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Just as its name implies, the profile essay focuses on characterizing an object, person, location, or event. The wide range of adjectives in it helps to create a vivid image for readers. We recommend using a thesaurus to locate appropriate adjectives, which could be helpful when writing your text. 

An illustration for the subject of the profile essay could be a landscape or a portrait. Almost everything can serve as the subject of a description: a person, their feelings, an animal, a plant, a town, a house, a park, a hamlet, or even the weather. A lack of action verbs and abundant nouns, adjectives, and adverbs characterizes descriptive texts.  

stages of writing a profile essay: brainstorming, outlining, writing, revising

#1 Preparation: How to Start a Profile Essay

Did you know that preparation is vital to any academic writing? If you want to create top-notch essays, you should explore the samples written by experts, brainstorm your topic and versatile angles of covering it, and outline. Many students tend to skip the preparation step, which is a major mistake. Quality preparation is required for writing the best college essays and can significantly help streamline the following stages. 

Learn From the Best

If you want your profile essay to stand out, you should start by checking some good examples. The apparent solution is to explore profile essays published on authority websites, such as the official websites of Harward of Oxford. Searching on famous online journals like the Times or Esquire can also be a smart move: of course, you will not find profile essays there, but you can read some person-focused articles (and, except for the matter of formatting, such articles will be pretty similar to profiling). In a ten-paragraph essay, the subject is introduced early on; by the second paragraph, you will have a good idea of the essay. 

There is an alternative solution: to understand the requirements of your academic format better, you can explore databases of professional essay samples (or even generate a few on your topic). By carefully studying profile essay examples, you can avoid typical beginner’s mistakes, develop a solid structure, and find some inspirational new ideas. 

Brainstorm Your Subject 

Before you start writing, it may be a good idea to brainstorm the subject to gather your thoughts and find some inspiring profile essay topics. Get as many ideas as possible to support your essay’s primary argument. Gathering references to support your claims and creating an essay outline are both part of the preparation step. Separate the concepts that will be most helpful in proving your point, and then arrange them in a sensible, sequential fashion. 

We need to profile something (or someone) when we are talking about writing profiling essays. So, the obvious topic choices may be locations, famous persons, or just average representatives of a specific profession you find interesting for some reason. 

Obtain supporting references and empirical evidence immediately. Citations should be written per the style guide you are using. The three most popular academic style guides—MLA, APA, and Chicago—each have guidelines for adequately attributing sources of all kinds, including but not limited to printed articles, online resources, oral presentations, and video content found on YouTube. 

profille essay topic ideas: the barista's perspective, the night shift nurse. a bus driver's route stories, etc.

Conduct Advanced Academic Research 

In-depth academic research is absolutely necessary for good profiling. First, scan the Internet for similar and alternative points of view, and carefully study some arguments and statements your fellow writers presented. Second, form a reliable list of sources and aim to reinforce each of your statements with concrete evidence. And finally, search for some first-hand accounts on the topic because such information may be the most useful in profiling. When you need to describe something as detailed as possible, actual evidence can provide you with unexpected insights. 

Write an Outline 

College professors often say that outlining is probably the most globally underestimated stage of writing essays in college. A great outline can actually make a difference between poorly written profile paper and top-notch impeccable academic writing. Outline is a plan where you can strategize on your essay, distribute key arguments between chapters, develop and recheck inner logic and more. 

???? Outlining is not a waste of time! Outlining is your supporting pillar for streamlining the whole writing process–it will help you think through and create a first-grade profile essay. 

#2 Writing Your Essay 

The ideal structure for a profile essay doesn’t differ much from that of an average college paper. There is a golden formula for writing such essays (introduction + 3-5 body chapters + conclusion), and, trust our experience, there are almost never good enough reasons to deviate from it. Just stick to the classic structure and concentrate on filling the chapters with the best content–you don’t want to change something good without precisely understanding why. 

