What is an Adoptive Family Video Profile?

Lights, Camera, Adoption!

When prospective birth mothers consider families for adoption, they often feel a lot of uncertainty. It’s hard to get to know what people are really like through only pictures and written words, and that’s why creating a video profile may benefit your family in a variety of ways.
By giving a small glimpse into your world, you could potentially be more successful in finding a match and reducing your wait time.

What is a Video Profile?

An adoptive family video profile may be used together with your print or online profile to provide a pregnant mother with information about your family and why you would be the perfect parents for her child.
Video profiles are usually between three or four minutes long, allowing a prospective birth mother to see you and your home environment to give her a better idea of whether you are the right parents for her child.

How to Produce a Video Profile

If the adoption agency you choose produces video profiles, they will likely guide you throughout this process. If the adoption agency you choose does not produce video profiles, or if you are pursuing an independent adoption, you may still produce a video profile to help you improve your chances of being selected by a pregnant mother.
There are two ways to produce a video profile:

• Camera Mailed to You – A select few adoption agencies and media companies use this method, but it is the most efficient and cost-effective way to produce a video profile. You will receive a camera kit, filming instructions and interview questions in the mail. Simply follow the directions, film yourself, and send your footage back to the adoption agency or media company. A videographer will edit your footage into a video profile and it will be posted on your adoption agency’s website.
• Hiring a Videographer – Most adoption agencies will allow you to create a video profile, but on your own time and money. This is also true if you are pursuing an independent adoption. In these scenarios, you would simply hire a media company or videographer to come to your home to film your video profile. Because you likely know more about adoption than the video team, you will probably have to come up with your own interview questions and statements you want to include in your video. The videographer will then take the footage and create your video profile, which you can then use on your own website, blog, social media or perhaps even on your adoption agency’s website.

Benefits of Video Profiles

While video profiles are still new to the adoption landscape, they have shown to possess many benefits for prospective adoptive families:

• More detailed – Pictures and text in a traditional profile can only tell a birth mother so much. Instead of just reading about your life, she can also see you and your spouse interacting with each other and get a better idea of what type of people you are.
• More accessible – Many birth mothers fall into an age range that is accustomed to smartphones and technology, so a video may have more of an effect on them than a more traditional format.
• More personal – By watching your video profile, a birth mother has a much better sense of who you are and why you are choosing adoption. If she does choose you for a match, she will know more about you than she would through just a print profile, so there is less of a chance that she decides to change her mind in favor of a different adoptive family.
• More exposure – Let’s be honest – there are many more adoptive families out there than women considering adoption, so you want to do everything you can to get noticed. Having a video profile gives you a much greater chance of being seen and ultimately chosen by a pregnant mother than a family that does not have a video profile.

Tips for Your Video Profile

If you choose to make a video profile, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

• Pick a variety of settings – You want to give birth mothers as diverse a view of your life as possible. Think about taking the camera to a park or other scenic area you like.
• Wear flattering, well-fitted clothing – Pick solid colors that compliment you without distracting from the rest of the video.
• Keep things like sound and lighting in mind – The quality of the video itself is just as important as the content. If you are in charge of filming, you will want to make sure it looks good so you make the right first impression.
• Be yourself – It’s easy to feel like you have to put on a show when the camera is on you, but birth mothers want to see the genuine, real side of you. You are excited and eager to welcome a new member into your family, so let it show.

By creating your own adoptive family video profile and following these steps, you will put yourself out there for women considering adoption to see what your family is all about, and why you just might be the perfect family for her child.