Profile
This chapter explores the process of profile writing. Writers compose these articles or essays to present some essential insight about the subject to the audience; subjects can span a wide variety of topics, including individuals, groups, places, and events. A good profile tells one clear, overarching story, chosen from other possible stories about the subject. Although the central purpose of a profile is to convey a sense of the subject’s significance, a profile may have a more specific goal.
Profile writers may simply want to inform audiences about their subjects, or they may aim to inspire audiences with the examples their subjects provide, highlighting something overlooked or underappreciated about them. In all cases, though, the writer’s goal is to share a crucial insight about the subject with the audience. Profiles lie on a spectrum between two related forms: informal interviews and formal biographies. Like interviews, profiles usually depend on direct conversations with living people. Like biographies, they make use of other sources of information about the subject. Profiles such as those published in popular magazines are usually longer and more focused than interviews but considerably shorter than biographies. The material in this chapter will help you develop a profile that will show a new perspective on a subject of your choosing to inform and inspire your readers.
Writing a Profile
Now that you are familiar with the structure and content of profiles, you are ready to write one of your own. The following will show you how to apply the ideas and genre elements presented earlier in this chapter to develop your profile essay.
Choosing a Subject
You can find profile subjects everywhere. The purpose of a profile is to give readers an insight into something fundamental about the subject, whether that subject is a person, a social group, a building, a piece of art, a public space, or a cultural tradition. A profile usually reveals one aspect of the subject to the audience; this focus is called an angle. To decide which angle to take, profile writers look for patterns in their research, then consider their audience when making choices about both the angle and the tone or attitude toward the subject.
Members of the campus community are usually willing subjects: professors, librarians, resident assistants, alumni, staff, and coaches, to name a few. You might also consider buildings, public spaces, or public art on campus. In addition, the local community may contain potential subjects—for example, business owners, city administrators, and other local individuals, groups, or events peripherally associated with your school. Also, consider discussing your project with an archivist if one is available on campus or in your community; these specialist librarians always have interesting subjects to recommend for research. Follow these steps to choose a subject:
- Jot down notes about intriguing buildings, public spaces, pieces of public art, people, events, and groups on or near campus.
- Do a quick online search—perhaps on the campus website—to see what information is available about several potential subjects that most intrigue you. Remember that this research is simply to narrow your options; you will conduct more careful and thorough research after making your final choice.
- Having gathered preliminary information, consider which potential subject best relates to the definition of the admirable trait you have developed and which subject most interests you.
Now weigh the factors you have considered here, and choose the subject you would most like to pursue. If you are having trouble choosing between two subjects, discuss your options with your instructor or with someone in the campus writing center.
Gathering Information
Once you have chosen a subject, you can plan your research. Profile writers learn as much about their subjects as possible, often conducting several types of research, including interviews and field observations, as well as consulting related published materials. As you gather your research, keep your target audience in mind, and look for details about your subject that will interest them.
Interviews: Talking with your subject—or a professional who knows a great deal about your subject—is often the best place to start your research. Interviews generally fall into the category of primary research or research you collect directly for yourself. Try to interview your profile subject directly if the subject is a person. You also may find interviews with or about your subject that journalists have completed and published, though these would not be primary research. If you are unable to interview your subject directly, try to interview someone who has credible information about your subject; such interviews would be primary research as well. People who know, live, and work with your subject can provide additional, helpful background information. Try to set up a few short interviews with these people to deepen your insights. The easiest way to conduct an interview is to schedule a brief, informal conversation in a comfortable setting. For a successful interview, have questions prepared and be ready to take notes as you talk.
Interview Planning Worksheet
If you are interviewing your subject:
- What have you been doing or thinking about recently?
- What about your work/hobby/area of focus is most interesting to you?
- What aspect of your work/hobby/area of focus has surprised you?
- What do you wish people knew about your work/ hobby/area of focus?
- How might you define X?
- How do you see the idea of X relating to your work/hobby/area of focus?
- As I was preparing for this interview, I learned X. Could you tell me more about that?
If you are interviewing someone about your subject:
- How did you learn about this subject?
- What is the most fascinating part about this subject for you?
- What should people know about this subject that may be overlooked?
- How might you define X?
- Do you see the idea of X relating to this subject? If so, how?
- As I was preparing for this interview, I learned X. Could you tell me more about that?
Note: You will need to cite any interviews you conduct, both within the text and in the Works Cited list.
Field Observations: If at all possible, observe your subject in their element—watch them (with permission!) during their workday, spend an extended period of time in a related space, or watch available videos of your subject. In all cases, take thorough and detailed notes to create a thick description or a careful record of every sensory detail you can capture—smells, sounds, sights, textures, physical sensations, and perhaps tastes. This thick description can provide meaningful details to illuminate the points in your piece. Meticulously record all sensory information about your subject and its setting, writing in-depth notes about what you see, smell, hear, feel, and taste. Remember to use words that express size, shape, color, texture, and sound. If you are taking notes on a person, describe their clothing, gestures, and physical characteristics. At the same time, take note of the setting, which can provide a backdrop for the profile. Record the details that tell the most about your subject’s special interests.
Practice Field Notes and Thick Description
Practice creating field notes with a peer. Take about 10 minutes to record as much sensory information as possible.
- What do you hear, close by and farther away?
- What do you feel? Are there specific textures in your surroundings?
- What do you smell? What seems to be the source of the smells?
- Can you taste anything?
- What do you see? Describe the space as well as your peer (without judgment).
When the 10 minutes are up, discuss the experience with your peer. Use these techniques to enliven the points you make in your profile.
Note: You will also need to cite your field notes, both within the text and in the Works Cited list.
