How to Revise or Write Your About Page to Draw Subscribers
It’s more important than you think
To thank you for being an amazing part of the Substack Writers at Work community (thank you! you make this community!), I’m giving you access to the About page session in the Substack Growth Blueprint (typically part of the Substack Growth Cohort) for the next week.
Access will end on 4/30.
This month, we’ve been talking about what to do when your Substack growth slows or your Substack doesn’t seem to be growing quickly enough.
It could be how you’re communicating what your Substack is, who you are, and what you offer. Often that happens simply because you may not know yet.
Here’s how to crystallize it or find out.
The magic of your Substack About page
I love it when people ask me if their Substack About page matters.
Does anyone really look at it?
Don’t some successful Substacks have, like, nothing there?
Why bother?
Well, we don’t know for sure because Substack doesn’t give us those stats, but I’ll give you two reasons why I think it does:
It’s prominent on the app.
People don’t freely give out their email addresses and certainly not their money for a paid subscription without checking out the source.
But writing your Substack About page and writing it well is more for you than anyone else. It will help you start thinking like a pro, which will help you grow and earn an income.
Note: Wanting to grow and earn an income has deeper rewards:
Growth (yes, the numbers, the graph, the badges, the whole thing) assures us that people are reading our work.
Earning an income assures us that people value what we do.
Sure, searching for reassurance can lead to emotional pain and mental anguish but know that you aren’t superficial. You want to know you’re seen and valued. Nothing wrong with that.
That’s where your About page comes in
Writing your About page is a rite of passage on Substack.
The point is to discover who you are, who your readers are, what you want, and how it might work on the platform. (Don’t worry. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Getting to know your Substack is an ongoing process.)
The “right” way to write it
There is a right way, i.e., a way that makes you look deeper into what you’re posting and why you’re on here. The right/wrong thing has nothing to do with how it looks but what it does for you in the writing of it.
I’ve been a teacher and professor for nearly twenty years; I know how to guide people not just to improve their writing, but also to learn more about themselves as writers and human beings.
My love of helping people see who they are and what they have to offer runs deep. I’ve done it in some of the best creative writing programs in the country—e.g., Northwestern and Iowa.
I want to set you on the path to becoming a writer or someone who sees writing as one of their superpowers (terrible term but you get the idea) to achieve their goals.
I want this for you on Substack.
How to create an About page that changes your life and brings in subscribers
One 6-minute video and a template that will change you and your Substack.
When I met with Substack’s head of writer relations, she helped me see the real purpose of the About page. She also showed me great examples.
To give the same experience to my private clients, I started to do the same. I also created a master template for them to follow.
To bring that to even more people I created the Substack Growth Blueprint course that includes all the fundamentals I teach that will (guaranteed) set you up to succeed on Substack. Guaranteed. Without them, you will flail way more than you need to.
Exclusive: Available to you for the week at no charge
Again, thank you for being integral to the Substack Writers at Work community.
Do this! Access the About page session in the Substack Growth Blueprint this next week:
One 6-minute video, plus the template.
I’d estimate 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how fast you work.
You’ll be ready to create an About page that gives you confidence in your Substack and draws subscribers.
Access will end on 4/30.
Even if you don’t join the Cohort to get all the Blueprint has to offer, take advantage of this.
Go to it!
What is the Substack Growth Cohort?
One year (which is what it takes to see substantial growth on Substack) with my expert guidance and the support of a group of highly motivated Substack writers.
It’s for veterans and newbies alike.
One-time payment of $385. ~$32/month.
You receive
Everything in the paid membership ($80 value)
Monthly Mastermind Cohort Calls to get ideas and my top tips and mastermind with other Substack writers ($2500 value)
Substack Success Blueprint (my signature!) to design, redesign, or touch up your Substack so you have the right foundation ($285 value)
Monthly Strategizing Workshops to get the most cutting-edge techniques to grow ($540 value)
The full archive of Substack Mastery and How to Write Online Workshops ($1200)
Thank you, Sarah, I really appreciate it!
This is great as a brand new writer to Substack! Thank you for allowing access to free subscribers 🙏