How to Write a Great About Page
A lot of people struggle to write about themselves. And, by a lot, I mean pretty much everyone—including myself. Because it’s hard to find the line that sits between confidence and arrogance. Because while you are confident talking about your services, it feels weird to actually talk about yourself. Because even if you are the most loquacious person, when you sit down to start writing, you have nothing to say. As a result, the about page on your website turns into one you likely don’t consider to be a great one.
But, here’s the thing, your about page isn’t actually supposed to be about you. It’s supposed to be about the couples you love working with the most. Because the about page of your website is likely to be one of the most visited ones, so you need it to do more work than it probably is at the moment. That is because people want to make sure they think they are going to like working with you, that you understand them, and that you are qualified for the job. I mean, think about why you click on about pages for a moment. You’re curious, you’re investigating, you are looking for something that tells you it’s okay to take the next step towards making a purchase—in short, you are looking for a justification. So the question becomes Is your about page providing both the actual information about your qualifications and the emotional connection with potential clients it needs to?
And that is what is supposed to be on your about page.
What should be on an about page
A quick aside. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, The Anatomy of a Service Page and What Should be on the Home Page of Your Website, this stuff is important for you to know whether you are writing it yourself or you’ve hired a professional copywriter (like me and Gillian). Because, knowing this qualifies you to actually make good judgements about the quality of the work. Does it read well? Does it sound like me? Does it speak to my ideal clients? Does it communicate what I need it to?
When it comes to the about page of your website, you have more than a few options of content to “play” with. And the key to figuring out which are best for you is knowing what your ideal clients want and need to see—which means having gone through the exercise of creating a customer map is a great idea! After you’ve done that, you can consider using a combination of these types of content:
Mission and/or inclusivity statements
Origin stories
Bios
Social proof
Fun facts
Transformation stories (what you have done for others and how you might be able to do that for the reader)
But (to get more specific), here is the very high-level content strategy I use as the base for website copy projects I am working on with Gillian. You can use this to help you organize the content on the page as well as the story you are telling.
A headline and short introduction paragraph
A content block about your ideal couples
About the company
Your mission or inclusivity statement
Your bio (or about the founder)
About the team (if you have one)
A social proof section
A closing section with CTA linking to your services page
So, if your about page is currently a head shot or team photo and bio, you are missing a lot of opportunity to connect with the couples you are most excited to work with.
Where to talk about yourself vs. your ideal client
I’ve already mentioned this, but it bears repeating: your about page is certainly about you, but it’s a mistake if it’s only about you. Because your about page is in fact a sales page—it is where couples are going to make judgements about whether or not they are going to reach out with an inquiry. So, as you write or revise your about page, here are my tips to help you balance content that is about you with content that is about them.
Write about yourself here:
Mission statements: This content should speak to your why and give the reader a true sense of what your work means to you. Plus, hiring vendors with common values is something that is becoming of increasing importance to couples; let them know where your heart is, what you stand for, and that this is a safe space.
Bios: This is where most people struggle because I have yet to meet someone who says they love writing about themselves (I mean, I opened this piece with this point!). And, while you want to give the reader a strong sense of why you are qualified for the job, you don’t want this to read like a resume. It is important that your bio give people a sense of your personality and approach as well as reinforce the notion that you are the right person for the job. You also want to include something about why you are different and what you bring to the table.
Pro-tip: Even if you use “we” on the other pages of your website, you absolutely can (and should) switch to first person for your bio.
Write for your reader here:
Your headline and intro: It’s important to make a clear statement that grabs the reader’s attention on this page (well, every page). And the best piece of “real estate” for that is at the very start of the page.
Social proof: When you pull quotes from previous clients, pull ones that say more than “you were the best decision they made.” A lot of people have reviews that say that, so you want to pull quotes that speak to the problem and solution your potential clients have and want.
Transformation stories: If you are going to include anything like this, it 100% should be focused on answering the question, “Can you make me a happy client?”
Fun facts: This is a spot where you can get people to relate to you and see themselves on the page. So, include a mix of fun facts about you and about them.
There you have it! My brain dump of tips to help you have a strong about page on your website! And, if you haven’t read these yet, be sure to scope out The Anatomy of a Service Page and What Should be on the Home Page of Your Website too.
