On Saturday, I had the pleasure of hosting the first Ask Me Anything (A.M.A.) session of the year with Sharine Taylor, an award-winning writer and filmmaker renowned for her compelling storytelling. Sharine has crafted profiles for iconic artists such as Buju Banton, Popcaan, and Spice, earning her a well-deserved reputation as a powerful cultural voice.
During the session, Sharine shared practical insights and actionable steps on how to effectively talk about yourself in copy—whether it’s a bio for your social media profiles, the “About” section of your website, or your vision and mission statements. Drawing from her years of experience in the creative industry, she offered advice on everything from crafting impactful bios to injecting personality into branding and maintaining consistency across platforms.
Below, I’ve summarised key highlights from the Q&A segment. You can watch the full video replay above, and at the end of this article, download the full transcript with detailed examples and links to all the brands mentioned during the session.
Q&A with Sharine Taylor
Kadia Francis: In your presentation, you said we should have three versions of our bio: a fifty-word, a one-hundred-word, and a one-hundred-and-fifty-word bio. What’s the difference between those three?
Sharine Taylor: A fifty- to one-hundred-word bio is your elevator pitch—concise and perfect for situations like conferences, panels, or speaking engagements where brevity is key. These bios are designed to quickly communicate who you are and what you do, allowing events to “get on with the show.”
Long-form bios, typically 500 to 700 words, are ideal for press releases, website "About" pages, or media kits. They provide a more comprehensive view of your story, including the motivations and context behind your work. If you’re an artist, this is where you might include creative influences, collaborations, and significant milestones. For businesses, it’s a space to elaborate on your mission, values, and what sets you apart.
Having both short and long-form versions ensures you’re prepared to effectively communicate your story across various contexts.
KF: You mentioned certain must-haves in a bio, like streaming numbers and awards for artists. But what about personal brands or businesses? What absolutely needs to be included?
ST: A bio should clearly communicate what you do, who you serve, and why it matters. For personal brands, highlight your unique expertise, certifications, or key collaborations. For small or emerging businesses, focus on your potential impact—share your current reach and outline realistic plans for growth. For example, a non-profit serving Kingston might include a goal to expand to Montego Bay or Portland within a few years. This approach allows your audience to see your vision and long-term intentions without needing extensive metrics.
For midsize or larger businesses, include measurable data such as social, cultural, economic, or community impact. These tangible results demonstrate credibility and help potential customers or stakeholders understand your value.
While traditional bios may not always fit business contexts, a mission statement or "About" section serves a similar purpose. Whether in a bio or mission statement, communicate your impact—or your aspirations for impact—clearly and concisely to set the tone for your audience.
KF: How do you talk about what you do without being too long-winded or drawn out?
ST: I think it's all about figuring out what the end goal is for your target audience. Think about the questions they would ask. For example, if you sell cold-pressed juices, your audience might want to know if the ingredients are locally sourced, whether there are additives, or if delivery options are available. Tailor your messaging to address these priorities directly.
One useful approach is to create a detailed customer persona. Imagine your ideal customer: give them a name, a background, and specific interests or concerns. Use this persona to guide how you craft your messaging, ensuring it resonates with the audience’s expectations and preferences.
So when you're relaying information, whether that be through a press release, whether that be through an Instagram announcement, you want to just make sure that messaging is clear and concise for the person that's on the other side.
KF: You said there should be some history in a bio. Can you expand on that? What kind of historical information should I include?
ST: When crafting your bio, especially as an artist, creative entrepreneur, or someone whose brand is deeply personal, it’s crucial to highlight the life experiences that shaped your journey. For example, if you’re a doctor, listing your formal education and training builds trust. Similarly, if you’re self-taught, sharing that detail demonstrates resourcefulness and adds authenticity to your story.
For businesses, your bio should include the history that informs your brand—what gap or need you identified and how your product or service addresses it. Just as McDonald’s, Burger King, Juici Patties, and Tastee all offer similar products but differentiate themselves through unique elements, your business history can highlight what sets you apart. Lean into the specific aspects of your journey that make your brand or product distinctive.
