Focus First, Write Second: 4 Steps to Prep Your About Page Web Copy
Writing about ourselves is almost always more challenging than we expect. If you’ve been trying to draft your website’s About page copy for the last 3 months and are still feeling totally lost… you’re not alone.
Here’s the conundrum: We don’t want to brag. We do want our potential clients or customers to know how qualified we are. We don’t want to talk too much about ourselves. We do want our site to feel like us so it reaches people who will enjoy our personalities.
As we teeter between feeling super confident (I got this! Go me!) and achingly vulnerable (Wait, does this sound dumb? Am I dumb?), writing an About page can feel near impossible.
If drafting your About copy is making you consider burning it all down and starting a brand new career, preferably from another hemisphere… I won’t talk you out of it.
But before you jet off, I will ask: Can you humor me first? Set aside 10-20 minutes. Step away from the keyboard. Put the pencil down. Take a deep breath. And walk through these 4 steps before you ever start writing. Then, try again. This time with calm and clarity.
Collect inspiration
You can spend hours with pencil and paper trying to design the best, most creative About page ever, but even if you do come up with an awesome idea… chances are, it’s already been done.
Save yourself the hassle! Start by collecting About page inspiration from other websites. I keep an “Inspiration” folder in my web browser bookmarks. When I come across a page I like, I bookmark it, save it to the folder, and rename it to jog my memory about what exactly struck me about the page.
2. Think about your voice
Before you begin writing, you should have an idea of your brand voice. Warning: Don’t get stuck here. It’s very easy to distract ourselves by perfecting and re-perfecting our branding, and while important, your brand is ever-evolving. (So it will never feel quite done - take action, anyway!)
Keep it simple. Ask yourself, “When someone who needs my services finds this page, how do I want them to feel after they’ve read it?”
When you have your answer, let that inform your voice. For example, a mental health therapist might want potential clients to read her copy and feel seen, understood, and safe. Her brand voice is likely nurturing and calm.
Another mental health therapist might want site readers to feel motivated and ready to take action. Her voice may be energetic and commanding.
Each therapist could be equally skilled, but they will attract different clients. This is a good thing! You want to reach the people you’re most suitable to help. So before you start writing, think about your voice and how you want your clients to feel when they read about you.
3. Know the top 1-3 things you want readers to take away
It’s enticing to try and tell your whole story. “It all began when I entered the world on February 15 at 6:37 AM…” I mean, how are you supposed to boil each moment that led you here down into a few paragraphs?!
The thing is, not everyone who reads the page needs to know your entire biography. So, what do they need to know? You tell me! Ask yourself:
Do I have experience, policies or work values that differentiate me from others in my industry?
Do I have a compelling “why” behind what I do?
Do I have a specific education, qualification, or license that needs mentioning?
If a client could only know 3 things about me/my business/my company before contacting me… what would I choose to tell them?
4. Know what you want readers to do next
When the perfect client has found your website, read all about you, and is ready to take action… What do they do next? Make sure you know. Make sure they know. Make sure it’s clear. Make sure it’s consistent. (No competing calls to action!)
Don’t write a single word…
Until you’ve done these 4 things! I promise that when you take the time to prepare before you write, the writing process is… well, not quite a breeze, but as breezy as possible! Walking through these steps will help you focus on what matters most about your About page and shake off the distracting noise surrounding what doesn’t.
I love writing about pages! Some of my favorites have been for Lauren at Embrace Fertility, Annie at Ekstrom Talent Consulting, and Monica at Monica Flores Fitness. If you need help with your website copy, let’s chat.