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Unlock your guides10.1 Identifying and Developing Feature Story Ideas
2 min read•august 9, 2024
Feature writing is all about finding compelling angles that resonate with readers. From emotional human interest stories to timely trend pieces, journalists must tap into what makes a story unique and engaging.
Developing strong feature ideas requires a mix of creativity and news sense. Writers need to assess newsworthiness factors like and while also crafting narratives that connect on a personal level through vivid storytelling techniques.
Story Angles
Emotional and Human Interest Elements
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- Human interest stories focus on personal experiences and struggles of individuals or groups
- engages readers by evoking feelings (empathy, joy, sadness)
- highlights uncommon or extraordinary aspects of a situation or person
- often combine multiple angles to create a well-rounded story
- Writers use and vivid details to bring stories to life
Techniques for Developing Story Angles
- Conduct to uncover and perspectives
- Research to add depth to current events
- Explore of traditions or practices
- Analyze of individual actions or decisions
- Identify that resonate with a broad audience
Newsworthiness Factors
Timeliness and Relevance
- Timeliness refers to the immediacy or currency of a story
- Recent events or developments often have higher news value
- Relevance connects the story to readers' interests, concerns, or daily lives
- link feature stories to current events or trending topics
- can make stories timely (holiday traditions, back-to-school)
Assessing and Enhancing Newsworthiness
- Monitor current events and social media trends for potential story ideas
- Identify of significant historical events as news pegs
- Analyze local impacts of national or global issues to increase relevance
- Consider the 's demographics and interests
- Look for on popular topics to stand out from other coverage
Types of Feature Stories
Trend and Seasonal Stories
- examine emerging patterns or shifts in society, culture, or technology
- Writers research statistics, expert opinions, and real-life examples to support trend analysis
- focus on recurring events or themes tied to specific times of year
- Holiday traditions, annual festivals, and sports seasons often inspire seasonal features
- Both trend and seasonal stories require thorough research and multiple sources
Evergreen Content and Long-Form Features
- remains relevant and interesting over extended periods
- Topics include timeless human experiences, historical events, or enduring cultural phenomena
- provide in-depth exploration of complex subjects
- Writers often combine multiple storytelling techniques in long-form pieces
- , interviews, and are crucial for comprehensive features
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