Much of what will influence your audience to want to work with you has less to do with what you think “should be important” and more to do with what truly makes an impact.

It doesn’t really matter what should be. It only matters how it is.

And this is why I’m writing to you today. To tell you why I don’t believe in Bios.

You’ve all seen them on websites. The credentials page. The page that says “I’m much smarter than you and I’ve got prestigious degrees and therefore you should listen to me”.

I’ve done them myself. I used to have an impressive sounding resume. The truth is that most people don’t care about resume connections. They actually care about what Dan Kennedy calls “values connections.”

What is a Values Connection?

It’s a personal philosophy. It’s what you stand for.

It’s what you have done in your life that helps exhibit who you are as a person and why your experiences make you uniquely valuable.

13 years of writing copy has taught me that prospects look to our personal experiences for evidence of connection with their own life. It helps them to feel comfortable. It helps them to believe you (and only you) can help them. And it helps them to decide to ultimately hire you.

Want to know another reason why I don’t believe in Bios?

They are often sanitized. The verbal equivalent of being photoshopped. Made to sound perfect without showing the struggle. Written in 3rd person as a way to build emotional distance and hide the flaws.

I get it. Having an M.D. next to your name is an indication that you worked your butt off. But a degree that hints at what it took to get where you are, and a story that explicitly shows us how you got there have profoundly different effects on our connection to you, both rationally and emotionally.

Know what a bio doesn’t have? It doesn’t have “The Why.”

And that’s what people want to know. People want to know the reason why you are doing what you do.

Want to drop the bio and share your story? Pay attention below.

• You have a story, yes? I am giving you permission to share it.
  People want to know who you are, where you come from, what makes you tick.
• Ask yourself: Are you hiding things you don’t want people to know?
  If so, it’s a mistake. People relate to flaws.

People love to know the A-Ha moment. Hitting rock bottom. The biggest regret. Not because they want to wallow in pain, but because they want to know that someone can rise from the ashes and overcome adversity.

Here’s why they want to know:

If you can overcome and thrive, it means, perhaps, they can too.

And maybe, just maybe, you’re the one who can help them do it.

Now Get Writing!

 

Matthew Goldfarb is a speaker, lead copywriter, and Chief Renegade Officer of Corporate Renegade. He is also the recent author of the book, Renegade Thoughts.

Matthew started his career writing television commercials for Mr. T and 1-800-COLLECT, and then went on to do work for Volvo, Subaru, Viagra, Dove, Campbell’s Discover, and more.

Corporate Renegade creates breakthrough copy and marketing messages for private clients, and also teaches classes on how to create website content, write sales pages, and find your unique movement, which ultimately leads to higher visibility and more clients.