Elaine Yiu entered the entertainment industry after winning the TVB8 Presentator Contest in 2002, subsequently signing a management and filming contract with TVB.

Yiu's red-hot winning streak continued two weeks later in Hong Kong when she won the "Best Supporting Actress" award at the 2015 TVB Anniversary Awards with her role as Imperial Consort Yim (炎貴妃) in the ancient drama Captain of Destiny (張保仔).

In 2017, Yiu won the TVB Star Awards Malaysia for Favourite TVB Supporting Actress award again with her role in the 2017 action drama The Unholy Alliance (同盟) as Kate Wai Yee-yiu (韋以柔), which was her second win in the category.

In 2021, with her role as Anson Lui Kin (雷堅) in the drama The Ringmaster (拳王), Yiu was placed among the top 5 nominees for the Best Actress at the 2021 TVB Anniversary Awards.

She has a sister, Sandy Yiu, who works in Now TV (Hong Kong) as a news presenter.