One of our most serious notaries on our site got his profile notes written by an advertising expert. The expert did a good job, except for a few things.

It is easier to read designations such as certifications, E&O insurance, etc., if written in bullet point format. It is also good to have a long list of packages you are familiar with.

I might not be an expert at notes writing, but I know what content needs to be there. Nice cozy text is attractive to read, but nothing beats cold hard facts, and warm fuzzy information about yourself.

So, yes, have your notes professionally written if you can afford it. But, make sure they understand the basic content that has to be there, because if they are not in our industry, they might not know. Or if they are in our industry, they still might not know. That is why I exist — to keep the record straight and to avoid omitting critical information.

Notaries often like to indicate that they are vaccinated in their notes section. Others note that they take all of the Covid precautions. It is good to put this in your notes section. This matters to some people and could be a hiring decision. Being conscientious is generally a good thing unless you are conscientious in a way that backfires which can happen if you don’t think things through.

People got vaccinated because it was the only way they could feel “safe.”
Then they realized that they still didn’t feel “safe” because other people weren’t vaccinated.
Later they decided that the only way they could feel safe is it everyone else got vaccinated.
After that they found out that vaccines have a shelf life and are only good for preventing Covid for a number of months. Then they realized they had to take a booster, and then find a way to coerce the rest of the world to do the same.
In 2022, the Alpha variant will come out and then there will be yet another booster.

By 2023, we will each have to take about 20 different shots per year, each infused with 100x your daily recommended allowance of aluminum, lead and mercury (not one of my jokes, read the ingredients and see for yourself.) There will be compounds that genetically modify how your body works for better or for worse.

Don’t forget that the genetic engineer who designed humans in such a way that we have survived 180,000 years is named God. Whatever he did seems to have worked. If you let a few mad scientists tinker with your genetics to make it how they think would be good without any long term knowledge, you are likely be the next Frankenstein.

Then in 2024, the Alpha-Omega-Phi variant will come out — a variant that makes people want to do hazing on a daily basis.

In 2025, the Beta3 variant will come out that will only attack children and kill them, that is assuming people are not sterilized by the original vaccine — and that remains to be seen. Bad news for teachers if I am right — the teachers union will be out of business if everybody is sterile.

NEWSFLASH
You don’t need a single one of these vaccines or facemasks. 5000 I.U. of vitamin D3 per day (ask your doctor first) will raise your D levels in your blood or liver, or wherever they are. Lots of veggies, fermented foods, and shitake or maitake mushrooms will keep your immunity bullet proof. Socializing and being happy helps immunity too. It is your immune system that will save you from Covid, not some BS mask or vaccine. If facemasks were so critical, God would have had you born with one attached to your body. God is not an idiot, he designed the entire cosmos piece by piece. Let’s see Fauci do that!

Facemasks delay the spread of Covid, they don’t end it. That just means you will catch Covid and die in March instead of February. What is the long term difference? Vitamin D has been proven to keep you out of the hospital and prevent death by a factor of 96% if you have high D levels vs. low. Vaccines and facemasks combined do not reduce your risk of covid death by 96%

So, why does the media not tell you this?
Because they are owned or controlled by companies who profit from selling facemasks and vaccines.

It is remarkable that more than half of Americans put their trust in complete criminals. The stupidity astounds me. And no matter how many percent of the community has one of those worthless degrees from some university, they still cannot think critically. So, what good is it. I’m siding with the Amish. They end school at 14, but they know how to think normally. Plus I just love those horses and buggies!

I got an email from a Notary. I told her that she needed an “about you” section in her notes section.

First of all, where should an “about you” section go?
In my opinion, below your experience and below your designations, but above your geographical coverage areas and closing statements.

What should an “about you” section be about?
It should be about you!

How personal should it be?
It could include a little about your personal life, job history, and what is unique about how you handle your notary work.

How to come across in your about you section:
Many notaries sound cliche when describing themselves. They claim to be responsible, reliable, and take your clients’ confidentiality with the utmost of importance. Many claim a .00001% error rate, but in the unlikely case of an error, they will go back and fix it.

