Questions to ask someone for a biography

Writing a concise bio for a business website may seem like a no brainer.

Questions to ask someone for a biography

A few paragraphs, hit all the usual points like schools, charity work, career highlights and then, BAM! Bio, check.

The problem with that approach? There’s a high likelihood you’ll churn out super boring bios, fast. When I think of old school bios, I think of a stuffy headshot accompanied by a few paragraphs of text that no one wants to read.

But the days of stale bios are over. Believe it or not, people actually want to learn about you and your company, and they’d rather not fall asleep while doing it.

Questions to ask someone for a biography interview

A well-written bio will combine the overall company culture and voice with that of the profiled team member. While website bios are generally concise—anywhere from Twitter-short to a few paragraphs—choosing the particulars to highlight can be tricky.

Gathering the right information up front, in a 15-20 minute interview, is key.

Here are my favorite questions to ask when writing a bio. Note: these don’t inc