How To Write a Medium Bio (With 27 Examples & Bio Template)

My personal approach to writing the perfect Medium bio

I’ve been writing on Medium for over a year now and consistently make $1,000-$2,000 per month.

I’m not trying to brag, just establish credibility — I hope it comes across that way.

When I first started, I had so many questions, including how to set up my bio.

Here’s how to write a Medium bio:

Write a Medium bio by including who you are, what you write, where readers can find you, a memorable fact about you, emojis, and a promotional link. Follow the bio templates of successful writers on Medium. Do not leave your bio blank, waste unused characters, or include offensive language.

In this article, I’ll answer the most common questions about how to write a Medium bio.

What Is a Bio in Medium?

A Medium bio is a short, informal summary of who you are and what you’ve written.

It’s a personal biography about your background at the top of your profile. Your Medium bio also automatically shows up at the bottom of each of your published articles.

However, for this to happen, you still need to complete your bio in Settings (I’ll show you exactly where this is at the end of the article).

What’s the Purpose of a Bio on Medium?

The purpose of your bio on Medium is to make it easy for readers to learn about you and see your published articles.

This way, they know if you’ve written anything that might interest them.

Beyond connecting with readers and growing your audience, your bio can also promote your email list, website, or an affiliate product.

5 Things To Put In Your Medium Bio

It’s important that you add each one of these things to maximize the impact of your bio. By covering these five elements, you give yourself (and your writing) the best chance to be discovered and remembered.

Here are five things to include in your Medium bio:

1) Who You Are

One of the most important parts of your bio is concisely describing yourself.

People need to know who you are and why they should care before they decide whether or not to read your writing.

You can insert:

• A catchy description
• A literal description
• Where you are from
• What you do
• Your “day” job
• Your credentials (awards, degrees, etc.)

For example, you can say, “I’m a marathon runner who’s lived on at least four continents and am obsessed with early-stage startups.”

Here are two more examples:

• “I’m an American who is fascinated by cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.”
• “I am a full-time day trader. I chase market volatility to find high probability setups. I also write about trading on Medium.”

One benefit of adding your day job or side hustle is that you can incorporate keywords related to it in your bio for SEO purposes.

Note: You don’t need to input your name in your bio because your name will already be listed above or near your bio.

2) What You Write About

This is another important part of your bio.

Most people who visit your Medium bio want to know who you are and what kind of writing they can expect from you.

This is your chance to convince them to:

• Follow you on Medium
• Subscribe to get your stories by email
• Become a super fan of your work

For example:

• Ashleigh D. Jay: #Aquarius astrologer finding the logic behind your instincts. I talk about business, self-mastery, and pop culture.
• Anna Holling: Semi-nomadic photographer. Writing mostly for myself, sharing some of it with you — https://annah.co/
• Allie Volpe: Writes about lifestyle, trends, and pop psychology for The Atlantic, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Playboy, Washington Post, and more.

3) Where to Connect With You

Some people find you on Medium and come to your profile page specifically because they want to connect with you.

Make it easy for readers (and potential clients) to contact you.

I’ve landed several projects and made dozens of valuable connections by including contact information in my articles, profile, and bio.

Here are a few good medium bio examples (that I created — see more real examples below):

• Taki Moore: I do all sorts of creative stuff, like writing and making comics for a living — www.takimoore.com
• Allie Ochs: Former New York Times staff editor — ohlseditortions.com/allie-ochs
• Klara Glowczewska: I am a Polish dancer, writer, and podcaster. Listen to “Polish Girl Dancer” on Spotify-www.klaraglow.spotify.com

4) Promote Something

Most writers join Medium to express themselves and make a little money. You can also make a lot of money on Medium.

No matter your primary motivation, you might as well promote something in your bio.

You can promote yourself, your book, email list, linktree, Patreon, website, blog, or anything else.

For example:

• Zulie Rane: Content creator and devoted cat mom. She/her. Get 2x weekly emails about how to make money by writing online: https://zuliewrites.ck.page/3e3d3a8187
• Tom Kuegler: Travel blogger. 28 years old. Currently in Mexico. Get my free 5-day Medium course via email → https://bit.ly/35yyIIu
• Michelle Brown: Writer/Editor/Podcaster. Become a Medium member for $5 with my referral link & I’ll take a cut of the profits xoxo https://michelleponders.medium.com/membership

I’m with Michelle Brown.

In my current bio, I promote the Medium membership. When readers click on my link and sign up with Medium, I get a small commission. The price is no higher for the reader, but it really helps me.

Here’s my current Medium bio:

Endlessly curious| proud word nerd| Support my writing by joining Medium https://bit.ly/3jh3IoQ (affiliate link — I get a portion of your fee)

5) Something Memorable

Bland bios won’t offend anyone, but no one will remember them either.

You need a hook, a twist, a big idea.

Here’s what you accomplish with a memorable bio: You get people who see your bio and think, I need to know more about this writer.

Some of the best medium bios:

• Ash Jurberg: I’ve been to 105 countries and am welcome back in most. Subscribe to Medium https://bit.ly/3EWjfmX
• Barack Obama: Dad, husband, President, citizen
• Ellen McRae: You can make a fine living in a pair of heels | Indulge in the process: http://ellenjellymcrae.substack.com

Yes, former President Obama is on Medium.

