There’s this terrifying pressure that your about page will clinch the deal. It’s the page that will convince people to work with you – or not. It’s the most important page on your website.
Well, that’s lovely and helpful, but it doesn’t tell you how to write an about page or what should be included. How do you go from: “Yeah, that’s nice” to “Oh my goodness gracious me, I need to work with this brand”?
The truth is, there are lots of ways to make your about page effective.
My recommendation is don’t start writing. Not yet. Start by working your way through these points and create a document with notes before writing a single word.
I never write an about page for a client without doing all the groundwork first.
So here you are, here’s my pre-writing method:
1. Write your key message first
Before you do any writing, you need to decide on your message. What is the key thing you want to get across on your about page? The essence of what you do. Your why. Your purpose. Your reason for existence.
Create one sentence that sums up exactly what you do. Want to know mine?
“Friendly and engaging copywriting.”
It summarises what I do (copywriting), it tells you what style my writing is (conversational and chatty), it also tells you what my brand personality is. In fact, my copywriting style and my brand style are the same… happy coincidence or strategic planning? I’ll let you decide 😉
So have a think about your key message. What do you do? Try to avoid cliché/meaningless words or expanding on this too much – the idea is to keep it ridiculously succinct.
Write it at the top of the page – and make it BIG! Or better yet, write it on a piece of paper beside you. Now, whenever you’re writing, every sentence should point towards this key message.
2. Decide who you’re writing to
Now, this is really important (well, all my points are important or I wouldn’t have written them 😉 but just humour me haha). Remember: your about page is there for your reader. It tells them if you’re the right person for the problem they are having. So have a think.
What problems do they have? What do they need to know before contacting you? What concerns could they have about working with you?
Write out some answers to these questions. You want to make sure you cover all their questions and concerns – it can be subtly placed through your text or it can be stated directly. It’s up to you.
3. Plan everything else you need to say
Your about page should cover three things: what you do, what problem you solve, and why people should choose you.
Again, it’s useful to write these questions down on a piece of paper and brainstorm as many bullet points as you can for each. You can always cut them down later. Here are a few things to consider though.
The question of “why people should choose you” isn’t “because you’re the best in the industry.”
Firstly, that’s an objective statement, but also, it’s not a real reason. Why should your audience care? You haven’t told them how you’re the best. The real reasons might be because you have 15 years experience. You studied at University and completed 365 courses in your niche. You’ve helped over 30,000 clients to date. You’ve brought them from £10 income to £100million.
This is where you show your experience, knowledge – and show that you know what you’re talking about. You need to convince them that you’re the best in the industry 😉 Not just state it and hope they agree.
Now, education and experience is one thing, but what are you like to work with?
People need to see your brand personality shine through.
There are many brands out there who do similar things. There are plenty of web designers, plenty of photographers and plenty of copywriters. So what sets you apart? Your brand personality.
Most of my clients chose me because I have a slightly mad and friendly personality – they’re drawn to that because they think I’ll be fun to work with, they want friendly and engaging copy. So, on my about page – I emphasise that. A lot.
What should you be emphasising about your personality?
4. Outline your structure
Now it’s time to bring it all together. You’ve thought about your message, your target market, your knowledge and experience and the key things you need to get across. Once you have this written down, you can begin structuring your copy.
I’ve written another article which goes into more detail – How to structure an about page. But here’s a summary:
- Start with the problem your client is facing – make it one or two sentences
- Explain how you solve the problem – it can be bullet points, or a summary paragraph
- Explain who you are – tell them about your experience, knowledge and personality
- Show them you can help them – it’s useful to mention results and sometimes testimonials too
- What to do next – your about page needs a call to action!
Point 5 is vital. Your about page should never just ‘finish’. It should tell your reader what to do next – i.e. contact you, buy your course, sign up, enquire.
5. Make your text really engaging
An about page shouldn’t sound like this:
“Here at Professional and Stuffy Corporation, we excel at synergy and innovative productions systems that permit our clients to maximise their return within a specified period of time.”
Does that engage you? Does that excite you? Does that make you think “Wow, I want to work with that company”? And most importantly, does it even tell you what they do? Nope. It doesn’t.
Firstly, they are making it all about them: “we do this”. Secondly, they aren’t talking directly to anyone: “our clients” isn’t talking to “you”. Thirdly, they’re just using big words to sound clever and professional – but the words don’t actually mean anything. Like at all.
Instead, see how this example changes things:
“Investing in a service can be scary. You want to know you’ve made the right choice. It’s only natural, and in fact, it makes good business sense. That’s why at Professional and Non-Stuffy Corporation, we make it all about you. We think about what systems you need and how they can bring you the biggest return on investment.”
Now, which one sounds more human? Which one sounds like they are actually there to help you?
You need to refine your tone of voice. You also need to make sure the text is readable – as this can massively impact how SEO friendly your website is.
So you see, a great about page is all about strategy.
You need to plan and lay it out before you start writing.
The words are obviously important. But, you also need to consider design, layout and how strong your website is overall. If you need some help with that, I offer a website review – with recommendations specific to your website!
I look at your copy, your layout, your call to actions, the text on the buttons – everything really. Plus, I’m giving away a BONUS 5-10 minute video where I walk you through my thoughts.
Would you like assurance your website is working? Contact me now.
P.S. fancy some FREE advice just now? Download my top tips for making your copy super engaging. See the big box below 😉
