What does a profile essay look like?


They key to craft any type of essay, is having a clear understanding of its structure and the technique you need to use to set it apart from others of its category. Hence, we first need to explore what exactly does the term profile essay refers to.

What is a profile essay?

Most students assume that all essays, no matter under which category they fall, can be written by using the same tips and a standard method. Narrative, reflective and argumentative essays are most commonly assigned by teachers, but that is not the case with profile essays which renders them unfamiliar to most of us.
Simply put, profile essays contain description of a thing, place, person, event or entity. An interesting profile essay example can include writing about a notable president in the history of the world, a city belonging to an ancient civilization or a person you see as your role model etc. Whatever the chosen topic, a profile essay should have all the details about it, providing a comprehensive view to the reader and an opportunity to have an informed opinion over the topic.

Do not take it to be as rudimentary as putting down a surface description of a particular subject on the paper. A profile essay is designed to respond to any questions that might arise in the reader’s mind about the topic you have selected.

For writing a detailed description about something you must have all the necessary knowledge about it. The next step would be to make the information presentable so that there is no room left for confusion. From here onwards we will dive into the basics of how to craft an exemplary profile essay.

Structure of a Profile Essay

Like all other essays, a profile essay has an introductory paragraph, the main body and a conclusion. While creating a profile essay on a person outline, keep in mind that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and should be addressed in a civil manner. Essays written in a condescending tone are considered inappropriate and will make your work look unprofessional.

How to write a profile essay

Step 1– To write a good profile essay you must get into reading some samples written by others. Magazines like the Esquire or New Yorker are a great place to start, as they frequently publish profile essays. Most of them are likely to be about celebrities but they will give the general idea of how to make content like that interesting enough for to grab the reader’s attention. The subject of these essays is established in the beginning paragraph of the essay in such a thorough manner that by the second or third paragraph the reader starts to feel familiar towards the person it is about.

Step 2– Spend some time to carefully explore subjects before you settle down on one to write about. It will be relatively easy to write about a person if they have had some incredible experiences attached to their life such as being a war veteran, actor or even an infamous highwayman. However, a truly skilled writer can make the subject interesting even if it doesn’t have any apparent appealing element to mention. Its all in the manner of writing and the words you choose to tell the story. For a college assignment it is best to choose a topic you are extremely well informed and is relatable about instead of writing about celebrities or presidents.

Step 3– If you have chosen to write about a person in your vicinity, you need to interview them to get as much information about them as possible. Before that, there should be a list of questions prepared. Aim for ones that are open ended and broad and begin with who, when, what, why or where.

Questions that can only be responded by a simple yes or no should be avoided, as there is more of a chance that the subject will not add more to their answer or merely resort to shaking or nodding their head. Digging in further can seem impolite on your end so it is better to not get caught in such an awkward situation. If you manage to do your homework about the subject of your profile essay, you can have an excellent creation to look forward to.

Step 4– Now that background reading has been done and information has been collected, it is time to start on some real work, which is the writing process. While writing a profile essay, it is essential to focus on the fact that the whole essay is framed upon your view of the events described in it.

Try to give as fair an account as possible. But do understand that since you cannot transport your readers literally inside the events, and you also need to give them an abridged version of it by being subjective. A clear perspective of the person and events will create a better profile essay. Similar to other types of essay you need to form a statement and then provide arguments to support. For instance, “Mrs. Ruth is a sweet and generous old lady…she helps her poor neighbors and goes to church every Sunday.”

Here was an overview of how a profile essay should be structured and some tips to help you write it. For further help you can reach out to our buy profile essay service, which provides brilliantly crafted essays on any subject required.