What Makes a ‘Great’ About Page?

One of the biggest things my clients struggle with – even after they’ve discovered the essence of their brand message: Writing about themselves on their website’s About page.

I’ve had clients get paralyzed with fear. They’re afraid of some variation of this (real quotes): “tooting their own horn,” “sounding braggadocious,” or “I don’t want to come across as someone who is ‘full of herself’.”

They don’t want to “look bad.”

They don’t know what to say, what not to say, and how to arrange it into a compelling, cohesive short story.

In my group programs and with private clients, it takes time to write a clear, simple About page.

THE PURPOSE OF AN ABOUT PAGE

The #1 job of an About page is to communicate how you help a specific target audience and niche and give them a sense of who you are as a person so they can decide if they want work with you.

That’s IT. That page isn’t there to tell people how awesome you are in a blatant way. Add testiminonials and let your happy clients say it for you.

The content is about you, but people are really looking to see if you deliver the results they need and solve their problems.

• • Talk about yourself in the first person. It will help you speak more naturally – more conversationally – in your own voice.

• • Use simple words. We make up that there’s some “professional” way to speak with a lot of big, schmancy words. The truth is it’s professional – and friendly – to speak in a straightforward way in your own style, whatever that is.
    

• You be you. When people read or hear our words, they get to know who we are. They get our vibe. They’re hiring YOU for who you are as much as for what you do.

• Use words regular people use. Don’t make them “translate.” Straightforward words will connect powerfully with your people. Pretend you’re writing to your mom.

I’d love to hear what you want to see on about pages when you’re checking someone out. Put it in the comments below.

Follow the conversation on LinkedIn.