10 Ways to Dazzle Readers With Your About Me Page

We’re almost halfway through our 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Summer Challenge for 2011, and Day 14, how to write an about me page, is one of those days that’s easy to overlook because on the surface it’s not as edgy as Opinion Post day or as fun as how to write a link post, but it’s my supreme goal to show you how edgy, fun, and even a little bit sexy (see number 5 below) updating a key page on your blog, specifically your About Me page, can be.

Am I up for the challenge?  Oh, yes I am.  And as you’ll see below, I’ve brought some kick-butt back up to help prove my point.

Writing a Great About Me Page

In this task, Problogger taught us that the About Me page on your blog can be used to do some serious damage in the “influence” department because the people most likely to read it are first time readers and those wanting to know if they should invest time in building a relationship with you: potential partners, advertisers, collaborators, journalists, PR people, and other bloggers.

When you write your About Me page, your job as a blogger is to DAZZLE your audience.

About Me Page Examples To Learn From

How can you impress VIPs and have them begging for more of your awesomeness?  Well just for you my friends, I became a blog super spy and stalked About Me pages of successful bloggers to learn how.

Give Them Some Eye Candy

I’m not talking about plastering pictures of Gerard Butler from the movie “300” all over your About Me page (although, if you did, I certainly wouldn’t mind), I’m talking about making your About Me page pop.  Yes, pop.  That’s exactly the word that I would use to describe Sarah Prout’s “About Me” page.  With its extreme visual appeal, bold font changes, and memorable picture, her about me page just popped off the screen at me.

Show Them Your Genius

Don’t be shy about showing your readers your stuff.  If you have posts that you’re particularly proud of because they’ve received lots of comment love, backlinks, or are just plain groovy in your humble opinion, then by all means, list them in your About Me page.  And if you’ve created some applause worthy products, showcase them as well.  This is how Ali Luke of Aliventures caught my attention on her About Me page.

Charm Them With The Real You

Put a video clip on your About Me page to welcome your readers with the real you.  Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn completely charmed me with her video on her About Me page.  If you don’t feel comfortable with video, you can always charm your readers with authentic and down-to-earth pictures of you.  If you feel the need to awaken a blast from the past and throw up a picture of yourself in that ‘80s polka-dotted prom dress, I, for one, would become an instant super fan.

Kill ‘Em With Kindness

When I first found Erica Douglass of Erica.biz, she scared me with the size of her brain (she sold her own web hosting company for over $1 Million at the age of 26).  I mean…WOW… But, I quickly forgot my brain-envy when she showed her generous side and gave me her beautiful ebook, “Blog Success Manifesto” for free on her About Me page.  Moral of this story?  It’s great to be smart, but even better to be kind.  Give something of value to your readers on your About Me page.

Woo Them:

I’m serious. You want a relationship with them, so woo them.  This is not the time to play the shy, introverted wallflower – you want your readers wanting more of you after they read your About Me page.  After I read Abby Kerr’s About Me page, I literally got butterflies of excitement because she inspired me, engaged me, and most definitely wooed me with her wording.  She had me at hello when I read her opening, “I help entrepreneurs up their addictability factor”.  I don’t know about you, but I sure as heck want to be addictable.   How can you woo your readers with your wording?

Be A Team Player

I’ve been reading Annabel Candy’s work for awhile now and I adore her because she continues to help the little guy and takes the time to get to know her readers and make them part of her community.  Even on her About Me page she thanks her loyal readers and tells them that she’s their personal cheerleader.  Very nice to thank your loyal readers on your About Me page, don’t ya think?

Be Loud and Clear

In order to not sound like a blah, blah, boring resume on your About Me page, kick it up a notch and use your voice.  Cori from Big Girl Branding has a BIG voice on the page.  Her personality shines through with every post she writes, and she didn’t forget to ‘bring it’ to her About Me page.  Her mission statement is loud and clear:  “To bring forth quality info to readers, who can then use said info and apply it to their own biz, branding, and marketing shenanigans.  May contain info unsuitable for overly sensitive people. Dork label required.”  Awesome.  I like shenanigans and I’m a dork, so count me in, Cori.

Make It About Them

What can YOU do for your readers?  I know the About Me page is supposed to be about you, but what if you made it about your readers?  Stephey Baker of Marked by the Muse uses the words “you” and “your” a total of 55 times on her About Me page.  And the effect?  I felt like she was a trusted, warm-hearted friend giving me advice on art, creativity, and life, while we sipped lattes somewhere in some inspiring café.

Belief is a Powerful Thing.

Telling your readers what you believe in on your About Me page can do two things beautifully, 1) Gain their trust, and 2) Inspire them.  Catherine Caine of Cash and Joy gained my trust and inspired me when she told me 13 of her powerful beliefs on her About Me page, including, “Never, ever apologize for something that makes someone smile.”  And she totally made me smile.

Impress Them

Show off a little by providing testimonials on your About Me page.  My jaw dropped when I saw Jade Craven’s testimonials from her peers, clients, and authorities on her About Me page.  Any woman who has a video of Darren Rowse admitting he enjoys her blog is in a word:  Impressive.   Also, without Jaden Craven this post would’ve never happened.  I read all of her “Bloggers to Watch” viral posts to find most of the very talented women on this post.  THANK YOU, Miss Craven.

After becoming the blog super spy, I feel a need to update my own much neglected About Me page with some of these ideas.  How about you?  Do any of these ideas appeal to you?

No matter how you choose to update your About Me page, just remember to dazzle them, my dear.  DAZZLE them.

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About Francesca

Francesca has an extensive background in content marketing, public relations, and social outreach. She oversees all Operations at Sway Group, including our robust metrics capabilities. Prior to joining the online world, Francesca oversaw viticulture and oenology at various wineries in both California and Italy, and managed regulatory affairs and facility approvals at the biotech company, Genentech. Francesca has been featured on CBS Sacramento and Food Blogger Pro’s podcast. She has also hosted an AMA webinar and spoken at Social Media World.

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