How to write a profile essay-A comprehensive guide

A profile essay is a type of writing that is meant to describe a person, place or anything that requires detailing. When writing a profile essay on a person, it requires one on one interviews with the subject. When writing on a place or event, you will need to gather information on the place or event, focusing on the subject to be able to give a detailed report on the same.

Profile essays are some of the many essays students are required to write before graduating. It is most common in journalism studies, and it is given as a graded assignment. For this reason, it is important to ensure you do a perfect job on your profile essay. As a student, you will be required to conduct thorough research on a person, event or place and deliver a compelling and balanced piece.

Purpose of a profile essay

The primary purpose of writing a profile essay is to provide your readers with an unbiased description of a given subject. It should describe the subject in a way that engages the reader and makes them interested in reading more. It should also focus on a new and exciting topic about the subject for better audience engagement and interest. Even so, it should also include a bit of general knowledge on the subject to avoid alienating them from your readers. By making your profile essay appealing to the reader, you will be adding knowledge to what they already know about the subject.

Preparing to write a profile essay

All essays require adequate prepping and research to be a success. To be able to write the best profile essay, you will need to take your time and learn how best to write it. From the preparation stage to the research and writing, you must follow a process. If you are new to profile essay writing, this article will give you a detailed overview and guide on how to write a profile essay from the beginning to the end.

Read other successful profile essays

 Before you can set out to write your profile essay, it is essential to take the time to learn from previously written work. There are numerous profile essays on people, places or things online. Magazines are also perfect resources for successfully written profile essays. Ensure you read as many as you can. The more you read, the more you understand what is required in a perfectly written profile essay.

When reading existing essays, ensure you pay attention to the structure, tone of voice, subject line construction, how the subject is introduced, when they are introduced and how the content is segmented in paragraphs. Also, take note of the styles and words used depending on the subject. Note how long an introduction is and how it is structured before the subject is introduced. All these are important aspects that you will need to use in your essay.

The more you read, the more you notice these important aspects of a profile essay. This prepares you with the basic knowledge of writing a profile essay and gives you an idea of how to write yours. This is why reading other essays is the first step in writing a successful profile essay.

Choosing your subject

You cannot write a profile essay without a subject. It is the central part of your article as it is what you will be addressing. This is an important part of your essay, and should not be taken lightly. The amount of freedom you have with subject selection depends on whether the professor decides to give you a subject or leaves it to you as the student to pick for yourself.

When the subject of your essay is a famous person like a politician, veteran or celebrity, this type of essay can be relatively easy to write on. This type of subject raises interest in the reader immediately because of the questions or interest they have about the particular person.

When your subject is less popular with your readers, it requires you to start with a catchy subject likely to interest the reader. When reading a successful profile or less popular subjects, take note of the length of the subject lines, wordings and styles. This will make it easier for you to write an essay likely to interest your reader, even when it is on a less-known subject.

When allowed to choose your own topic, ensure you make it something interesting and something that has new information to offer. Avoid writing about people you cannot meet for an interview on a one-on-one basis.

Some interesting ideas for profile essays include:

• Describing a subject that you love and understand so well.


• Describing the structure of an animal house, you have visited


• Describing a dance studio, highlighting what it is all about


• Discussing why kids’ stores are a good option for parents. Cite a store that you have visited


• Focusing on a recovery center, describe how these centers help people in recovery


• Describing an individual that has been influential in the world of sports


• Studying the presidency, describe one president you would vote back and why


• Look into the life of an individual you consider a role model or one you look up to, focusing on why you hold them in such high regard.


• Choosing a historical figure and critically analyzing their role and how their ideologies would be received were they alive today.


• Describe the role of a father in the household and why every family needs to have a responsible father


• Describing the importance and impact of learning institutions in your life


• Provide an accurate description of a concert you have ever attended, or an idea of a concert you would want to attend.

Understanding writing tone and style

Even though a profile essay is a professional piece of writing that requires a professional voice, it still gives you more flexibility in terms of style and tone when compared to other academic papers. Always use the first person approach when your subject is a person.

Using the first person is ideal as opposed to second-person pronouns because of the nature of a profile essay. Even so, you need to ensure you do not overuse the first person, as it will lose its effectiveness. Using first-person too much distracts the reader because it puts too much focus on the writer than the subject. By reading other essays, you will notice how the first person is used throughout the interview.

Writing your profile essay

As mentioned earlier, a successfully written profile essay should be able to interest the reader. A subject line that is impressive and engaging, as well as the first lines of your essay, can significantly determine the success of your essay in interesting the reader. These lines create the first impression of your writing, which remains in the mind of the reader long after they have finished reading your essay.

