How to build a feature story
A feature is an exploration. It informs, inspires and entertains readers by going beyond hard facts and quotes and answering their questions about what is happening around the world.
While 10 or 20 years ago it was mostly seen as articles in newspapers and magazines, today it is more difficult to find an exact definition. Mary Hogarth, media specialist, educator and author of Writing Feature Articles: Print, Digital And Online, says that a strong feature should combine multimedia elements that enhance the audience’s experience and provide a 360-degree perspective of a topic: “It is critical to ensuring content not only has value, but resonates with print/digital and online audiences.”
Another reason many freelancers choose to do feature writing is because it usually pays more. “The more words an editor commissions, the more you earn. Research takes time, so try to get multiple stories out of a topic by tailoring the angle to multiple non-competing publications,” said Susan Grossman, trainer and lecturer for Journalism. That can mean redesigning and reselling your story elements at different times, for different audiences, and with different quotes.
However, the job does not come without its challenges. The most common is the development of relevant and viable ideas. “It’s difficult not only to find a topic, but to find a topic that lends itself to a full report and to find sources that are accessible,” said Ottavia Spaggiari, an independent journalist who has written long versions for The New Yorker and The Guardian writes others.
Grossman noted the problem with generic ideas: “An editor is looking for something that contains a time-sensitive element, especially something that has a forward-looking item that is an integral part of a feature.”
This type of journalism requires research and creativity, but you can learn all the skills you need. “The best stories are the ones you get excited about. Your job is to incorporate the answers to all of your reader’s questions,” Grossman explained.
As you develop a powerful narrative, keep your subject and audience in mind. Get started with these tips from the three experts.
Research first
When you know all of your material, it becomes easier to write an excellent, deep story. “It’s a lot of juggling the various pieces of information, the citations and the dates once you’ve found everything,” Grossman said. “I suggest you don’t start writing until you’ve got all your research together.”
Spaggiari added, “I read all of the interview transcripts first, highlighting not only the quotes but also the storylines that are emerging.” Next, she creates a grid listing all of her sources. After each interview, she writes down her most important findings.
Don’t start at the beginning
Grossman likens writing a feature to creating a painting. “You don’t start at the top of the frame and paint all the way through,” she said. “For a feature, I would just put all the different parts of the story into one draft, develop it, think about it, research it, address stats, add your quotes, then look at the whole thing and think, what kind of release is this? I intend to make this story? And then model them in the same style.”
The formula already exists in the media company you’re trying to target, so you don’t have to do a lot of creative thinking. Just reflect their style.
Know your target audience
It’s about what the audience wants and needs to know.
“First, it’s imperative to know your market,” Hogarth said. “Second, I recommend thoroughly researching a target publication by reading several previous issues and scouring social media for an in-depth look at key editorial themes or pillars and audiences.”
Writing concise, well-structured features that reflect the house style of your target publication is also crucial. “I always advise a show-not-tell approach when introducing editors, including a headline and stand-first to demonstrate that you can adopt the tone and style of the magazine or newspaper,” added Hogarth added.
Create a timeline
When you’re working on longer, more resource-intensive pieces, you may have so much material that it’s difficult to figure out what your original angle or story was. Spaggiari, who has worked on various narrative and investigative features, suggests creating a timeline — on a document or spreadsheet.
“I like to use [spreadsheets]. For example, I write the date in a cell and then the event next to it,” she explained. “The timeline is the guiding light when writing a long article.”
In the case of complex issues, it helps to understand a story and build up a narrative arc. “It allows you to understand the subject well and not miss a passage in the story – and also to explain it to your readers,” added Spaggiari.
Question your struggle
“If You’re struggling to write a feature story and you have to ask yourself: does it have to be written? What is the result of you writing the story? Who will be interested or affected?” said Grossmann.
If you can’t see why it’s important or what you want to say, she added, then your struggle is not sure if that feature is worth writing. It’s almost like it’s not ready until you can feel enough passion and energy. “You might have an idea, put it aside, and then wait to see if anything happens in the news about the topic in your feature,” suggested Grossman.
Think about what’s happening in public that can make your story timely and relevant. “I’ve had a lot of students and clients who had really great stories that might get picked up by a newspaper but didn’t get published. And then the editor came back one time and said, ‘Ah, that just happened, this week is a perfect time for your story!’” Grossman said. “But really, it’s your job to do that.”
Photo via Pexels by Ron Lach.