I love member spotlights. When they’re done right, they’re incredible tools that act as social proof and help your coworking space gain visibility and build personal connections with prospective members.

But there are a few common pitfalls I see with member spotlights, including that they’re:

• About the coworking space rather than the member
• Way too long
• Impersonal and don’t tell you much that’s in-depth or real about the person
• Missing any sort of value or takeaway for the reader
• Inconsistent in format and approach

If you need some inspiration for how to write great member spotlights, check this out.

My absolute favorite example of a spotlight/profile comes from an Australian newsletter called Dense Discovery.

In each newsletter, they include their Worthy Five profile, and it asks people questions based on their recommendations, such as:

• A book worth reading
• An Instagram account worth following
• A piece of advice worth passing on
• A quote worth repeating
• A recipe worth trying
• A video worth watching
• A question worth asking
• A concept worth understanding
• A book worth reading
• An activity worth doing

What I love about this format is that:

• It’s branded (i.e. it has a unique and formal name)
• The write-ups are never more than a few hundred words
• Every answer is interesting and offers a unique, valuable, and personal takeaway
• The kinds of questions asked show so much about the person
• You always have an idea of what you might learn from each profile
• They’re presumably efficient to write since the author can simply send the questions to the person and have them write out their answers

Taking a unique approach to your member spotlights like this can be a great way to make sure people want to read them—and share them.

Pro tip: your members are busy so, when you’re pitching a member spotlight opportunity to them, make sure to mention how it benefits them, including that it will:

• Promote and generate awareness of them and their business to new audiences
• Link back to their website in the article, which can help to improve their SEO

With the right approach, member spotlights can be extremely shareable, engaging, and valuable for attracting members.