Great features can last forever – they can be picked up time and time again - used in publications around the world and end up as much-quoted reference points. And if a feature is integrally wrapped around your product, service or company, it can help boost your brand image and reputation.
How to write a fabulous feature
First off, you need to define what a feature is. Features are timeless; they shouldn't rely on a date or news event, although they can be inspired by both (Valentine's Day for example). Features are ultimately mini-investigations into what makes us tick. What we eat and why we eat it, how we drink, the secrets of a happy life, great art or literature – a good feature will offer you an insight into how we live, unravelling the peculiarities of the human heart and brain. As such, features tend to be lengthier and more in-depth. Magazines and Sunday supplements are their natural home, where readers can kick back and indulge.
Know your readership
A feature will inform its readers on how to improve their health or cope with a problem. Features can act as life coaches, psychologists, relationship guides and lifestyle gurus. Being informative or entertaining is the aim. Features should also be written to length according to the publication you're aiming for. Some broadsheets will take 1,000 words happily, whereas a health magazine might only take 400. To find out, it's crucial the writer researches the publication they aim to write for. They need to know the readers so they can write directly to their needs and concerns. And they need to know their editor so they can give her what she's looking for.
Find ideas
Ideas are all around us. A good feature writer will miss their stop on the bus, tube or train to finish listening to a fascinating conversation. News, radio, gossip and TV are all rich sources for features. If you're focusing on a specific subject, immerse yourself in research and information – a small insight can lead to a big idea. Remember, there's no such thing as a new idea as such, just a fresh angle or approach to it so don't be put off if it's been done before.
The iceberg effect
Once you have your idea, you need to research. Decide who you need to interview, research the questions and background, find related archived news or read other background features on the topic. Know your subject well before interviewing them. While interviewing, pay attention to detail – how a person acts, looks or the place they are talking – their home or workplace - can all help bring a piece alive for a reader. You need to think like a novelist – how can you best put across your character truthfully and imaginatively? In features, unlike news, the detail can be revelatory.
Just because it isn't a news story does not mean you can skimp on fact. You need accuracy, solid quotes, good interview skills, and a balanced, objective approach to your subject. Just as in news journalism. Features take more work, more research and demand an in-depth investigation – whether it's politics or food you're writing about. The ‘iceberg effect' demands that the majority of your work is under water, above water is your writing, the words infused with the power of the weight of what lies below.
The opening words (the hourglass structure)
If you're pitching a feature, you need an attention grabbing headline and opening. The editor will glance at your pitch and decide in a blink of an eye if it has legs. It needs to be enticing, compelling, intriguing and promising. Avoid jargon, abbreviations, brands and products in your opening.
A good headline will promise to reveal information, outline what's hot, what's new, why it's useful and why it could make a difference to your reader's life. A headline and stand-first should tell your reader what to expect and why they should read on. Short, active words are more attention grabbing. As well as getting the headline right, the opening paragraph is crucial. Unlike the inverted pyramid structure of a news story, where the main key facts are outlined before being fleshed out further and further, a feature is more like an hourglass. You need to entice your reader in, pull them into the body of the copy and carry them along to the conclusion.
As the opening is so crucial, labour over these carefully chosen words. Don't fall into the mistake of thinking that because it's a feature you can use flowery, literary language. Every word should count. Draft, edit and edit again until your feature makes every word work for its living. Read the Art of Feature Writing, Part 3 to find out more…