Use these ten free copywriting tips to reduce your about page angst.
Hands up if you visit the about page when you view a website? Guilty as charged. Google Analytics shows that your about page is one of the most visited pages on your website. It’s the place that you convince your ideal clients you’re the one for them. Perhaps that’s why they are so challenging to write- because you know you need to get it RIGHT. Get it wrong and your readers will happily clicky click off your page and likely move on to a competitor.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or reviving an existing page, use these ten tips to make your about page engaging enough that when people visit- they want to keep reading.
1. It’s about you … but not really
Yes, it’s your about page. But it’s not actually all about you. Your copy should showcase your Unique Selling Proposition (USP – that’s the thing that makes you special) and the parts of you and your product/ service that matter to your clients. Have a read and see how many times you say ‘we’, I or us, and try to rephrase in a way that resonates with your ideal clients. People are on your page for a reason – let them know how you can give them what they need and what the benefit is. To do this you need to …
2. Know who you’re writing to.
When I write for clients, we do an in-depth brand voice session and get stuck into the nitty-gritty detail about their ideal client. The concept of narrowing your focus to a specific niche or person might seem limiting at first, but the old saying rings true:
“When you speak to everyone, you speak to no-one”
Meredith Hill.
When you know your ideal client back to front it makes it a whole lot easier to write your copy in a way that will appeal to them. There’s a whole blog topic in this which I’ll get to at a later date – sign up to my emails so you don’t miss out.
3. Articulate what’s in it for them
Think about the way you choose a product or service- you want to know that it resolves a problem you have, meets a need, or makes you feel a certain way. Your about page should help your readers understand your offering, showcase the benefit to them, and build trust that you’ll deliver what you promise.
4. Write the way you’d talk
In most industries, formal, stuffy copy has made way for conversational copy because people don’t want to buy from a business anymore. Now, they want to identify with, connect to, and invest in a brand. Think about the tone you use when you chat with friends you have a connection with. Conversational copy has a better chance of hitting the mark than formal, boring or run of the mill worlds and it gives you the chance to showcase the voice that’s uniquely yours.
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5. Cut the waffle
There’s a place for a good waffle and that’s on your plate with a dash of maple syrup. There’s no room for waffle on your home page. Even though I’m sure that there are enough interesting parts about you and the story of your business to write something the length of War and Peace; people’s attention spans are short. 8 seconds short to be exact. Edit more than once and keep connectivity, likeability, and building trust in mind. Depending on your business and ideal clients, somewhere between 250 – 500 words (max) will do the trick.
6. Skip the fancy words and jargon
You’d be hard-pressed to find something that irks people more than being made to feel stupid. Write in a way that’s easy to understand – the average person reads at a grade seven level (tip – use the free tool Grammarly to check your copy). Leave out industry jargon, acronyms, and the large uncommon words that you learned in high school that never saw the light of day again.
7. Don’t forget to combine copy with design
Break up your text with headings, subheadings, white space, and images. Use lists or bullet points for readability and bold the text that’s important to appease skim readers (the majority!). Pop a picture of yourself on too – it helps build connection and trust.
8. Let your brand voice boom
What is your brand voice? Simply put, it’s what you say and how you say it, to encompass who you are and appeal to your target market. Hmm. Maybe not that simple?! It should be authentic, uniquely yours, consistent and help people identify you and make you stand out from your competitors.
9. Let your personality shine
What are the bits about you that would make your ideal client want to work with you or purchase from you? You can write about your why (if you need a hand figuring this out, check out www.jodienormanwrites.com/unbaffle), your ethics, values, relevant interests, plus a bit of back story. If you’ve been staring at the blinking cursor of death you can also tell them what/who you’re not.
10. Don’t forget to include a call to action
Each website page should include calls to action to direct your reader to where you want them to go next and the about page is no exception. If people are reading your page – don’t lose them. Think about the appropriate action you want them to take and have a big juicy button ready so their clicky fingers cant resist. Get inventive and leave the ‘click here’ behind. I’ll be writing a blog with some call to action ideas soon so keep an eye out for that or sign up so you don’t miss out.
Have a question? Leave it in the comments below and paste a link to your about page, I’d love to see it!
