4 Steps to Publishing About Page Copy that Makes You Proud
In my last blog, I discussed how helpful prep work can be before writing your website’s About page copy.
If you’ve read that post and followed the instructions, you're feeling inspired. You know your brand voice. You have a list of the top three things you want your reader to take away. You even know what you want them to do next after they’ve visited your page!
You may be thinking, “Thanks, Kristen, that’s all great, but I haven’t actually WRITTEN anything!”
Patience, young padawan.
But, not for too much longer! In fact, let’s get started writing right now.
1.Visually outline your About page
Using your favorite aspects of the inspiration you’ve collected, create an outline of the sections you want your About page to have. I’m very visual, so I usually start by sketching this out on a piece of paper. Then, I transfer it to a document, using tables to create page sections as needed (so the copy looks how it will look on the page).
2.Write a very bad first draft
I’m talking typos, terrible sentence structure, questionable grammar, and perhaps even incoherent thoughts. Just start writing. Say what you want to say, and say it badly. Don’t filter for voice or tone or to sound smart. Then close the document and move on to something else.
3. Revise!
Later, preferably after at least one sleep, revisit your very bad first draft. You’ll probably be surprised by how much you have to work with! Read through and revise, turning your babbling thought streams into solid statements.
To finalize, run through your copy for a few rounds of edits, with these focuses in mind:
Round 1: Clean up the thoughts. Make your points clearly and succinctly.
Round 2: Edit for voice and tone. Remember how you want your reader to feel, and make sure you feel good about your language choice.
Round 3: Do the nitpicky edits. Double-check your spelling and grammar, be sure you’re not repeating the same adjectives over and over… things like that.
4.Publish your About page (even if it’s not perfect)
The thing is, an About page never feels quite done. First, we’re (hopefully) always growing and getting better at our jobs. Second, it’s quite vulnerable! It’s super easy to get caught up in re-doing it and re-doing it out of fear of putting yourself out there. And that’s a part of the human experience, my friend. I like to tell myself, “You’re going to be embarrassed by this first try a few years from now, because hopefully you’ll have learned and gotten better. But that learning won’t start until you take this first step.”
So, hit publish and decide when you’ll review your website. This can be monthly, quarterly, or annually. Put it on the calendar and don’t let yourself get distracted with updating or improving your About page until your scheduled time to do so.
These steps may sound complicated…
But they truly simplify and speed up the copywriting process. By…
Starting from a place of focus
Giving yourself permission to write a bad first draft
Having a revision formula to follow
And reassuring yourself you’ll get your website published even if it’s not completely “perfect”…
You’ll save so much time hemming, hawing, and being indecisive. You’ve got this!
I love writing about pages! Some of my favorites have been for Lauren at Embrace Fertility, Annie at Ekstrom Talent Consulting, and Monica at Monica Flores Fitness. If you need help with your website copy, let’s chat.