A common question many prospective adoption parents have is, what makes an adoptive profile successful?
When it comes to creating a profile, every family has their own approach, and what you decide to put in it is completely up to you. However, almost all will agree that your profile is the introduction and the first impression that an expectant mother will have of you, therefore, you want to make a lasting impression.
We asked adoptive parents to share their best advice when it comes to creating an adoption profile. Here are some of their tips:
“Be honest. We heard it, and it sounds so obvious. But, it can be tempting to try to appeal to a broad section of birth parents. Be you and you will be found. Our birth mother told us she selected us based on something we were very honest about.”
“Imagine being handed a big stack of books to look through, would you read every word in every paragraph? I suggest making lists, using captions and highlighting important words in color/bold print.”
“Be super honest and detailed. You know how YOU might want to portray your family, but you have no idea of what each birth parent is looking for. Their desires, the things that make an adoptive family look hopeful, are many and varied. So you can’t package yourself with anyone in mind but a birth parent who will respond to the things that make you happy, what you value, and what life experiences you hope to share with a child.”
“My husband wrote the page about me and I wrote the page about him. We wrote it as “what I know about my husband/wife.” 
“Just say who you are. We added a photo of our dog. Our birth mom loved that picture [because] it looked like our dog was smiling.”
“Stop worrying about sounding “perfect” and be yourself. Let the real you shine…Even down to the design of your profile — you don’t necessarily have to be creative enough to do it all on your own, but don’t be afraid to insert yourself in formatting, designs, colors, etc. At the end of the day, an expectant parent may be looking at a ton of books — what will stand out about yours?”
“Don’t go over the top. Try to imagine what you would want to know if you were choosing.”
“Show the things you do and love. Use some funny or goofy pictures of yourself too. We had tons of pictures of us at the shore, Phillies games, and our family time together. Our son’s birth mom also loved those 3 things so we had a connection from the start. And try to make it yourself, don’t hire someone. It takes some time but its actually fun trying to lay out your life in 10 pages.”
