7 Steps To A Winning Yiper Profile!
Written by Stephanie
March 3, 2023
Being an online instructor takes effort – a lot of it! To be successful, one of the first and most important tasks is compiling your online profile. Too often, we see online instructors fail to pay enough attention to their profiles.
Don’t confuse effort with time or money, though. The good news is that you don’t need to spend mountains of time or money crafting your profile, for example. What is needed is proper focus and knowing what counts. That is why we at Yip have compiled this ‘how to’ list of the 7 steps to your winning profile for our Yipers (instructors). On we go!
Step 1: Your All-Important Photo
First impressions are indeed, lasting ones, and will judge you by your profile pic. That’s why an attractive and professional profile photo is essential. Here are some important technical tips for your all-important photo:
- Get the lighting just right – gloomy/too dark is especially off-putting!
- Use high pixel rates so that your photo is sharp and not blurry
- Look straight at the camera or at a slight angle
- Don’t crop too much – show at least your shoulders and entire face
Then there are those aesthetic tips to make your photo perfect:
- Smile – a smiling face is much more appealing
- Dress appropriately and with your target audience in mind, e.g. casual smart works for most Yipers
- Do not wear all-black or all-white! Opt for brighter colours but stay away from busy designs or too many colours
You can also combine your welcoming and friendly photo with an eye-catching banner for your Yip profile!
Step 2: Your Course Offerings
You need to write a captivating course description. The description needs to tell students as much about a course as possible without being too detailed or long-winded.
Here are some tips as to what you might want to consider for your course description:
- The intended level – is it aimed at beginner, intermediate or advanced students?
- What are the core components or subjects/topics that the course will cover?
- Will there be different stages or ‘milestones’ to the learning?
- What will be the course’s principal outcomes or accomplishments?
- What practical skills will students attain by doing the course?
- Why will students want to do your particular course?
Step 3: Your Description As A Yiper
Your photo and course description will go a long way to selling you on Yip. Your personal description as a Yiper or ‘seller’ will go even further. First, think about using a header title or tag line, which is a short, ultra-snappy summary of who you are. Something along the lines of ‘Passionate Guitar Teacher For All Levels’ or ‘Fun Italian Classes For Beginners’
The main part or body of your personal description should say a lot in as few words as possible. You need to hone in on your unique selling point, or USP, which is what sets you apart from other instructors.
Focusing on what you have to offer can help you with your bio. For example, ask yourself:
- What is my niche?
- What experience or unique skills can I share with my students?
- What makes me unique?
Step 4: Feel Free To Brag!
No one likes a bragger, right? Well, too much bragging is always off-putting, of course, but a little bragging can go a long way online! Consider it a form of self-promotion, which allows you to catch the attention of anyone scanning your profile. Bragging intelligently can actually be an excellent marketing strategy, according to senior journalist, Jai Sunthush Abeyewardene. The key is to ‘share your wins’ in a way that is consistent and not too loud.
Professional accomplishments should always be touted where possible. These include any awards you may have won or special events you were a part of. Even mentioning the number of years you’ve had a specific skill can be a very clever way of promoting you as an expert.
Step 5: Consider Media
You should consider introducing media onto your profile if possible. An introductory video showing who you are and briefly explaining what you do or what your course entails can be highly effective. And it doesn’t even need to be long.
Your profile can also link in some way to other content you might have. Content marketing is an excellent way of promoting yourself as an online instructor. As such, your Yip profile can go a long way to both promoting other content you may have and demonstrating authority online.
Step 6: Remember Your Personal Brand
Your personal brand is what should encompass all your online efforts as an instructor, including your Yip profile. You need to appreciate and understand the importance of having a unique online presence.
Establishing your online presence as part of your personal branding is achieved in three important ways: visibility, credibility and reputation. Believe it or not, your Yip profile alone can score on all three. You can especially build your online reputation based on positive feedback left by happy students on your Yip profile.
Step 7: Revisit Your Profile Regularly!
Lastly, you need to update your profile on a regular basis. Too many people forget to do this with their professional profiles online – and it shows after a while. An excellent way of having an updated-looking profile is ask recent students to leave positive feedback for you.
Remember to do a regular search of yourself online. Is there anything in your social media accounts that may ‘compromise’ your professionalism? Doing some spring-cleaning on your digital trail could go a long way to improving your brand.
Bottom line: Your profile needs to be compelling and informative, convincing Yipees of the best you have to offer. Consider it an important window to the online world. A whole world of prospective students awaits you if you get it right!
