We've all been there with the About me page. You've done the Home page, and written about your offerings...but everything you write for this particular page sounds cringeworthy, or like someone took over your body and wrote words that don't sound like you. Or you're sitting watching the cursor blink with your usually creative juices apparently stagnant.

Does this ring a bell? Hands up if this is you?

I know I've certainly been there. And I hear it from clients and followers on Instagram all the time. So you're definitely not alone!

I'd spent a decade in the classroom, leaving to pursue a dream of editing books and writing. So when it came to writing about who I was and what I was offering on my website I felt like a total fraud. My original "Bulletproofreading" (I know, witty, right?!) website had some dreadful drawl about juggling motherhood and freelancing. Nothing about my love of writing or passion for working with women. But I panicked and had comparisonitis after spending hours trawling the websites of other people in my field.

I hope by reading this you can see that it's okay to change as you grow. I've lost count of the number of times my “about me” page content has been erased and started again!

And I'm a sodding writer! Ha! It's my literal job to write webcopy and I do this day-in-day-out for women in business...so I'm trying to tell you it's absolutely fine to find it hard. It's normal to freak out at that blank page staring back at you. Writing about yourself feels so alien doesn't it?

On average, it's the second most visited page on your website, but maybe we're over-complicating this?

So how do we move forward? How can we stop ourselves getting stuck on this one finicky page? Here are 5 things you're probably doing and I've shared how you can get unstuck!

1. You've not clicked "publish"

This is a horrible place to be. And I get it, I really do. You've tried time and again to have a go, but you're left staring at the empty page and haven't managed to type a single word. Or you've written something like: "Hi I'm Claire and I like sewing" and you've gone completely blank.

Let's reframe: this is a canvas. There's no pressure to stick to a format. Just write a sentence or two that gives the reader a clue about you. At the end of the day, it's not the worst thing if you simply write, "Hello, I'm Claire, I'm a sewing enthusiast, a cat mum and wild river swimmer, but I'm not a writer, so I've no idea what to write here. Welcome to my website!"

Julia Cameron said: "Progress, not perfection, is what we should be asking of ourselves." And that's what you need to do. Take a little action. Publish the page. Share the page. Send me a link! But if you're still stuck then book a ticket to my Authentic About Me workshop. Learn how to break that cycle!

2. You're overthinking "About Me"

I know, I know, I'm an anxious human too. I am prone to much overthinking and worry. But from one worry-wart to another, I'm here to say: Stop giving your About Me page so much attention! Yes, it's important but it shouldn't be holding you back. This isn't going to be a defining moment in your career. It's not the end of the world if you decide to go back in and edit.

We need to move the train of thought from the omniscient and far too deep: "why am I here? What was I put on this planet to do?" to something less all-consuming and much less overwhelming. Let's not allow a mere web page to weigh us down. Keep it light, fresh and authentic, focusing solely on what clients should or might want to know about us (reminder: people are nosey!), who we want to serve and work with, and try to keep it positive!

3. You're convinced it'll haunt you forever

Erm, hello?! It's 2020. Time is flying by, bands from the 90s and 00s are constantly reuniting and there's tonnes of content online being re-vamped. If you feel like modifying your copy, the photos, changing the entire template - that's your prerogative! You can do whatever you want!

I switched the focus of my business from editing and proofreading to writing, and have re-branded 3 times in 5 years! There are many other founders who have done the same. Nothing's set in stone, and everyday we're growing, learning and adapting as business owners, so why wouldn't our websites do the same?

Take a deep breath and write. You can always go back in tomorrow and edit! (If you want me to take a look at a draft, just pop me an email.)

4. You're failing to recognise your awesomeness

Oh hello again self-worth. Fancy seeing you here! I hear this one all the time from women just like you. Phenomenal women with so much magic to offer the world and yet somehow they can't see it, or figure out how to tell people about it. They massively underestimate their power.

I bet you're sat there eye-rolling at me, saying something along the lines of “but my story isn't interesting or important” - Am I right? Well I'm here to tell you that you couldn't be more mistaken. You're the protagonist in this story. You're the centre of attention and the shining light. And by telling your story, by sharing how you got here and why you do the magic you do you're developing a relationship with your reader.

The people who need your offerings, well they want to connect with you, to feel they can trust you. Your story is going to allow that to happen. I'm not saying write your memoirs (god no! Maybe another time!) but share some of your journey in order to connect and give your audience that magical feeling of knowing you.

5. You've left your story at the door

Linked to feeling unworthy, you feel you have to prove yourself. And what happens here is instead of weaving some magic through your story and connecting with the reader, you've listed all your accomplshments and qualifications. You've forgotten that resonance is key and basically written a CV (or resume as you folx in the US like to call it!).

Your life in bullet points might put you somewhat in the position of expert, but the problem with this is two-fold.

Firstly, you're not explaining to your audience what led you to the field of work you're in (and no, that GCSE A* in design isn't an obvious clue, Claire!) so the connection is missing.

Secondly, it'll make you feel robotic, unoriginal and like you're applying for a job in an office, which - I'm assuming - you're trying to escape from, hence becoming a business owner!? And what happens when you feel sh*t about your About Page? That's right. You either hide it by not publishing, or you never ever direct people to it.

So bring your magic to it. Tell your story. Drop some random facts in about yourself that make them think, "yes, she really is as awesome as I thought!"

So my basic message is: if you're not sure where to start, begin with your story.

If you'd like some support with writing your About Me page, don't hesitate to get in touch. Slide into my DMs or drop me an email. Depending on how much help you need, we can either book in a Copy Clarity session, a Power Hour, or you could snap up a place on my Authentic About Me workshop.

Love, Siobhan x