Don't Just List Ingredients In Your About Page — Give Your Readers Something to Savor
Use These 4 Editorial Building Blocks to Craft an Effective Substack About Page
On Substack, the About page is one of the few places where we don’t have access to any data.
Surprising, right?
But that doesn’t mean we’re completely in the dark about what should go on this page.
The same marketing fundamentals apply here as with any other high-visibility page. Readers see the About page by default in the mobile app, and on desktop, the link is part of your navigation (unless you choose to hide it, which I don’t recommend).
For a long time, the About page has been a key part of my first impression sequence. (See everything I recommend in the Start Here Guide.) Readers use the About page as part of a series of sequences to decide whether they resonate with our work — so it’s not something I want any of us leaving to chance, or heaven forbid, the Substack boilerplate template.
With that said, because there’s no data to analyze on how About pages perform, designing one is a bit of an educated guessing game. I’ve been publishing on Substack for more than two years, and I still don’t know if anyone has subscribed or upgraded because they read my About page. I don’t even know if they’ve clicked a link or liked what I put on there!
(💬 Note: I gently implored the Substack team in the bestsellers’ Chat last month to please give us data on the About page and welcome emails. I have my fingers and toes crossed for all of us that they’ll find a way to share this data with us, and I’ll let you know if I hear anything.)
Invite Readers In And Show Them You Know Who They Are
With all of this in mind, today’s post is here to help you avoid the common pitfalls I see in About pages on Substack:
🚫 A boring, fill-in-the-blank template.
🚫 A generic list of ingredients.
🚫 A page that conveys nothing about you.
For me, an About page is an invitation — and a place to experiment. Since there’s no data nudging us in any authoritative direction, I encourage readers to try different formats and writing styles as long as they don’t compromise readability and connection.
Of course, no matter what we may tweak or try, the About page should always try to communicate three things to the reader:
✅ I see you.
✅ I understand what you’re looking for.
✅ This is why my newsletter will delight you.
In this post, I’ve outlined four essential editorial building blocks of an About page — so that when a reader lands on your newsletter, they are encountering the elements that help them go from “I’m curious” to “I’m subscribed.”
The building blocks are designed to make sure your About page meets certain functional criteria that readers are looking for (things like social proof and a value proposition … without being droll or ineffective). But of course the real heavy lifting is on you here:
→ How can you bring the outside world into your About page?
→ What elements can add texture, rhythm, surprise, invitation and intrigue?
Your About page should feel like a natural extension of your newsletter — so give it the same energy, personality and perspective that readers can expect in their inboxes.
This post will give you the framework. The rest? That’s where you get to shine.
The 4 Essential Building Blocks of an About Page
Building Block 1: The Readers’ Why
Show that you understand who your reader is and why your reader should care — and what they’ll get out of your newsletter.
Your About page should immediately communicate:
You see them and understand what they’re looking for
Your newsletter speaks to their needs or interests or pain points
Why your writing will matter to them and meet them
Rather than focusing on what you want to say, frame your newsletter around the transformation or experience it offers. Are you helping readers change a habit? Stay motivated? Change their mind? Are you giving them insider tips? Creating a space for thoughtful literary discussions? Make that clear and compelling and irresistible right away.
❓Not sure how to define your Readers’ Why? Stay tuned: I’m publishing a workshop this month that’s all about helping you figure how to communicate why your readers should care about your newsletter.
Building Block 2: A Taste of What They’ll Love
Give readers a reason to stay by showing them what makes your newsletter stand apart from the rest.
What should they expect? This is where you highlight what sets you apart:
If you have a strong community, showcase the conversations (maybe some Chat screenshots?) and engagement happening around your work.
If you’re an established author, coach or expert, share how your insights stand out.
If you’re building your platform as a writer, link to two or three of your best pieces so new readers can get a feel for your style and perspective. (Maybe a hot take piece or a controversial lens on a beloved figure in the industry?)
The goal is to help readers see themselves in your world — whether through your perspective, the discussions you spark or the work you create.
Building Block 3: Proof That Others Love It
Show readers that this isn’t just another newsletter — it’s something people truly value.
Social proof builds trust. Gather three to five strong testimonials from readers, clients or community members. These could be:
Direct praise about your newsletter
Feedback on your writing or insights (check the comments section of your top essays!)
