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Ask Alex

Clinic digital marketing specialist Alex Bugg answers your questions

Q: HOW DO I WRITE A BETTER BIO ABOUT MYSELF?

A: You could have been asked for a biography by another company or brand, or it could be for an article you’ve written. Writing about yourself can be very difficult, but if you break it down into key points it becomes much less daunting. This bio should be short and to the point. Include:

• Your name

• Your role and business (what you do and where)

• Your education/experience/accolades (why the reader should trust you – it’s ok to brag a little bit here)

•A snapshot of your life, passions in the industry or outside of it

• Contact info, though it’s up to the publisher how they include this.

For your personal-use biography, e.g. on your clinic’s website, this can be extended and bring in more of the “why” of your business, plus more detail on awards, passions, partnerships, and most importantly, a bit of personality. Once you’ve got the bones of both a short (50-150 words) and long (250+ words) bio, you can then tweak it each time you’re asked for it to better suit the audience it will be put in front of, much like a cover letter for a job. If it’s an opportunity to push your clinic in front of the public, include a call to action such as “You can book an appointment with Dr X at ...”.

A biography should always be written in the third person using your name and third person pronouns (she/her, he/him/, they/ them) rather than first person pronouns (I/me). This is more formal and gives you the opportunity to use quotes in first person if you choose. Once completed, get someone to read over it for you to check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. Avoidable mistakes can discredit how well you sell yourself in your bio and don’t look professional, especially when sending to a third party, but you’ll likely miss these things when checking yourself.

This might seem obvious but lying or overinflating your accolades, experience or achievements in your biography can come back to haunt you. Be specific and give examples to present yourself as an expert and justify why your audience should trust you in the field of aesthetics, but don’t get carried away and embellish.

Your biography is a fluid document and will change throughout your career. Keep your biography templates up to date regularly, and change details such as your latest qualifications, awards or practice locations as and when changes happen. It’s best practice to review your biography on your website – along with the rest of its content – every six to twelve months.

Personally, I would recommend reaching out to a writer or journalist within the industry and paying them to pull together your bio pieces. Their time and advice are a sound investment because they have clarity that only comes from an outsider’s perspective, and they know what that specific audience wants to know about you.

Alex Bugg works for Web Marketing Clinic, a familyrun digital agency, which specialises in medical aesthetics. They build websites and deliver marketing campaigns for doctors, nurses, dentists, distributors and brands. Contact her: alex@webmarketingclinic.co.uk or follow her on Instagram: @webmarketingclinic

This article appears in October 2021

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This article appears in...
October 2021
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WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF AESTHETIC MEDICINE
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