As the media industry continues to adapt to digital audiences, there is a renewed focus on producing high-quality content that stands out and keeps readers engaged. Feature stories can be a key element in that strategy, helping your audience understand complex topics or dive deep into compelling narratives. Whether it’s about an in-depth profile or a powerful story of perseverance, learning how to craft a well-written feature article is important for your brand’s growth.
A feature story is a longform piece of nonfiction that explores a topic in greater detail than a hard news story. They can include in-depth profiles, human interest stories, science communication, data storytelling, and more. Despite being less common among most news outlets, they can be effective in conveying the value of your brand or organisation to key audiences.
Unlike hard news, which delivers information with speed and precision, a great feature will linger. Feature articles set the scene, introduce captivating characters, and build a narrative that engages and keeps readers hooked. Creating compelling features requires careful research and strong structure, but it’s worth the effort when done well.
Getting a reader to read your entire story is one of the most difficult tasks for any writer. The best feature stories are able to hold the attention of readers by telling an interesting and compelling tale that is relatable to their lives. Whether it’s through descriptive writing, scene-setting, or colorful quotes, the goal is to help readers paint a picture in their minds of what’s happening in the story.