My about page already lists my rank, my MOS, and my deployments. Isn't that the whole point?

It's proof you served, not proof you can solve the reader's problem. A recruiter or client clicks through to your about page already half-convinced by your content. They're looking for one more thing, confirmation that you're the right person for the specific thing they need, and a list of postings doesn't answer that. Keep the service record to a single line and spend the rest of the page on what you do for people now.

How long should an about page actually be?

Short enough that someone reads the whole thing on their phone without scrolling twice. Four tight sections beat one long essay. If a sentence doesn't earn trust, state a credential, or point to an action, cut it.

Should I write it in first person or third person?

First person, almost always. Third person reads like a press release written by someone else, which feels off coming from a solo creator or a one-person service business. Save third person for a media kit or a bio someone else is reading aloud to introduce you.

Do I need a professional headshot before I publish this page?

A decent phone photo with good light beats no photo and beats a dated military portrait. People want to see the person they're about to trust, not a uniform from three duty stations ago. Upgrade the photo later. Don't let it hold up the page.

What if I don't have client results or testimonials yet?

Lead with the specific problem you're obsessed with solving and the proof you understand it, not proof you've already solved it for someone else. That's the same credibility-before-results approach that works for content when results aren't in yet, and it works just as well on the page a stranger lands on first.

Where does this page actually sit in my funnel?

Right between a stranger's first click and their first message to you. Content earns the click. The about page earns the belief that you're worth messaging. Skip it or leave it half-built and you lose people at the exact moment they were ready to act.

Personal Brand

Write an About Page That Actually Converts

Corey ReiserOct 29, 20266 min read

Open ten veteran about pages and you'll read the same paragraph ten times: rank, MOS, duty stations, "passionate about helping others," a call to action nobody follows. It reads like a DD-214 with a smile bolted on, and it does nothing for the one visitor who actually matters, the stranger who clicked through from your content wanting to know if you're worth messaging. An about page has one job. Turn "I like what this person posts" into "I should reach out to this person." Most veteran about pages never get there, and the fix is a four-part structure you can rewrite in an afternoon.

Why the page everyone skips is the one that closes

You spend hours on the content that gets the click. The content types that build trust fastest do real work: a demonstration post proves competence, a story post proves you're real, a teaching post proves you know the terrain. But none of those posts close anything by themselves. They earn curiosity. The about page is where curiosity either turns into a message or quietly evaporates, and most veterans leave that page looking like it was an afterthought, because it was.

Here's the tell. If your about page opens with your years of service instead of the reader's problem, you wrote it for yourself, not for the person reading it. Fix the order and the page starts doing the job the rest of your content can't.

The four-part structure

1. Who this is for, in the first two sentences

Name the reader before you name yourself. "If you're six months from the uniform coming off and have no idea how to turn your MOS into income, you're in the right place" tells a scrolling stranger in two seconds whether to keep reading. Burying this under three paragraphs of your own history means most visitors never find out the page was written for them at all.

2. One line of service, then the pivot

Give your service record exactly one sentence — branch, rough years, maybe a rank if it's relevant to your credibility. Then pivot immediately to what you do now. "I spent eleven years in Army logistics. Now I help veterans price and launch their first side hustle without quitting the day job first." That's the whole military section. Translating your military experience into a civilian personal brand is the Verb, Scope, Proof framework doing its job in miniature — verb (help), scope (veterans launching a side hustle), proof (without quitting the day job) — and it fits in a single sentence because it has to share the page with everything else that matters more to the reader.

3. The specific problem you're obsessed with

This is the section almost every about page skips, and it's the one that actually builds trust. Not "I'm passionate about helping veterans," which says nothing, but the exact failure mode you've watched happen over and over and have decided to fix. "I've watched too many guys sign a lease on a franchise before they've sold a single thing to a single stranger, so now I make people get one paying client before they spend a dollar on anything else." That sentence proves you've actually thought about the problem, which a vague passion statement never can.

A VAGUE PASSION STATEMENT PROVES NOTHING. A SPECIFIC FAILURE YOU'VE WATCHED PEOPLE MAKE PROVES YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.

