How to Write Compelling Personality Profiles

The personality profile is an article about an individual, and profiles are one of the staples of feature writing. No doubt youve read profiles in newspapers, magazines or websites. Profiles can be done on just about anyone whos interesting and newsworthy, whether its the local mayor or a rock star. Here are seven tips for producing great profiles. 1. Take the Time to Know Your Subject Too many reporters think they can produce quick-hit profiles where they spend a few hours with a subject and then bang out a quick story. That wont work. To really see what a person is like you need to be with him or her long enough so that they let their guard down and reveal their true selves. That wont happen in an hour or two. 2. Watch Your Subject in Action Want to know what a person is really like? Watch them doing what they do. If youre profiling a professor, watch him teach. A singer? Watch (and listen) to her sing. And so on. People often reveal more about themselves through their actions than their words, and watching your subject at work or play will give you lots of action-oriented description that will breathe life into your story. 3. Show the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly A profile shouldnt be a puff piece. It should be a window into who the person really is. So if your subject is warm and cuddly, fine, show that. But if theyre cold, arrogant and generally unpleasant, show that too. Profiles are most interesting when they reveal their subjects as real people, warts and all. 4. Talk to People Who Know Your Subject Too many beginning reporters think a profile is just about interviewing the subject. Wrong. Human beings usually lack the ability to objectively view themselves, so make a point of talking to people who know the person youre profiling. Talk to the persons friends and supporters, as well as their detractors and critics. As we said in tip no. 3, your goal is to produce a rounded, realistic portrait of your subject, not a press release. 5. Avoid Factual Overload Too many beginning reporters write profiles that are little more than an accretion of facts about the people they are profiling. But readers dont particularly care when someone was born, or what year they graduated from college. So yes, include some basic biographical information about your subject, but dont overdo it. 6. Avoid Chronologies Another rookie mistake is to write a profile as a chronological narrative, starting with the persons birth and plodding through their life up to the present. Thats boring. Take the good stuff—whatever it is that makes your profile subject interesting—and emphasize that right from the start. 7. Make a Point About Your Subject Once youve done all your reporting and gotten to know your subject reasonably well, dont be afraid to tell your readers what youve learned. In other words, make a point about what kind of person your subject is. Is your subject shy or aggressive, strong-willed or ineffectual, mild or hot-tempered? If you write a profile that doesnt say something definitive about its subject, then you havent done the job.