Are you putting your best foot forward?

As freelancers and creative service providers, we underestimate how much our individuality plays a role in the hiring process.

The truth is this: people hire who they know, like, and trust.

The first one is obvious – of course we can't hire someone that we don't even know exists! And the third one is pretty obvious too – we need to trust that you'll do a good job, on time and to our specifications, if we're going to pay you.

But that middle one...hiring people we like...that one doesn't get enough attention.

What makes someone likable?

Likability can come from a LOT of things, but they just about all boil down to your unique personality, approach, and interpersonal communication.

If I have a project that I know is going to take days, weeks, or even months to complete, the more I have to interact with the service provider (more touch points or a longer period of time) the more important likability becomes.

When you have the opportunity to talk with someone 1:1, it's pretty easy to let your personality shine and show your likability.

But more and more, potential clients are trying to learn more about us through our online identities (namely your website, portfolio, and social media). And those audits of our online identities either serve to:

1. Serve as a reference before a real-time interaction
2. Serve as a final reference before deciding to hire you

In either case, it's likely that your website and online identity plays a pivotal role in whether or not someone determines whether they want to give you a shot.

In other words, your online identity likely plays a pivotal role in whether you earn likability in the mind of a potential client.

But fear not!

This is actually a good thing. Because you are in full control over your online identity, especially your website.

According to Hubspot, more than 50% of website visitors want to see "About Me/Us" information. And your About page is the perfect place for you to be talking about yourself in a way that earns awareness, trust, AND likability.

Do you think your About page is doing a good job of telling the story of YOU? Is it putting your best foot forward?

Your About page helps the potential client tell themselves a story about why YOU are the person they should hire. But, in my experience, we often leave it as an after thought, simplifying our story to a couple paragraphs that we think tells our story.

Chances are, your About page could use a bit of a refresh. I know that mine can.

So beginning next week in the Freelancing School community, we're running a free 30-day challenge. In this challenge:

• I'll share notes on how to approach your About Page
• I'll document the evolution of my own About Page
• We'll have two live calls to share progress and get feedback
• ...and probably some other stuff too.

So if you'd like to join the Challenge (it's free!) register below.

By the end of February, you'll have shiny new about page that's fun, authentic, and will help YOU improve your likability and connection to website visitors.

?? Click here to register for the free About Page Challenge ??

On Creative Elements ??

Alex Cattoni is a copywriter, marketer, and the founder of The Copy Posse, where she teaches people to become freelance copywriters. She also writes a newsletter here on LinkedIn!

In 2008, she put law school on hold and moved to Malaysia to accept a gig at Mindvalley, one of the world’s leading online personal growth publishers. Since 2011, Alex has launched several successful brands and have proudly partnered with many transformational authors and businesses, writing high-converting sales copy, scaling multi-million dollar brands, and crafting iconic promotional campaigns.

In 2017, Alex started her YouTube channel where she now has 75,000 subscribers and more than 1.5M views.

In 2019, Alex launched the Copy Posse Academy, her paid program for helping people learn the copywriting essentials that today’s businesses are looking for.

In this episode we talk about Alex’s start at MindValley, her decision to freelance, the connection between marketing and copywriting, the massively successful launch of her coaching program, and why thinking about what she values has helped her push the boundaries of her comfort zone.

Click here to listen

Thanks, as always, for reading! I'm grateful for the opportunity to share with you each week here.

I had a fantastic experience at last week's newsletter workshop. More than three dozen people registered and we had a fantastic live session.

If writing a newsletter is part of your plan in 2021, this 60-minute workshop will help you start on second base and teach you everything I've learned over the last four years. Click here to get instant access to the workshop.

Hope you join our About Page Challenge, and I'll talk to you next week!

Cheers,

Jay

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Hey, I'm Jay! Thanks for reading. I'm the creator of Freelancing School, which provides the training and community to help people make a living freelancing.

I also host Creative Elements, which interviews high-profile creators who have made their own independent living.

You can connect with me on Twitter @jayclouse or sign up for my Sunday newsletter for creatives here.

And if you REALLY want to say 'thank you,' you can buy me a coffee.