A news feature is an article that goes beyond current events to offer a deeper look into a topic. It offers new insights and perspectives backed by research. The story includes interviews with sources and anecdotes, as well as a conclusion that wraps up the piece or leaves readers something to ponder. Writing a news feature is both a journalism skill and a storytelling art, and it requires thorough research and good time management skills.
The key to successful news features is to always keep your audience in mind — especially when choosing a topic and when planning, producing and editing the final article. This means ensuring your audience will be interested in the topic and able to relate to it. Ultimately, this will help you craft a more compelling and engaging story.
If you’re writing a profile feature about someone, make a list of the people you want to interview, and contact them early and often. If they don’t respond, be politely persistent — explain why you want to interview them and ask for their assistance. If they still don’t respond, consider contacting other sources who might be willing to share their expertise or perspective.
A typical news story is structured using an inverted pyramid, where the most important information appears first and is followed by other less vital facts in decreasing order of importance. This structure is not appropriate for a news feature, which should be more in-depth and less structured.