When Publicity Hound Michelle Tennant of Wasabi Publicity emailed me last week to let me know that her beloved pet, Lex, a strawberry blonde Siberian husky, had died, the obituary she wrote for him made me smile. While reading it, I couldn’t help but think that it’s more interesting than the personal bios of many humans I… Read More
How to Write a Bio
Nonprofit bios: Keep ’em short and credible
Nancy Schwartz, one of the foremost experts in marketing for nonpofits, passes along handy reminders for nonprofit execs and others on how to write a bio. She recommends: —No more than two paragraphs. Make note of any professional designations, associations and awards. These show you have deep connections in the field. —Write bios for program, communications, fundraising and… Read More
How to write a bio: Make it compelling, fun and personal
Lots of Publicity Hounds spend far too much time crafting the perfect pitch and ignoring a marketing tool that can get them in front of journalists: their bio. At Publishers Marketing Association University in Washington, D.C., last week, I cringed when I heard national correspondent Dan Raviv of CBS Radio talk about what he looks for when someone… Read More
Write a thumbnail bio for the end of your articles
While en route to a speaking engagement, I found a page in Airtran Airways’ in-flight magazine that’s a great lesson on how to write thumbnail bios. These are one- or two-sentence bios that you can tack onto the end of articles you write for other publications, along with your contact information such as an email… Read More
Fodder for bios
A frustrated Publicity Hound wrote to me recently, asking how she can write an interesting bio, even if she doesn’t have any “newsworthy” accomplishments. “How can you write a bio when you don’t have an MBA, have never received any awards, and haven’t appeared on TV or radio or in magazines?” she asks. Bios or… Read More