Introduce Yourself!
It’s not About Me
If you hate talking about yourself I have good news: Your About page is not about you!
Instead of writing an “About Me” page, write about how your product or service makes your customer or client’s life better. Make this page about them!
Begin by showing that you understand their struggle. What problem was so compelling that it made you want to go into the business of fixing it? How is it that you understand this problem so well? Is it because you have been in your client or customer’s shoes yourself? Or is it that you have had the opportunity to help people like them?
Write a sentence or two addressing these pain points and your relationship to them. No need to dwell on the struggle; keep this part of the page short and to the point.
How may I help you?
When you walk into a store a good employee doesn’t greet you with the backstory of the establishment, he greets you and lets you know he’s there to help. Your About page can do the same thing.
You have already established that you understand the struggle that your client or customer faces, now how will you help them to overcome it?
Prove that you are here to help by showing your client or customer how their life could be better if they hire or buy from you. This is the perfect place to link to your most helpful content. Provide an easy-to-read list of blog posts, podcast episodes, videos, or case studies that would interest your ideal client or customer.
If you are just getting started and don’t have this kind of content yet don’t worry, but do come back and add it later! Let this be motivation for you to produce this kind of content over the coming weeks and months!
And now, a story
People love stories. Hearing how someone has overcome his own struggles encourages the reader that she can overcome her own.
What is your story? Once you establish that you care about your client or customer they are more likely to care about you. Tell them how you came to where you are now.
Your story doesn’t have to be long and detailed. No need to share the full history, even if it could be made relevant. Focus on what your ideal client would find most helpful to know about you as a person.
If you do want to share the long story, go ahead. Begin with the most important parts so that skimmers can get the idea quickly and move on. Those who want all the details can keep reading for as long as they like.
For a good example of a long About page, check out seanwes.com/about. On it, Sean McCabe keeps the most helpful information at the top, including links to his best content. Then, for those who want it, he includes the long story of how he came to be where he is now.
Take Action!
Imagine I’m your dream client or customer and introduce yourself to me. Use this outline to get started:
- Address my struggle. Show me that you understand where I’m at, what my pain points are.
- Tell me how you can help me by telling a story — the story of what my life could be like if I hire or buy from you.
- Finally, humanize yourself. Now that I care, who are you? Tell me your story.
For an example, check out the About page at CivAnPro.com.
This is the first of the Write Your Site challenges. Want more? Sign up for the 5-day challenge by clicking here:
