Here's the thing: so many people rather follow the mainstream than stand out by being themselves.
The reason I say this is because I was editing my book Find Joy in Chaos (which you can pre-order now) and looking for examples for crafting an inviting Twitter bio. To me, the ideal Twitter bio (the line of text with a 160-character limit) should have 2 components. Let's just assume they're two lines.
The 1st line should tell people what you represent and what benefit they can get from following you. This is non-negotiable because you need to give people a reason to click that "Follow" button and expect something from you.
Then the 2nd line is where I have a very different opinion than most of the Twitter gurus out there. They suggest people only stick to their niche or value proposition and become "the XXX guy".
Well, I have no problem with that because you already do that in your 1st line. But the 2nd line should be a place to show a bit of who you really are. Maybe a value you hold strongly, maybe a hobby, maybe something so important in your life.
The key is "just a bit", do you know why?
If you show too much of yourself, then you become a casual social media user that seems to be using Twitter for personal purposes. It is very hard for people to follow you because they don't know what they can get from you. The truth is they're not interested in your personal life.
But now imagine you stumble upon 2 marketers.
Both of them say in their bio that they can help you figure out how to market smarter so people buy from you. You go "Yes! This is exactly what I want!" Then you go on to read more about both of them. One doesn't say much about herself, and the other one says "Mom of 5" on her bio.
Now let's pretend you're a parent too, which one do you instantly feel connected to?
Yes, business is business, and value proposition is always the center of it.
But I'm assuming you're reading from me because you care about people and relationships! So, I'd say these little human details matter a lot. For one, they're amazing conversation starters. You can now send a private message to her and say "You have 5 kids? That's impressive!" And the relationship is kicked off.
This little note of yourself is what separates you from the thousands of people talking about the same value proposition. And you use it to draw the right people towards you and make it easier to start a conversation.
Okay, what if you're not a parent? This is just an example of how a little something (2-3 words) about yourself can connect you instantly with others. If you're a dog lover, you'll obviously pay more attention to words like "dog" and "pets". If you love sports, you'll pay attention to "snowboarding" and "diving". Of course, it is different for everyone.
So how do I know this works? Because I find myself having a much higher chance, maybe 3x, to follow and interact with someone if they're a dad like me.
Speaking of dad, I have this line on my Twitter bio - "My baby girl runs away from me". Do you know why I put it up?
Here are the reasons:
- It is a fact. My baby girl loves her mom but always tries to get away from me.
- People often say I look very young, and I want to imply I'm a dad which means I likely have many years of experience.
- Family is everything to me. If you follow me long enough, you know I am all about living a family-oriented life. I even make it my mission at Public Lab to help other creators do the same. I want to meet people with the same vision of their lives.
Showing a bit of personality is not just randomly picking anything about you to show, be strategic.
Think about how this little note of yourself can help elevate your business brand. If you want more ideas, check out these commentary videos I did for a few people to get some inspiration.
And I'm so excited so many of you got on this human side of Twitter :)
