How to Write a Biography for a Press Kit
When putting together a press kit, above all else, you need a biography. Your audience needs to know who you are (and why they should care about you). Without a biography, you should not expect the media or your desired audience to look at anything else in the press kit---or read any of your subsequent press releases. Creating a biography is not difficult, but it takes a little more time and effort to create one that grabs the reader's attention.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Word processing software
- Digital photo of the subject
- Information about the subject
Instructions
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1
Find a photograph. If you are writing a press kit for yourself, find a professional-looking photograph of yourself doing whatever skill you are trying to sell to the public. If your press kit is for a whole organization, such as a nonprofit, use an image where a member of the organization is helping to fulfill your group's mission. Keep in mind that while including a photograph in a press kit is not mandatory, it will attract more attention to the rest of the content.
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Gather the information that you will use. This information, along with the photograph, will be the entire biography. It needs to be relevant, recent and catered to your ideal audience. Be sure to double-check the accuracy of every fact that you will be including.
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Sit down at the computer and write. Your first paragraph should grab the audience's attention so that they will want to read the entire article. It can be a quote, review, statistic or unusual fact. Stay true to the subject, but cater the biography to the audience and make it relevant so that your press kit gets the attention that it deserves.
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Insert the photograph and use text-wrapping to make the layout look professional. Some people like to put the photograph in the middle; others prefer one of the four corners. Play with it and see what looks the best with your biography.
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Proofread and edit your biography. Cut out any information that is unnecessary or irrelevant. While personal stories and anecdotes may be a way to get attention, if they are unrelated to the skills you are promoting, do not include them. Keep it concise, but interesting. Have several friends proofread it and give their feedback.
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Tips & Warnings
You may want to add personal information. Only do so if you are comfortable revealing that information to a mass audience, as it is not necessary. Make sure it does not distract from the point you are trying to sell.
Be careful about how much personal information you add. Once your biography is distributed to the public, you cannot control who gets it.
References
- Photo Credit typing image by DXfoto.com from Fotolia.com
