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Are you sitting down?

Because this isn’t going to be easy to hear…

Your About Page isn’t about you.

It hurts, I know.

And it’s a little confusing. I mean, the page is called About You…

What else would you write about, if not yourself?

And that’s how a lot of people approach their About Page. They write about their life story. Their awards and accomplishments and credentials.

They produce this beautiful, epic autobiography.

But when prospects see that wall-o-text, they click away.

Other people take the opposite approach to their About Page.

They don’t think the About Page is that important…

(After all, prospects only care about their own interests, not about you, right?)

So they churn out some generic copy, just so they have something on the page.

And when prospects see that, they do the same thing: click away.

To do the About Page right, there are two things you need to know…

Thing to Know #1: Your About Page Can Close Sales

The About Page is one of the most-clicked pages on most sites.

(You’ll have to take a look at your own analytics to know if that’s true for you, but it’s a popular page on most sites.)

People want to know, “Who even are you?”

And they want to know that before they’re willing to keep reading your site. And before they hand over their email address or their credit card.

So when you treat your About Page like a red-headed step-child, you’re missing a big opportunity to capture readers and prospects.

In fact, if it’s compelling enough, readers won’t need to see any other page on your website.

They’ll be all, “Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at the About Page. You had me at the About Page…”

(Cue Bruce Springsteen song. Roll credits.)

Thing to Know #2: The About Page is Really About Your Prospect

When prospects click on your About Page, they’re looking for answers.

Why should they listen to you? Can you really help them? Is this interesting? What’s in it for them?

So while you do need to talk about yourself…

You need to talk about yourself as it relates to them.

Answer their questions. Calm their fears. Talk about what interests them (and that’s usually themselves).

That’s where your market research comes into play.

However, we can still look at a few questions you should almost always answer on your About Page…

How to Make It All About Them

Prospects usually have the following questions when they click on your About Page:

#1 “Who are you?”

This is about more than your name and title. You also need to get their attention and create a connection.

If that sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because it’s the first part of The 60-Second Sales Hook.

Here’s an example from that report that illustrates how to introduce yourself, get attention, and create a connection right off the bat:

Hi, I’m Kevin Rogers. Six years ago a blood infection I contracted during a routine dental cleaning left me minutes from death. A heart surgeon saved my life, but the new medications were killing me all over again. Then I discovered a natural solution that has helped me get into peak condition and rid myself of dangerous and expensive prescriptions forever.

Even if you’ve never been in that situation, it’s compelling. There’s a hurdle, a discovery, and a positive effect.

And if you have been in a situation like Kevin’s, if you’re on medications that are killing you right now, he’s got your undivided attention.

Even if yours is not a personality-based business, I still want to know about the man or woman behind the curtain. Who started the business? Who’s running it now?

People want to do business with other people, not with company names and logos.

#2 “Is this for me, and why should I buy from you?”

Here’s where you dive more into what exactly you offer, to whom you offer it, and what makes you different than all those other clowns.

This is also known as your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). For instance:

Steve helps men over 40 lose the beer belly, even if they’ve never set foot in a gym.

Kelly is a sleep coach for new parents and their infants, guaranteeing better sleep in just one week.

Sara helps people diagnosed with pre-diabetes avoid full-blown diabetes, through 10 easy lifestyle changes.

Each of those examples answers who they serve, what problem they solve, and what makes them different (and more desirable) to their target audience.

Your USP has to be compelling if you want your About Page to convert. So take some time with it.

And for detailed instructions on how to develop your own USP, check out this Copy Chief post by USP expert Ross O’Lochlainn.

#3 “What results can I expect?”

How many other people have you helped? What specific results did they get?

A great way to answer these questions is through testimonials. Specifically, testimonials from your ideal customers that provide proof of results.

For instance, if you’re Steve the fitness pro, you need testimonials from other men over 40 talking about how much weight they lost. How quickly and easily they lost it, even though they hated the very idea of going to a gym and turning into some kinda “bro”.

That way, when other ideal prospects see that, they can relate: “Look at what Steve did for that guy, and that guy is just like me...”

#4 “How do I know you aren’t a dirty scammer person?”

Here’s where you can add third-party proof.

Examples include:

Credentials

Media mentions

Speaking engagements

Testimonials from well-known people in your market

Famous clients (if you can name them)

Again, these things are technically about you, however, the reason you include them is to reassure your prospects.

#5 “Would I want to have a beer with you?”

Are you personable? Are you speaking like a human being, or are you using hypey jargon like some sort of marketing bot?

This is the time to show a bit of your personality. If you consider yourself a “comic book geek,” include that.

If you can pull off a joke, go for it.

