Maybe it was beginners luck. But maybe not.
A bunch of my facebook friends kept telling me to post on Steemit, but I resisted. Truth be told, I'm still a little skeptical. But I finally bit the bullet and started an account.
I've seen these posts called "introduceyourself", and figured that was the best place to start. One friend had made close to $12,000 on his introductory post, but that seemed to be the exception to the rule. Most everybody else was coming up empty on their introduction pieces.
Not expecting much, I wrote my introduction. I posted it, watched it do nothing, and went to bed. A lackluster end to a pretty alright day.
The next morning, I went to check my post. I was hoping for at least a little bit of action. After all, I get paid to write, so I was hoping to see at least 20 or fifteen bucks in my account. Otherwise, my ego might be a little hurt.
What happened next was surprising.
I clicked on my post, scrolled down to the bottom, and saw a number that shocked me. $279. Not bad for my first post, and way more than I was expecting.
So first of all, thank you. Thanks to all of you that stopped to read my post, and took the time to comment. Even more thanks to those of you who up voted it. The warm welcome was amazing. And the payout wasn't bad, either.
But I did have an unfair advantage.
You see, I'm a copy writer. People hire me to write sales pages, blog posts, and About Me pages. And I get hired, not because I'm a master in the usage of proper English, but rather, because I have a unique skill for turning words into money.
There are a few secret rules to writing an effective About Me page. And those rules seemed to work well with my introduceyourself post. And because I want to see you succeed, I'm gonna share these secret rules with you, in this post.
I now present to you, my 5 Secret Rules for Writing a Kick Ass Introduction.
- Rule # 1 - Be yourself.
People want to meet the real you, not some corporate public relations version of you. So type like you talk, and speak in the first person. Use contractions when possible, and avoid the $10 words.
After you've typed it out, go back and read it out loud. If it doesn't sound natural to you, it won't sound natural to your reader. And with a first impression, you want to be authentic.
- Rule # 2 - Put their needs first.
Sure, say hi, and thank them for their time. Let them know your name, and maybe one interesting thing about you. But don't make the first date all about you. Let them know that you care about them before you ask them to care about you.
This is simple to do. Before you start telling them your life story, let them know what they will get out of sticking around. Let them know what's in it for them.
Don't just talk about what you do, talk about why they should care. In marketing, we call this listing benefits instead of features. Don't tell them about the four walls and a roof, tell them about the home they will build for their family.
Start out by letting them know what needs of their you will meet, and how you plan on meeting them. This will keep them reading long enough to care about who you are and what you do.
- Rule # 3 - Tell some stories.
Now that you've earned their attention, here is where you tell them a little bit more about yourself. But don't just start listing off all your many accomplishments. That's boring.
Remember, the reader is just looking for a reason to close your tab. They don't want to waste their time, and if they're bored, they're wasting their time. Your goal is to get them to the end of the article, and stories will help you do that.
People love stories. It's the oldest way we know how to learn, and it's the easiest way to pull somebody into your post. So instead of explaining who you are, tell some interesting stories about how you became the person that you are today.
- Rule # 4 - Invite them to learn more.
Meeting somebody at the bar and having a great conversation is great, but not if it that’s where it stops. You've just made a connection. Don't leave without asking for a phone number. Or at the very least, ask to give them yours.
Same thing goes for your introductory post. If they like what they've read, you don't want to leave them hanging. You want to give them access to more.
This can be a link to your website, or links to your most used social media profiles. If you can get them to join your mailing list, even better. The point is, give them a way to get to know you on a more personal level. If you've followed the rules up until this point, they're going to want it.
- Rule # 5 - Call them to action.
Up until now, you've been a giver. It's ok to ask for something in return. And this is the place to do it.
When you finish up any piece of content, you should include a final call to action. Most people won't act unless you ask them to. So, even if you think the next step is obvious, spell it out for them.
Ask them to follow you. Ask them to leave their thoughts below. Ask them to up vote the post. I don't care what it is, just ask them to do something.
If you get me excited, I want a payoff. A call to action is that payoff. It lets me feel like I repaid you for what you just gave me, and it gives me a sense of closer.
Don't rob me of that. Let me know what to do next. Give me your call to action.
And there you have it.
These are the rules I use for every single About Me page that I write. They're simple. They're effective. And it seems as if they translate well over to Steemit.
So, before you hit "publish" on your introductory post, run it through these rules. You can thank me later.
If you found this post helpful, don't hesitate to give it an up vote.
And if you want to get to know more about me, check out my podcast. You can find it over at http://nathanfrasershow.com/