By Tammy Karasek @tickledpinktam

If you’re a writer and have articles, blog posts and the like out on the internet, it’s time to clean your face. Not literally, but have you looked at the locations you have your bio, headshot, or about me information lately? As we get ready to turn the page over to 2024, why not do a good clean now instead of spring when we think about the spring clean tasks?

Let’s start with your headshot. Do you still look like that photo? Be realistic. If you’ve changed your hair style, color or length, now is a great time to schedule a new photo shoot. Often conferences offer a Photographer who specializes in headshots. This is a great investment for your writing business and worth having a good photo shoot done by a professional photographer. You will use it on your business card, website, bios on guest posts and more. Make sure you do this as soon as possible so you can order those new cards.

Next is that bio. You should have several bios done so no matter what size you need, it’s ready. Some of the guest blog posts you submit may have a specific number of words, often no more than fifty. Others may not have restrictions at all. Do your homework and send what they ask for. You could run into a problem if they only want a fifty-word bio and you sent your long one. They will then edit to their guidelines and what they come up with may not be what you would have preferred to have been shared.

At least every December, I look at my bio and see what has changed for me. New job title, new writing assignments, change of focus on website, etc. To take the time to read through this bio quarterly is also time well spent. I’ve read far too many bios for people that’s obvious they haven’t updated it for years. Years, I’m telling you. Don’t be that person.

The last item is your website. Have you opened your website with the same mindset of a person who would visit the site for the first time? Look at that landing page. Can someone see you “before the fold?” Before the fold is where your screen will stop on a laptop or desktop before one would have to scroll to see more information about the website. Does your header invite a reader in with a great title and tagline of what this website promises to give? Is it the current focus of your writing? Here’s an example: you started as a mommy blogger, but now your little one is a freshman. In college. Have your blog posts changed to empty nest topics? Then your title stating the site is a young mom blogging her way through diapers and terrible-two-tantrums won’t deliver the title’s promise. Back to the question above, does the first glance of your website state what you’re focus is at this time?

There are more items you can update, but these are three important and quick ones you could have done to start off 2024 with a great facelift. If we all take the time each December—before we get too busy with holiday extras—we will set ourselves up for a great start to the new year. This is so important as these items will leave a possible first impression for our new contacts. And who wouldn’t rather have those photos and bios ready instead of having to scramble to recreate a new one at 1:30 am to add to a submission … hypothetically, of course. Ahem … cough.

The above suggestions are a couple from me, but what about you? What would you suggest, or what do you do to get ready for success in the coming new year? Share with us in the comments below.

Tammy Karasek uses humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, drives her passion to encourage and inspire others and give them The Reason to smile. She’s gone from down and defeated to living a “Tickled Pink” life as she believes there’s always a giggle wanting to come out!

A writer of Romance—with a splash of sass and suspense. She’s also The Launch Team Geek helping authors launch their books and a Virtual Assistant for several best-selling authors. Her first book on Launch Teams is due to release Fall 2023. Her work was also published in a Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments.

She’s also the Social Media Manager for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Founding President and current Vice-President of ACFW Upstate SC, and Founding President of Word Weavers Upstate SC. She’s a writing team member for The Write Conversation Blog, Blue Ridge Writers Conference, Novel Academy, Write Editing and more. Connect with Tammy at https://www.tammykarasek.com.