Adoption isn’t a one-time event. It’s just one step in a life-long journey.
Posting your adoption profile online isn’t any different. Finding the right words to grab the attention of prospective birthparents is merely the beginning of the networking process. There’s still lots to do to make sure that they see your message.
Here are some tips on what to do before, during and after you post your adoption profile to maximize the odds that the birth family looking for you will actually find you.
Before you post your adoption profile, have you…
Reviewed your content
Writing an adoption profile is more of an art than a science. Not everything about your life should go into it. It’s important to carefully pick and choose the details to ensure that the information you share is not only relevant to a prospective birth family, but also interesting to read.
Formatted it
Finding the right words for your adoption profile is only half the battle. You also have to think about how those words look on the page. Are they easy to read? Are your sentences short and concise? Are the paragraphs broken up into small chunks to improve your letter’s readability? Do you have subheadings and titles in bold? Though small, these stylistic guidelines could have a huge impact on your profile’s overall success with a prospective birth family.
During your posting, did you…
Check for typos and grammar
Along with your photos, your adoption profile letter is the only thing that a prospective parents have to go on when considering you as possible parents for their baby. That’s why it’s important to make sure that every word counts and that they build traction with your reader. Posting a profile with spelling mistakes, typos and grammatical errors will undermine your credibility and could make a prospective family question your fitness as parents, no matter how loving a home you have to offer.
Make sure your photos are optimized
First impression count when it comes to your adoption profile. And nothing counts more than your photos. They’re the first thing that a prospective birth family will see and could be the deciding factor on whether they choose you as adoptive parents for their baby. Spend the extra time it takes to optimize your photos by making sure that your files are large and web-friendly. Nothing will turn off a prospective family more than photos that are washed out, out of focus or underexposed.
After your posting, don’t forget to…
Share your profile on social media
There’s no greater feeling of accomplishment than seeing your profile go live. But as important a step as that is, it’s not the be-all and end-all of your adoption outreach efforts. If anything, you’ve just begun. After all, what’s the point of posting your adoption profile if nobody can find it? By spreading your message on social media, you can increase the chances of a prospective birth family seeing it. Think Facebook and Twitter, but also look at other platforms like Pinterest and Google+. Each one caters to a different demographic. Explore them all and tailor your message accordingly. After all, you never know who will find you or where it will happen.
Find other ways to get out your message
Social networking is just one way online to get the word out about your desire to adopt. But there are others. Have you considered blogging? Blogging is a proven way to spread your adoption mesage. It’s also great for search engine optimization. Or you could try guest posting on someone else’s blog. Just make sure that the blog targets the audience you’ll looking for. Not much of a writer? There are simpler ways to drive a potential birth family to your post such as commenting on other people’s blogs or taking part in online discussion forums.
Posting your adoption profile online is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reach out to a prospective birth family. But to do it right, you need to think about the whole picture, not just one part of it. By following these steps before, during and after your post goes live, you can boost the chances of finding a match and making a success of your outreach efforts.
What tricks and techniques have helped you maximize your online visibility? What tips do you have for hopeful adoptive parents who are thinking about taking their networking campaign to the next level on the Internet? Feel free to leave your comments in the section below.