If you’ve read Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller, you know the customer is the hero, and you are supposed to be the guide. Well, then - how do you write an about page that doesn’t scoot you over into hero mode?
(Short on time? Struggling with the attention span of a goldfish today? I get it, and I've got you. Scroll on down to the TL;DR at the end. )
I get this question a lot, and want to help those of you who know the words on your About page need an upgrade, but you’re not sure where to start.
You might:
🏆Have read Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller or Marketing Made Simple or both
🎙️Be a fan of the Marketing Made Simple podcast or the Business Made Simple podcast (formerly known as the StoryBrand podcast)
🖥️ Have attended a StoryBrand Livestream Workshop
📜 Have written your very own StoryBrand brandscript
👀 Be lurking around seeing StoryBrand everywhere you look thinking “What the heck is this stuff, anyway?”
No matter where you’re at in the StoryBrand-Aware spectrum, if you have a website, you need an About page.
I’ve heard they say the About page is the second most visited page on a website after a homepage. Actual question to you: Who has the actual study on this? 🔎I didn’t do an extensive search but all I could find were articles citing other articles citing other articles. Still, I believe it because, you know, I read it on the internet. 😉
Before you write your About page, I suggest you get super clear on why you have a website in the first place.
What job are you expecting your website to do for you? What purpose are you expecting it to fulfill? What hat do you want your website to wear?
Imagine your website shows up two hours early on its first day of work, all dressed up, nametag on, lunchbox in hand. What are you hoping it’s going to accomplish for you? What is its job assignment?
Whether you want your website to sell hamster skateboards, raise funds for neglected TikTok stars, or get new clients for your Coach a Cat Course, your About page needs to support that.
Your home page (hopefully) positions you as the answer to a problem. This problem is frustrating enough to motivate your website visitor to seek relief.
If your homepage is clear, your site visitor will skim it quickly then head to your About page.
Your potential customer is seeking answers to questions like this:
Is this person/company legit?
Do they have what it takes to solve my problem?
Do they understand what I need and how I’m feeling?
Your About page should support the info presented on your Home page.
Yes, you’ll include information about you, your company, and maybe your team, but in the context of showing how your transformation perfectly positions you as the solution your customer is seeking.
If you want to talk about how many cups of coffee you and your team consume, fine, but from what I hear, that trendy little ship has sailed.
Your About page should build trust and show credibility and authority, with a healthy dose of empathy.
The best way to do that is to talk about your own transformation.
One of the foundational concepts of the Storybrand framework is to be a brand that participates in the transformation of your customers.
Your customer comes to you as a frustrated cat owner and has had it up to here with fake cat coaches who make big promises and don’t deliver. After taking your course, they are the proud owner of a confident cat who is living its best life. You have participated in the transformation of this person from someone who is frustrated to someone who is proud.
More than likely, you’ve had to undergo your own transformation at some point.
A healthy eating coach can talk about being transformed from sluggish to energetic because of making better food choices.
A drone roof inspector can talk about being transformed from someone who is unprepared for roof repairs or replacement to someone who is confident and prepared now that there’s an easy way to keep up with the state of any roof on a regular basis.
A financial tech startup can talk about being a business who lost time and money and struggled to grow because they used several different tools and platforms that didn’t play nicely with each other. They created a platform that integrated tools and even other platforms and were transformed into a revenue-making machine because of the time and money they’re saving.
Remember the questions your site visitors are asking?
Is this person/company legit?
Do they have what it takes to solve my problem?
Do they understand what I need and how I’m feeling?
Your transformation story provides the answers to these questions in a context your website visitors understand. Since story is a sense-making device, when you present your transformation story, your site visitors will be more likely to remember it later. If they remember the transformation, they will remember that they need a transformation, too, and that you’ve got what it takes to help.
Organize your About page so it’s easy for readers to skim and scan quickly in case they don’t plan to read the entire page.
Use bold text, bullet points, headers, and images to keep your visitor interested.
At the top of your About page, you can launch right into your transformation story like Amy Porterfield does. (amyporterfield.com)
Before you talk about your transformation, you might choose to use a header and a subhead to show at a glance what you do and how you make people’s lives better like Michael Hyatt does (fullfocus.co).
Sometimes, people will end up on your About page BEFORE they’ve visited your home page.
To avoid missed opportunities or unanswered questions, I recommend adding a simple and clear visual that shows 3 easy steps of how someone can work with you. It’s a great idea to include hyperlinks or buttons so it’s simple for visitors to be decisive and take an action like book an appointment or schedule a demo.
At least once near the end of the page, and possibly in a few other spots, drop in a bright call to action button to make it easy for your visitor to take that next step.
You can also add a transitional call to action button here that offers your visitors a downloadable, super-intriguing asset in exchange for their email address. That way, in case they’re not sure yet if they want to take the next step, you can grow a relationship with them through email.
Conclusion:
What are the benefits of a StoryBrand About page? Why do I need one?
Writing a StoryBrand About page is an excellent way to answer the questions your website visitor (who is the hero of the story, like Luke Skywalker) has about you while staying firmly in your role as the guide (like Yoda).
Your About page will no longer be so yawn-inducing that it contributes to an unexpected power nap halfway down the page.
You will use the context of your own transformation to build trust, demonstrate credibility, and show empathy.
Your website visitors will understand who you are and hire you because they are confident you’re qualified to participate with them in their own transformation.
TL;DR
Figure out the purpose of your website - what is its job? (Job: Getting new clients for Coach a Cat Course.)
Make sure your About page supports this. (Support: Your About page talks about your transformation from a frustrated cat owner to the proud owner of a confident cat.)
Use your transformation story to answer these questions your site visitors are asking:
Is this person/company legit?
Do they have what it takes to solve my problem?
Do they understand what I need and how I’m feeling?
Organize your page with bold text, bullet points, headers, and images so it’s easy to skim and scan.
Start at the top with your transformation story or first, include a clear header that explains what you do and how you make people’s lives better.
Include near the bottom: a simple, 3-step plan showing how to work with you with links.
Include a bright call to action button.
Include a transitional call to action button linking to your lead generator so you can continue in relationship with your site visitor via email.
If you have additional questions about writing a StoryBrand About page, feel free to reach out to me personally and I’d be happy to hop on a Zoom call with you.