TOC #162: What do you notice first?
(January 29, 2024) How to confidently introduce yourself on your website
“So, what's the first thing you notice about someone?” I asked, rolling over onto my side, completely aware of how ~pick-me~ that question sounded.
I didn't care, though. I was curious.
I was sure he'd say something basic, like ‘their smile’ or ‘their hair’ — but, to my surprise, his answer was way better.
“Their eyes. And how they carry themselves," he said.
So, obviously, like the annoying little girlie I am, without missing a beat, I said “oh, so that's why you immediately liked me. 😉 🤪 😏 Makes sense.”
He laughed and said “exactly” — which very well could have been sarcasm, but I'm choosing to believe that it wasn't — and then we fell asleep.
Now, I know what you're thinking, bestie.
“Who???”
“Since when???”
“FELL ASLEEP????”
"Girl….???"
Listen. I work fast, okay?
Remember how I told you I was deleting dating apps, because I hated the parasocial relationships, the fake, surface-level convos, the disappointment when you thought someone was gonna be great but they actually… suck?
That's all still true.
I felt absolutely zero qualms about deleting the apps, because I know that I'm good at meeting people in person.
…so, that's exactly what I did.
A couple weeks ago, I was at the gym, and this man caught my eye.
I'd seen him before. I'd seen him probably a hundred times before, actually.
But, weirdly, in the two years I've been going to that gym, we'd never been introduced.
As I was waiting out the awkward 90 seconds rest between workouts on my Alive app, I started to think about how odd it was that I knew everyone else who worked there, except for him.
So, I decided to change that.
And, I have to admit, bestie, I'm pretty glad I did… 😏
How To Confidently Introduce Yourself On Your Website
I don't think I need to give you my whole ass speech about how important it is to prioritize your user's experience on your website — or about how readers are selfish, or how all they care about (at first) is how you can help them — but just in case, consider this your reminder:
Your website isn't only about you.
It's also about trying to convince your reader to work with you or buy from you, so it's your reader's experience and your reader's needs you should be focused on.
So, when it comes to introducing yourself, you need to keep that in mind.
“Hey, I'm Susie, and I love coffee and books and long walks on the beach” isn't gonna help your potential clients and customers figure out whether or not you're qualified to help them with what they need.
…which is why it's important to clearly, confidently initially introduce yourself in a way that helps your target audience understand why you're worth their interest.
…just like I did to you-know-who. 👀
Here are 3 things we can learn from my random decision to walk up to the cute boy at the gym and introduce myself:
#1 — Introduced myself confidently and clearly
I walked straight up to him at his desk, said hello, told him my name, and explained why I was introducing myself to him.
“Hi, I'm Sara - I've been coming to this gym for so long, I see you all the time, and I feel like it's weird we don't know each other, so I wanted to introduce myself."
→ TIP: Be direct about what you're actually trying to say. Attention spans are short. He knew exactly why I was there & didn't have to waste time guessing.
#2 — Found a common ground between us
After he introduced himself to me in return, we got to talking for a second, and he explained in addition to being the fitness director, he also did the marketing for the club.
“Oh, that's cool - I also work in marketing!”
→ TIP: It's easy to make a connection with someone over anything. Think of what your ideal clients' wants, needs, problems, objections, or interests are, and use that as inspo for figuring out what else to include in your initial introduction beyond just your name and what you do.
Ask yourself: what's the common ground here?
#3 — Appealed to his interests
Now, if I'm being honest, I didn't actually know he'd be attracted to my energy; I just assumed. There's really no certainty when you're flirting, whether it's with a boy, or a potential client.
…but, in my experience, the boys love a confident girlie, soooo 😏 I kept the conversation brief and straightforward, mostly keeping the convo about the things I noticed he was interested in talking about (marketing, the gym, blah blah blah).
→ TIP: Once you've found where you connect with that audience, expand on that & share more relevant details about that common denominator.
SIDE NOTE - this is why developing your target audience PRIOR to writing any kind of copy is so important.
Knowing your audience like the back of your hand (and making evidence-based inferences about what they like, want, need, know, etc) is vital in writing specific, appealing words that actually work.
>> Click here for my help with that!
#4 — Kept it simple
We both know I'm classically horrible at keeping things brief, but with an initial introduction like this, it's best to be as direct & simple as possible.
No need to ramble on — there's plenty of time for that later, if your reader decides they like you enough — so that first intro can be short.
…and, in my experience, they'll be left wanting more anyway. 😏
Wanna read my Mini Abouts? Stalk my website below — you'll see them on Home, Contact, Blog home, all of my blog posts, all of my freebie pages, my Resources page… basically everywhere except Services + About. 🤪
IMPORTANT NOTE: The advice that I'm giving here is specifically in relation to initial introductions - meaning your homepage, or the bio at the bottom of your blog post, or the Mini About on your Contact page, etc.
Of course, I am ALWAYS promoting story-based, personality-packed copy, so I'd never tell you not to include personal details.
I'm actually the #1 biggest promoter of including those things, probably moreso than any other copywriter or marketer on the Internet.
I am an absolute SLUT for a ✨ “seemingly irrelevant detail” ✨, as you've often heard me call them.
We can have another convo about how to write the best, most conversion-friendly, actually-enjoyable-to-read, connection-worthy About page in the game another time — but this tip is primarily for the people who are being way too surface-level and boring and generic on their homepage Mini About LOL.
(Ok done w/ my rant, just wanted to clarify xoxo)
(Also, side note, I am the creator of the term “Mini About” and I think I deserve recognition for it. Thank u.)
If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
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