Katelyn Brooke

4 mistakes I was making on my about page (and how to fix them!)

blogging· tips and tutorials

7 Oct

Let’s face it: writing your about page is hard. I mean, who really enjoys writing about themselves? It can be kind of uncomfortable. Ever since I’ve had a blog, I’ve hated writing my about page. When I had multiple blogs and a business website, usually the blog pages came more easily to me- I felt free to be more casual and just talk about me and my life.

But the business page? It sucked. It was dry and oh so very boring. I don’t need to tell you, just look for yourself:Old About

 

Ouch, right? When I combined my sites and did some redesigning earlier this year, I gave my about page a much needed makeover. Now that it’s been a few several months, I went back and isolated 4 things that were really wrong with it before, that I tried* to address in the newer version.

*I want to preface this by saying that I wrote this post and then looked at my about page… and wanted to do the whole thing over again. The old about page wins again! So try not to hold me to these standards, because there’s always room for improvement.

4 big mistakes you could be making on your about page (and how to fix them!) || katelynbrooke.com

Here are the things I was doing wrong:

The story was boring.

Everyone has a story.  Where you’re from, when you born, what you studied in school, etc., etc… and for most of us, our story is pretty ordinary.  Mine certainly is.  The trick is finding a way to tell your story that doesn’t bore your audience to tears.  Think about this part as a writing sample. Your voice needs to pour out of your story. It should be written in the same style as your blog, or your social media, or whatever it is that you’re putting out there.

A word of caution: if you are a solopreneur, please don’t write in the third person. I think people do it because they think it sounds more legit, but it actually just sounds more impersonal.

I didn’t pivot.

A few weeks ago I had a lightbulb moment when I was discussing about pages with a client. Your about page is where you need to share all the things that set you apart from the other people in your industry. Your occupation, what you are, be it web designer, photographer, or blogger, that is the fixed point. People probably know that part before they even click on your about page.

So you need to pivot. You don’t need to talk about that fixed point, you need to talk about all those things the reader doesn’t already know about you.

Another way of thinking about it is what do you and your ideal client / reader have in common? Talk about that. If it’s someone who is hiring you, you probably don’t have your skill in common. In my case, I like working with creative women- interior designers, event planners, and the like. Instead of talking about how much I love to code, I need to talk about how much I appreciate well-decorated spaces and how stationery and fresh cut flowers make my heart go pitter-patter (see what I mean? Why don’t have that in there?!)

There was no hierarchy.

I’m not one of those bloggers who thinks that all blog posts need headlines, bolded words, and three different colors of text to make them more “scannable.”  Sometimes you just gotta write.  But on an about page?  For your business? People need something to grab them.

I didn’t play to my strengths.

I’m a web designer. What was I doing with a page full of text? If you’re a writer, write. If you’re a visual person, make it visual. The good news with about pages is that it can be whatever you want it to be, and more creative is generally better! Be different.

Want more tips on your about page? When I was working on my page, I thought these posts from In Spaces Between, Copyblogger, Amanda Genther, Blogging with Amy, Allyssa Barnes, were really helpful!

I don’t know about you, but I truly enjoy reading a good about page! Here are a few of my favorites for you to check out:

Emma Dime
Eva Black
Jess Lively
Jordan Brantley
Lara Casey
Organized Creatives

What is your biggest struggle with your about page?

47 Comments

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Comments

  1. Alysa says

    October 7, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Woo! I rewrote my about page a few months ago. It’s tough, tough work. :)

    I just heard this tip yesterday, “Your about page is where people warm up to working with you.”

    The other tips and ‘about page’ examples you shared are GREAT too.

    Reply
  2. Meghan says

    October 7, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    Mine definitely needs a refresh after reading this. I feel like that’s a mistake too. As the blog changes so should your about page. At this point mine is almost a year old.

    Reply
  3. Kercia says

    October 7, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Ugh, about pages are so tough to write! I love your point about playing into your strengths. If your visual person, make it visual. I think Jordan’s about page totally backs up that point. I LOVE her about page! Thanks for the tips…I think I need to take another look at my about page after reading this :)

    Reply
  4. akacompletemess says

    October 7, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    These are great tips. I think I’m going to redo ours. It for sure needs some tweaking.

    http://www.akacompletemess.com

    Reply
  5. julia-tagandtibby says

    October 7, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    I redid mine a few weeks ago but need to work on it again. Thanks for this, I pinned for later!

    Reply
  6. Krystle says

    October 7, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    Kate, you’re right on with your tips. So many people think about their about page as if it’s a resume. It’s a story, not a cover letter. I especially love the timeline you designed for yours.

    P.S. – Thanks for including OC in your favorites list. :)

    Reply
  7. Yanyanista says

    October 8, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    This is such a great great post I really appriate that. I had exactly the same struggle when I just started my blog one month ago before fashion week. Everything was set up, going well, but writing my about page? ! That was such such a pain!!
    Even now I still think I need to fix it so much and you just reminded me! Oh! I need to work on this!!!
    Thank you so much again! Love u!

    Reply
  8. Becky says

    October 16, 2014 at 10:48 am

    So good! thank you for sharing :)

    Reply
  9. Lalaine says

    October 19, 2014 at 9:07 am

    Thanks for this great advice. I’ve been doing a lot of research and I’ll definitely keeps these ideas in mind for when I re-do my About Page. Love the timeline too!

