More and more prospective adoptive parents choose to tell their story to birthmothers using an adoption profile video. Videos are by nature more dynamic and have a better chance of relaying your personality and making an impression. But, you don’t want to make the wrong impression, and there are many mistakes you can make when making your profile video. Here are some things to avoid in an adoption profile video.
Too long.
One of the easiest ways to lack appeal to a prospective birthmother is by making it too long. We know you want to tell your story and let the mother get to know you, but your video should not go on longer than 3 minutes. The birthparents need the video just to get a glimpse of your personality and what kind of parent you would be – it is meant to be an introduction, not a whole movie.
Wrong photos.
When choosing photos, find the ones that are simple and self-explanatory. That blurry photo of you on a crazy ride in an amusement park might not be the best choice. If you want to show you are adventurous, a better choice would be a simple hiking shot in nature. Tie all your photos back to your story and make a good impact.
Imbalanced communication.
While it might sound like a good idea to have just one of you talk – the one who might be a stronger public speaker – this might be an unintentional red flag for birthparents. While it might seem convenient, it can come across as one parent having a less involved parenting style. Keep in mind that that the birthmother is looking at the whole picture being a good fit for the child. If she is looking for a two parent household she will be looking for both parents to be fully involved.
Untrained and overconfident musical talent sharing.
While it is great for adoptive parents to be involved in some form of art, untrained and overconfident musical talent sharing might seem overwhelming for a birthmother to understand from your adoption profile video. If you are a musical hobbyist it might be better to just say that, unless you have the production value to make that artistic expression seem very professional. A birthmother is going through a lot at the time she's making her decision to adopt her child. Interpreting a new art form might be too much to really understand in your video in some cases.
Trying to anticipate what a birthmother is going through.
While it is great that you sympathize with the birthmother or with the birthparents, don’t use your video to try to convey that you know what she or they are feeling. Your video should be about you, and since you don’t truly know what she is personally going through, you might make mistakes or assumptions that will be off-putting for prospective birthmothers. So just keep those things to yourself and make your video positive and uplifting.
Not using positive adoption language.
Using positive adoption language is a must when it comes to making your adoption profile video. Before making the video, inform yourself on what positive adoption language is and use it without fail. If you don’t, you might hurt some feelings and hurt your chances of connecting with a birthmother.
