The Profile

A profile describes a person or organisation of interest to readers. It uses all of the writer’s skills to paint a lifelike portrait in words, of the individual or organisation being profiled. But it does not make a direct judgment on the subject. Readers draw their own conclusions about the profile’s subject through the details and quotes the writer has chosen to include. A profile shows rather than tells.

A profile uses various styles of storytelling. A popular approach is cinematic in nature, using both close ups and wide angle shots. The written “close up” gives details of the subject or the scene. The “wide angle shot” talks about facts, background, history and other information. The two styles – "close up" and "wide angle" – are used alternately.

The interest and storytelling tension should be evenly maintained throughout the whole profile. A profile should be at least around 800 – 1,000 words long. A shorter profile could be around 500 words long but then it would contain more straightforward information about the subject. A shorter profile is useful when the subject is part of current news and there is not much time for research or interviews. In contrast to a water news story a profile cannot be shortened from the bottom of the story without the loss of vital information.

• A profile of a person.
• A profile of a city or place (e.g. a polluted water source).
• A profile of an institution or organisation (e.g. an innovative water start-up, a ministry that is undergoing a reform process or a NGO).
• Even if the profile is not about an individual person, the human aspects and interaction should still be emphasised and detailed. Otherwise the profile gets dull (see factsheet storytelling).

There are only fairly broad guidelines for the language a profile uses. These are as follows:

• The profile should use descriptive language that appeals to all five senses.
• The profile shows, it doesn’t tell.
• The profile should try to achieve a unique style.
• While the profile includes telling details about the subject, the details should not be random but should be consistent with, or important to, the story being told.

• Is there a central question the profile piece should be answering about the subject?
• Which details about the subject are really meaningful?
• Are there friends, enemies, colleagues or other relevant opinions that could be included in this profile?
• Have the ideas of “close up” and “wide angle” been well woven together in the profile?
• Does the portrait maintain story telling tension through to the end?