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How to Write About Yourself (and Tackle Your Blog’s “About Me” Page Without Sounding Self-obsessed)

In every profession, writing about yourself is one of the most difficult hurdles we all face. Almost everyone has an aversion to piling praise onto themselves. Yet we have to do it in cover letters and interviews – and for bloggers, you have to do it in your “About Me” page.

Your “About Me” page is one of the most visited sections of your blog. Ignoring it would be wasting a terribly important opportunity. Instead, you just need to sit down, eliminate distractions, grit your teeth, and follow these tips for writing a stellar “About Me” page.

Outline the goals of your blog – How you decide to tackle your “About Me” page will depend somewhat on your blog’s objectives. Before you start writing, clearly outline your goals to help determine your direction. Are you trying to sell something? Are you trying to gain more readers? Do you need more pageviews? If you’re trying to sell something, list your credentials; if you want more readers, connect with your audience using a personal story or quirky details about your life.
Don’t change your voice – Many bloggers switch their writing style from their blog posts to their “About Me” page. However, there is no need to become more professional or stiff when you write about yourself. If you’re normally casual in the blog posts you publish, keep it that way.
Talk about your blog – Describe when and why you started your blog. Explain your blog’s unique angle, its name, and the topics you primarily blog about. Once you get started on this subject, it might be hard to stop!
Establish your expertise – Convince your reader of why you are worth listening to. You might explain that you’ve been in your line of work for years, or that you’re a resident of the area you write about. Don’t list your entire resume, but do throw in some key points. Whatever you do, kick your modesty and embarrassment to the curb! It may feel like bragging, but it won’t come across that way to the reader.
Write in the first person – Use “I” and “my” instead of “he/she” and “his/her.” Writing in this style will help you better connect to the reader.
End it with some calls-to-action – Take advantage of the traffic this section of your blog will undoubtedly receive with a call-to-action directing your audience to complete an objective. You can do this by sharing your favorite blog post or a blog series; with social media buttons that ask readers to “like” or follow your accounts; with links to your guest posts or other websites where you have contributed as a writer; or by guiding traffic to products you are selling.
After you’ve finished your first draft, have a friend or other trusted individual read it over. Is it sounding too stiff? If you’re worried that you sound like you’re showing off, your editor can check for that tone too.

For information on how to create your profile for Free Guest Post, read our blog post “How to Optimize Your FGP Profile.”

Sources:

Chartrand, James. “Five Tips (and a Bonus!) on How to Write a Fantastic About Page.” http://writetodone.com/five-tips-and-a-bonus-on-how-to-write-a-fantastic-about-page/. (3 April 2014).