Blogging 101: Write A Great ‘About Me’ Page
Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
How good is your About Me page? This isn’t a trick question, but I wonder when the last time you truly looked at it was? Did you look at it the day your site went live and haven’t thought about it since? It should be a living, breathing 
“document” that is updated semi-regularly. Why?
- To keep your site relevant.
- To update any new skills you may have gleaned.
- To keep new readers to your site interested and intrigued.
If you’re coming to BlogPaws 2015 in Nashville or if you’re attending a local networking event or conference, take time to update your About Me page. Give it some pizzazz!
You may not be one of those people who can shamelessly self promote, but on your About Me page, you have to. If you can’t sing your own praises, work with a business colleague who can “interview” you, get to the essence of who you are and what you do and then write it up for your About Me page on your website. There are myriad copywriters out there who can do that for you (for a fee) as well.
What goes into a great About Me? Here are some of my top picks on how to write a great About Me page (hint: some of them take homework and getting to know your business in depth):
- Know your audience/readers. How can you determine this? It should be a part of your business plan. Bottom line, you need to know to whom you’re speaking if you want to craft an effective About Me page. If you aren’t certain who you’re talking to, how will you know if you’re giving them what they want or need?
- Know why you’re writing an About Me page. Is it to make a sale? Gain a fan? Make a friend? Share your knowledge? All of those are good reasons for a website and you need to know the why of it all, but never forget the who… who you’re writing to.
- Let your personality shine through. Your About Me page doesn’t have to be as dry as a CV. It’s not a “just the facts, ma’am” style of writing. Let your readers get to know you. Do you have a quirky sense of humor? An aversion to vanilla ice cream? A love of all things Pug? Share that info. People want to do business with people they “know, like and trust” and if you give them a bit of a peek into the real you, they may decide to work with you rather than with someone they don’t feel they know. Just to be clear… they don’t need to know everything about you! They don’t need to know your height, weight or SAT scores or that you got a parking ticket last week. Even though you are letting them know you, you can still keep some of your life personal. (Believe me, I have read some About Me pages that have been so personal I have cringed… and never gone back)
- Share your values and your mission in your About Me section of your website. If you work with only XYZ breeds or if you’re a Christian or if you are a breast cancer survivor and work with others in that situation, share that information because it lets individuals know your values.
- Let me see a picture of you. Don’t put up a cartoon figure or a picture of your dog or cat only. If I am reading your blog and considering working with you. I want to have a face to put with the words.
- Do you have a story? Chances are you do. We all do. Tell your story. In my work over on the Lipsticking Society blog and even on my business cards I have the quote, “Everything is story…” and I believe that to be true. I have a great story of how I came into my job at the local newspaper and worked myself up from obit writer to managing editor. Ask me about it, I’ll tell you sometime.
- Let the reader know how you can help them. Don’t spend your entire About Me page sharing your services, but give me a hint and then link to your Services page. If you have a list of satisfied clients, have a portfolio on your site and link to that from your About Me page. For example you could write, “I provide copywriting services (link to the page) for small business owners and have worked with XYZ and ABC (click here to see my entire portfolio).”
- In our recent round of Nose-to-Nose nominations, many individuals came to us and asked, “Can we nominate someone if we can’t find contact information or an email on their site?” If you can’t get in touch with someone, how inclined are you to do business with them? Add your email. Add your phone number. You can sign up for a free Google telephone number that rings to your cell so you don’t have to give out your “real” number on your site if you don’t want to.
- Be real. Write your About Me page like you speak. Whether you write in first or third person is your preference. For example: I write about dogs (first person) or Robbi writes about dogs (third person). I typically prefer first person, but that depends somewhat on the industry for which I am crafting an About Me page.
- You can employ different fonts or perhaps different colors on your About Me page – some individuals do as a way to make their page really “pop,” but I prefer substance over style, but being bold and visual on your About page is certainly an option.
- Make a video. Share some of your About information in a brief video. Many visitors to websites love videos – but not the kind of videos that turn on the second they land on your page – give them the option to play it or not.
- Engage. Motivate. You have the platform and the ability to all of that and more when someone lands on your About Me page. Don’t lose that opportunity by offering up dry prose. “Do you want to create a beautiful freelance life?” is much more inspiring and engaging than, “We help individuals who want to break away from the 9-5 find their footing in the self-employed world.” The last was a snooze, right? Even though they said the same thing, the first sentence was active and engaging and, “Why yes I DO want a beautiful freelance life, thank you very much!”
- What can YOU do for THEM? Yes, your About Me page is about… well, you, but your website and your business is about what you can do for them. Include your reader into your about page and let them know how you can help them.
What changes can you make to your About Me page before you attend your next networking event or conference? How can you make the page – and yourself – shine? Questions? Ask them here. Let’s get the Community involved in helping each other polish up our About Mes.
(Photo Shutterstock: Dog with chalkboard) (Photo Shutterstock: Woman with computer)