    Reply
  10. Bec says

    October 31, 2014 at 4:47 am

    Very well said. I am new to the blogging world and I think that my ‘About’ page is definitely lacking. As you said, it needs to be where you set yourself apart from the others and have people warm to you! All suggestions have been welcome! Thank you!

    Reply
  11. jenn shurkus says

    November 4, 2014 at 8:58 am

    my about page is B-O-R-I-N-G but this article totally sparked an idea for a new about page! thank you so much!!

    Reply
  12. Kristie Hill says

    November 8, 2014 at 1:15 am

    I love the picture time line on your about page. I think your tips to match your about page to your personality are perfect.

    Reply
  13. Sommer @greenmom says

    November 17, 2014 at 9:15 pm

    EXCELLENT tips. I play with mine and have rewritten it so many times. I guess we’re always changing so that makes sense. :)

    Reply
  14. Lauren Voorhees says

    November 20, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    This is beyond true and like a true student- I took notes to take back to my about page. I struggled to easily write about myself and make it interesting- but I know I am more fun than my about page suggests! Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  15. Meg says

    January 20, 2015 at 5:33 am

    Thanks for the tips! I’m terrible at writing anything ‘about me’, even when it comes to writing a blurb for exhibition catalogues so I’m grateful for the help :D I have GOT to re-write my about page soon, I’m redesigning my blog this year so now was the perfect time to come across your post! -Meg

    Reply
  16. Beth Caplin says

    January 23, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    Great advice. I changed my about page from sounding distant and business-like to more casual, like someone my readers might want to get to know. As an author who (hopefully) writes believable characters, I want to be approachable and easy to relate to as well.

    Reply
  17. Kathleen Hunter says

    March 19, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Thanks for sharing. Love you article!

    Reply
  18. Sacha says

    May 23, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    Thanks for the great post, I so need to rework my about page now. Xx

    Reply
  19. Dijana @ The Funny Nanny says

    May 31, 2015 at 1:53 am

    This is a good point. I tend to talk (write) too much, and that is very noticeable on my about me page. I might need to work on oversharing :)
    Thank you for the tips. :)

    Reply
  20. Makenzie says

    June 1, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    I love this post because I never thought about talking about my other interests!
    I think my about me page is kinda cliche…it’s totally me because I love quotes and am very visual but I just feel like it’s not original enough. Maybe I will add more of what people don’t know!

    Reply
  21. Maria Barrera says

    June 2, 2015 at 4:55 pm

    I’m still building my site, I’m really grateful for those tips. Greetings From Panama.

    Reply
  22. Grace says

    August 6, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    SO TRUE to literally everything here! I use my website as a blogging platform, but I also supplement my resume with it, and I had such a hard time figuring out how to tailor my “About” to fit with both of those. Finally, I just threw my hands up and wrote what I would want to read about somebody else- if someone wants to hire me based off my writing skills, that’s where I get to showcase it. Sometimes it’s so good to just do YOUR thing!

    Reply
  23. Stephanie says

    August 28, 2015 at 11:32 pm

    I was actually a little scared to read this post. I thought I was going to end up doing my about page all over because every time I seek advice I tend to over think things and it don’t even be all that serious. Thanks for the tips

    Reply
  24. Rosalind says

    August 31, 2015 at 8:12 am

    Great tips! I’m summoning up the courage to rewrite mine, it really is such a tough page to get right!

    Reply
  25. Samantha says

    September 29, 2015 at 9:28 am

    This tips are fantastic! I used them to help write my About page on my newly launched blog! Blogging is definitely a new world for me, so I’m excited to read through yours for more advice and best practices!

    Reply
  26. Krithika Rangarajan says

    October 3, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    LOVELY post!

    A year ago, I bought a domain….

    …and did nothing with it because I didn’t know what to write in my About Page.

    Six months ago, I bought another domain…

    ….and did nothing with it because I don’t know what to write in my About Page ;)

    This helps – thanks, Katelyn #HUGS

    Kitto

    Reply
  27. Amber says

    February 3, 2016 at 10:26 am

    Thanks for the tips! I constantly struggle with what to put on my “About Me” page, finding that balance between relating to my reader without going overboard is tough! Right now I’ve got an “About” page that gives them a snippet of me, but it’s more the story of the blog coming to life, and then I’ve got a page from there that they can go to to find out more about me and my family. We’ll see how that works, I’m sure I’ll want to change it up again soon enough!

    Reply
  28. Ira says

    March 23, 2016 at 9:24 am

    Thank you so much for the article and interesting “About me” examples! That page was truly painful to write and I feel like mine is extremely boring and definitely not catching. Hope I will be able to rewrite mine soon. Thanks for tips!

    Reply
  29. JazzFeathers says

    May 25, 2016 at 2:51 am

    Thanks so much for sharing. I am in the process of make my About page over and this is very good, strong advice :-)

    Reply
  30. Stephen Walker says

    May 27, 2016 at 3:48 am

    Comment by: Stephen Walker

    Hi Katelyn,

    Your “About Page” is awesome. It was the first thing I checked after seeing this post.

    I like the 2 column layout and the one-page, no sidebar approach which make it clean and professional.

    I will most definitely be redesigning mine.

    Reply
  31. Taylor Palmer says

    August 6, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    Thankfully, I found your post before writing my “about me” page! I’m hoping people will like it (and me)! Thank you for this information!

    Reply
  32. Mr. AR says

    September 28, 2019 at 4:26 pm

    Thankfully, I found your post before writing my “about me” page! I’m hoping people will like it (and me)! Thank you for this information! Really it is a great information once again thanks
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    Reply

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