Author: Vidya Prabhakar
In my previous blog, I discussed how to pitch ideas to magazines, newspapers and other publications. As a writer, you have probably lined up a list of things that you could write about – have you considered feature articles? These are special or prominent articles in a magazine or newspaper. These articles are based on news stories or non-news general interest subjects.
What is a feature article?
Unlike a news story that sticks to facts, a feature article is based on a subject with your viewpoint, experience and insight. The basic idea here is to inform and entertain the reader and evoke a response. Now I could choose to write a feature article on medical tourism or retirement planning – be warned: writing a feature article is not a piece of cake. It requires detailed research, analysis and interpretation of the subject or a trend. It is like packaging a news story with color to grab the reader’s attention.
Some tips on writing a feature article
Before starting on writing a feature article, identify the core topic, then approach it like a short story – an engaging lead and a conversational tone to present facts and finally, arriving at a conclusion. Remember, the idea is three-fold – Entertain, Educate, Evoke a response.
- A feature article is meant to give depth to an issue. In my example of an article on retirement planning, I can think of several angles – retirement havens, income generation and tax planning for the golden years, travel options for seniors or gainful vocations for retired people.
- Start the article with an interesting image or anecdote and grab the reader’s attention instead of merely presenting statistics and facts. Going with the retirement example, I could start with an image of a retired couple standing on the deck of a cruise liner overlooking the Malaccan straits –a vacation they had been saving up for years!
- Research the topic well, interview people and gather first hand information. An article peppered with relevant quotes validates and offers credibility to your presentation – not to mention making it an interesting read. In our feature about retirement, speak to a retirees and companies across various income and employment sectors to get a clear picture of what retirement planning means based on differing socio-economic factors.
- You can get as creative as you want BUT remember to get the facts right. Embellishing – not misrepresenting is the key here. Accuracy is as important as embellishing and interpreting information. Do not draw a conclusion based on insufficient data and incorrect assumptions.
- Bring a human-interest element to the article – incorporate feelings and emotions, inform your reader and make him believe he is part of the story. The best way to do it – is to use the active voice while writing. You can talk about retirement and cover the family angle to it: enriching lives, engaging in new activities are some ideas. You can even cover the emotional or financial self-sufficiency vis-a-vis dependency that retirement brings along with it to give a personal touch to the article.
Getting your feature article published
So you have ideas rife in your mind, you have a game plan to present them as feature articles, but how do you know if someone wants to publish your story? This is where you pitch your story!
- Shortlist the publications that you want to write for
- Read several back issues to understand the magazine and its target audience.
- Refer to the editorial calendar (media kit if it is an online publication) to understand what they plan to publish in forthcoming issues.
- Get feedback from your peers on your writing if publishers have rejected your articles OR have a professional evaluate your article or your writing for you.
- Armed with the right information, draft that killer pitch letter to land that writing assignment.
It just takes a little effort to resonate with your target audience and their interests. Identify what they want, do not just state facts – create an experience for your readers – even one or two sentences can do that. Soon you will be on your way to being an established feature writer.
About the author:
Full Name: Vidya Prabhakar – Vidya is a Chartered Accountant and a Psychology postgraduate. She has worked in finance, banking and the content development industry. Reading, writing, baking and needle crafting are among her many pursuits.
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Check out the complete list of our featured articles for Indian Freelance writers and editors
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