I like the way Heather Austin distills bios down into a single, saleable sentence or two:

Examples of Medium Bios

One of the best ways to write a bio is to see actual examples. I literally read hundreds before I wrote my own.

These are all real bios on Medium:

• Michelle Judd: Creator. Teacher. Leader. | Writing: Life, Self, Marketing, Small Business & Financial Freedom. | Hire me to create content that works for you. www.mljudd.com
• Tom Handy: An investor writing his thoughts online. 24-year Self-taught Investor & 20-year Army Veteran. Interviewed by Money magazine 2x.
• Jenn Leach: A coffee obsessed, Netflix binge-watching cat mama writing over at https://www.millennialnextdoor.com. [email protected]
• Joe Moody: Novelist | Columnist | Editor | 7X Top Writer on Medium | Open to Gigs: [email protected]
• Emma Austin: 💜 Wholesome perv with a touch of whimsy 🖤 Podcast, Patreon, spicy content: https://linktr.ee/EmmaAustin
• Sean Kernan: Quality over quantity. That guy from Quora. medium.seanjkernan.com/membership
• Joan O'Donnell: Doctoral researcher, lecturer, living and learning in systems. Advanced Social Presencing Practitioner, Editor: https://medium.com/living-in-systems
• Liam Hunter-Bailey: Hey! I’m a British, travel-obsessed student of languages, writing about productivity & self-improvement. Support me here! → https://liamhb.medium.com/membership
• Samantha Myers: Just a girl in her 20s trying to figure life out. Writing about mental health, relationships, advice, and just life in general. Come along for the ride 🙂
• Wendy Newman: Dating, Sex & Relationship Expert and Author of 121 First Dates (Simon & Schuster). Over 70,000 women trust Wendy’s advice, tools, & experience. WendySpeaks.com
• Connie Song: Teacher. Writer. Feasting on words. Reading is my gateway drug. You can find me on Twitter@https://twitter.com/ /ConnieSong10/
• Trisha Dunbar (She/Her): x3 Top Writer | Editor of New Era — stories on Digital Work, Life & Play💻 | All views are my own | To adopt me as a writer subscribe: https://bit.ly/3dnek1C 📧

How To Write a Medium Bio (2 Helpful Templates)

If you’re still not sure what to write in your bio, I’ve created a Medium bio template for you to follow.

• [Interesting fact about you] + [Topics you write about] + [Promotional link]
• [Credentials]. I write about [Topics] and am available for hire at [Link]

How To Write an Engaging Medium Bio

People need to be able to quickly and accurately decide whether or not they should read your content.

One simple way to accomplish this is with a tagline-a short phrase that encapsulates who you are to help people make a snap decision. Try to relate your tagline back to the type of content you typically create.

Also, don’t forget to let the reader know what they will get out of following you.

This simple technique can really make a difference. One of my favorite examples is this bio by Niklas Göke:

I write for dreamers, doers, and unbroken optimists. For my best articles & book updates, go here: https://nik.art/

You can also add emojis in your bio.

Emojis help you stand out, save space, and allow you to show your personality.

Consider these emojis:

• 😃
• ➡
• 🔥
• 😝
• 💋
• 👈
• 💙
• ✈️
• 💹
• 🔆

To add emojis, type “:”, then a word, followed by another “:” — So, it will look like :example: (Note: I purposely used a word not associated with an emoji for example purposes).

There should be no spaces between the “colons” and the word:

With spaces —: fish :

Without spaces —:Fish:

The end product without spaces is 🐟.

There are tons of emojis, so experiment with different letters and words inside of the pair of “colons.”

Emojis grab attention and make your bio stand apart.

How To Write a Bad Medium Bio

Now that you know how to write a good medium bio, it’s equally important to know how NOT to write a bad Medium bio.

Some of the most common mistakes I see:

1. Not including a bio at all.
2. Writing one or two words (unless you are famous).
3. Pigeon-holing yourself to one topic or subject (Give yourself room to grow and explore).
4. Not including a link (Linktree allows you to insert one link in your bio that then displays links for your other sites or offers).
5. Being boring.

Where To Write Your Medium Bio (Easy Guide)

Ok, now for the technical information.

Knowing how to write a Medium bio won’t help if you can’t figure out where to put it on your Medium profile.

Here’s an easy guide for where to write and update your Medium bio:

1. Click on your profile picture (usually a small circle with your picture at the top right-hand side of the Medium website).
2. Doing so will open a drop-down list of options.
3. Click on “Settings”
4. Scroll down to “Bio”
5. Click the “Edit” button next to Bio

Here is what it will look like:

After you write your bio, click “Save,” and then check your profile to make sure everything looks right.

You can go always go back and change your bio as often as you want.

Final Thoughts

Medium bios are opportunities to connect with readers, show your personality, and promote yourself.

Feel free to play around with your bio-experiment, have fun, and keep writing.

Browse my “playlist” of articles about how to write and make money with Medium

Originally published at https://www.writingbeginner.com on January 14, 2022.