9 examples of powerful profile stories
These unique profile story examples go deep on their subjects with original reporting, captivating visual assets, and some beautiful design.
by Matt McGregor
by Matt McGregor
When published on an immersive content platform like Shorthand, good profiles can make for some of the most memorable stories on the web.
This guide runs through nine impressive examples of profile stories. We’ve focused not only on stories from media companies, but also universities, nonprofits, and brands.
Scroll on, or choose your example from the list:
- BBC Sport: The making of Mondo
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Woven in: Creating a Shared Vision with Jiseon Lee Isbara
- Kings College London: DJ Cuppy is mixing it up
- Durham University: Tunstall and the Tudors
- M+ Museum: Who is Madame Song?
- Norwegian Refugee Council: Sewing her lifelong dream
- Goal: How Bellingham became England’s great young hope
- GEF: Young voices for the planet
- University of Cambridge: John Siberch: Cambridge’s first printer (and record debtor?)
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The making of Mondo
By: BBC Sport
Content type: Sports marketing and journalism
This fantastic sporting profile brings readers up to date on the (literal) rise and rise of Swedish pole vaulter Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis. Mondo continues to steadily break his own World Record, so data visualisations to help readers understand his epic achievements are a must. But the real highlights are a pair of motion sequence shots, one with filters applied in yellow and blue (Sweden's national colours) — a unique and striking use of Shorthand’s features.
What we like:
- Scrollytelling walks the reader through Duplantis’ technique with action photography — from the runway to the launch over the bar.
- Blue and yellow filters on a scrolling chronophoto — what else can we say? It’s just great.
Woven In: Creating a Shared Vision with Jiseon Lee Isbara
By: School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Content type: Arts and culture stories
Jiseon Lee Isbara became the president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in July 2024. To nail the introduction, the school’s magazine profiled Lee Isbara and her work. This interview piece shares a handful of her career highlight works. Lee Isbara shares her excitement, passion, and plan for the new appointment, and recounts memories from her background and the experience of making it in America as a Korean artist.
What we like:
- The Title section video includes footage of Lee Isbara preparing for the interview — this takes the reader behind the scenes, establishing a feeling of access and closeness to the subject.
- The same video is embedded, this time in full, at the end of the profile, creating an onward journey for readers who complete the article.
DJ Cuppy is mixing it up
By: Kings College London InTouch magazine
Content type: Higher education and research comms
This profile of Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, also known as DJ Cuppy, is written in the interview style. Cuppy sits down for a conversation with the author about her background, her music career, and her philanthropic work establishing The Cuppy Foundation and partnering with various charities.
What we like:
- Title over Media video of DJ Cuppy in a friendly conversation builds the article’s casual interview feel.
- Triptych profile shots show a number of sides to Cuppy’s personality.
- A blend of colour and black and white photography establishes range and helps keep the colours from becoming monotonous.
Tunstall and the Tudors
By: Durham University
Content type: Higher education and research comms
Cuthbert Tunstall was the Prince Bishop of Durham from 1530 to 1559, a particularly tumultuous period in English history. This story from Durham University dives into his personal story, showcasing his ability to navigate through scandals and religious chaos using compromise, persuasion, and diplomatic skills. He somehow survived both Henry VIII and Mary I, and died as an advisor to Elizabeth I at the ripe age of 85.
The profile runs through the major events of Tunstall’s life at an exhilarating clip, with plenty of images, animations, and interactive elements.
What we like:
- The team at Durham use Scrollpoints to great effect, at one point highlighting that the three combs on the Tunstall crest represent a family ancestor who was the barber of William the Conqueror.
- The piece is full of original interactive elements, including a quiz.
- Archival images are used to great effect, with the creators taking care to point out relevant and interesting details — for example, when Tunstall is depicted as a ravenous wolf devouring Protestants during the reign of Mary I.
Who is Madame Song?
By: M+ Museum
Content type: Arts and culture stories
Digital profile stories can be an excellent way to market in-person exhibitions, as this story from Hong Kong’s M+ Museum shows.
