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Adapting your Bio

 

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Skills Lab 

Here's something nobody tells you when you start pitching: the same bio doesn't work everywhere. The version that lands you a Forbes feature is not the version that gets you booked on a podcast. The angle that makes a Sunday Times journalist pay attention is not what a conference organiser needs to see. And if you're sending the same paragraph about yourself to everyone? You're leaving opportunities on the table.
This month's Skills Lab is about learning to read the room before you hit send.
 
 

Summary

What's covered in this session

  • Why your bio should change depending on the journalist, publication, or opportunity you’re pitching

  • How to treat your “why me” section like a wardrobe — not a uniform

  • The difference between credential-led, story-led, and results-led bios, and when to use each

  • How to tailor your bio for business press, lifestyle publications, podcasts, parenting platforms, and niche outlets

  • What to keep consistent across every bio, including your name, role, and clear positioning

  • How to cut jargon, irrelevant awards, and overlong backstories so your bio is instantly understandable

  • How to connect your expertise directly to the reader’s problem, so journalists can quickly see why you’re the right fit

  • How to use metrics, personal turning points, client results, and previous speaking opportunities to strengthen your pitch

  • When to use a short email pitch versus a fuller press pack, media page, or showreel

  • How to build a small bank of tailored bios so you’re ready for different types of media opportunities

Key takeaways

 The “why me” section is not one-size-fits-all. Your bio should shift depending on where you’re pitching. A journalist at the Financial Times, a lifestyle editor, a podcast host, and a parenting platform are all looking for different things. Your bio needs to make your relevance obvious to that specific audience.

Think wardrobe, not uniform. Your name and core role stay consistent, but the angle changes. Sometimes you’ll lead with credentials, sometimes with your story, sometimes with results, and sometimes with lived experience. The strongest bios are flexible without making you sound like a different person every time.

Clarity beats cleverness. Avoid jargon, vague titles, and industry language that only makes sense to people already inside your world. A journalist should be able to understand what you do, who you help, and why it matters immediately.

Every bio needs a bridge. A good bio does more than list credentials. It connects your expertise to the reader’s problem, so the journalist can quickly see why you’re relevant to their audience — not just why you’re impressive.

Build a small bio bank. You don’t need to rewrite from scratch every time. Create three or four versions of your bio — credential-led, story-led, results-led, and podcast/founder-led — so you can quickly adapt them for different pitches and media opportunities.

Resources mentioned

  • Pitching templates: gold dust, plug and play pitching templates - also find pitching for podcasts, opinion pieces etc. 

 

 

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