100 Profile Essay Topics

As part of a school assignment or a college application, you may be asked to write a profile essay. This type of essay is a portrait of a person, place, thing, or idea. The goal is to provide readers with enough information so that they can understand the main subject of the essay.

But to write a profile essay that will earn you a good grade or acceptance into an educational institution, you’ll need to follow some specific guidelines.

To assist you in your writing endeavors, we’ve created this handy guide detailing everything you need to know about writing a profile essay and included 100 profile essay topics to help inspire your writing.

Is Profile Essay Writing Hard?

Completing a profile essay can be relatively simple for many students, assuming that they choose an interesting subject and have enough time to conduct a thorough investigation. However, some students find this type of essay writing more challenging than others.

One of the main reasons some students struggle with profile essays is that they don’t fully understand what this type of assignment is asking of them. Another common issue has to do with choosing an appropriate subject. Some students select a topic that is either too broad or too narrow in scope, making it challenging to write a well-rounded essay.

Ultimately, by sticking to the following guidelines, any student will be able to create an interesting profile essay that will stand out from the rest.

Instructions for Writing a Profile Essay

You need to follow three main steps to write a successful profile essay. These include:

Select an appropriate subject
Conduct research on your subject
Write your essay

Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps in more detail.

1. Select an appropriate subject

When it comes to choosing a subject for your profile essay, it’s essential to select someone or something that you are familiar with and that you can write about in an interesting way. For example, your subject could be a famous person, a politician, an artist, a musician, or even a local business owner.

2. Conduct research on your subject

Once you have selected your subject, it’s time to start conducting research. This will involve reading articles, watching videos, and interviewing people familiar with your topic. When doing your research, it’s important to take notes so that you can later reference this information in your essay.

3. Write your essay

After gathering all of the necessary information, you can start writing your essay. Begin by introducing your subject and providing some background information. Then, focus on including specific details to help readers understand your subject better.

Essential Writing Tips for a Profile Essay

When writing your profile essay, there are some helpful tips that you can follow to ensure that your essay is well-written and engaging for readers. These tips include:

Write in the third person

Avoid using personal pronouns such as “I,” “me,” “we,” and “us.” Instead, always refer to your subject by their name or use third-person pronouns such as “he,” “she,” “they,” and “them.”

Use strong verbs

When describing your subject, use strong verbs that will help bring your essay to life for readers. Some examples of strong verbs include:

Create
Design
Develop
Establish
Formulate
Implement
Manage
Operate
Oversee
Produce
Promote
Supervise

Avoid overusing phrases

When writing your essay, avoid overusing phrases meant to be used as transitions between sentences such as “in conclusion,” “to sum up,” and “as a result.” These phrases can make your writing sound choppy and distract readers. Instead, opt for more original and interesting language that will help make your essay stand out. Some additional phrases to use in your writing include:

In order to
For the purpose of
With the goal of
The aim/objective of
So that
As a result of
Consequently

Include quotes

In order to add more depth to your essay, consider including quotes from people who know your subject well. These could be quotes from interviews that you conducted or from articles that you read. Just be sure to properly cite any quotes you include in your essay.

Writing a Thesis for a Profile Essay

Like any essay writing assignment, your profile essay will need to have a clear and concise thesis statement. This statement should be included in your introduction, and it should briefly describe what your essay will be about.

A strong thesis statement for a profile essay should include:

The name of the person or thing that you are writing about
A brief description of what you will be discussing in your essay
The main reason why you are writing about this subject

Here is an example of a strong thesis statement for a profile essay:

“John Smith is a successful businessman who has created and maintained a successful business despite challenges in the current economy.”

As you can see, this thesis statement includes the name of the subject, a brief description of what will be discussed in the essay, and the main reason for writing about John Smith.