My advice is as follows:
Avoid adjectives that people have heard thousands of times. They don’t want to hear it. Avoid talking about your error rate, or lack of an error rate. Nobody believes this coming from you. Try to be more unique. Talk about something else that will not put the reader to sleep. The main thing to remember is that the reader has already read 500 profiles today and is bored. They want someone who is interesting, pleasant, knowledgeable, and stands out.

The notary who claims to be knowledgeable gets ignored. The Notary that lists 30 types of signings they know how to do, and in alphabetical order gets noticed. See the difference? Show them rather than telling them how great you are — if in fact you really are great.

When people look at the search results, they see your name, city, phone, cell, and the top of your notes. If you repeat your name in your notes or that you are a commissioned notary in the state of Delaware, you are wasting space.

The reader ALREADY knows you are a notary in Delaware, otherwise why would you advertise on 123notary in the Delaware section? — Unless you were insane… They already know your name is Rhonda as it says two lines above that you are Rhonda. Do you need to tell them twice? That space at the top of your notes could be used to tell them what makes you different from the other notaries. Perhaps you visit jails, hospitals, do debt consolidations, or are good with pets.

The bottom line, or in this case the top 200 characters are that you should not tell people something they either already know or do not need to know. Tell them salient features about your notary service, experience, or designations.

From time to time I will go through the entire site and go through people’s notes sections. A lot of people put their best information and hide it at the bottom of their notes and then repeat their name at the top. What they need to realize is that the top of your notes section shows up on our search results and can attract or repulse prospective clickers.

I scan the entire notes section and look for interesting, unique, or factual information about experience. That is what I like to put at top.

What I don’t like to see on the top is, “Hi, my name is Julie.” or “I am a Notary and Signing Agent.” This is tantamount to saying, “Hi, I am Julie and I have two legs and one nose… I use it to smell, and take that is justification that you should hire me for your next notary job.”

Some people say something catchy, or have a language skill, or do Apostilles, weddings, or something else noteworthy. This is what I typically rise to the top. Then others put their coverage area at the top — I typically move that to the bottom. It is good information, but is not what the readers look for first.

Then, if I see “turn-off words” such as reliable and responsible, I inform the notaries that nobody wants to hear you claim to be responsible. They want to hear your clients write a review stating how responsible you are. You claiming it about yourself is not only worthless, it is cheesy, (and not the fancy imported kind) and a waste of the readers time. Stick to the facts, and make your descriptions of yourself have more flowing sentences and less cliche adjectives.

Sometimes I will see information that is hard to read and simply it. “I do refinances and often do conventional. I have also done many VA and modifications. My specialty is Reverse mortgages.” I simplify this to read: “I do Refinances, Conventional, VA, Modifications, and Reverse Mortgages which are my specialty.” It flows nicely because it is a pure list with no interruptions, and is a lot easier for the reader to process the information.

Then, I make bullet points out of quick pieces of information about your certifications, background screening, and insurance as a general rule.

I do other things too. But, the point of reorganizing your text is to make you more attractive to buyers so you get more work and so my site gets more regular users. 123notary has the best notaries in the business and is also a very organized site. We don’t have the gadgets of Snapdocs, but we specialize in quality in a way that nobody else does. That is why we attract more high paying jobs than any other directory.

Business is booming for us after seven slow years. What a relief. We are getting a lot of new blood finally and it feels good. The newbies seem to have the same problem describing themselves as the people who preceded them.

Many Notaries want to tell the world things that count against them. Here are some:

1. I shadowed with such and such a Notary.
If the only experience you have is shadowing Penelope, then perhaps the person looking at your profile should hire Penelope, and not you. Shadowing is best left unsaid unless that is in addition to certifications from known agencies.

2. I became a Notary two months ago.
This makes you look like a real novice, wastes space, and counts against you. If someone asks, you can tell. But, you need to give people why they should use you vs. reasons why they should avoid you.

3. I am working on the Notary2Pro course
Notary2Pro is an excellent certification course. We recommend them highly as they do well when I quizzed them several years ago. Carol gets back to people fast with answers to their questions. But, let the world know once you have finished it. Nobody likes a half done job. We sell ten certification courses for every person who attempts the test, let alone who passes it. Buying a course doesn’t make you valuable, passing the test does.