Introduction 

The first paragraph of a profile essay serves as the introduction, providing background information on the topic and setting the stage for the remainder of the paper. Perhaps it is the most crucial paragraph because it both hooks the reader and establishes your central statement. 

Preparing the audience for the following statements is the job of your introduction. The opening paragraph serves as a first impression, establishing the tone, voice, and style the reader can expect from the rest. Your audience will be more engaged and attentive if the introduction is stimulating or entertaining in some way.  

Body Chapters 

The body paragraphs comprise the bulk of your essay and should provide evidence and arguments supporting the thesis. The structure of your body is fundamental. A logical development, in which one point leads to another, and so on, can strengthen some arguments. Remember that the reader does not possess the same level of expertise as you do on the subject matter, so organize your paragraphs to enhance their ability to grasp.  

What if you wish to examine and contrast multiple perspectives in your profile essay? Do you begin by stating your case and then provide counterarguments, or do you start by stating your opponent’s case and then renounce it? These are questions you should answer in your body sections! 

Profile essay conclusions conclude or summarize the argument in a manner that is easy for the reader to understand. While it is acceptable to include some additional background information or viewpoint that helps readers better grasp your thesis in the introduction, in most cases, you should refrain from doing so in the conclusion. 

#3 Revision, Proofreading and Double-Checking

The revision is paramount: it distinguishes excellent papers from mediocre ones. There is no such thing as too much proofreading; your paper may never become ideal, but you can bring it as close to perfection as humanly possible. Professors enjoy reading polished, crystal-clear, well-structured, and well-researched papers–and even seasoned professionals can’t write such papers without multi-level revision. 

Be mindful of complex writing strategies, such as not using the passive voice, and pay close attention to clarity and word choice. Explore the possibilities of writing apps, such as Grammarly or Hemingway Editor. By providing ideas for sentence structure, word choice, and clarity adjustments as you write, the Grammarly Editor ensures your work is readable, clear, and concise—even if you don’t yet feel confident in your writing abilities. 

After the extensive edits are complete, the last step is to polish your profile essay. Check it for typos, formatting problems, and grammatical mistakes. You can also just copy and paste your work into the grammar checker to receive immediate comments on any errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or anything else you might have overlooked. 

Is a profile essay like a biography?

A person, group, or establishment can have their best qualities highlighted in an informative profile essay. Providing details and analysis is what a profile is all about. A biography is more than just a profile. For example, providing details about an individual’s employment history is not the purpose of a biography.

What is the structure of a profile?

The best structure for profiling essays is the classic one: intro + body chapters + conclusion. There is literally no reason to choose a different structure. 

How long is a profile essay?

We recommend sticking to the classic format for college essays: introduction, from three to five body chapters, and a solid finalizing conclusion. Keep it short and straight to the point; unnecessary deviations can often be considered mistakes in profiling. 

What is profile writing with examples?

Articles or essays that focus on a subject’s prevailing impression—a particular trait or action that indicates something essential about the subject—are called profile writings. Much of the content for profiles is derived from interviews with experts in the field or with the subjects themselves. For example, you can describe a moment or aspect from a person’s life, an event, or anything else worth profiling. 

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How to Write a Stellar Profile Essay?

09 February, 2021

13 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

A profile essay, or article, is a piece of journalistic-cum-literary writing. The aim is to present factual information on a given topic (person, place, animal, or event) while writing with an individual tone and style. In this article, we will expand on the concept of a profile essay. We will also tackle what a profile is and what purpose profiles serve. Finally, we will present strategies for preparing your research and strengthening your writing technique, as well as offer tips on structure and potential topics.

Profile Essay

What Is a Profile Essay?

A profile essay can be considered a literary piece of writing, in which the writer mainly delivers a descriptive account of a person, place, or event. The goal of the profile essay is to be informative. It usually conforms to standards found in journalism – that is to say, using facts and offering impartial reportage – while conveying this information in a literary style.

profile essay

Literary style means offering more to the reader than a revised press release or stenographed interview. Offer insight and immersion to the reader, show them the layers of character and environment, and run these underlying factual happenings through your individual interpretation of it all. 

