004. Write a Winning “About Me” Section for your Freelancing Profile
A step-by-step guide to get your profile noticed
Part 4 of the Freelancing Series
What is an “About Me” Section?
If life is a movie, your About Me section is the trailer. It answers the interview question: “Tell me something about yourself that’s not in your resume.”
It’s your chance to impress your prospective client and get you hired. An interesting “About Me” section grips the attention of the reader and opens the door to meaningful conversations (a.k.a they’ll probably inquire about your services because they were impressed with it).
The aim of this blog is to help you write an About Me section that will make your audience think they’ve just stumbled upon someone awesome!
The Long and the Short of it
There’s a long version and a short version of the “About Me” section.
A long “About Me” article is around 300 words. It’s for your Portfolio Website and Freelancing Profile.
A short one is a maximum of 150 characters, which is the character limit of an Instagram Bio. This is for your Website’s Welcome Banner, your social media profiles, and maybe the summary section of your resume.
How to write a winning “About Me” section
The Long Version
1. Start with a story that grabs attention.
Keep it short and relevant.
Example:
“I’ve transformed my life and can do the same for you.” Sarah Nuren (Source)
2. Think of 5 words or phrases that make you YOU.
It could be what you do (Graphic Designer, Virtual Assistant, Social Media Manager) or some descriptive words (Dependable, Innovative, Resourceful).
3. Write 1 paragraph to expound those words or phrases. Explain how these qualities benefit your clients.
Example:
“As an innovative Graphic Designer, I provide scroll-stopping images that shoot your brand message straight to the heart of your target audience.”
4. Flaunt your skills and achievements.
Example:
“My thirst for personal growth continued as I dived into self-help brochures and books, attended seminars and lecturers, got trained in NLP and eventually pursued my master’s degree in Behavior Psychology from the Syracuse University.” Sarah Nuren (Source)
5. Let your personality sparkle.
Write the way you speak. Your tone of voice reflects your personality. Are you sweet and gentle, brusque and straightforward? Maybe you’re formal and knowledgeable. Maybe you’re like me, who’s practical and overenthusiastic yet sometimes brooding and sarcastic. Showing your personality helps your ideal client decide if you’re a good fit for their company culture.
Example:
“ABOUT ME
The name’s JOE NYAGGAH. I am a tireless seeker of knowledge, occassional purveyor of wisdom and also, coincidentally, a graphic designer.
PHILOSOPHY
In as circuitous a reason as a philosopher is wont to offer, my school of thought is reliant on schooling my thought — thoroughly, regularly; keeping abreast of design, branding, advertising trends and solutions.”
Joe Nyaggah (Source)
A picture communicates what words can’t. The easiest way to let your personality shine is to include a candid photo. Go a little extra by incorporating your brand colors in your photo, in your background, outfit and even make-up.
6. Include some keywords for search engine optimization.
Open Google Gemini and prompt it to generate the top 10 keywords in your niche. Use those keywords when you write your About Me section.
Example keywords for Graphic Designers are graphicdesign, photoshop, logodesign, photoediting, creator.
7. End with a Call to Action (CTA).
Tell your reader what to do next. You don’t want them to just close the tab and look for another freelancer to hire. Tell them to leave a comment at least. Get their contact details by offering an email subscription or a downloadable free resource.
In general, the Call to Action should be based on your objectives. If you’re looking for a client, get the reader to schedule a call with you. If you’re selling a course, for example, ask them to visit your store. Your CTA should always be clear, specific and actionable. Include a link or button to make it easy for your client, whether they want to schedule a Zoom call or buy your product.
The Short Version
The short “About Me” version is a one-sentence summary of your long About Me article. It could also be your “I help” statement. If you’ve done a branding exercise for your freelancing career or business, you probably crafted your Unique Selling Proposition or USP. The “I help” statement mentions your client, your services, and your USP.
1. Examples of “I help” statements:
“I help real estate agents get 500 leads per month through social media.”
“I help introverts build their personal brands on Instagram.”
“I help Real Estate Agents get their first or next 10,000 followers on Instagram.”
2. Mention your clients or niche.
Example: Real Estate Agents, Introverts, Food Business Owners
3. State the result or the transformation if they avail of your services, and how
Example: I help New York Real Estate Agents get 500 leads per month through social media management.
4. Be as specific as you can.
Don’t say: I help Real Estate Agents grow their Instagram.
Say this instead: I help New York Real Estate get 10,000 Instagram followers in 6 months.
Don’t be vague. Be direct to the point. Including numbers is the best way to convey your message.
5. Focus on how you can help the client instead of focusing on yourself.
You have 1 sentence to capture your audience’s attention. If you’re given 3 seconds to describe what you do, what will you say? Are you gonna say you’re a “cat mom” or are you gonna say “I train cats to make Instagrammable poses”?
More Tips
1. Don’t write a generic About Me section or your profile will get lost in a sea of millions of job hunters.
2. When you highlight your skills and experience, don’t forget to include your soft skills and explain how they complement your hard skills. Hard skills are learned in school or at work. Soft skills are character traits about how you work and interact with others.
3. A photo is worth a thousand words. Include a Professional photo of yourself to show the human behind the brand. Also, add a behind-the-scenes candid photo to tell a story about you better than any words can.
4. Post certificates of your relevant training. Show off your wins. The key word here is relevant training. If you’re a Social Media Manager, show off your marketing diploma or your SMM training course. Don’t include your diploma from culinary school unless you want to be the Social Media Manager of food businesses.
5. Prove your credibility with testimonials or awards. Your visitors need to know they’re in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. I have a separate web page for Training and Awards but you can include them at the bottom part of your About Me Section.
6. Mention some personal interests or hobbies because your client might be able to relate. I include my zodiac sign and MBTI in my About Me Page. That’s how a client decided to hire me. She told me I complement her personality.
Write your About Me Page NOW
I’m all about productivity so I made you an easy to follow guide for making your About Me Page, which is also what I followed when I wrote mine:
“I help” Statement, About Me Page, Skills and a Bonus
In a nutshell
Your About Me page is your chance to shine a spotlight to yourself. Throw in some personality, share your journey, and give visitors a reason to high-five their screens. Craft it with care, and you’ll be on your way to creating connections that last longer than a viral cat video.
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See you next week!
