By Terez Howard
Do you want me to read your blog? Then tell me about yourself?
Dan Keller recently wrote that blog post, and it got me thinking. When I check out blogs, and I am in the constant state of searching for new content, the absolute first link I click on if I like what Iâm reading is the About page.
Hereâs what Iâm looking for:
- Who is this blogger? What does he/she do for a living, and why?
- What does this blogger hope to achieve with this blog?
- How am I going to benefit from following it? Am I going to benefit at all?
I ask myself these questions every time I click on that About link. But Iâve never put them in writing. Now that I have, I feel I have some work to do. Are you giving your readers this basic information?
You know you need a change, but how?
So, I look at my About page on my blog, and it answers what I hope to achieve with my blog. Thatâs about it. Iâd say this is the easiest question to answer. Most, if not all bloggers, know what they are writing about. This is the time to provide a brief synopsis to your readers. Simple.
Looking back at my About page, it doesnât say who I am. How can I, and maybe you, too, get personal? I would like to tell readers:
- How long Iâve been writing
- Where Iâve written
- Why I love writing
- What I do for a living
- A little about my family (Theyâre my life!)
- Where I live
- A fun fact about yourself (Be creative.)
Iâm going to add a headshot to my About page. Dan recommends posting a quick video so that people can get a glimpse of your personality.
An About page needs to tell people why they would care to read my blog. This is going to be different for every niche. The basic, foremost question you need to answer is:
What are readers going to take away from your blog that they can use?
I only read blogs that somehow relate to my life. For instance, I have natural hair, and Iâm constantly looking for new styles, hair care tips and insights. When Iâm looking at a new blog, I want that About page to tell me that Iâm going to get what I need. Of course, I enjoy reading about personal information, like why a woman went natural and rants on natural hair. But I want to learn something for my hair. It has to be about me to a certain extent.
With that in mind, bloggers write about personal matters. However, if posts never relate to your readers, there will be no readers. Right of the bat, readers can know from your About page that you are going to help them in some way.
Ask yourself:
- If I were visiting my blog as an outsider, what would type of information would I want to see?
- How can readers use the information in my posts?
- Why will readers want to come back to my blog?
Answering these questions can help you get on task for constructing an About page that tells your readers what they want to know. Iâm ready to make some changes on my blog.
What else do you include in your About page?
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Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clientsâ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger
Thanks, Terez!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
