Writing a Feature News Story and Op-Eds

Chapter 7

Four approaches to feature writing:

• distribute a general feature to a variety of publications
• write an exclusive article for a publication
• interest a freelancer or reporter in writing a story
• post feature articles on the organization’s website

Types of feature stories:

• case study- details how an individual has benefited from the featured service or product.
• application story- details how consumers can productively use the featured product.
• research study- based on the research of an aspect of lifestyle or common workplace situation.
• backgrounder- either focuses on a problem solved by a product or historical material which draws human interest.
• personality profile – humanizes celebrities or CEO
• historical feature- tell about anniversaries, major changes, centennials, and more.

Every good feature writer ask lots of questions and are very creative thinkers. Another way to get ideas for feature writing is to be influenced by current events.

The format of a news release is just like that of a news release when it comes to letterhead, contact, headline, and dateline use.

Photos and graphics are a must in feature writing. Computer-generated artwork that displays tables and charts in an appealing way are called infographics and attract the media outlet’s attention.

Feature stories should contain a plethora of quotes, concrete examples, descriptive words and information that is delivered in an entertaining fashion.

Op-Eds should only be about 400 to 700 words and factual. Op-Ed means “opposite the editorial page.” It is an opinion based article that provides factual information the supports that particular opinion.

For more notes see Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques by Dennis L. Wilcox, Chapter 8