4. I have 25K E&O but will soon be upgrading to 100K.
Don’t tell us what you will be doing, tell us what you have now, and then edit your listing once you have the higher Errors and Omissions policy.

5. I am background screened
By whom? Some companies like NNA and Sterling have a good reputation for background screening, others are relatively unknown and the procedures vary from company to company.

6. I am a Certified Notary Public from the State of Maine and I service Waldo County and do Refinances.
Once again, being “certified” means nothing unless we know who certified you. The testing standards and courses vary. 123notary has the hardest certification test. Pass ours and we will really respect you and you will get more clicks. The next problem is that you are mixing information about certification, your state of commission which is not necessary to put, as we assume you are commissioned in your state otherwise you can’t work. You next list your coverage areas in the same long drawn out sentence. I prefer to put certification(s) in one section with background screening and E&O. Then, in another section I put counties.

7. Hi, my name is Mary Smith
We already know your name is Mary Smith, it says that on the top of your listing. Why tell us twice? That takes up space when you could be telling us something else. The top of your notes section shows up in the search results. Tell us something that makes you stand out.

8. I travel
Everyone on our site travels, well almost. Maybe not the UPS stores and we have a few of them. But, the other 99% of Notaries do travel. People will assume you do.

9. I am reliable, responsible and punctual
Save it. Coming from you, that translates to — I am a novice, I have nothing to say about myself, so I will make unsubstantiated claims about how great I am with the hopes that the reader will believe me even though I have not demonstrated one ounce of credibility to anyone in this industry. Stick to the facts and let your clients put how great THEY think you are in your reviews, or pass my test.

10. I do all types of loans
Most people on my site claim that they know how to sign every type of loan. When I go through my list of 30 common types of signings most of which are Mortgages of one type or another, they typically do anywhere from 20-80%. I have yet to meet a 100%. So, basically, you are being vague, and deceiving the reader into thinking you really are experienced with every type of loan. List them one by one.

WHAT YOU SHOULD WRITE

Cold hard facts
Warm fuzzy “about you” descriptions

When you write about your skills, don’t omit the types of loans you know how to sign. It doesn’t hurt to mention you do refinances, Helocs, purchases, etc., But, 99% of Notaries out there can do those. Do mention it, but focus more on what you do that makes you special. If you are familiar (define familiar) with REO, USDA, Annuities, Applications, Reverse, and Debt Consolidations, that makes you more unusual. Most Notaries have either never done a Reverse Mortgage, or a Debt Consolidations, and the ones who have, typically don’t like doing them and half of the ones who have done them say they don’t want to do any more of them.

We think you should write briefly about your certifications (mention by whom you are certified), memberships, background screening, E&O insurance, and professional background. Don’t write a novel on your award winning Real Estate career. If it is so great, why are you a Notary in the first place? Wouldn’t you be busy selling houses unless you got tired of it? Mention that you do Real Estate, but not more than a sentence or two maximum for best results.

Warm and fuzzy descriptions are hard to teach. But, anything unique that has a nice feel to it about you will look really good. The readers are tired of cliche sounding notes sections. Seen one seen them all. If you have a classy line or joke, that sometimes can do well — it depends, but is worth trying.

We have many good articles about notes writing in the “your notes section” category of our blog. It is well worth investing a few hours taking notes on our suggestions about notes!

It is very hard for me to teach people hard to write warm and fuzzy information about yourself. I would prefer to say, read other people’s notes sections and get a sense of what some people write that has a nice feeling to it.

I read a notes section written by a woman who loves her job and loves meeting new people. That came across as very sincere and warm. I don’t know if she is any good as a Notary, but I might be more inclined to try her (if I were in a hiring position which I am not thank God) than someone else who sounds generic.

Then there are the people who are “reliable” and “responsible.” Anyone can say that about themselves and it sounds phony and usually is. Say things that you can say about yourself that few others can. Most people do NOT like meeting new people, at least not random new people unless they work at Farmer’s Market in the nuts section — those macadamias are great, but $25 per pound? Ouchie!

