Feeling stuck on how to write your copy for your “About” page? Or wondering if your “About” page copy is actually effective?
I've rounded up four things you should and four things you shouldn't include in the copy on your “About” page so that you can confidently know that you're connecting with your audience in the right way.
01:14 — Your “About” page isn’t about you — it’s about them
01:44 — Have an attention-grabbing headline that speaks to your ideal client
02:23 — Include a “grounding statement” that immediately connects
03:30 — Introduce yourself with your positioning statement
04:48 — Include details about what types of clients, photography, and locations you specialize in your copy for an “About” page
05:13 — Speak to your dream client’s problems and pain points
07:02 — Sprinkle “good new statements” into your “About” page copy
07:31 — Include fun facts that allow your prospects to get to know you in a specific way
08:28 — Ensure the details you’re sharing about you are relevant to why someone would choose to work with you
09:31 — Remove any industry jargon and simplify it
10:20 — Don’t include your entire life story — only the details that matter
11:25 — Make sure you’re “showing” more than you’re “telling”
🖊️ 3 STEPS YOU NEED TO CRAFT AN EFFECTIVE ‘ABOUT ME’ WEBSITE PAGE
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609483118268590e87ab104f
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The goal here is to clearly convey that you see and hear them, and
Sara Gillis:that you have a solution to their problem.
Sara Gillis:When you do this, your reader will be more likely to continue reading your
Sara Gillis:website and feel more confident to work with you whenever they're ready
Sara Gillis:to make that purchasing decision.
Intro:You are listening to The Copywriter On Call podcast.
Intro:I'm your host, Sarah Gillis, copywriter, word, magic maker, and owner of
Intro:what Sarah said on this podcast.
Intro:You'll feel empowered to show up online in a way that has you saying, that's so me.
Intro:Let's get started.
Sara Gillis:Welcome back to another episode of The Copywriter On-Call podcast.
Sara Gillis:I'm your host, Sarah Gillis, and I'm clocking some on-call hours solo
Sara Gillis:today to run down my list of do's and don'ts for your websites about page.
Sara Gillis:Now those who have been following along with me for a while might know that
Sara Gillis:the about page is one of my favorite things to talk about and one of my
Sara Gillis:favorite things to write for my clients.
Sara Gillis:As a copywriter, the about page is one of the first stops I make when
Sara Gillis:I audit a client's current website.
Sara Gillis:What I typically see when I visit this page is a whole bunch of random facts
Sara Gillis:that are all about you and have very little to do with the clients you serve.
Sara Gillis:Here's the truth.
Sara Gillis:The way that you really connect with your audience is by making your about
Sara Gillis:page about them while strategically sprinkling in information about
Sara Gillis:yourself that lets them know that you really can relate to them.
Sara Gillis:To help you do this well, I've rounded up four things you should and four
Sara Gillis:things you shouldn't include on your about page so that you can confidently
Sara Gillis:know that you're connecting with your audience in the right way.
Sara Gillis:Let's get started.
Sara Gillis:First, you need to have an attention grabbing headline for your ideal client.
Sara Gillis:Now again, as a copywriter, I primarily work with photographers
Sara Gillis:and with other female creatives.
Sara Gillis:And I often find that my clients struggle to speak to their specific ideal client.
Sara Gillis:Now, in a world where there are a lot of other people doing what
Sara Gillis:you do, it can be difficult to pinpoint what makes you stand out.
Sara Gillis:But regardless of how hard it might be to figure that out, you
Sara Gillis:do have a differentiator or two.
Sara Gillis:Your about page is where you get to speak to that differentiator directly.
Sara Gillis:And call in the type of person that you specifically want to work with.
Sara Gillis:So to kick this off, you first want to include a headline that
Sara Gillis:is attention grabbing and speaks to that ideal client directly.
Sara Gillis:Often a headline like this can be your why in business, your mission, or your
Sara Gillis:approach to doing whatever it is you do.
Sara Gillis:This is what I call a grounding statement because it lays the groundwork
Sara Gillis:for the about page and it also immediately connects with your reader.
Sara Gillis:If they align with that mission or that belief that you've shared, they'll
Sara Gillis:be more likely to continue reading.
Sara Gillis:Your headline can help someone determine if they're in the right place and if
Sara Gillis:working with you would be a good fit.
Sara Gillis:For example, on my own about page, on my website, I say, Your brand messaging
Sara Gillis:should be packed with personality.
Sara Gillis:Now, before I say anything else, I lead with this belief, and if someone
Sara Gillis:reads that and doesn't agree, they immediately know that I'm probably
Sara Gillis:not the copywriter for them.
Sara Gillis:But if someone reads that and does agree and has been looking for someone
Sara Gillis:to help them add personality to their messaging, then they instantly
Sara Gillis:know they're in the right place.
Sara Gillis:All right.
