What does your Twitter bio say about you? If you’re not completely happy with it and you’re looking to spice it up a bit, check out this article for some useful tips that will help.

Writing your bio may actually be the most complicated task on Twitter. Well, that and being able to confine your thoughts to 140 characters. It’s challenging to tell people who you are, what you do, and why they should follow you in only one or two sentences. It’s even harder when you don’t particularly like to talk about yourself.

Your Twitter bio must set you apart from the crowd, but make you look approachable at the same time. It has to give people an idea about what you’ll tweet and prompt them to click the “Follow” bottom. You must appear accomplished and skilled, without sounding too arrogant or like you’re bragging. It should redirect visitors to a website where they can find more info about you. It’s also advisable to make it humorous – after all, much of social media is about fun.

Whether you’re an individual or you’re working to promote a brand on Twitter, you have to give your bio some serious thought. It can make the difference between gaining new followers and turning your potential audience away. To get you inspired, we’ve gathered some tips that will aid you in your bio writing efforts.  

Understand The Basics

First of all, your Twitter bio should be error free – no spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes allowed. Run it through a spell checker or ask a friend to take a look just to make sure.

Next, a solid Twitter bio should be consistent and look neat. If you’re going for a list-based format, make sure all the elements from the list are separated either by commas, periods, or vertical bars, never a combination of them. When referencing other Twitter usernames, capitalize them when necessary. To make it clearer, @katyperry is fine, since she didn’t capitalize any words in her Twitter username; @barackobama isn’t, since it’s written @BarackObama on the official account.

Choose Keywords Wisely

Bios are searchable. That means it will turn up in search results when people look up yours or your brand’s name. You should keep this bit of information in mind when it comes to crafting an appealing Twitter bio. Choose keywords that best relate to your industry, location, and what makes you or your company unique.

According to inSegment , a digital marketing agency based in Boston, these keywords shouldn’t be strung together in a list, but should be integrated naturally throughout your bio.

At the same time, however, make sure you avoid buzzwords everyone is tired of hearing: “guru,” “driven,” “innovative,” “enthusiastic,” and so on. You can consult a broad list here.

Show People What You Do

Think of it this way: instead of telling people who you are, focus on showing them what you do. For instance, it’s much more powerful to say “wrote for Business Insider and Mashable” instead of “I’m a tech writer.” Learn how to sell yourself by highlighting your accomplishments. Action verbs will make this easier – you can find a great list of them here. This advice applies whether you represent a brand or yourself. Brands can list their most prominent clients, while individuals should display their achievements proudly.

Learn From Others

Before writing your bio, check out what others in your field are doing, whether they be competitors or Twitter users you look up to. Do some research to study the different types of bios out there, especially from those accounts with many followers. It’s OK to analyze the trends in the industry beforehand, as long as you don’t copy other’s bios word for word. Here, you can find a list of ten amusing Twitter bios to get you started.

But Let Your Own Voice Shine

Now that you have a general idea how you’d like your bio to sound, it’s time to craft your own. If you’re managing a brand account, think about what best identifies the brand in the industry – accuracy, speed, tradition? Incorporate those values when writing the bio. If you’re an individual trying to come up with a clever bio for yourself, think about what makes you special and do your best to communicate that to your potential audience. If all else fails, you can hire a stand-up comedian to do all the hard work for you; you wouldn’t be the first.     

Update it Often

Now that you’re done, don’t forget to revisit your bio every now and then. Update it in case you relocate, get another job, or change your industry – or if you come up with a more brilliant version of it.

If you think about it, a terrific Twitter bio is something of a postmodern art form. Don’t underestimate it, as a clever one can win over new followers and increase your exposure. You only have 140 characters to make a good first impression. Use them wisely.