A successful profiling piece leaves readers feeling like they intimately know the person being profiled, which is one of the hardest things to achieve as a writer. The author must establish a quick connection to the person they are profiling in order to narrate with a voice that is both informative, friendly, and knowledgeable. So for me, voice is a key component for profiling features – it should be informal, reflective, informed, and yet also give a sense of intimacy that comes along with spending time with the subject and getting to know him or her.

I think this is really apparent in Sean Casey’s profile – the author grabs readers’ attentions by showing rather than telling. Instead of simply stating that Sean is good with animals, she introduces who he is as a person through his interaction with the dog and how he immediately responds to Sean’s presence.

Similarly, the author of the Bernie Goetz piece really gives readers the impression that he got to him. He describes his habits and how he interacts with squirrels and then says, “That is Bernie Goetz.” The author makes it clear that he put the time and effort into getting to know his subject, which in turn gives readers this same sense of familiarity for who he is as a person. Research is one of the harder parts of the profile piece, but it is so necessary in order to create that personal connection and in turn give readers an accurate portrayal of who the person you’re writing about it.

The main thing I’m taking away from both of these pieces is to use action as a way to describe a person – do not merely say what your subject looks like or what his or her personality is like – show it through actions. This moves the narrative along, allows readers to draw their own conclusions about it, and provides an interesting action snapshot.