Your introduction should be a unique attention grabber. It should make the reader want to engage further with your writing. The paragraphs that follow should meet the expectations the reader got after reading your introduction.

The subject line needs to be written effectively and clearly. It can include a quotation or anecdote related to what you are writing about. You can also use surprising facts, thought-provoking questions and humor. This is one of the easiest ways to interest the reader and make them curious enough to want to read on.

Structuring a profile essay

The introduction, body and conclusions are the three main elements that make up the structure of a profile essay.

The introduction

This is the first part of your writing after the subject line. It acts as a preview of what your paper is about and gives your readers an idea of what they will find in the subsequent paragraphs. The lines that make up the introduction act the starting points for the paragraphs you will include in the body.

The sentences need to be descriptive and informative in relation to the subject. It should act as a leading statement meant to create an interest in the reader. The points represented in the introduction should be addressed in the body of your essay. Ensure that your main points are briefly mentioned in your introduction.

The reader is interested in learning more about the subject. The introduction should show proof that your writing will fulfill their needs. This is why it is advisable to lead with a fact, quote or anecdote about the subject.

When concluding your introduction, use a strong statement. This should represent the purpose of your writing to usher readers into the first part of the body of the essay.

The body of a profile essay

This is the main part of the essay. It is the part that gives the reader all the details of the subject, based on the introduction. The body should flow smoothly, clearly elaborating every point. It should remain easy to understand and interesting to your readers. This is the only way to keep the reader interested in reading to the end.

Points should follow a detailed explanation

Every point should be detailed and thoroughly researched. Ensure you describe the details and give examples together with the answers you got from an interview. This structure applies to the rest of your paper.

The main points and questions require separate paragraphs in the body. This gives you enough room to address and explore the points to the satisfaction of the reader. This also ensures that the reader can easily link a piece of information with the main point or questions. Also, ensure you include a summary for each paragraph. While this is not a requirement in the structure, it makes it easy for your reader to finish off a point with a comprehensive understanding of what was being discussed.

Writing should be focused and enjoyable

Always ensure you thoroughly explain a point before moving on to the next one. Your explanation should not be too short, and neither should it be too long. Make the explanation enjoyable for the reader to continue reading. Make it so that your reader can create a mental image of the point. Never list down points with no explanation. This will easily bore the reader, making it unlikely that they will read to the end.  

All your paragraphs should have a consistent style and should base the writing on the answer to a specific question. Ensure you remain consistent by connecting the paragraphs to the information in your introduction. The paragraphs should also relate to each other using transitions. This way, your reader will have a clue of the next point. This shows a relation in your writing, thus ensuring your essay makes sense to the reader.

Maintain a balance

The body of your essay should give your reader a comprehensive picture of the subject. As it presents accurate information about the subject, it should also maintain a balance between reality and the imaginary.

Your body should be written in a style and language that is easy to understand. Avoid the use of contradicting information or jargon. All the questions and points you represent should be backed with clear and conclusive explanations. By the time your reader is done reading the essay, they should have a better understanding of the subject.

The conclusion

This is the last part of the profile essay and should be a reflection of what you discussed in the body. It should sum up your essay in a few sentences without sounding repetitive. It should give your reader closure and the feeling of having read something meaningful. You can include a quote to convey the final thoughts on the subject.

The conclusion should be able to connect with the introduction, retaliate the purpose of the profile and show that the objective was achieved. This will give the reader a recap of what they just read, the idea of the topic and how you achieved the purpose of the essay.

Proofreading and finalizing your profile essay

Apart from adequately formatting and structuring your profile essay, it should also be grammatically correct and should not have any misspelled words. No matter how compelling the subject is, an essay with too many errors quickly bores the reader, and will only give you a lower score. Ensure you re-read your essay and use grammar-checking tools before presenting it for marking. You can alternatively use a custom essay writing service for essay editing and proofreading services

Remember that people will only read your work if it is easy to understand. Ensure you structure your sentences in a way that they are easy to understand. Avoid long and wordy sentences, as this can quickly lose meaning. Short and concise sentences are the best way to write the best profile essays. In addition, short sentences reduce errors in your work. Remember that you can only convey the purpose of your message when you use your words properly. This is the best way to keep the essay flowing and your readers interested.

With these guidelines, you are better prepared to write a successful profile essay, regardless of the subject. We have a profile essay example that you can use as a guide when faced with such a task.