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The "about the author" or author's resource box, is the most important part of your online article. Write a great article, get lots of people to read it, and you still might get nothing out of it. Those readers have to come to your website for the article to be of value to you. That resource box is where the link to your site is, and also where the "sales pitch" is that gets the reader to click on it.
What To Tell Them About The Author
First, what shouldn't you say? Well, the 'about the author' box isn't a place to brag about yourself. I once saw a resource box that listed eight different degrees and awards the author had received. I didn't click on the link to his website. All those degrees, awards and personal virtues just weren't good reasons for me to visit his website.
What should you say? Say something about yourself, to let readers know you're a real human. Keep it to one sentence, or two at most. Try to make what you say "about the author" relevant to the topic of the article. This gives you more credibility.
Then let the readers know why they should visit your website. Getting them to click on that link and come to your website is the real purpose of the author's resource box and of the whole article. Exactly how do you do that? Try the following:
1. Let the reader know what they'll find at your website.
2. Give them a reason to visit.
3. Make sure the link works.
The Author's Resource Box Tease
Make those readers curious. My real estate articles with the best click-through rates are the ones that mention the photo of our $17,500 house. Are you curious about what kind of house we could buy for that? A lot of other readers are too! This is a "tease."
Right after your name and a sentence or two "about the author," include a tease like the example above. Isn't there something they would like to see on your site? It is even better if the tease directly relates to the topic of the article. For example, if your article was on "Six Ways To Make Money With Your Phone," you might say something like, "For more information, including another four ways to make money with your phone, visit ..."
There are certainly other ways to get the reader to click on that link. Experiment. Whatever you try, though, once you have written it, try to objectively look at your about-the-author box and ask yourself, "If I
Steve Gillman lost money on his websites until he discovered the power of articles. Six months later he was making a good living online. To learn how you can do the same, get your free online writing course at: http://www.999articles.com
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You may reprint the above article on your website or in your newsletter, as long as it is unchanged and the link in the author's resource box remains active.