Writing a Great “About Us” Page

I have been struggling for weeks now to write an “About Us” page for a client we love. It seems simple enough. They are a unique company with a great story. I interviewed the owners and heard their story first hand. I shared the process with my oh-so-smart partners and yet none of them could cut through the chaos of my notes. Why is this so hard?

So I asked said partners, “Why is this so hard?” They are a helpful bunch and what transpired was a mini-course of “About Us” writing:

1. Find your format. Ryan shared:  “I like how this one breaks down into different categories (“Who we are”, “What we value, “What we do”, etc.) This one uses brevity and bullet points. And this one combines elements of “About Us” and “FAQ” pages.”
2. Tim pointed me to Bryan Eisenberg, who is pretty much a super-genius when it comes to websites. (So is his brother Jeffrey – some families have all the luck!) He shares some great tips here. In this article, Bryan says a great “About Us” page should highlight people and tell who you are rather than what you do. Our client has  great people so this approach is a home run for me.
3. Dee shared another online tutorial that was super helpful! The four easy-to-remember points:

• Get the point across. (Note to self: decide ahead of time what the point is, preferably before you interview the client!)
• Give the information needed. In this case, our client is all about solutions and their potential customers need to know that.
• Prove authenticity. Supply social proof, testimonials, awards. Slam dunk for this client, beloved by their customers for unique and complete solutions.
• Content trumps design. In other words, “It’s the writing, stupid.”

This article also gives 12 more great examples of great “About Us” pages, if your head isn’t already full. (And not in that sinusy-fall-allergy kind of way. Plenty of that going around.)

So now that I’ve done my homework, thanks to help from my partners, it’s back to the drawing board for me. – I need to redesign the questions I have for my client and schedule another interview. – I need to focus on who they are rather than the timeline of forming their companies. – I need to decide on a format ahead of time and gather the specific information I need. – I need to make sure my writing is compelling and authentic.

This About Us project is for a company we love and believe in. This is a company that can truly help their customers. They deserve a fantastic About Us page for their website.

And so do you.