PROFILE FEATURE WRITING
A "profile feature" is a newspaper or magazine article examining the background and character of a specific person as it relates to a particular issue. In this case, the focus should be on how issues pertaining to immigration and/or refugees relate to the subject's personal or professional life. The article should be based on an extensive interview with the subject as well as background information that you researched independently (i.e. the articles you précised).
Although a profile feature typically addresses the “five w’s” (who, what, where, when, and why) found in news stories, it also attempts to capture the essence of the person who was interviewed. While you may choose to provide some biographical information, it should be kept to a minimum. Keep the focus on how the subject’s career, experiences, and expertise are relevant to the local and national debate on immigrants and refugees.
How to write a profile feature:
1. Before you start writing… Review the notes and/or recording from your interview. Make a list of interesting quotes, important points, and ideas that you plan to include in your story. Eliminate information that you think readers will find unimportant or uninteresting.
2. Grab the attention of your reader... The lede for a profile feature is more creative than the introduction of a traditional essay. Spend time developing an opening that not only sets the scene, but also helps the reader understand why they should care. Make it interesting!
Consider this lede from a 2014 profile feature in The Plain Dealer:
ASHTABULA, Ohio -- In late November, an uneasy calm fell upon the nurseries, apple orchards and tomato fields of northern Ohio. President Obama's executive action offered temporary legal status to many of the region's undocumented workers, who tend to be farm workers from Mexico. Some could stop looking over their shoulders for the first time in years.
No one fought harder for that respite than Veronica Isabel Dahlberg, an immigrant's daughter whom the Los Angeles Times recently called "the guardian angel" of Ohio's immigrant community.
Ten years ago, Dahlberg founded Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula, the Organization of Hispanic Women of Lake and Ashtabula, to give a voice to a growing Hispanic immigrant community. As deportations intensified, she found herself thrust in to an activist role.
Under the HOLA banner, the former newspaper reporter organized meetings, led marches and attended countless legal proceedings, fighting to "keep families whole," as she puts it. She has earned a reputation as a passionate but reasonable advocate well schooled in the law. Politicians, sheriffs and police chiefs take her calls and seek her consul. Business groups offer encouragement.
As the immigration debate heats up in 2015, Dahlberg, 51, is certain to be part of the discussion, representing the people with a life-changing stake in the issue.
3. Paint pictures with words… Rather than using adjectives, use details you observed and thoughtful verbs to describe the scene. For example, rather than saying “The sheriff was nice and knowledgeable about immigration issues.” Try “The sheriff welcomed me with a firm handshake, offered me a seat opposite his desk, and fielded each question with a genuine interest in upholding both the law and the rights of the people he serves.”
4. Sprinkle in quotes, but don’t put on too many sprinkles… Direct quotes should be used to support your story, but they should not form the substance of your story. Use quotes to capture the voice of your interview subject and embellish the main ideas you are trying to communicate while not underestimating the power of your own words.
5. Organization… The best profile feature writers organize information thematically by weaving background information with details and quotes. Consequently, your final product may seem unorthodox insofar it may not have an introductory paragraph/thesis followed by supporting paragraphs. Nor does the profile feature need to be structured chronologically. Some paragraphs may be as short as one or two sentences. The goal is to tell a story that draws the reader in while revealing a perspective they may not otherwise have considered.
6. The End… Avoid a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main ideas in your profile feature. Rather, save a particularly eloquent quote from the person who was interviewed. This allows the voice of the person you interviewed to stick with the reader long after they are done reading the story.
7. Accuracy matters… The quickest way to lose credibility as an author is to litter your writing with spelling and grammatical errors. Double check the spelling of names and the accuracy of facts. Proofread!
A "profile feature" is a newspaper or magazine article examining the background and character of a specific person as it relates to a particular issue. In this case, the focus should be on how issues pertaining to immigration and/or refugees relate to the subject's personal or professional life. The article should be based on an extensive interview with the subject as well as background information that you researched independently (i.e. the articles you précised).
Although a profile feature typically addresses the “five w’s” (who, what, where, when, and why) found in news stories, it also attempts to capture the essence of the person who was interviewed. While you may choose to provide some biographical information, it should be kept to a minimum. Keep the focus on how the subject’s career, experiences, and expertise are relevant to the local and national debate on immigrants and refugees.
How to write a profile feature:
1. Before you start writing… Review the notes and/or recording from your interview. Make a list of interesting quotes, important points, and ideas that you plan to include in your story. Eliminate information that you think readers will find unimportant or uninteresting.
2. Grab the attention of your reader... The lede for a profile feature is more creative than the introduction of a traditional essay. Spend time developing an opening that not only sets the scene, but also helps the reader understand why they should care. Make it interesting!
Consider this lede from a 2014 profile feature in The Plain Dealer:
ASHTABULA, Ohio -- In late November, an uneasy calm fell upon the nurseries, apple orchards and tomato fields of northern Ohio. President Obama's executive action offered temporary legal status to many of the region's undocumented workers, who tend to be farm workers from Mexico. Some could stop looking over their shoulders for the first time in years.
No one fought harder for that respite than Veronica Isabel Dahlberg, an immigrant's daughter whom the Los Angeles Times recently called "the guardian angel" of Ohio's immigrant community.
Ten years ago, Dahlberg founded Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula, the Organization of Hispanic Women of Lake and Ashtabula, to give a voice to a growing Hispanic immigrant community. As deportations intensified, she found herself thrust in to an activist role.
Under the HOLA banner, the former newspaper reporter organized meetings, led marches and attended countless legal proceedings, fighting to "keep families whole," as she puts it. She has earned a reputation as a passionate but reasonable advocate well schooled in the law. Politicians, sheriffs and police chiefs take her calls and seek her consul. Business groups offer encouragement.
As the immigration debate heats up in 2015, Dahlberg, 51, is certain to be part of the discussion, representing the people with a life-changing stake in the issue.
3. Paint pictures with words… Rather than using adjectives, use details you observed and thoughtful verbs to describe the scene. For example, rather than saying “The sheriff was nice and knowledgeable about immigration issues.” Try “The sheriff welcomed me with a firm handshake, offered me a seat opposite his desk, and fielded each question with a genuine interest in upholding both the law and the rights of the people he serves.”
4. Sprinkle in quotes, but don’t put on too many sprinkles… Direct quotes should be used to support your story, but they should not form the substance of your story. Use quotes to capture the voice of your interview subject and embellish the main ideas you are trying to communicate while not underestimating the power of your own words.
5. Organization… The best profile feature writers organize information thematically by weaving background information with details and quotes. Consequently, your final product may seem unorthodox insofar it may not have an introductory paragraph/thesis followed by supporting paragraphs. Nor does the profile feature need to be structured chronologically. Some paragraphs may be as short as one or two sentences. The goal is to tell a story that draws the reader in while revealing a perspective they may not otherwise have considered.
6. The End… Avoid a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main ideas in your profile feature. Rather, save a particularly eloquent quote from the person who was interviewed. This allows the voice of the person you interviewed to stick with the reader long after they are done reading the story.
7. Accuracy matters… The quickest way to lose credibility as an author is to litter your writing with spelling and grammatical errors. Double check the spelling of names and the accuracy of facts. Proofread!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- This exemplar has a particularly good lede and ending: "We are a nation of immigrants and laws"
- This NPR interview has an excellent lede.
- An excellent example of a profile feature in The Christian Science Monitor.
- An excellent example of a profile feature in USA Today.