Writing your About page

Writing your About page is a rite of passage on Substack. It will give you a sense of 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.)

Substack’s About page should be called the About your readers page. Here’s what Substack says about the About page: “This page should explain in detail the benefits of reading your publication.”

This template has three parts. Go through each one.

PART 1: KNOWING YOU, YOUR SUBSCRIBERS, AND YOUR SUBSTACK

To get you started, take some time and free write in response to these questions.

Set a timer and write for just three minutes on each one:

Fill in the blank: I write this Substack because __________ (Or I will write this Substack because __________)
Why a Substack and why now?
What does your title mean to you?
What would the Substack/newsletter you’d want to receive contain and look like?
Who are your ideal subscribers? Don't think in terms of demographics; think in terms of wants and needs. What do they need? If you're hoping to monetize and scale, this is crucial.
What problem do you solve?
What will you be giving your subscribers and helping them do via your Substack? How will they be transformed (even just a little) by reading it?

PART 2: CHECK OUT EXAMPLES OF OTHER SUBSTACK ABOUT PAGES

Examples (Note: these are on the longer side):

Poet Maggie Smith’s About page is ideal in terms of content, the way she addresses her readers, and the formatting (headings, bullets, etc.). It's a great About page and I love the way she 1) sets up her philosophy and what the title means to her, 2) answers the question 'Why this newsletter and why now?” 3) goes into what subscribers get and then the About Me sections, and 4) gives testimonials. Very clean.
Robert Reich
And here’s an example of the NPR/PBS/patronage strategy, i.e., asking for paid support as opposed to a distinct paid offering.

PART 3: CHECK OUT EXAMPLES OF OTHER SUBSTACK ABOUT PAGES

Draft your About page. You can do it here on this document below or on your Substack. If you do it on your Substack, just link to it here.

Include:

A photo and a welcome. (If you’re doing this here on the document, you don’t need to include the photo.)
The benefits of reading your Substack, what subscribers will take away, and how they’ll be transformed by it (not what you do, e.g., not "I write about...")
Exactly what free and paid subscribers get (e.g., posts, workshops, voice memos, etc.) and why those matter
- Headings and bulleted lists of what they get and how often you’ll email them:
  - Paid subscribers get... (both what they get, e.g., posts, and what they’ll get from it, e.g., responsibly reported journalism)
  - Free subscribers get…
The actual About me section insofar as it relates to your newsletter
A photo of you or your pets or something that represents you

YOUR PAID OFFERING

NOTE: If you haven’t developed your paid strategy, follow this example, which says that paid subscribers get everything and free subscribers get “occasional” or “public” posts. That will give you room to explore what your paid strategy will be.

Even if you have, I recommend not paywalling “stuff” (posts, video, etc.) and instead giving paid subscribers “everything.” Again, it gives you more flexibility. (This is something Emily Sundberg does, and she converts very well.)

And here's an example with the emphasis on the yearly paid subscription, which is what digital media publishers are moving toward.