Secondary Research and Other Written and Published Information: Profile writers supplement their primary research findings through secondary research or research that others have completed and published. Ensure that any supplemental information you use comes from credible sources; these include peer-reviewed journals for academic sources and well-established, highly regarded organizations for public and nonacademic ones. Additionally, you can focus your secondary research on information related to your subject rather than on your subject specifically. For example, in writing a profile of John Lewis, you could research the events of Bloody Sunday more generally. Keep careful records of your research so that you can cite each source appropriately.
Deciding Your Angle
After completing your research, consider your information carefully to decide on the most compelling angle and supporting information for your audience, aiming to develop some personal insight within your focus. Brainstorm different points you can make that may surprise and engage your audience.
Drafting Your Profile
Remember that the writing process is recursive, meaning you will move back and forth among the steps in the process multiple times rather than progress through each step only once. For example, you may decide to conduct a bit more research while you are drafting or after you have received feedback from peer review. To include this new research, you may need to rearrange the structure of your draft. As you draft, keep focused on your angle at all times. Losing focus and including irrelevant material may weaken your profile and cause readers to lose interest in the subject.
Organization
Profiles can be organized in several ways: chronologically, spatially, or topically. Review the information you gathered and consider your angle to help you decide which organizational strategy would work best for your piece. Then use the following sections to organize the introduction, body, and conclusion of your work. When organizing your draft, think about where to place each piece of information to convey your points most effectively. Rather than using a strict chronological structure throughout your draft, you may find your piece is more effective if you begin with a topical structure and then provide some information chronologically.
Tone
Tone, a writer’s attitude toward their subject, is particularly important in profiles because it conveys authenticity to readers. If you praise a subject but your tone or attitude reflects detachment or lack of interest, readers will notice the discrepancy. Remember that you are the narrator, and thus you set the tone. If you insert quotations from people who don’t think as you do, make sure that doing so suits your purpose.
Introduction and Thesis
Like introductions in most of the writing you do, the profile introduction establishes some background and context for readers to understand your main point. Think about what readers need to know in order to appreciate your angle, and include that information in the introduction. Some writers prefer to compose their introductions first, whereas others wait until after they have developed a draft of the body. Whichever strategy you use, be sure that the introduction engages readers so that they want to continue reading. Refer to the sample texts in this chapter for models of introductory texts.
Remember, too, that your thesis should appear as the last sentence or close to the end of the introduction. For the profile, your thesis would be a sentence or two explaining your angle.
Thesis Examples
- [Name of subject] showed [an admirable trait] not only in [doing something that shows the trait] but even more so by refusing to [accept or participate in something].
- [Name of subject] plays a unique part in the [history, life, culture] of [place, group] because [reason for angle].
Body Paragraphs
Each body paragraph should support the angle you have taken, advancing your thesis or main point. For each paragraph, synthesize details—examples, anecdotes, quotations, location, background information, or descriptions of events—from more than one source to support your angle. By including all of these elements, necessary explanations, and a combination of narrative and reporting, you will create the strongest possible profile piece.
In each paragraph, consider drawing on the following:
- Show and Tell. In balancing between interviews and biographies, profile writers use both narrative and reporting techniques—that is, they both show and tell readers information about the subject. As you read your notes, decide which elements you will use to show readers something about your subject and which elements you will simply report.
- Quoted Material. If your subject has said something in a memorable way, present their words directly to readers. Doing so increases your readers’ sense of the subject’s voice.
- Anecdotes. Very brief scenarios or stories about something your subject has done or about the subject itself contribute to readers’ understanding. Often, anecdotes reflect field research, showing the subject “in action” or reflecting what others think about the subject. For example, Carla D. Hayden relates anecdotes about John Lewis’s actions leading 600 protesters in Selma, Alabama.
- Background Information. You may have one or more paragraphs in which you present background information—but only information that is relevant to the profile. If you highlight an individual’s success or their contributions to society or a cause, then that person’s humble beginnings may be relevant as a contrast. Hayden mentions Lewis’s impoverished youth for this reason. Including background information helps readers place the subject in time and within their culture.
- Location. Placing your subject in a setting, in either the past or the present, helps readers understand and visualize the subject in a particular context. Be sure to include location in at least one body paragraph.
Conclusion
The conclusion is your opportunity to pull all the points of the essay together. Many writers like to restate the main point they have sustained throughout the essay in the conclusion. Another strong move for the conclusion is to tell readers the exigency of the piece—in other words, why the information is important and why they should care about it. After your introduction and body are complete, read through your draft; this process will often give you a sense of what still needs to be said in the conclusion.
Review Your Draft
After you have written a rough first draft, including the introduction and conclusion, read the entire piece three times:
- Revise. Read once for the big picture to judge whether you have enough content and whether the content is arranged in a way that makes sense. Revise your work as needed.
- Edit. Read a second time for mid-level concerns such as sentence variety, word choice, and consistent use of tenses: Editing Focus: Verb Tense Consistency. Think about whether you need to break some sentences apart or combine some sentences for smoother flow. Follow the chronology of your profile to ensure that the narration stays in the present or past tense and that events are clearly set in time. Read your composition aloud to see whether you overuse some words. Edit your work as needed.
- Proofread. After editing, read through a third time with an eye on small details to proofread your work. Change spelling or punctuation as needed to meet the expectations of the rhetorical situation. Check that you have formatted according to the required style guide or standards of writing, such as Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) style.
LICENSE AND ATTRIBUTION
Adapted from “5: Profile: Telling a Rich and Compelling Story” by LibreTexts and is used according to CC BY 4.0.