From a cultural perspective, I often ask artists about the backstory of their work: What inspired their album? What collaborations were involved? Where and how was it created? The process behind the product often reveals compelling details that audiences find engaging. Whether you’re an artist or a business, including these historical and unique elements gives depth to your story and helps people connect with who you are and what you offer.
KF: You talked about making information accessible. What does that mean, and accessible to whom?
ST: Maintaining a digital presence can feel expensive, especially when factoring in domains, hosting, and emails, but there are cost-effective ways to make yourself accessible online. If a full-fledged website isn’t feasible, platforms like Tumblr are excellent free options for hosting portfolios. While the domain will include “.tumblr.com” by default, you can purchase an inexpensive custom domain through providers like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Bluehost to make your site more professional.
For those on a tight budget, Google Drive offers a practical solution. Upload your work—whether it’s photos, text, or other documents—and set permissions to shareable links. While the previews may not be perfect, recipients can download high-resolution files. This approach is especially useful for artists or photographers needing an easy way to share portfolios.
Repurposing existing platforms like Instagram can also work. Some creators maintain separate personal and professional pages, showcasing their work in a visually appealing way. Many underestimate the full potential of Instagram tools, but features like Stories with clickable links or automated DM responses can significantly improve accessibility and engagement.
For businesses, investing in a simple one-page website is worth considering. Platforms like Cargo offer affordable plans with e-commerce options and customisable templates. A site with just a “Home,” “About,” and “Contact” page can go a long way in establishing credibility and making information easy to find.
The reality is that people have short attention spans. You have mere seconds to capture interest, so ensuring your bio, contact details, and work are readily accessible is crucial. Whether it’s a clickable link in an Instagram story or a DM automation setup, the easier you make it for people to engage with you, the more opportunities you’ll attract.
If someone has to dig to find your information, they’ll likely move on to the next person. This is especially true for content creators or potential collaborators. While some professionals, like writers, might take the time to investigate, many decision-makers won’t. Always ensure your main platform, whether it’s Instagram, a portfolio site, or another space, includes clear contact details like an email address and direct ways to reach you. Accessibility isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.
KF: Marsha asks, how important is the presentation of the bio of the creator of a consumer product? And if you choose not to focus on the creator, what’s the alternative?
ST: That’s a great question. Many businesses intentionally keep the founder’s identity in the background, and that’s completely fine. What matters is that the business bio provides the most important information consumers need. For example, if you’re launching a ride-share service, your audience will want to know where you operate. If you’re starting in Kingston and plan to expand island-wide, clearly communicating that is essential. As long as the relevant details are accessible and tailored to what your target audience values, the bio will do its job.
On the flip side, for businesses where the founder’s identity or story plays a significant role—perhaps because of a personal connection or a strong following—the buy-in often comes from the relationship consumers have with that person. In these cases, including information about the founder can help strengthen trust and build loyalty.
Ultimately, whether or not the founder is visible, the focus should always be on ensuring your audience has enough information to understand and engage with your product or service. Always ask yourself: Does this bio provide my audience with the clarity they need to decide whether to support my business? If the answer is yes, then your bio is effective.
KF: How can someone overcome insecurity and inject personality into their brand?
ST: As long as you’re tying everything back to your business, you can decide how much to share. For example, if you run a cleaning business, your audience doesn’t need to know what you did last Saturday night unless it somehow relates to cleaning. Similarly, they don’t need to know your favourite foods unless it connects to your services in a meaningful way. Sharing personal details can be intimidating, and sometimes oversharing can make audiences feel like they know too much. The key is finding the right balance.
A great example of a brand that gets this right is Our Place, known for its kitchenware. While the founder, Shiza, is visible, she shares only the parts of her story that tie directly to the brand. She speaks about cooking as a way of preserving traditions, exploring creativity, and bringing people together—all things that resonate with their products and their audience. I don’t know what Shiza does in her free time, and I don’t need to. What matters is that the products are meaningful, functional, and tied to relatable stories about food and connection.
