If you're trying to get into a trade publication, do your research and check the deadlines-they could be working as much as three months in advance. E-mail the features editor to determine their interest before you start writing-just a simple outline will do. Generally, newspaper feature sections are planned at least three weeks in advance, so you'll need to plan ahead. However, for ease of reading, use bullet points or "top tips" if you're listing information.Īnother thing to remember-and one way a feature differs from a news release-is that a feature story will almost never include corporate identity or forward-looking statements. Now's the time to go into detail about the benefits of a product, or the mechanisms of how it works. Use your strongest quote first, and be sure to provide information on the speaker and his or her relation to the company in a contact section at the end of your article.Īfter the third paragraph, any information you add should develop the story further and hold the interest of the reader. So he or she should be knowledgeable on the topic and open to working with the media. Ideally, the person you quote should be someone who'd be available for interviews should a journalist want to ask additional questions. Also avoid repeating information or using jargon speak as if you were explaining your product or service to your grandmother. Be sure quotes are in a conversational style, and don't merely cite facts or figures-no real person speaks only in data. Most important, quotes can introduce personal feelings, comments and opinion, so this is where you want to use superlatives and emotive language (without sounding false!). If written well, the first two paragraphs can serve as a brief column item or filler if a newspaper or magazine has only limited space.Ī quote can lend authority to an article, introduce an expert and further advance the story. Also, if the article has to be shortened due to space limitations, having the name of the company or spokesperson and your web address near the beginning will be vitally important. It's also a good place to let people know who's "behind" the feature so there's no confusion about who provided the copy. The second paragraph serves to support and expand on the ideas set out in the lead. If your lead reads like an ad, it'll be discarded immediately. Don't worry about your brand at this point-just introduce the interesting aspects of the story. In total, your feature should be close to 400 words. When writing a lead, try to keep the paragraph short-two to three short sentences at the most. Think of the lead as an extended version of the headline, even using some of the same words. Editors don't have time to read through the entire article to reach your key point, and neither do your readers. Instead, focus on what's most interesting about your topic.Ī strong lead paragraph offers intrigue from the start. Also, avoid using a brand or client name in the headline unless it's very well known. Keep the wording simple, and avoid superlatives and emotive language. To come up with a good headline, pretend you're telling a friend what the article's about, explaining the most interesting aspects of your story. The Sleep Expert's Advice on Creating the Right Sleep Environment for Students.Reinventing the "Mommy Tack": More Women Choose Business Ownership to Gain Control, Flexibility and Family Time.Plug-In Devices Help Save Money on Your Utility Bill.A few examples I've seen recently include: Ask yourself, Why is this story important? What about it will it grab readers' interest? A good headline answers those questions by telling the reader something new, different or useful-in 20 words or less. Treat the headline as if it were a summary of the article. The headline is the most vital part of your feature.
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