Sara Gillis:Who you are and who you specifically help needs to be present on your about page.
Sara Gillis:Now, like I said, your about page isn't all about you, but that doesn't mean
Sara Gillis:you don't need to introduce yourself.
Sara Gillis:After all your attention grabbing headline gives them a taste of who you are.
Sara Gillis:Then you should quickly tell people who you really are and include one of those
Sara Gillis:awesome brand photos of yourself so that your reader can put a face to the name.
Sara Gillis:Then you want to share your positioning statement, which we talked about in
Sara Gillis:the last episode, but again, it shares who you serve and where you serve them.
Sara Gillis:This, again, is a device that helps your reader to know if
Sara Gillis:they're in the right place.
Sara Gillis:For me, on my about page, I say, I'm Sarah, and I help female creative
Sara Gillis:business owners stand out through words.
Sara Gillis:If someone reads that and is not a female creative business owner,
Sara Gillis:they can again assume that I'm not the right copywriter for them.
Sara Gillis:The reason that this is important is because it invites your reader
Sara Gillis:to naturally assess whether or not they're a good fit to work with you.
Sara Gillis:By calling out details like this, you make it super simple and clear for people
Sara Gillis:to know if they belong in your world.
Sara Gillis:And again, the key is to making this as specific as possible.
Sara Gillis:If you only work with certain industries or types of people,
Sara Gillis:make sure that that's noted.
Sara Gillis:If you only photograph small, intimate weddings, That should be here if you
Sara Gillis:photograph big, large luxury weddings.
Sara Gillis:You should note that.
Sara Gillis:If you want to save time, not only for you and for your audience in the
Sara Gillis:long run, you need to be specific.
Sara Gillis:Next step number three, make sure that your about page speaks to each
Sara Gillis:client's problems and pain points.
Sara Gillis:So after your headline and your intro, this is where you move into more
Sara Gillis:of a storytelling type of content.
Sara Gillis:Yes, you can include a little bit about you here, but ultimately the power
Sara Gillis:in this section is speaking to your ideal clients problems and pain points.
Sara Gillis:Now, I'll be honest with you, this part of an about page looks different
Sara Gillis:for everyone, and it can be as short or as long as you prefer.
Sara Gillis:For me.
Sara Gillis:I wanted the copy in this section to be pretty minimal, but I really did
Sara Gillis:want to point out why it's important to stand out as a business owner,
Sara Gillis:which is based around this idea.
Sara Gillis:There's plenty of other people who do what you do.
Sara Gillis:So why should a buyer choose you?
Sara Gillis:That question that I ask on my about page helps my clients to feel
Sara Gillis:empowered to stand out, which may mean doing business differently or at
Sara Gillis:least describing themselves, writing website copy that reflects who they
Sara Gillis:are and why they should be hired.
Sara Gillis:It looks a little different than other people in their field.
Sara Gillis:In this section, you should try to demonstrate that you
Sara Gillis:understand your ideal client.
Sara Gillis:And that you have a solution to the problem that they're experiencing.
Sara Gillis:This often comes in the form of telling a relatable story that gives a little
Sara Gillis:more insight of your background and makes everything feel a bit more personal.
Sara Gillis:In this section, I like to reflect on what it means to shop in the
Sara Gillis:marketplace and how I choose a grocery store, a photographer,
Sara Gillis:someplace to bring my dry cleaning.
Sara Gillis:It's about relatability and connection and standing out in business.
Sara Gillis:Here's another pro tip.
Sara Gillis:I encourage you to sprinkle a few good news statements or
Sara Gillis:can statements into your copy.
Sara Gillis:These kind of sound like this.
Sara Gillis:You can hop off the hustle bus and capture photos that help you show
Sara Gillis:up the way you want to in business.
Sara Gillis:It emphasizes the good news that they should take to heart.
Sara Gillis:That solves their problem or addresses their pain point, and it helps you
Sara Gillis:to demonstrate your personality too.
Sara Gillis:Lastly, you should have fun facts on your about page.
Sara Gillis:Now, while I would never suggest that you fill your website with irrelevant
Sara Gillis:information and more on that in a minute, I do think it's valuable to include a
Sara Gillis:few fun facts so that your audience can get to know you in very specific ways.
Sara Gillis:The key is that you don't make these fun facts the forefront of your about page.
Sara Gillis:Instead, think of them more like the candles on a cake.
Sara Gillis:They're just for fun.
Sara Gillis:So whether you feature a fun quiz, a roundup of your favorite things, or a list
Sara Gillis:of lessons you learned in your thirties, it can be enjoyable for your ideal client
Sara Gillis:to learn about you and your personality.
Sara Gillis:Especially if they take the time to read all the way to the
Sara Gillis:bottom of your about page, which is where I suggest you put this.
Sara Gillis:All right, now that you know what you should include on your websites about
Sara Gillis:page, let's dive into what you should not.
