You’ve probably heard the chatter that your website’s about page can’t be about you. Chances are, this often-quoted advice probably confused you more than it gave you clarity.

Sometimes, I have clients who are surprised that I want to know anything about them. “Isn’t this supposed to be about my ideal client?” They ask.

Well, yes. But to accomplish that, I have to know something about you first! That’s what leads to the trust you are trying so hard to build with your dream clients.

So how can you write a compelling about page, one that will inspire people to take action and want to work with you over someone else?

Your about page has a specific job: to show you as the guide in your client’s journey, mirror their transformation, establish your credibility, and give people a reason to click on your services page. Today, we’re going to do exactly that.

Read on for my best about page tips, so you can write a compelling about page that’s successful!

The first step in how to write a compelling about page? Communicate Your Brand’s Positioning

While your homepage is where we introduce your initial brand positioning, the job of communicating your brand message is far from over. On the homepage, we’re giving them a taste of what’s to come on the website and guiding them towards the next-best action. Most of the time, people will either navigate to your about page or your services page. 

As I’m always saying to my clients and within the creative industry, website copywriting is never simply words on a page: it’s a carefully curated journey intended to guide your reader. We don’t just ask people to contact you because they don’t have the buy-in to do so yet. What we NEED to do is sell them on why you are the best person to help them.

Often, I’ll start my clients’ about pages with either a statement of problem or paint a picture of where they are and where they’d like to be. (Caveat: we can do this without making people feel like sh*t. The key is to empower people, not to make them feel bad.)

However, since we’re not on the services page yet, we aren’t quite ready to FULLY dive into that part of the journey yet. Keep this section more focused on your mission and immediate value propositions.

For example, on my own about page (currently under construction as we rebrand – yay!), I start off with a statement of fact about copywriting, something I want to debunk for them. In this section, I want to both win their trust, share my unique brand voice, and change their point of view about what copywriting is intended to do. 

Then, we can head into your story.

See how client Freya Rose Tanner has this functioning on her about page before diving into her story.

Share Your Story

Believe it or not, people DO want to know you. What they DON’T want is a gratuitous, overly long explanation or life story that bores them. The key isn’t to avoid talking about yourself at all – it’s to share relevant details and key facts that make picking you over someone else a no-brainer.

To know what to share in this section, think about (1) how you started your business and got where you are now, (2) your title and what you want people to know you for, (3) the people you want to work with most (I mean your DREAM clients, not just whoever will pay you), (4) things that recommend you – that could be years of experience, types or number of clients you worked for, unique experiences that give you useful, transferrable skillsets, and (5) what you believe about what you do that will specifically help your client. 

All these things can be a helpful way to share your story without making people lose focus or get bored.

For a great example, check out client Lilly Red, whose photography education site shares their story but in a way that is clear, compelling, and action-oriented for their dream clients.

Have Fun with Facts

Many creative entrepreneurs have fun quiz-inspired sections on their about page to share fun facts about themselves. This can be a curated, intentional way to share more about you without writing paragraphs about your favorite ice cream flavor, your kids, or your pet which, ultimately, are irrelevant to your brand narrative. 

However, if this simply doesn’t fit your brand ethos, there are other ways to share more info on your about page in a way that gives you depth and dimension. 

You can share the context behind your brand name, show off media clips or podcast features, write out your brand values, introduce other people on your team, grab 2-3 popular blogs to send people to, or even recommend some helpful resources.

Check out client Schematic Design Co’s about page to get a feel for how to share facts in a concise yet powerful way.

Give the Next Step

I often see people end their pages abruptly, without any kind of call to action. They may end on a lovely testimonial or some fun facts but leave us completely hanging on what to do next! That is NOT a good idea. 

If they make it to the bottom of the page, tell them what to do. Do you want them to hop on your email list, go to your services page, see your portfolio, or contact you? Choose that next step and direct them there via a well-chosen ‘last chance’-style headline.

For more clarity on what to include throughout your website, check out our website content checklist.