A profile essay is a descriptive piece of writing. It could describe different things, such as a person or perhaps a place. As long as you can provide plenty of details about something, it makes a great subject. Make sure there is lots of room for interpretation as well. Describing people is usually the most common way to go with this type of essay. However, as easy as it might seem, learning how to write a profile essay could actually be quite challenging.
A profile essay is more common among students of journalism. They need to prove their abilities at describing events, places, and people. Interview essays also go in the same category, as such a career clearly requires lots of interviews. It takes a lot of research and more importantly, the essay must be neutral. It must be balanced, but quite detailed too.
Get your lead
You need to steal from the best of the best. Stealing does not involve plagiarism. It is a way to describe your inspiration. You need to find some reliable sources and check out some of their essays. Plenty of magazines bring in profile essays, so you can start your venture there.
At this point, you need to check out the style and final effect. Most of these essays will describe famous people. Your essay is likely to be different. Read a few different essays from different journalists and determine what makes one piece better than the other.
You have to see how characters are introduced, how their stories become colorful, and what details authors focus on. More importantly, make sure you come up with a connection. If you write eight paragraphs, your reader should feel like they already know your character after a couple of paragraphs.
Choose a subject
Choosing a subject could be a difficult job. This is when you make a difference. Ideally, you should avoid writing about celebrities or famous people – unless they are your friends and you can get in touch with them. Other than that, you will have to find a different person.
Choosing someone you know is the preferred choice. Besides, writing about an unknown person could be more interesting for your audience. They already know a lot about the President or some famous singers.
Interview your subject
This is the main reason wherefore you should go for someone you know. It is not essential, but it will help – unless you write about someone who died already. You can also get in touch with their relatives. This step is more important if you are a journalist. If you are a student, you might skip it, yet it will add a lot to the quality standards.
Come up with a list of questions before you get to the interview. Try to avoid questions that require basic answers – such as yes or no. You need questions that your subject can talk about. Sure, a few yes and no questions will help, but they are mostly used as a warm-up. Furthermore, you need your questions to be connected and make sense. Try to get some interesting details out, rather than things that everyone could find over the Internet.
Write your essay
Learning how to write a profile essay is relatively easy now, as you go through all the above-mentioned steps. You will have to provide some facts and info, as well as a personal evaluation too. The statement must be attractive and hook your readers in – the whole essay is based on this step.
The essay is not a transcript of the interview. Instead, it must be divided into paragraphs and words must flow. There has to be a connection between paragraphs. Ideally, you should avoid jumping from one topic to a random one. Keep things natural and logical.
More importantly, keep in mind that you need to engage readers. Your essay must be entertaining, but also informative. At this point, small details tend to make a difference.
As a short final conclusion, little attention can point you in the right direction when learning how to write a profile essay. Stick to small steps and ensure a smooth flow, an interesting approach, and lots of small details. Your essay will definitely draw some positive attention then.