Personally, I love self-deprecating humor. Just be careful. If you’re not sure if it’s funny, either run it by a few brutally honest people or leave it out.

#6 “What’s the next step?”

This is a BIG mistake I see on a lot of About Pages…

The copy answers the questions above, it gets the prospect all hot and bothered, and then…nothing.

There’s no call to action. You leave them to wander around your site, guessing about the next step to take.

Walk them through it. What should they do next? Join your mailing list? Check out your sales page? Call you?

A good About Page spells it out for them and includes the link, button, form, or whatever-it-is so they can take action right then and there.

Let’s Look at an Example…

Here is a great example of an About Page, by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

We’ll take a look at how he talks about himself, in relation to his prospects.

#1 “Who are you?”

Ramit has his name right at the top, along with a photo. He introduces himself as an author and the founder of I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

Then we read his story…

He had to pay for college on his own. So he worked hard to win scholarship money, tried to invest it, and he lost half his money. Ouch. There’s the hurdle.

So he decided to learn how money really works. And the discovery was that these “tips” by so-called financial experts didn’t make sense, and no one was actually using them. So instead of being frugal or a miser, the psychology student wondered, “Why not use psychology to focus on what really does work?”

The positive effect is that he was able to automate his finances, while enjoying lattes. Then he applied the same principles to other areas of his life: career, business, relationships, fitness, and more.

That’s pretty compelling. It makes you wonder, “What are these life-changing, psychological tricks?”

#2 “Is this for me, and why should I buy from you?”

Ramit says his site is for you if you want to live a “rich life,” which could mean “automating your finances, making more money, finding your dream job, starting an online business, or mastering your inner psychology.”

And he highlights his USP in the section called “I take a different approach than most ‘experts’ out there.”

He’s not about cutting lattes and out-frugaling everyone else. He’s about mastering big financial wins, earning more, and using systems to create a rich life.

That’s compelling to anyone who’s tried cutting lattes and making a budget, only to go on a caffeine-fueled Amazon shopping spree one week later.

Not that I know about this from personal experience. Anyway, moving on…

One last thing to note about Ramit’s About Page: It isn’t called “About Page”. It’s called “Why Ramit?” (You can see it in the upper left corner of the screenshot above.)

In other words, it’s not about him. It’s about why you should listen to him over all those other guys. Subtle, yet powerful.

#3 “What results can I expect?”

Ramit helps more than 500,000 learn how to use psychology and systems to live a rich life via his newsletter.

And when you scroll down, he’s got a wealth of specific testimonials with headshots:

Furthermore, he tells you exactly what you’ll get just for subscribing to his newsletter:

This page really spells out what’s in it for you and what results you can expect.

#4 “How do I know you aren’t a dirty scammer person?”

Ramit has said that a name like I Will Teach You To Be Rich just sounds scammy, however, it’s what he started with, and he decided to stick with it.

But this kind of proof minimizes those doubts:

He’s been in national magazines, he has a best-selling book, and he’s been on all of the major media companies.

Note: Including the media logos adds another layer of credibility. It just looks more legit.

Also, he includes a quote from The Wall Street Journal:

Are you even thinking about the somewhat-scammy name of his company? I sure wasn’t.

#5 “Would I want to have a beer with you?”

Ramit includes his personal story about investing one of his scholarship checks in the stock market and losing half of it.

That, along with a photo of his college self wearing Elmo slippers, is very relatable and personable.

And while he’s serious about his products and the results he provides, he never takes it too seriously. Here’s his sign-off:

Now, being likable doesn’t mean being likable to everyone. Ramit definitely isn’t. Frugalistas hate him, in fact, and that’s by design.

Being likable means being likable to your ideal customers. And Ramit’s personal touches on his About Page are appealing to his target audience, who are into self-improvement and for the most part have a sense of humor.

#6 “What’s the next step?”

This is at the bottom of his About Page, right before the sign-off.

Ramit has several programs, so he has what I call a “Choose Your Own Adventure” call to action.

You can earn money on the side, find your dream job, or save more money. Choose your #1 goal and opt-in.

There’s no question about what prospects need to do next. Three options, three buttons.

Muah! Beautiful.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It…

Okay, so let’s apply all of this to YOUR About Page.

Take the list of questions, and see if your About Page answers them.

To recap, here they are:

Who are you? Is this for me, and why should I buy from you? What results can I expect? How do I know you’re not a dirty scammer person? Would I want to have a beer with you? What’s the next step?

If your About Page doesn’t answer any of those questions, fill in the missing pieces. Then, delete anything that’s only about you and not about your ideal customers.

And finally, if you’d like some feedback, send a screenshot of your before and after to me at [email protected].

I’d love to see your results.