Wise Wednesday - Writing an Online Bio - Part 2

Kelly G. Stafford provides marketing and communication services for small businesses. From a long line of artisans, crafters, creators and entrepreneurs, Kelly appreciates all things unique and handmade and understands the challenges of promoting your work while trying to do what you love. Find her shop here.

Writing Space by shutterbugshannon

Previously, I outlined a basic framework to use when writing an online bio for yourself as an artisan. Once you have answered the four basic questions posted last week, review what you have written with the following tips in mind.

• Keep it concise. You only have a couple of seconds to grab the reader’s attention. Don’t be afraid to cut out extraneous or irrelevant material. This will also help to eliminate the common online aggravation of having to continually scroll down.

• Use spell check. Misspelled words are unforgivable. Unfortunately, whether true or not, an easily fixed error such as a misspelled word indicates a lack of attention to detail. If necessary, type your your bio in Word or another word processing program and then cut and paste into the final program. Two invaluable (and free) resources are www.dictionary.com and www.thesaurus.com .

• Lastly, don’t neglect the visual aspect. After you post your bio, view it as a customer would. How does the verbiage look in the available space? Is it visually appealing? Often, simply breaking a long paragraph into multiple smaller paragraphs greatly increases the readability.

Thank you Kelly! I know I am putting these tips to use and I can't wait to learn more from you in the future :)

Wise Wednesday - Writing an Online Bio - Part 1

Hello and welcome to the first installment of Wise Wednesday! This week (and next) we have a phenomenal guest poster, Kelly Stafford (shop here) who will teach us all how to write a great online biography. Kelly G. Stafford provides marketing and communication services for small businesses. From a long line of artisans, crafters, creators and entrepreneurs, Kelly appreciates all things unique and handmade and understands the challenges of promoting your work while trying to do what you love.

Tappity Tap Tap by MilkshakeStudio

When buying handmade, customers want to know the story of the artisan behind the product. A bio is the opportunity to introduce yourself and your work and first impressions truly do matter.

When writing an online bio for yourself as an artisan, start by answering the following questions:

1. Who are you? Move beyond simply stating your name by detailing what inspires you and how you gained your expertise. Are you self-taught, did you apprentice with a local craftsperson or are you formally trained?
2. What do you create? Do you have a signature item and typically stay within one genre. Do you only use certain materials or are you constantly experimenting with new mediums?
3. How do you make it? Do you utilize a specific technique or certain materials?
4. Why do you practice your craft? Have you always created beautiful things? Did you escape a cubicle to follow your dreams?

Now that you have a basic outline for your bio, start writing and next week I will cover how to put the finishing touches on your bio.