Small but mighty, the “about” blurb is the boilerplate copy that serves as the cornerstone to your startup’s brand. Although widely used by companies both young and established, this essential piece of content is too often misunderstood. As the official external description of your company, this short piece of text does a lot of heavy lifting. It must work for every audience (customers, partners, investors, media, and employees), easily adapt to any purpose (sales, public relations, recruitment), and be polished and comprehensive enough to represent your brand on its own.
That’s a lot to ask from one little paragraph, but fortunately there’s a formula for getting it right. Below we run through the parameters of a successful “about” blurb - what it is, what it isn’t, and how to use it. Then we break down each line to get you smart on how to create this vital building block of your brand.
What it is.
It’s universal - your about blurb is a multi-purpose piece of copy that clearly and concisely communicates what your company does and who it does it for.
It’s modular - each line is capable of standing on its own, and the entire blurb can act as the foundational module for any longer copy about your company.
It’s short - effective about blurbs typically contain three sentences - each with a specific purpose - it’s not the place for a lengthy origin story or vision statement.
It’s self-evident - your about blurb conveys (and generates) confidence in your company by proactively offering reasons to believe your claims.
What it isn’t.
It isn’t a tagline - your about blurb is explanatory in nature, not promotional - it isn’t the place for a clever marketing hook or jingle.
It isn’t an elevator pitch - phrases like “Uber, but for…” don’t belong anywhere near your about blurb.
It isn’t a vendetta - while your company may offer a superior alternative to your competitors, this copy should be about what your company does right, not what the competition gets wrong.
A line-by-line breakdown
Line 1 communicates what your company does and who it does it for. This is a positioning sentence that establishes the value you create for your target customers.
Ex. (Patreon) "Patreon powers membership businesses for creators by giving them the tools they need to acquire, manage, and energize their paying patrons.”
Line 2 communicates how your company does it. This is a differentiating sentence that highlights how your company is uniquely capable of delivering the value promised.
Ex. (Airbnb) “An economic empowerment engine, Airbnb has helped millions of hospitality entrepreneurs monetize their spaces and their passions while keeping the financial benefits of tourism in their own communities.”
Line 3 communicates your impact. This is a validating sentence that demonstrates traction (by emphasizing growth or reach) or illustrates satisfaction (by showcasing the positive effect on the customer’s life).
Ex. (Slack) “From Fortune 100 companies to corner markets, millions of people around the world use Slack to connect their teams, unify their systems, and drive their business forward.”
Notes from the wild
If you like to be really economical with your copy or have a brand that values pithiness, you can reduce your about blurb to just two sentences by folding your differentiating information into your first and last lines:
“Slack is the collaboration hub that brings the right people, information, and tools together to get work done. From Fortune 100 companies to corner markets, millions of people around the world use Slack to connect their teams, unify their systems, and drive their business forward.”
Ideally, you’ll understand how to describe your offering. Are you a collaboration hub, a marketplace, a subscription service, a platform? If you haven’t yet landed on a worthy descriptor, you can skip it and move right into what you do with the first sentence:
"Patreon powers membership businesses for creators by giving them the tools they need to acquire, manage, and energize their paying patrons. With a subscription-style payment model, fans pay their favorite creators a monthly amount of their choice in exchange for exclusive access, extra content, or a closer look into their creative journey. This model is a win-win; creators retain creative freedom while getting the salary they deserve, and fans get to rest easy knowing that their money goes directly towards creating more of what they love.”
Your about blurb is prime real estate for showcasing key terms and concepts (such as “hospitality entrepreneur” and “economic empowerment engine”) as well as elements of your ethos (such as “keeping the financial benefits of tourism in their own communities”):
“Airbnb is one of the world’s largest marketplaces for unique, authentic places to stay and things to do, offering over 7 million accommodations and tens of thousands of handcrafted activities, all powered by local hosts. An economic empowerment engine, Airbnb has helped millions of hospitality entrepreneurs monetize their spaces and their passions while keeping the financial benefits of tourism in their own communities. With more than three quarters of a billion guest arrivals to date, and accessible in 62 languages across 220+ countries and regions, Airbnb promotes people-to-people connection, community and trust around the world.”
Some nuts & bolts
Typically written in third person (brands with a conversational tone may opt for first-person on their owned channels and adapt to third-person for other usage).
Ideally between 40 - 100 words in length.
Does not contain the names of any other companies, with the exception of investors or clients you may use in your validating line.
Any numbers contained should be updated at least quarterly.
Does not contain any internal, industry, or startup jargon, exclamation points, or quotes.
How you use it.
The about blurb is typically the copy you use to anchor your company’s “About” or “Our story” page. In very early-stage companies, it may serve as your homepage copy.
It’s also used as a descriptor on any channels you own or influence - such as social media, investor or partner portfolio pages, app stores, directories like Crunchbase, and recruitment channels (such as job listings and team Linkedin pages).
You can also use it as boiler copy on press releases, partnership announcements, conference and event listings, and as part of your executive bios.
In this series, we’ll break down the content building blocks that represent your brand. Let us know which copy elements (value propositions, executive bios, customer testimonials, taglines) you want us to explore next. And as always, I'm available to chat about your brand, or anything else marketing related. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me at jamie@fuelcapital.com.