Your About page, something about writing it can stop all the creativity you’ve ever had dead in it’s tracks.
What should I say?
How should I say it?
What’s the most important thing I should share?
Serving 3 distinct audiences for 3 different businesses, I can attest to the hefty task at hand of writing the ‘perfect’ about page. The page where people go to learn about what you’re all about and to see if they are in the right place.
No pressure, right?
It can feel like a make or break place on your website, but it can also be the most fun page to work on – this is where you get to shine and share what your business is all about!
Not only that, but it’s where you can really nail down your niche & find out who will be eager to follow you & become a part of your raving tribe.
Pretty exciting, isn’t it?!
*quickly runs off to make sure about page is updated and up to par*
Now back to the writing part of it – how can you write a page that lays it all out there and compels others to fall head over heels with your business?
Let’s go over 6 ways to get over the hurdle so you can create the most killer page on your website to help you find your following and creating raving fans – you ready?!
Have fun
Just to take off some of the pressure, view this part of your website as the most fun page to work on.
Feel better?
Talking about yourself and your mission/business statement should be fun and feel easy because it’s something you’re passionate about (hopefully!).
When you are super passionate about anything in life, it will be a breeze to talk it up, share it with others, and show your enthusiasm without turning others away – you just need to find a way to make that happen.
So, in order to help your about page flow the best, here’s an example of how to write one:
- Introduce yourself. Your name, your business, and your expertise. You want to show authority from the very get-go.
- Share a struggle that your audience can relate to as an industry-wide problem or hardship.
- Demonstrate how you can help with that struggle.
- Invite them to your group, newsletter, or social media.
- Share your opt-in/freebie as a way to show your commitment to their needs.
Now that you can an idea of how your about page should flow, it will be much easier to fill in the gaps as to what exactly you’re going to say.
But, before you start writing, jot down a few ideas on a piece of paper.
Write down a few fun things about you, your business, and a few quirky things about you that you don’t want to leave out from your about page.
To help, answer these simple questions:
- What are a few quirky things about me that I want my audience to know?
- How does my personality tie into my business?
- What does my product/service offer to my audience?
- Why does my audience need my product/service?
- How can I help them with their specific problems?
- How do I want to serve my tribe?
By answering these questions, you’ll be able to uncover a few things about you & your business that will make writing your about page much easier.
Once you know exactly how you can serve and help your people, writing about yourself will flow a lot smoother.
Show your personality
This is where you have the opportunity to show others yourself through your words and photos, and ultimately if the person behind the screen will be able to relate with you or not.
So don’t hold back!
And don’t forget; not everyone is going to love you, so be true to yourself and you’ll attract the right people.
The easiest way to show your personality is by writing how you speak.
Just pretend you’re writing an email to a friend or talking to your bestie while having lunch.
Would you talk to your best friend like “In 2006 I attended the university of blah blah blah and earned a degree in business. Upon graduating, I aimed my focus on marketing for small businesses” OR, “Once I was free from the chains of collage, I knew that I wanted to help small business owners tackle their marketing problems so they could make more money.”
Don’t forget to humanize your about page too!
If it’s stiff, rigid, and full of boring facts, it’s going to be a snoozefest for your reader and will earn you an automatic click out from their browser.
Instead, captivate their attention from the very beginning and engage them through the rest of what you have to say.
By humanizing your business, your reader will be able to relate easier & you’ll have a better shot of winning them over.
Use an appropriate headshot
One of my biggest pet peeves when visiting an about page is when there’s no photo – let alone no photo of the person who the page is about.
How can anyone relate to you if your identity is a complete mystery?
I’ll tell you this: it’s going to be really hard for someone to fall head over heels with you if they have no idea who is on the other end.
So, for the love of it, use an appropriate headshot on your about page!
And by appropriate, I mean a photo that meshes with your personality, your branding, and your message.
If you’re wanting to score thousand dollar clients, don’t use a bathroom selfie from your cellphone. Instead, invest in a professional image that reflects your personality.
If you’re trying to attract creatives, then something less formal and a little more out of the box is appreciated.
This is why it’s important to stay on brand!
Just make sure that the image of yourself reflects yourself and who you are wanting to serve & this will also help tie in your overall about page message and appeal.
Be relatable
How are you going to win over your audience and have them eating out of the palm of your hand?
It’s by being relatable.
Knowing their pain points and showing them that you understand.
Immersing yourself in their struggles and demonstrate how you once felt the very same way.
Helping them see the light through your vision, work, and service so they can finally put those pain points aside.
By getting down on their level and showing a complete understanding into how they feel, you will be in the best position possible to win over a reader who needs what you have to offer.
Imagine your target client sitting at their computer reading your about page.
How engrossed are they?
Are they clinging to every word you’re saying? Nodding their head with every paragraph? Verbally affirming that what you have to say speaks directly to them?
Once you can relate to your target audience, your about page can be a goldmine for striking it rich.
So don’t be afraid to get down on their level so they can relate with you.
Less about you, more about them
Well that sounds contradictory, doesn’t it?
An about page is supposed to be about you, right? Not the other way around.
Actually, if you look at it from a consumer level, an about page should not be about you AT ALL. Why do you think people visit your about page anyway?
It’s to see if they can relate to your business and if what you have to offer is going to help them.
As a consumer myself, I like to visit about pages when I stumbled across a website that I have never been to before.
If I get into it and it really speaks to me on a personal level, I automatically feel compelled to that brand/business.
If it speaks to me in ways that is almost scary (like, who got into my head and how do they know what I am thinking?), I will go the extra mile to seek them out on social media and become a committed follower.
Can you see how powerful that can be?
By making it more about your audience, you’ll be doing yourself a BIG favor for when your target audience does find you.
Invite them to join you
Now that you have compelled your reader to fall head over heels for you, now what?
It’s either they close their browser with a faint memory of you and your business or they take it a step further and attach themselves to it all.
Not only do you want your readers to fall in love with you, but you want them to either stick around and buy what you have to offer or at the very least, opt-in to a freebie, online community, or newsletter to keep the relationship going.
You can easily achieve this by giving them an easy way in; TELL THEM ABOUT IT!
They aren’t going to know about your private community, your amazing free gift, or a discount you’re wanting to offer them without flat out telling them.
So use this opportunity to let them know!
Any of these ideas will do:
- sign up to book a free consultation
- download a free guide
- join your Facebook group
- sign up for weekly tips/updates
- follow on social media to connect more
Whatever you can offer to them at this very moment in time, offer it! This is a great way to reel in warm leads and keep the conversation alive – which can lead to sales and bookings down the road.
Just make sure you make it quick and easy for them to opt-in, otherwise you could lose them!
Working on your about page should never be scary, but it should be well thought-out for your long term business goals.
This is a great, helpful read! Thanks for sharing.
Glad it helped, thanks for sharing!
I definitely need to work on my about page. Thanks for all these great tips! Pinning this for later to
Thanks for letting me know & for the pin – much appreciated!