The Purpose of Profile Essays

The purpose of a profile essay is to be read and well-received by an audience. It is not an obscure technical writing piece, although it may cover obscure figures or events. In general, profile essays appear in magazines and newspapers – in either their print or digital formats. They also appear in scholarly or trade journals, usually covering rising or established people within these niches.

For the writer, a profile essay is a piece of writing aimed at joining the journalistic and literary style. As mentioned in the previous section, journalistic writing must be factual and rigorously checked for errors. Literary writing has some joy involved in its reading; in what way that joy comes out in ‘writing style’ is up to you.

Ultimately, with those two concepts in mind, the purpose of a profile essay is to get you, the writer, some more work. Profiles are highly prevalent and serve as a fantastic way of adding more pieces to your portfolio, whether you’re a new essay writer or a seasoned pro.

Prepare for your essay

Preparing for a profile depends on how close you are to starting writing. Writers coming to this article with a stretch of time ahead of them have the luxury of doing some background reading that is not directly related to the matter at hand. Finding a good profile essay example has the hidden benefit of looking like a lazy weekend afternoon; get a stack of magazines and read.

Some of the most common places to find quality profiles are The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, the London Review of Books, Esquire, or National Geographic. Another perspective is to look for writers, head to your bookshelf or local book store, and do some digging. Again, read and make some notes on the qualities you enjoy and dislike in a range of profiles.

Lastly, in terms of reading, examine the differences between an essay or article profiling a person and one that profiles an event.

That form of preparation is more akin to education. It is needed to bolster your understanding of the broad picture and what is essentially the marketplace for your piece of work. 

Preparing for your actual essay, not the skill of writing an ambiguous profile essay, is another matter. The research and reading that are highly relevant to your subject matter will make or break your profile essay. 

To begin with, you must find all profiles of your subject that are in existence and don’t require a transatlantic flight to a dusty library archive – in this instance, simply email the library and ask if they’ve considered digitizing their collection, starting with your desired piece. 

One of the most surefire organization tactics for research is timelining. Start at the beginning; be sure to go into ‘negative digits’ and look at the parent’s history or the town’s history, or anything else that emerges in your research.

After ‘time’ as a category of thinking comes ‘significance.’ What were the defining features of this person’s life, and to what sort of ‘movement’ might they belong? Add this into your timeline research and press on.

Have you selected a person or place that is feasible to contact and ask for a quote or interview? You may also want to reach out to other players in the story you’re telling and see what they have to say on things.

Preparing all this research can get messy and cluttered. The best way to solve this problem is to  follow a system from the start, as mentioned above; time is a great organizer. Also, keep a running bibliography in a separate file on your computer. Keep tabs on everything you’ve read, and be as forensic as possible with maintaining records. Who knows what might happen in the future regarding the focus of your essay? They might run for president, or they might fade into obscurity. 

Profile Essay Outline

As a profile essay combines qualities of journalism and literary writing, the ideal outline doesn’t exist. Literary writing can take the reader on a journey; in fact, the only requirement of the structure is to guide this journey as magnificently as possible.

Were we to suggest a general profile essay outline, it would contain these sections and ingredients. The order is flexible to an extent. It depends on the content of your profile. Have you got an interview to draw upon, or are you using your storytelling powers to deduct and infer from other sources?

In your introduction, if you’ve conducted an interview, use a quote for your lede. A good quote is an excellent way to set the tone and give an impression of your subject to the reader. Those without an interview might consider a bold statement; be sure that you use something here to act as a powerful lede and bring the reader on board. 

Alluring mysteries are one thing; though the crunch point for this gambit is to make the pay-off worthwhile. Else, the cliff-edge and the tension you create will be for nothing in the end. 

There will be time to provide things like background and biography in the main body of a profile essay. These tend to follow the lede as they’re a nice cool-down; they give the reader a chance to build knowledge on an obscure topic. Whereas for the writer, both the background and biography offer an opportunity to peg in some facts, figures, and breadcrumbs to draw upon later.