Testimonials from related work that reinforces your credibility
If you don’t have testimonials yet, create context for why you’re showing up now with this newsletter. What current event prompted you to launch this newsletter and what angle should matter to your reader? Share why your perspective matters, what different experience do you bring? How does your newsletter build on other successful work you’ve done?
Building Block 4: How They Can Join In
Set clear expectations so readers know exactly what they’re signing up for.
Be upfront about:
How often you publish
What’s free versus paid (if you offer premium posts, make sure it’s clear why they cost money)
The kind of experience they can expect — essays, prompts, guides, workshops, deep dives, interviews (and why they’re good interviews with reading!) or something else entirely
If your newsletter has an interactive element, mention how readers can participate, whether through comments, Q&As, posts or community discussions.
Now, here’s an example of how these building blocks might sound when put into practice.
How a Personal Essayist Might Approach Their About Page
→ Building Block 1: The Reader’s Why
You know that feeling when you overhear a snippet of conversation so perfect, so oddly poetic, that it sticks with you for days? Or when you find an old grocery list tucked inside a library book and suddenly want to know everything about the person who wrote it?
That’s the kind of curiosity that fuels my writing.
Here, I share personal essays about the small, unforgettable moments of everyday life — the ones that make you pause, tilt your head and think, “Huh. There’s something here.” If you love stories that linger, observations that feel like secrets and writing that makes the ordinary feel a little more magical, you’re in the right place.
→ Building Block 2: A Taste of What They’ll Love
If you’re new here, start with one of these:
📌 The time I accidentally joined a marathon (and finished it?!)
📌 A love letter to the notebook aisle of every bookstore
📌 What my grandfather’s old typewriter taught me about slowing down
I write about nostalgia, weird little coincidences and the way life hands you metaphors when you least expect them. Some essays will make you laugh, some might make you a little weepy and some will (hopefully) make you notice things you might have otherwise missed.
→ Building Block 3: Proof That Others Love It
Readers have said this newsletter feels like opening a letter from an old friend. Others have told me they’ve started carrying a notebook just to jot down the small, beautiful things they notice throughout the day. That’s my favorite kind of feedback — because if my writing does anything, I hope it reminds you to pay attention.
A few kind words from readers:
💬 "Your essays always make me see my own life differently." -
💬 "I sent this to my best friend because it felt like us." -
💬 "This is the only newsletter I actually read and send to my friend Michelle." - Oprah Winfrey, not yet on Substack
→ Building Block 4: How They Can Join In
I send out one essay every Sunday morning — something to read with your coffee, before the world wakes up and gets noisy. It’s always free, and if you ever hit reply, I’ll actually write back.
If you like slow storytelling, quiet observations and writing that makes you feel something, I’d love to have you here.
[Insert: Subscribe Button]
Share Your About Page Questions and Best Ideas Today
There’s no single "right" way to design an About page — I love seeing immersive, artistic and completely unexpected approaches. If your newsletter is a little off the beaten path, take these building blocks and make them your own.
At the core, your About page should answer the key questions readers have before subscribing: Is this for me? Why should I care?
💡 Want to go deeper? Here are a few ways to keep building:
→ I’ll be publishing an on-demand workshop in The Editing Spectrum this month to help my paid members define their Readers’ Why (the first building block of About pages).
→ As you refine your About page in the coming weeks, paid members can get community feedback in the newly launched Newsletter Check-In thread. Note: This is a new feature for paid members in its beta launch days! I hope y’all will love it and stay tuned for more ways that we’ll use it. 🫶
🗣️ Now, let’s chat: What’s one thing you’d love to put on an About page but aren’t quite sure about?
While deciding whether to subscribe, I always look for an About page with personality and a clear promise of what I can expect. Sweeping generalities put me off, and Substack's boilerplate copy conveys a lack of confidence in a distinctive mission. I like your suggestion of including a screenshot from the Comments. I'm proud of my Comments section but never thought of featuring it on the About page.
This was one of the most succinct 'update your about page' posts I've read so far. I set up my about page early on way back in October! Will return to it now, I'm blooming with ideas on how to make it better. Also, I absolutely love the new Newsletter Feedback Post and wondering how I can adapt it to my work. Hey! Maybe I'll ask that question over there!