The twitter bio is usually an afterthought for most people–something that they spend a few minutes putting together when they create an account, then forget about until updating it three years later.
But the bio can be a critical matter of your “online brand” whether you want such a “brand” or not.
The Goal Of the Twitter Bio
The goal of your bio should be to clarify who you are and to potentially attract new followers who might benefit from your ideas or collaboration.
Yes, what you tweet is far more important than a bio few people read, but as weeks turn into months, and months turn into years, who people choose to follow can sometimes boil down to that bio, especially as twitter tools that choose twitter accounts for you are often based not on tweets, but the bio itself. Even if you don’t necessarily care how many people follow you, you hopefully do care how you are perceived.
While you may not write it as an advertisement, that’s essentially what the bio ends up being. With that in mind, there are some tips you can use to help you create a better bio that reflects who you are as an educator. You’ve only got 160 characters. Make them count.
One tip: Unless the account is anonymous, don’t tweet anything you wouldn’t announce over the school PA system or in a letter home to parents.
See also 20 Ways High Schools Are Using Twitter In The Classroom
25 Twitter Bio Ideas For Teachers
1. Prioritize your message.
Don’t start off talking about your dog, or even your school, but rather your ideas as an educator, as it’s those ideas that will dictate your twitter content.
2. Be passionate.
If you just think it’s “cool,” and simply “enjoy” it, it doesn’t belong in your bio.
3. Brevity can work.
While there are a million possibilities for your bio, it may be you can nail it in four or five words. @edshelf’s bio is “Digital tools for educators.” Simple and effective.
4. Use keywords from your niche in education.
Project-Based Learning, Research, Social Entrepreneurship—these all reflect who you are, and are likely interesting to a huge portion of the twitter population.
5. Check out the bios of twitter users whose content you admire.
Some will be well-written and helpful, others a few words and not much else. Neither is “right,” but oftentimes people can attract a large following in lieu of their user name, avatar, and bio rather than because of it.
6. Think more in terms of content and ideas, and less in terms of titles.
Chances are your sphere of influence is smaller than you think.
7. Speaking of which, be modest.
No matter how many followers you have or what you’ve published, you’re where you are because of someone else. Modesty is hard to fake. Believe it, or be careful tweeting, blogging, and generally spreading your cyber essence around.
8. Think of it as a 160 character resume.
You may never need it for that—and it certainly shouldn’t directly solicit job offers—but you never know who’s reading it, and when and how you might need them in the future.
9. Update it regularly.
As your interests change, your career moves in a new direction, keep your twitter updated based on your goals as well as current trends and platform updates.
10. Tell why people should follow you.
Hint at what kind of content they might expect–lists, thinking, frameworks, models, curriculum, school design thought leadership, etc.
11. Link and connect.
Include links to blogs, institutions, and other social media. Think of twitter as one piece of the online brand puzzle, and link it all together.
12. Choose your avatar carefully.
A picture speaks a thousand words, but your bio only gets 160. If you wouldn’t slide it across the desk at a job opportunity, keep it off your twitter bio.
13. Show some personality.
Keep it professional (it is social media, after all), but people are more interesting than robots, yes?
14. Choose a user name that parallels content and bio.
If you claim to be “serious about social improvement,” lose the “DollaDollaBill$” username from college.
15. If you use your personal picture, smile.
And if you’re morose by nature, use a logo.
16. Don’t be shy about including your dreams or aspirations.
While you may not be concerned about how your present employer could interpret your bio, you shouldn’t refrain from announcing to your potential followers what kind of “light” you’d like to create in education.
17. Mention educators and other professionals that inspire you.
Birds of a feather, right?
18. Consider adding hashtags you’re passionate about.
…but limit it to one or two at the most.
19. Be careful with your tone.
Sarcasm, contrarianism, rebelliousness, and other characteristics don’t always come across the way you’d like.
20. Include an accomplishment.
Don’t get carried away here–nobody likes a know-it-all. But credibility and authority matter. (Or they should.)
21. Proofread.
For the love of copy editors everywhere, proof-read your bio, and then have someone do it again for you. And for some reason, many twitter users dispense with capital letters. while its true twitter isn’t a college English paper, it drives some people nuts to read
22. Use short, well-written sentences.
…as opposed to incomprehensible lists of “stuff” that comes off like noisy chatter.
23. Consider the basic approach.
If all else fails, consider a basic pattern: Your current position, one or two keywords that reflect your interest, and a link to where people can see more of your ideas.
24. Be succinct.
Develop a thesis, mission statement, or elevator pitch for your niche thinking in education, and use it as your bio.
25. Be direct.
No need to beat around the bush. Come right out and tell other educators what you give and what you’re looking for in terms of collaboration and resources.
25 Twitter Bio Tips For Teachers