The body of a profile essay is tricky. You, first of all, need to engagingly tell your readers the story in it. Remember to build tension and really ‘let go’ when it comes to releasing that tension. Tell it to a friend, read it aloud. Move around the paragraphs. Remember that the profile is following an arc and in your conclusions, hook back in the initial qualities of the opening part. This technique is like cadence in music, and it will please your audience as long as it isn’t too trite. 

Profile Essay Topics

A suitable subject or topic depends on your qualities as a writer and the desired outcome of writing such a profile essay. Now, it does not have to include an interview, but many profile essays do include them. Some profile essay topics may be inanimate objects or complex emergences of human life (events). If this is the case, you can still interview 

For interviews, considering you’re likely a lowly reporter on a college paper, getting an interview with a high-flying sportsperson, politician, or musician is unlikely. In any event, the lower-flying specimens of these species could make a good target. 

The most important thing to consider when choosing the topic or subject is to work with your gut and instinct. If you’re interested in the story, you’re going to have much more to put into it, and your excitement and verve will show through in writing. It may also make it easier to stomach the long hours of tedious research that can emerge when trying to prove or disprove an obscurity of some kind. 

If you haven’t decided on the topic, there’s still room for maneuver. You can look at the subject matter and present your perspective on the case; that’s the subjective element of a profile, your view.

This perspective of yours can focus on just one specific aspect of a person or event. By removing the duller or more well-trodden elements of a character, you open up the chance to explore a new side of a topic. It’s also a fantastic skill for writers to be able to recap well-known things or facts quickly. Writing in this style for a very general audience should be a skill in any writer’s arsenal. 

Profile Essay Examples 

Properly digesting the advice and points made in this article can be aided by reading some profile essay examples. Look for examples given out in your class, or search around using the main keyword – profile essay examples. 

Here are a few examples for you to get a catch on how to write profile essays excellently:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/profiles

https://longreads.com/2019/12/17/longreads-best-of-2019-profiles/

https://longreads.com/2017/12/18/longreads-best-of-2017-profile-writing/

Writing Tips for a Profile Essay

How to write a profile essay in three steps; pick a subject, do your research, and start writing. Remember that a profile essay is a literary and a journalistic piece of writing. It’s non-fiction, so your facts and figures must be accurate, and any discrepancies or controversies surrounding your data can form a part of your analysis.

Always write with your reader at the forefront of your mind. Visualize your reader, even if it’s a college essay, and think of how you could pitch your piece to a publication. The natural home of a profile is in the media, not in the college textbook. So write the essay with publication in mind. 

 Here are some essential tips for a profile essay composition:

  • Conduct thorough research on your topic, look for potential interviews or aspects not covered in previous profiles if they exist. Also, make sure you’ve read all of the profiles on or related to your subject matter; a profile is an evolving topic, and new facts can emerge.
  • Profile examples are available online, as well as those posted by educational institutes, and of course, those featured in the media. Reading these serves as excellent preparation and inspiration.
  • The structure and overall outline of a profile essay is something with a degree of flexibility. While the introduction and rounding off of the essay will look familiar, tracking a person’s profile or event can involve highly unique pieces of information. Unlike many other papers, profiles don’t have to strictly conform to the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis structure. However, this familiar form of writing still works in part when writing a profile. 

Write a Profile Essay with HandmadeWriting

HandmadeWriting can help with the development, construction, and polishing of a profile essay. As an organization, we draw on academics and writers’ expertise from across the spectrum of the written word. 

Getting started can be difficult, but consulting with HandmadeWriting offers a way to get the ball rolling. The writers at HandmadeWriting are used to working on a countless number of topics and essay styles. The staff is also familiar with working under a tight deadline, not to mention those tasks where the endpoint is less defined. 

HandmadeWriting makes composing an essay or profile piece simple. Talk with a skilled writer and editor today on your topic, and you can make a start immediately.

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