The profile introduces Madame Song Huai-Kuei, a late Chinese artist, influencer, and collaborator of Pierre Cardin. It explores Song's role in promoting Pierre Cardin's fashion in China, her role in China’s burgeoning cultural scene in the 1980s, and her life with her Bulgarian artist Maryn Varbanov (the first approved marriage to a foreigner under the rule of the PRC).
What we like:
- This profile has no shortage of fascinating photos to help tell the story of Madame Song’s remarkable life. They are used to great effect, from photos of Song as a teenager in the 1950s to her avant-garde artworks in the 1980s.
- An intriguing archival video of Song is used to break the profile into distinct sections.
Sewing her lifelong dream
By: Norwegian Refugee Council
Content type: Nonprofit and NGO comms
This profile, from the Norwegian Refugee Council, tells the story of Gulistan, a Syrian-Kurdish dressmaker who is also a refugee. Despite the haunting memories of war, Gulistan channels her creativity and passion into creating beautiful dresses using a variety of fabrics and stitches.
Behind her skilful hands lies a painful past. Gulistan and her family were stripped of their Syrian citizenship, leaving them stateless and without access to basic necessities. Fortunately, Gulistan was able to acquire Syrian citizenship before fleeing to Iraq, where she now resides with her husband and children.
What we like:
- The piece uses original illustrated maps to show Gulistan’s journey, without departing from its original visual style.
- Documentary photos and videos of Gulistan — in a range of emotions — are used to powerful effect throughout the story.
- The story uses the creation of a new dress as a structural device, showing how Gulistan’s craft has anchored her exceptionally tumultuous life.
How Bellingham became England’s great young hope
By: Goal
Content type: Sports marketing and journalism
Jude Bellingham is a footballer who turned down offers from top clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City to become the youngest-ever player at his boyhood club, Birmingham. This personal profile from Goal tells the story of his rapid rise into the England national team, with Bellingham skipping several age groups to become one of the youngest players to feature for the senior team.
What we like:
- The story begins with a short, looping video, which gives the story an initial burst of energy.
- The piece uses striking background illustrations — a hugely distinctive and attention-grabbing design choice that befits the profile’s subject.
Young voices for the planet
By: Global Environmental Facility
Content type: Nonprofit and NGO comms
The future of our planet lies in the hands of young people, who are determined to create sustainable environments for themselves and future generations. This great profile from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) aims to inspire change with 10 micro-profiles of influential young environmental leaders. Together, these leaders open up dialogue about how we can transition to what the story describes as a “low-carbon, nature-positive, and climate-resilient future.”
What we like:
- The profile uses engaging illustrations to showcase the youthful diversity of its subjects.
- The team uses Shorthand’s Text on Reveal to brilliant effect, introducing portraits of the 10 young leaders.
John Siberch: Cambridge’s first printer (and record debtor?)
By: University of Cambridge
Content type: Higher education and research comms
This feature story from the University of Cambridge tells the story of John Siberch, the city’s first printer. Siberch began his career by borrowing 20 pounds from the university in 1524 at an interest rate of 5% — a debt he would never repay.
Over the course of his career, Siberch printed grammar books from Erasmus, as well as the first edition of Alexander Barclay's first eclogue. He admitted to making regular errors — including in a deluxe copy of Galen presented to Henry VIII, in which pages were arranged incorrectly on the press, possibly in an attempt to prevent the king from reading to the end.
What we like:
- The story makes generous use of the many fascinating archival materials held by the university library, including images of the earlier works to be printed in Cambridge 500 years ago.
- Historical paintings give colour and context to the most famous figures in the piece, including the famous Erasmus from Hans Holbein, and Karl Aspelin’s painting of Luther burning the papal bull.
More to explore:
- Ensure your profile stories are as amazing as the ones above: learn how to write a profile story.
- Browse our full library of inspiring profile story examples built with Shorthand.
