Savvy Entrepreneur: Writing An About Page

Over the holidays many new people are going to be visiting your Etsy shop looking for gifts for friends and family. They’re busy and overloaded with items so you want to put your best foot forward and make a connection with whoever you can. Besides having great photos and product descriptions, your about page needs to shine. Remember they might be shopping for someone else, but they’re also taking note of what they like for themselves.

The most clicked on page on any website, even your Etsy site, is the about or profile page. Buyers want to know who they’re buying from and how you’re different. Your about statement isn’t your biography or resume, it’s just a few paragraphs that let your customers know what inspires you to do what you do and gives them a way to relate to you.

Do A Little Research

Before you dive into writing or revamping your own read as many about pages as you can stand. Make note of sentences, phrases and words that really speak to you. Why? Notice what points you connect with and what parts make you gloss over. Use this knowledge to make your own profile fun and engaging.

The key points you may want to include are, who you are, what you do, where you come from (this may be literal or the path that led you to your current business), your inspirations, and what you do that’s different. You don’t need to hit on every single point and you may throw one or two more topics in there if you’re relevant, but those are a great place to start.

Sitting Down To Write

Start with a point of reflection that customers can relate to, a personal story that is a sort of turning point or aha moment in your life. Once you’ve brought them in tell them what it is you’re really offering and how it will make a difference in their life. Remember you may sell handbags, but what you’re really offering is convenience and functionality.

Then move into telling us why you do what you do and what specific talents you have that make your product different. Bonus points if you can fit in some version of this phrase, “Because __________ is important to me, you get a ____________ that ______________.”

If you’re really struggling with what to say ask friends and family to describe what you do as though they were introducing you to a potential client. They’ll most likely have a perspective that’s useful to you.

Most of all remember you can always go back and change it when you think of a better way to say it, but you need to get it down on paper before you can do any editing.

What are some of your favorite about or profile pages?

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve [at] lightboxsf [dot] com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!