And then there are the people who know where their nearest Fedex station is, and where the other ones in their general area, and when the cut-off times are at each location. This looks very prepared and thoughtful, and somewhat unique. Some people write about this, but only one or two percent of the total.

Next, there are the people who ramble on and one with inconsequential and meaningless banter about how the client is of utmost importance and how they will protect the information in the documents at all cost. This is a little like stating that you promise not to vandalize the borrower’s house when you get to the signing or park on their lawn. It goes without saying. But, some people will write five paragraphs of this type of nonsense.

Finally there are the people who talk about their hobbies and kids. Not sure this belongs on a Notary profile, but you could put it at the bottom if you keep it quick. People do want to know what you are a real person and have a personality.

HUMOR & CLASSY LINES
Humor and classy lines are another thing that few add to their notes section, but it adds quite a punch to someone’s listing.

One lady brought crayons and dog treats to the signings. That is pretty unique and might be appealing to people.

Former scientist specializing in test tube signings

Former police officer — call me for an arresting experience

Ex-Military, I like my notes section to have mostly bullet points. Oh, and I’m always on time. My motto is, “Hurry up and wait, but not in your
driveway because that would be creepy.”

I am also a clown, but I promise not to throw pies at the borrowers, unless you pay extra for that.

Former therapist. And yes, I promise not to ask the borrower how their APR makes them feel or ask them how their relationship was with their mother. And once again, when we finish the signing, I always say, “I’m afraid our time is up.” That’s my signature phrase.

My parting tips would be to look at the notes sections of some of the high placed notaries in the various large cities. They are paying the most and sometimes (but not as often as they should) put a lot of effort into their notes sections. As usual, I am happy to proofread your notes section, but I can’t do it if it is a one liner. You provide the content, I provide the reorganization and commentary. Sounds fair to me.

Most notes sections on our site are dreadfully boring. Even most of the higher level members have very limited and dry sounding notes sections. The higher level people tend to say more about their expertise because they have more expertise, but do they say much about themselves, as humans? Well here are a few that do. Look them up by n# on our advanced search page (sorry, no links today).

19902
8322
23472
15651
19080
42447
10014
25690
21240
9639
47571
37710
8165
10276

Honestly, these notes sections are the best I could come up with after an hour of searching the site. There might be more, but I only searched those in big areas with a lot of reviews. It is possible to do a lot better than any of these listings, but these are the top 2% best quality of notes sections we have…. for now… until you meditate on how to write a notes section from heaven.

I wanted to stress how to write warm and fuzzy information in your notes section, but very few people did much in the way of that type of content although you will find a little in these specific profiles.

Things change; people change; The only thing that stays the same is that you need a good notes section on your listing on 123notary. But, what should you write about?

Certifications
Most people have the generic information. NNA Certified (good to have). LSS Certification (will get you clicked on), and Notary2Pro Certification (in our opinion the best one.) 123notary certification (hard to get but proves yourself and will get you more clicks.) If you mention your certifications, emphasize the ones that are harder and more in demand when you write notes. It is also really good to have three or four certifications if you want to stnad out.

Memberships
Anyone can get a membership just by paying. It doesn’t make you special. But, if you have five memberships to notary agencies, four certifications and some empowering notes on your professional background, that is impressive.

RON & Pavaso.
There are more and more Remote Online Notaries out there. Not all states allow this, but they get clicked on. Having an IPEN designation (whatever that means, sorry I’m old) helps you stand out too. Everyone on our site does notarizing, but how many do RON or can use Pavaso? Personally, I feel that if you are female you should be a RONDA — just my opinion.

Less Common Loans
Everyone does refinances, but how many do Debt Restructuring, demolition loans and time shares?

ME: Do you do time shares?
NOTARY: When I have time!

Focus on what makes you stand out, and write about the other stuff too, but put the jazzy stuff where it is more visable.

Unique Phrases
I scoured our site looking for unique notes sections and found a few somewhat good ones. But, we basically have hardly any notes sections I would give an A to which is sad. But, you can work on writing something unique and classy or funny about yourself and it might draw attention. Put something on there and see how people react.

As usual, if you need help with your notes, ask me! Email us.