Building a Better Bio

Intro by Skip Cohen

One spin-off benefit of the pandemic is time. It’s that one commodity we never have enough of, and right now, it would be the slow season, with or without the virus. That means it’s the perfect time to do some house-cleaning and know off a few projects to make your presence as an artist stronger.

A favorite place for me to start, especially when I’m teaching, is to talk about your bio – that “About” page so many of you have done wrong. Relax, you’re in good company with the majority of artists out there.

You’re written in the third person when it should be more personal and from you directly. You’ve talked about how you got started, how long you’ve been a photographer, what awards you’ve won – when your audience is looking for one primary thing – can you be trusted to capture beautiful images of their family?

I found this post in Chamira Young’s archives and appreciated how she hit on three basics for writing your bio. Just remember the demographics of your audience. For most of you, that’s “Mom,” and she’s looking to establish trust with the photographer she hires.

One last tip – sign your bio with a facsimile of your signature. Make it more of an artist’s statement about why you love photography and the importance of each relationship with a client.

By Chamira Young

There are many elements of your website that are important in displaying your work, educating visitors, and building trust with future clients. That’s why your website needs to be up to date and looking great at all times.

One of the toughest elements of building your site is creating a bio that will be inviting and trustworthy to your potential clients. There are many examples online right now that do this very well and some that do it very poorly. In order to create a bio about yourself that is easy to read and also inviting can be a challenge in itself.

1. Honesty: First and foremost, your bio has to be honest. As much as social media and the internet have a tendency to make people believe that everyone lives a perfect life that’s simply not the case.

Being honest and truthful about your experiences and beliefs is only going to bring you better clients in the future. For example, if you are displaying yourself in a way that resonates with clients who think one way but you think another way you are not only avoiding being authentic, but you will feel less fulfilled with those clients rather than your ideal clients.

2. Concise: While some of you may be exceptional writers, there’s a delicate balance in your bio about how much information is too much info. The idea of a bio is to both inform and entice those who want to meet you.

Your bio should give the basics of your information with the main focus on why you love being a photographer for starters are helpful. Anything you add on top is going to be more personal, but you want the gist of it to be inviting so that a client might want to learn more about you.
3. Personable: Finally, being personable and relatable is going to be another huge aspect of your bio. No matter what niche you might photograph in, being relatable and able to connect to a real human is going to separate you from others in your field.

Too many photographers fear the online presence and have stiff and cold bios about themselves that are highly uninviting. Using the word “you” throughout your bio will make it more personal almost immediately. Think of your bio as a letter to your future client or a note to a new friend.

Using these three simple tips in the bio portion of your website will make a huge difference in how your clients and customers view you but also how they interact with you. One of the most important things to remember is that your clients are people and people desire connection. You can use that as a leverage point to create lasting relationships and incredible client experiences in all parts of your photography business.