kate Hudson in the Almost Famous Poster (one of my faves!). This is the image with the branded sunglasses across all my social media platforms.

But whatever you do, do not leave out this step.  If you do not have a picture, your account looks like spam or a fake account and people will immediately ignore you.

Seriously, replace the egg place-holder.  How can you rock Twitter if you haven’t even hatched out of your shell?! (Literally!)

Fun Fact:  Studies show that 5-10% of Twitter accounts are fake/spam.  You do not want to be mixed up in that crowd!

Step 2:  Use the three C’s:

Be Clever, Creative, and Clear

Writing is an art.  As a blogger, you want to showcase your creative talents and stand out in the sea of Twitter users.  So have fun and use a few clever words, but you want to be sure to remain clear and not be too obscure.

For example, my lifestyle blog is called Technotini.  I consider myself a media mixologist.  (Clever, right?)  But what exactly does that mean?  Well, it means that I’ve studied media (I have an MA in Digital Media, and I wrote my thesis on how advanced technology affects our reception of messages).  It also means that I  enjoy the continued mixing of media formats and their effect on our daily lives.  But there’s NO WAY I could include that in my bio. Heck, that sentence was over 177 characters! What??!  So I pared it down to read “Mixologist of media writing about the cocktail of life!”

It’s clever, clear, and descriptive.  It also ties back to my brand.

STEP 3:  Show your accomplishments

It’s ok to shine and boast a little.  You only have a few seconds and a few words to introduce yourself.  This is where you add a descriptive word related to a key part of who you are and/or your brand.  And remember, don’t sell yourself short.  Being a parent counts as an accomplishment! This is a good place to list that.  It helps others relate to you and invites you into a world of various parenting-related communities.

So, good keywords to use here are:  mom, dad, writer, blogger, entrepreneur, tech guru, business consultant

STEP 4:  Be exciting and engaging!

Remember, Twitter is a giant community.  You want to be welcoming and friendly.

Pretend you’re at a networking event.  If you stand in the corner and don’t smile, people will be less likely to approach you.  You need to convey a smile through your words. 

When writing my Twitter profile, I simply imagined I was at a Twitter cocktail party.  What would I do to meet others?  I’d smile, I’d be friendly, and perhaps I’d make a toast.  So in my bio I invite people to tweet with me by saying “Let’s toast Technotini!”  Again, it’s clever, it’s on-brand, it’s friendly, and it’s exciting and engaging.

But you don’t have to be as literal as me.  Sarah Nenni-Daher, our IBA VP, creates excitement in her blog by literally proclaiming her love of exclamation point! (Ok, maybe that’s even more literal than my example, lol).  But it shows her fun personality and respect for punctuation.

You can also just use welcoming language such as Join, collaborate, chat, talk, conversation, meet-up

IBA Member, Katy Blevins from ChaosandKiddos.com, wears a lot of hats as an entrepreneur, movement-creator, and blogger.  But by beginning her bio with “Join the @ModFemmeMove,” she’s welcoming and inviting, encouraging viewers to engage with her.  It’s like a virtual hello.

Step 5:  Use targeted keywords and keep your audience or target market in mind.

Like attracts like.  People will want to follow you or connect with you if they can relate to your description by finding something that’s similar to them.  It might even just be the fact that you wrote “mom” or “blogger.”

You also want to be sure to use a few simple, yet targeted keywords that will show off your core topics, example Recipes, DIY, crafts, wellness, business.  My blog is a lifestyle blog where I write about all of the above, so I just used one keyword “lifestyle.”

[clickToTweet tweet=”How to Rock Your Twitter Profile in 5 Easy Steps! #SMtips #bloggers” quote=”How to Rock Your Twitter Profile in 5 Easy Steps! #SMtips #bloggers”]

You don’t need to clutter your bio with hashtags.  It tends to take away from the story you’re trying to tell.  Remember, you want to be human… not a Twitter-bot.  If there are some hashtags you use all the time (ex: you manage a Twitter party or are a brand ambassador), then that’s fine.  Or perhaps, there are one or two that you use quite frequently that truly represent your brand, then go for it.  Otherwise, leave room for more descriptive information.

In my bio, I include two hashtags:  #IBABloggers and #ToastingTuesdays.   I included #IBABloggers since I’m on the board, am passionate about its success, and am excited to connect with all of our members.   I included #ToastingTuesdays because it’s a hashtag I developed to help create a community within my Technotini readers.

Tip:   Beware of including hip-sounding catch-phrase hashtags (ex: #GirlBoss, #rockstar) that you don’t even use.   It’s just filler and a waste of space.  Hashtags are clickable.  They’re a way for others to connect and engage with you.  If you’re not even using that hashtag, then it’s meaningless.  Use that precious space for something more targeted that will bring in more engaged followers.

Bonus Tips:

• Twitter provides a location line of which you should always take advantage.  Remember, locations are great conversation starters, and Twitter is all about starting conversations and building relationships. If you’re concerned about privacy or safety, just put your general area.  For example, I wrote that I’m from “Hotlanta,” but I really live in a nearby Atlanta suburb.  I have a friend that used to list her location as “Great State of Mind” until she realized this was too vague.  She still lists “Great State of Mind” because she likes the positive nature of that phrase but also added “Maryland.”
• Use a branded image or relatable picture for your profile header.  This is the long picture at the top.  I use a picture related to my blog to add human interest.  I usually change it seasonally.  Other options are the logo from your website, images of products, events, or giveaways you are trying to promote,  or even an image from the latest post on your blog.  Using an image from a recent post is a great strategy if you’re blogging about something with captivating images such as recipes, travel, or crafts.  It’s another way to draw in your audience.
• Make use of the ability to include active links in your Bio area. Twitter has an automatic space for your website uURL but did you know you can also include a live link in your bio?  This is a good place to include your Periscope link.  Periscope is taking off and is directly connected to Twitter, so you want to share that media link as well.

So to review, think of Twitter as one big giant networking party.  Your bio is your introduction to the event.  You want to smile through your words.  Be clear and clever.  Show your accomplishments.  Be exciting and engaging—you don’t want to just hide in the corner (of this virtual party).  Use targeted keywords and hashtags but don’t dilute your profile with hashtags that you never use.  Overall, be yourself (or your brand), and you can’t go wrong.

Be sure to connect with us on Twitter!  Follow @ibabloggers.  You can also use (and search) #ibabloggers to keep up on all the latest and greatest Twitter conversations.  I’d love to connect with you too!  Follow me @Technotini and let me know what you thought about this article.

If you have any Twitter profile tips or comments, please share them below.  I’d love to hear from you and keep this conversation going!