The Ins and Outs of Writing Profiles

A good profile is a story that has a beginning, middle and end; it’s focused on the most interesting elements about the person being profiled; and it's relevant, i.e., the reader understands why you’re telling him about this person in your communications and gets the point of the story.

When selecting people to profile, ask yourself the following questions:

• Why this person?
• Why now?
• What's the point from a marketing perspective? What are you trying to achieve by telling this story about this person?

Remember, a profile by your organization is not “journalism.” In an ideal world, a journalistic approach to profile writing involves interviews with several people, shadowing and research. The nonprofit reality is more like a 20-minute phone call or sending questions via e-mail. You don't need to be objective, so some leading questions are fine, and the subject should be able to review a draft and provide comments.