If you're still building toward real client results, lean on this section hardest. Proof of a problem you understand cold stands in for proof of results you don't have yet, which is exactly the move a creator makes when they're credible before they have a single result to show.

4. One clear next step, not three

End with a single action, stated plainly: book a call, join the community, reply to this post. Veteran about pages routinely stack three calls to action at the bottom, a newsletter signup, a course link, and a booking button, and a reader facing three choices usually picks none. Pick the one action that matters most right now and make the page point at it alone.

Before and after, side by side

Here's the same person's page, written both ways.

Before: "I served eight years in the Marine Corps as a logistics chief, with two deployments and a meritorious promotion. After transitioning, I became passionate about helping fellow veterans succeed in business. I love hiking, my dog Rocco, and a good cup of coffee. Feel free to reach out, follow me on social media, or join my newsletter."

After: "If you're trying to turn a side hustle into something that actually replaces your paycheck, you're in the right place. I spent eight years running Marine Corps logistics. Now I help veterans fix the one mistake that stalls almost every side hustle before month three, treating it like a hobby instead of pricing and systemizing it like a real business from the first sale. Message me and tell me what you're building."

Same person, same service record, same eight years. The first version is a stranger's resume. The second version is an invitation with a specific problem attached, and it's the only one of the two that gives a reader a reason to actually hit reply.

What to cut

The "about me" trivia. Hobbies, hometown, dog's name, the stuff that would be charming in a conversation but does nothing for a stranger deciding whether to message you. If it doesn't build trust or point to an action, it's filler.

Hedging language. "I'm still learning" and "I don't have all the answers" might feel honest, but they undercut the one job this page has. Save the humility for a story post. The about page's job is to make someone believe you're worth their time right now.

A headshot excuse. A clear phone photo in good light beats no photo and beats a dated uniform portrait. People are about to trust a person, not a rank, and they want to see the person they're trusting.

Rewrite it this week

Pull up your current about page and run it against the four parts. Who's it for, in the first two sentences? One line of service, then the pivot? A specific problem, not a passion statement? One action at the bottom, not three? Most pages fail at least two of the four, and fixing both usually takes under an hour.

This page is the quiet hinge between everything you post and everyone who actually reaches out, which is exactly the kind of system we build inside Line of Departure — the funnel from stranger to client, not just the content that gets the click. And if you want eyes on the rewrite before you publish it, our community will tell you straight whether it passes the test or still reads like a DD-214.

Rewrite the page before you write tomorrow's post. The content's only as good as the page it sends people to.

Frequently Asked Questions

My about page already lists my rank, my MOS, and my deployments. Isn't that the whole point?: It's proof you served, not proof you can solve the reader's problem. A recruiter or client clicks through to your about page already half-convinced by your content. They're looking for one more thing, confirmation that you're the right person for the specific thing they need, and a list of postings doesn't answer that. Keep the service record to a single line and spend the rest of the page on what you do for people now.
How long should an about page actually be?: Short enough that someone reads the whole thing on their phone without scrolling twice. Four tight sections beat one long essay. If a sentence doesn't earn trust, state a credential, or point to an action, cut it.
Should I write it in first person or third person?: First person, almost always. Third person reads like a press release written by someone else, which feels off coming from a solo creator or a one-person service business. Save third person for a media kit or a bio someone else is reading aloud to introduce you.
Do I need a professional headshot before I publish this page?: A decent phone photo with good light beats no photo and beats a dated military portrait. People want to see the person they're about to trust, not a uniform from three duty stations ago. Upgrade the photo later. Don't let it hold up the page.
What if I don't have client results or testimonials yet?: Lead with the specific problem you're obsessed with solving and the proof you understand it, not proof you've already solved it for someone else. That's the same credibility-before-results approach that works for content when results aren't in yet, and it works just as well on the page a stranger lands on first.
Where does this page actually sit in my funnel?: Right between a stranger's first click and their first message to you. Content earns the click. The about page earns the belief that you're worth messaging. Skip it or leave it half-built and you lose people at the exact moment they were ready to act.

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