Innocence profile writing best practices

Optimize your online innocence narrative with these helpful criteria

Apply these standards mostly to your Summary. But these also apply to your Synopsis and other elements of your Innocence Profile.

Use these criteria to get the most out of your publicly available innocence narrative.

A. Entice your viewers

1. Grab attention. Keep the viewer engaged. Speak directly to obvious pain points. Find a way to motivate the reader to say to themselves, “Oh, I’ve gotta read the rest of this!”

2. Twists. Use this popular device in movies. You take the reader down one path, then abruptly switch up. For example, you called the police to report a crime, then the police showed up to arrest you! This prompts the viewer to keep reading, to find out how this could be.

3. Write in the 3rd person. Instead of saying “I” or “me”, use your name. Let your descriptions seem like they are from a neutral, less partial observer.

4. Write concisely. Consider the short attention spans of your readers. Avoid giving them any reason not to scan your whole profile.

5. Clarity. Avoid any confusion. Cover the who, what, where, when, why and how in as few of words you can. Replace anything that sounds even a little confusing.

B. Keep your viewers

1. Check spelling and grammar. Use a free service like Grammarly to ensure your writing is free from simple mistakes.

2. Read it aloud. Listen for mistakes you hadn’t noticed. Does it sound engaging? Does it flow naturally? Try improving it to sound like more like a natural conversation.

3. Rewrite. Don’t settle on your first draft. Edit the weak spots. Replace passive verbs with an active verb. For example, replace “I was accused by my mom” to “My mom accused me.” Use descriptive language, that can provoke imagery in the reader’s mind. Avoid too many “is” and “are”. Replace them with more descriptive verbs.

4. Avoid jargon. Don’t assume viewers know the abbreviations or less common terms you use. Keep the language accessible for anyone.

C. Respect your viewers

1. Nonjudgmental. No accusations about corrupt DA or judges, even if they are corrupt. Simply describe what occurred and trust the viewer to judge for themselves.

2. No anger. No ALL CAPS shouting at the reader. Trust the viewer to empathize with your plight.

3. Defy stereotypes. Write with a language that exemplifies your innocence. No cussing. No defensiveness. No condescending rhetoric. Give no reason for others to doubt your integrity.

4. No doxxing. Leave out any personal information about others that could expose their privacy. Don’t publish their address, as you wouldn’t want them to publish your private address.

5. Transparency. Admit your shortcomings. Everyone is imperfect. Cultivate trust with being humble and upfront about your mistakes.

6. Be specific. Don’t exaggerate. Without getting too wordy, give the viewer the essential details.

D. Inspire your viewers

1. Suspense. Tease their curiosity. Leave out less important stuff that you can always share later. Entice their interest to know more, which can motivate them to follow you online.

2. Appreciate the viewer. Be thankful they invest their precious time taking interest in your story. You could even thank them as you wrap up your narrative.

3. CTA. Close with a call-to-action. Suggest a simple thing the viewer can do to help support your innocence. For example, “You can show your support by signing my petition below.”

Improving your innocence profile together

Use examples that have been posted for a while. Let them model how you can improve your own innocence narrative.

Ask a friend to read your first draft. And second. Invite their feedback. If you go onto a public exoneration campaign, they may be among your first passionate supporters.

Share these criteria with them. Then ask them to rate your innocence narrative on each of these points. Of course, thank them for their help.

Improve your innocence narrative until you’re satisfied it’s ready for public viewing. But don’t wait for perfection. Get your story out there so people can see the injustice you daily endure.

Together, we can improve not only your innocence narrative, but this platform. To ultimately improve our chances for exonerating the wrongly convicted innocent like you.

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