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Being cool on Twitter is a lot of work, but it’s a great alternative if you’re not conventionally handsome enough to make in on Instagram. On top of growing your list of followers, having a noticeable presence on Twitter can help put your name out there and catch the eye of people who might want to hire you.
In this article, we’re going to talk about what makes a Twitter bio ‘cool’, and how it can help you get more business. Then we’ll share five tips to spruce up your Twitter bio.
Let’s get to it!
How Having a Cool Twitter Bio Can Help You Land More Clients
If you’re a freelancer, you probably spend a lot of time looking through job boards, networking with potential clients, and on remote work websites. Using social media to land more clients may not have even occurred to you, especially when it comes to Twitter.
However, all social media boils down to getting noticed. That attention can come from your friends, people you don’t know, and even potential clients. Building up your presence on Twitter can actually be a boon for your business. Let’s break down why:
- These days, most employers will likely look you up on social media before hiring you.
- You can show who you are in a more laid-back environment.
- Having a fleshed-out Twitter profile helps potential clients put a face to your name and build familiarity with your brand.
When it comes to Twitter, there are three ways you can stand out. First, you’ll want a fully fleshed-out profile that feels like it belongs to an actual human. Secondly, you need to actively post on a regular schedule. Finally, you should have a cool bio.
That last part is the hardest, but don’t worry. You don’t need sunglasses and a leather jacket for people to look up to you on Twitter. What you need is to be engaging and present yourself as knowledgeable enough to follow.
5 Ways to Make Your Twitter Bio Stand Out
It takes time to cultivate a following on social media, to be sure. However, the easiest way to make a great first impression is by having a fantastic bio. So let’s start there!
1. Tell People What You Do (But Don’t Focus Solely on It)
Since your goal is to use Twitter to help you engage with new clients, it’s only logical to tell them what it is you do. This may not be strictly necessary, since some people will find your social media profiles through your portfolio. Just in case your profile shows up in a search, though, it’s best to cross your t’s and dot your i’s.
When it comes to Twitter bios, you don’t have many characters to play with (160, to be precise). That means you need to get to the point quickly, and lead with your qualifications. Ideally, you’ll want to include information that answers two questions:
- What do you do?
- What makes you stand out among other people in your field?
Andrew Nacin does this exceptionally well. His Twitter bio is cool and to the point, clearly explaining his roles without any extra fuss:
Likewise, Tim Nash’s profile does an excellent job of showcasing his skills and giving you an inkling of his personality:
Also, you’ll need a decent picture if you want to make your bio pop. For maximum effect, go for a head shot that showcases your personality while still looking professional.
2. Don’t Be Afraid to Add a Bit of Humor
When it comes to social media platforms, each tends to appeal most to a specific crowd. Instagram is the hunting ground of good-looking folks, LinkedIn appeals to the suit-and-tie crowd, and Twitter is all about funny people. If you’re not laughing while browsing Twitter, you’re following the wrong accounts.
Twitter is ideal for showing your humorous side, because it’s optimal for short soundbites. You can Tweet about things that annoy you, funny stuff you’ve seen around the web, or pretty much anything else you can think of.
Plus, there’s nothing stopping you from being funny in your Twitter bio. If your bio gets even a small laugh out of a potential follower, they’re much more likely to pay attention to what you have to say. Mark Jaquith’s profile, for example, perfectly pairs a great head shot avatar with a clever bio:
Since we’re using Twitter to court clients, it’s important to balance discussing your skill set with humor. If you focus solely on one or the other, you might miss out on additional leads. Another example of a bio that uses humor well is Nile Flores’:
Right off the bat, you get an inkling of her personality and a look at her qualifications. As long as your potential employer has a sense of humor, that’s a great way to catch their attention.
3. Include Links to Some of Your Best Work
You’ve probably noticed that some of the examples we’ve shared so far also include links to external sites within their bios. Your Twitter bio is the perfect place to lead people to your portfolio, which will hopefully help convince them of your skills.
As a freelancer, you live and die by your portfolio. Most clients won’t have a clue how great your work is, so your portfolio needs to impress them into hiring you. For those who don’t arrive at your social media profiles via your portfolio, you might want to take a page out of Jason Tucker’s book and include a link to it:
If you want to go a step further, you can also use your bio to show off some of your most impressive clients or projects you’ve worked on. Syed Balkhi, for example, comes across as mightily impressive when you bump into his Twitter profile:
Be careful, though – if you focus too much on name-dropping, you won’t have as much room to showcase your own personality. You don’t want your profile to come across as too dry, which is the polar opposite of ‘cool’.
4. Consider Who Your Audience Is
Like beauty, coolness is largely in the eye of the beholder. If you’re a huge WordPress fan, then you probably think a lot of the bios we’ve showcased so far are pretty cool. However, for anyone unfamiliar with the platform, being renowned in the WordPress community probably doesn’t matter much.
If you want to get noticed on Twitter, you need to think about who your target audience is and what appeals to them. Then you can tailor both your bio and the content you publish to them, so they’re more likely to pay attention. Ryan Hellyer, for example, lets you know exactly who his target audience is with his bio:
There’s no need to be that overt if you don’t want to, though. Mostly, it’s important to consider your word choice and if it’s appropriate for the types of clients you want to court.
A lot of them may not be particularly tech-savvy, for example, so terms such as #GrowthHacker might not mean much to them. On the other hand, if your target customer-base is more tech-oriented, there’s nothing wrong with a more specialized profile, so your mileage may vary.
5. Avoid Vague ‘Business-Speak’
The fastest way to come across as boring in your Twitter bio is to pack it with a lot of vague business-related terms. This something a lot of bios are guilty of. However, WP101 manages to explain what it is they do in an approachable tone, which we quite enjoy:
Before posting your Twitter bio, give it one last pass through to see if any generic business words or highly-specific industry terms managed to find their way in. If they did, look for ways to convey the same meaning, but in a manner that’s easier to understand.
If you can, you might even consider having someone who isn’t in your industry read your bio and let you know if anything in it is confusing or unfamiliar. This can give you an outsider’s perspective, which may align more closely with that of your potential clients.
Conclusion
The goal of a ‘cool’ Twitter bio is to make sure your profile helps you look like the kind of person others would want to work with. With the right bio, you may land some promising new clients. Perhaps you’ll even pick up some more followers along the way.
Let’s go over our tips to help you improve your Twitter bio, one more time:
- Tell people what you do (but don’t focus solely on it).
- Don’t be afraid to add a bit of humor.
- Include links to some of your best work.
- Consider who your audience is.
- Avoid vague ‘business-speak’.
Do you have any questions about how to be cool on Twitter? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!
Article thumbnail image by Anikei / shutterstock.com
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