Why You Need Short, Medium, and Long Versions of Your Artist Bio

Quick answer: Write three lengths of your bio, not one - short (~150-200 words) for streaming profiles and quick blurbs, medium (300-500 words) for your EPK, and long (500-800 words) for your website’s about page. Stick to verifiable facts, write in third person, and build each version from the same three building blocks: who you are, what you’re doing now, and where you came from.

Your artist bio is doing a lot of the work of a first impression before anyone’s heard a note - bloggers, bookers, and industry insiders will form an opinion off it alone. A single one-size-fits-all bio means either an overlong blurb crammed into a streaming profile that truncates it mid-sentence, or a thin paragraph rattling around on your website where there’s room for the real story. You need more than one.

#1 - Write Three Lengths, Not One

Plan for a short bio, a medium bio, and a long bio from the start:

• Short bio - about 150-200 words, for streaming profiles, festival lineup blurbs, quick intros
• Medium bio - 300-500 words, the workhorse version for your EPK
• Long bio - 500-800 words, for your website’s about page, where the fans who actually want the full story go looking for it

Write the short version last, not first - it’s easier to cut a longer bio down than to pad a short one out and have it read like filler.

#2 - Stick to the Facts

Never embellish. Your bio is public, and anyone reasonably curious can check it against reality in under a minute - an exaggerated claim is one bad Google search away from becoming the story instead of your music. Write it the way a reporter would write about someone else: third person, no hype language, no “revolutionary” or “game-changing” doing the work your actual achievements should be doing.

#3 - Build From Three Core Paragraphs

Structure every length around the same three building blocks:

1. Who you are and where you’re from (include bandmates if you’re in a band)
2. Your latest release or album
3. Your influences and experience

Start with 50-60 words per section for your short bio. Expand each section with more detail and specifics to build your medium version (300-400 words), then expand further for the long one. Same skeleton, more flesh each time - not three unrelated documents.

#4 - Write a Looser Version Too

Once your standard set exists, write one more: a version where you actually sound like yourself, for blog features or outlets that clearly want personality over polish. Tell the real story of how you got into music, or how brutal recording your last EP actually was - the version with a pulse, not the résumé version. Keep it in your back pocket for the right outlet; you’ll know it when you see it.

Try this prompt: Once your medium bio (300-500 words) is written, hand it to an AI assistant and ask: “Cut this to a 150-200 word version for a streaming artist profile, keeping the strongest details and cutting the rest - don’t just truncate it, actually rewrite it to be tight.” Then separately ask it to “expand this into a 600-700 word version for a website about page, adding more color to the background and influences sections without inventing new facts.” Edit both against what’s actually true before publishing either.

#5 - Rewrite Each Version More Than Once

Once your full set exists (six versions if you count the looser one), rewrite each at least once more. This isn’t busywork - the act of rewriting almost always surfaces a detail you left out or a sharper way to say something you already had. Update the whole set every couple of months, or immediately after anything that changes the story: a new release, a new tour, a lineup change.

Every version should carry the date you last touched it, if only in your own files - nothing undersells a bio faster than a reader realizing your “latest album” mention is three releases out of date.

For the actual writing process - not just the length strategy - see our step-by-step guide to writing your artist biography.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many versions of my artist bio do I actually need? At minimum three by length - short (~150-200 words), medium (300-500 words), and long (500-800 words) - plus optionally a looser, more personality-driven version for contexts where strictly professional doesn’t fit. Six total isn’t overkill; it’s just having the right tool for each situation.

How long should a short artist bio be? Around 150-200 words - enough for a streaming profile or a quick festival lineup blurb, short enough that it doesn’t get trimmed awkwardly by whatever platform is displaying it.

Where do I use my long-form artist bio? Your own website’s about page is the natural home for the 500-800 word version - it’s the one place your diehard fans, the ones who actually want the full story, will go looking for it.

Once your story’s ready, let’s get it - and your music - out there. Submit Your Music and put your bio to work.