Sara Gillis:First, irrelevant details.
Sara Gillis:I promised we'd get back to this.
Sara Gillis:Now, while including fun facts about you on your about page is a great idea,
Sara Gillis:you want to be careful not to overload this part of your website with those
Sara Gillis:details that just aren't relevant.
Sara Gillis:Many times people will treat their about page, like a resume that includes their
Sara Gillis:entire professional story because they think this is what makes them credible.
Sara Gillis:While I understand that you want to be seen as trustworthy, professional,
Sara Gillis:experienced, I've going to be blunt here and let you know that your ideal client
Sara Gillis:really doesn't care about your college GPA or your high school job, or even that
Sara Gillis:you worked in a certain industry for 10 years before opening your own business.
Sara Gillis:It just might not be relevant, and honestly, it won't be the thing that
Sara Gillis:convinces someone to work with you.
Sara Gillis:Instead, I suggest you use this page to do the things that I mentioned
Sara Gillis:earlier, because I promise those pieces will have far greater impact than
Sara Gillis:anything you've done in your past.
Sara Gillis:The next thing to avoid on your about page is jargons.
Sara Gillis:Okay.
Sara Gillis:Avoid using jargon on your website in general, but also on your about page.
Sara Gillis:This part of your website is really where you can connect with
Sara Gillis:your audience in a deeper way.
Sara Gillis:And one of the things that can really throw someone off is if you're using
Sara Gillis:language that they don't understand.
Sara Gillis:Again, the desire here might be, well, if I use some jargon, I'll
Sara Gillis:look professional and credible.
Sara Gillis:But instead, what this really does is just confuse people And confused people,
Sara Gillis:well, they don't take any action at all.
Sara Gillis:Instead, take the time to simplify your message and communicate clearly.
Sara Gillis:That way you're giving someone the ability to fully understand what you're
Sara Gillis:saying, which makes them even more confident in choosing to work with you.
Sara Gillis:Another don't.
Sara Gillis:Don't include your entire life story.
Sara Gillis:Again, as I mentioned above, storytelling can be a great way
Sara Gillis:to speak to your ideal client's, specific problems and pain points.
Sara Gillis:But what you don't want to do is confuse this storytelling technique
Sara Gillis:with telling your entire story.
Sara Gillis:There are likely some parts of your story that your audience should
Sara Gillis:know, so that they can relate to and understand why you do what you do.
Sara Gillis:But here's the key.
Sara Gillis:You need to tell them that in a concise way while ultimately
Sara Gillis:keeping the focus on them.
Sara Gillis:And you need to showcase how you can specifically guide them to
Sara Gillis:a solution for their problem.
Sara Gillis:If you want to include various parts of your story without eating up your entire
Sara Gillis:about page, maybe consider creating a unique visual so that it doesn't take away
Sara Gillis:from the main point of your about page, but offers a little bit more context.
Sara Gillis:I did this on my website about page by including a timeline graphic.
Sara Gillis:That's really fun.
Sara Gillis:Lastly, you want to show, not tell.
Sara Gillis:What I see often is that people use their about page to be their own personal
Sara Gillis:hype girl, and while I am all for that, in this case, it's better to show what
Sara Gillis:you've done instead of just talk about it.
Sara Gillis:You can effectively do this through the use of testimonials, social
Sara Gillis:proof, case studies, so that you're allowing your clients to speak
Sara Gillis:and shout praises on your behalf.
Sara Gillis:When you do this well, people start to trust you more because they can
Sara Gillis:clearly see that you walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.
Sara Gillis:It might even be helpful here to show quick glimpses of your portfolio or
Sara Gillis:your work and then direct them to a portfolio or gallery page to learn more.
Sara Gillis:Overall, your about page is an important component of your website.
Sara Gillis:So you want to make sure it's written in a way that truly connects
Sara Gillis:with your audience and ultimately assures them that you understand
Sara Gillis:their desires and their challenges.
Sara Gillis:The goal here is to clearly convey that you see and hear them, and that
Sara Gillis:you have a solution to their problem.
Sara Gillis:When you do this, your reader will be more likely to continue reading your
Sara Gillis:website and feel more confident to work with you whenever they're ready
Sara Gillis:to make that purchasing decision.
Sara Gillis:If you want to take the guesswork out of writing your about page, I encourage
Sara Gillis:you to head to the show notes where you can access my free about page guide.
Sara Gillis:As always, thanks so much for listening, and until next time, this is your
Sara Gillis:copywriter on call signing off.
Sara Gillis:Thanks for listening to The Copywriter On Call podcast.
Sara Gillis:If this episode has you feeling all sorts of inspired to show up as yourself online,
Sara Gillis:click that subscribe button so you don't miss my stories or practical advice to
Sara Gillis:help you express your quirky, vulnerable, and authentic self online chat soon.