Step 2: Complete Your Profile

As a creator, your personal brand is incredibly important. Vocal can help you get discovered and grow your audience, and your creator profile page should be prepared with this in mind—optimized so that readers can easily find you, connect with you, contact you, and most importantly, remember you and your work.

Update your profile with these basics:

1. Add a personal profile photo that represents who you are as a creator. If you choose not to use a photo, Vocal will generate an avatar with initials from your profile name.
2. Add your full name so you can easily be discovered. Your name is what’s used to create your profile URL, so make sure to update any backlinks if you decide to change it. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you’re welcome to use a pseudonym, but we recommend using your real name so that it’s easy for others to recognize and trust you.
3. Create a bio telling your fans who you are! Don’t leave this part blank—even just a sentence or two detailing something you’re passionate about, or a bit of personal info like favorite music, things you collect, or a quote, can help people get to know you and make connections. You have 240 characters to use and can always update this, so have fun with it.
4. Link your social media profiles in your bio so readers can follow you on social media, making it easy for fans to connect with you, get to know you as a person, or even reach out to you with opportunities. You can do the same with URLs to other pages or personal blogs, too.

Examples of effective creator profile pages

In the Bronx Vegan’s profile, you can see all of the steps above completed successfully. There’s an identifiable logo as a profile photo, and an effective banner photo to add visual interest. Most importantly, the bio offers clear info about what the creator wants to accomplish through their stories, and takes advantage of the bio space by linking to their personal site.

Kelli has also made her profile visually appealing with great personal images as both profile and banner photos. She includes a personal quote, invitation to interact, and also her Twitter handle, which she uses to promote her stories after they’re published (more on this later!).

Your profile page updates as you create content

Every story you post is added, in chronological order, to your profile page. A handy search and filter tool allows visitors to the page to access your work alphabetically, by story length, and by Community.

Pinned stories give you the control over what stories will be highlighted on your profile. You can choose up to three pinned posts and change them whenever you please. Highlight your latest, show a hot topic, a seasonal story or poem, or your first Top Story.

Achievements in Challenges will automatically be added under your bio as they are earned. Entering Challenges is usually limited to Vocal+ members and it's one of the perks to joining the paid subscription.

Two boxes to encourage interaction from visitors are also included on your creator profile page.

1. The Subscribe button makes it easy for readers to know when you publish something new. By subscribing, your followers will never miss your newest stories, and they will automatically receive a notification the next time you publish a story. You can track your subscriber number on your Stats page.
2. The Tip button allows a reader to make a one-time appreciation payment to you, which is conveniently added to your Wallet, the home for all of your Vocal earnings.

Now, let’s move on to the very last step in finishing your profile: Connecting a Stripe account.

Step 3: Connecting Your Stripe Account →