This balance is essential for any brand. Share enough to make your audience feel connected, but always ask yourself: Does what I’m about to share directly relate to my business? For content creators, the line may be different because their personal lives often inform their content. However, even in these cases, it’s crucial to have a strategy and remain intentional about what you reveal. Ultimately, the goal is to create a connection while keeping the focus on your brand and its value.
KF: Amelia says, “I would like to know how to inform someone about my business without being too business focused, boring or overwhelming. She says charisma isn't her best skill.”
ST: When talking about your business, it’s essential to identify and refine your brand voice. For example, Topicals, a skincare brand, has done an excellent job with their marketing by creating a voice that feels personal and culturally grounded. Skincare might not naturally lend itself to broader conversations, but their website and social media copy make the brand engaging and relevant, even in unexpected ways.
Another example is the three-on-three basketball league Unrivaled, which balances editorial, highly stylised marketing with raw, unpolished content that showcases the players’ personalities. One standout player is known for being quiet and not engaging in much conversation, and the league leans into that unique trait as part of her brand. This approach not only highlights individuality but also makes the overall brand feel authentic and relatable.
It’s okay if your personal traits don’t align perfectly with your brand voice. Sometimes the founder and the brand have distinct identities, and that’s fine. What matters is that your brand’s voice resonates with your audience and communicates your values clearly. Whether you’re outgoing, understated, or somewhere in between, lean into those characteristics as part of your strategy.
The key is to ensure your brand voice carries the qualities and characteristics that appeal to your target audience, even if they differ from your personal traits. A well-defined and consistent brand voice does much of the heavy lifting, helping you connect with your current and potential customers authentically.
KF: How do you maintain a consistent voice across platforms while adapting to different audiences?
ST: Years ago, I attended a branding session during an incubator program, and they asked a question that stuck with me: What’s your yardstick for communications? Essentially, it’s a way to measure whether what you’re putting out aligns with your values and brand voice. My initial yardstick was, Would my grandma be okay with this? If something passed the “grandma test,” I felt comfortable sharing it.
Over time, my yardstick evolved. Now I think about how I’d feel if someone referenced my work in a lecture or if my tweets were highlighted on the local news. My question is, Am I okay with someone pulling this up and saying, “What were you thinking?” Your yardstick might vary depending on your audience or platform, but it’s an essential part of cultivating your brand voice.
This also means setting clear boundaries: What topics will you engage with? What conversations will your brand avoid? For example, Flair Airlines, a Canadian budget airline, embraced a Gen Z-inspired marketing strategy. Despite being a low-cost, no-frills carrier, their quirky and relatable brand voice connects them to their audience, even in unexpected ways.
Similarly, brands like CIF, a cleaning agent, use a “hope core” aesthetic on social media that feels vastly different from their straightforward website copy. While the website is functional—focusing on products and usage—their social content fosters brand loyalty by being more engaging and relatable.
This demonstrates that consistency doesn’t always mean uniformity. Your website might prioritise utility, while your social media builds emotional connections. Ultimately, everything comes back to your audience. Know who you’re speaking to and what your product or service represents. Once you understand that, you can create a brand voice that resonates, even if it adapts slightly across platforms.
Key Takeaways
Create multiple bios: Short, medium, and long bios allow you to tailor your story for different contexts.
Highlight your impact: Share achievements and future goals to make your bio compelling.
Use personal stories wisely: Be relatable, but always tie your story back to your brand.
Prioritise accessibility: Keep your information easy to find and up to date.
Stay consistent across platforms: Adapt your tone while maintaining a cohesive brand identity.
Need Help Crafting a Compelling Bio?
Whether you’re an artist, academic, creative, or entrepreneur, having a standout bio can make all the difference. With nearly a decade of experience in music journalism and bio writing, Sharine knows how to tell your story in a way that truly connects with your audience.
From short, punchy introductions to detailed long-form profiles, Sharine has worked with clients across industries—including artists signed to major labels like VP Records, Interscope, and Sony. If you’re ready to elevate your brand with a bio that captures who you are and what you stand for, Sharine can help.
Get in Touch: Reach out to Sharine to start crafting your bio today.
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