THE *ONE* SENTENCE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR (COPYWRITING) LIFE

By “the one sentence,” I mean a biz bio. A mini-elevator speech. Cocktail party pitch. Twitter bio. One-line manifesto. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a clear, succinct, engaging way to tell the world what you do…in one glorious sentence.

Some people see this “one sentence” idea as limiting. I see it as freeing.

TRUTH: Nobody needs more anxiety in social (networking) situations – formal or informal. Having a basic “hey – here’s what I do” framework in mind before stepping into the unknown takes the pressure off and allows you to just ENJOY the natural flow of conversation.

On the other hand, if you plan on freestyling your answer with every single person you meet, you’re ADDING to the pressure, taking away from the moment, and could very likely end up feeling like a goob with nothing coherent to say. (Not the effect you’re going for.)

The right kind of prep doesn’t make you sound like a cheeseball. It makes you sound like a professional. (Tweet that!)

The basic structure of the biz bio is deceptively simple. Small, but mighty. Each and every word of this sentence should be hand-picked with the utmost consideration. Every noun, verb, and adjective serves a unique and productive purpose.

Drumroll please…..

BOOM. It can be that simple.

No matter who you’re talking to, your spiel (yes, I googled how to spell that) should include THREE important parts: audience, benefit, and feature.

Tell people who you serve, the benefit they get from working with you, and how you get them that benefit. You can adapt, flip, and change it over time, but to start, this formula makes for some killer training wheels.

Case in point: My Twitter-bio-turned-self-fulfilling-prophecy that I created in March 2013, before I had a business (or client!) to speak of: I help bright entrepreneurs (audience) attract their dream clients (benefit), one brilliant message at a time (feature).

Bust out your (digital) pen and paper, and let’s break this baby down, one step at a time. The first half is the hardest, so hang with me here.

Who are your dream clients, exactly? Up-and-coming entrepreneurs? Busy moms? Professional bowlers?

If you let us know who you love to work with, we can help you find ’em. If I know a [professional bowler] who might like your stuff, you can bet I’ll pass on a recommendation.

On your page, brainstorm a list of concise ways to describe your ideal audience. Keep it specific, but SIMPLE. (i.e. Avoid “I help women entrepreneurs between 5’3″ and 5’7” who who have a love-hate relationship with chocolate...” It’s good to know that, but you don’t need to spell it ALL out in this sentence.)

Why do your customers love to work with you? What’s the big, shiny takeaway they get? More time to do what they love? A smokin’ hot bikini bod?

Make sure it’s juicy, clear, and accurate. Aspirational, even. This should be something that potential clients will drool over because it sounds so ridiculously desirable.

On your page, make a list of the big, headlining benefits your customers or clients get from working with you. Use language they can identify with (and get excited about!).

How do you achieve those results for them? By giving them a new way to look at food? By teaching them to be smarter about their finances?

It’s important to be clear here. There are a number of different ways to help people achieve that dreamy benefit. The feature tells us how YOU do it.

On your page, make a list of what you actually do to get these results for your customers. Focus on what sets you apart from others who offer a similar benefit.

Once you’ve got three solid word banks to play with, it’s time to start putting the puzzle together. Start mixing and matching different phrases.

Play around with the different phrases and see what you like and what you don’t like. Read them out loud. Do they feel awkward together? Too long? Too short? Not descriptive enough?

Keep adjusting until you find a structure you’re happy with.

Once you’ve got a one-liner you like, it’s time to make that baby shine. Ask yourself these Qs:

Can I switch it up a bit? Get creative! Again, this formula is like training wheels. If you’re feeling confident, switch things around a bit. Swap the order. Exchange “help” for another verb like simplify, enable, empower, or give, and see what happens!

Does it look good in writing? Is it choppy, awkward, or too long to read? Tweak as needed until you’re happy with the flow.

Does it make sense? Clever is good, but clear is better. Ask a friend or two to take a peek (or have a listen), and check for understanding.

Do I feel comfortable saying it? You shouldn’t feel (or sound) like a cheeseball when you say it out loud. Make sure it sounds like YOU – your lingo, your pace. (Bonus tip: You may even draft a slightly different version for writing vs. speaking.)

YOU DID IT!!! Congratulations!!

Seriously. Take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, and do a happy dance – full. OUT.

I’m throwing imaginary confetti your way. Do you see it? (Tweet that. Because at least one of your followers needs some imaginary confetti.)

If you’re anything like my dream clients, by this point you can’t WAIT to share your biz bio all over the place – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, your own website and about page, speaker bios, guest posting bios, you name it.

Copy, paste, repeat.

Just like you, your business will grow and change. And your social situation will change! (You’d probably explain your work a bit differently to a potential partner than a client – or your great aunt or a total stranger, for example.) Every now and then, come back to the bio and make sure it still represents where you are and (perhaps more importantly) where you want to be.

Don’t be afraid to make changes and updates as necessary.

I mentioned before that I’ve worked on this process with just about every one of my fabulous clients, but this is my first time to share it publicly. In the comments below, tell me:

***2015 UPDATE: Late last year, after (close to) HUNDREDS of comments + sentences down below, I realized it was time to take this post to the next level. I took note of all the most common mistakes, frustrations, and confusions from the comments below and created something even BETTA. Introducing….