Do you want to be a master at writing feature articles? Well, here are 10 tips from Cahrl Jayson Reyes, an RSPC qualifier for ScieTech Writing and DSPC qualifier for Feature Writing.
1. Always remember that feature writing focuses on what will make the heart or emotion of the reader. For example, you want to express a happy emotion towards the reader so the article that you will make needs to have a happy ending.
2. You must always take a look at what will be the best angle of your article for you to express the emotions and for sure it will be a great one to the readers. If you can’t find the best angle, choose the angle where your full emotions will come out and will show the genre that you want to showcase.
3. Do always know who will be your target audience because sometimes, age matters due to the difference of our point of views (POVs). If you don’t know the age of your reader, generalize your topic and emotion so that every age will feel the emotion you want to show.
4. Examine the video/fact sheet and always choose the best possible angle that will greatly affect the emotions of your reader that needs to be seen in the title/headline, lead paragraph and your conclusion because the judge always read this parts. Examining the video or fact sheet accompanying a feature article is crucial for enhancing comprehension and context. These materials do provide visual and factual elements that can clarify complex and wide topics, present statistics, or showcase real-life examples, enhancing the reader’s understanding about the topic. They do also engage different learning styles, making the content more accessible. In addition, they can highlight key points, reinforce the article’s message, and encourage critical thinking by prompting readers to reflect on the information presented. To conclude, these resources create a more clear and informative experience, ensuring that the reader grasps the nuances of the certain subject matter.
5. In writing a feature article, always look at the good side and focus your article to a certain topic/person so that every paragraph of your article will have an organization or basically called the coherence. It is still great to change your mood and topic to every paragraph but do not go too far that even yourself gets confused on what you’re still writing. Also choose the best angle that will give the reader a much interest.
6. Always choose to use basic words, it’s okay to use flowery words but not too deep because most of the time, the reader lose his/her attention and gets bored if your article does have too many deep words.
7. A feature article is like writing a story but full of reliable information so use details and quotes from a reliable and trustworthy person. A feature article does not require much information but always makes sure that every information is wise and full of facts.
8. Incorporate your quotes, always use quotes from the interviews that will surely affect the whole article and must give a hook to the readers so that the emotion will also rise up.
9. Put a strong foundation on your conclusion, the reader always looks at the last paragraph/conclusion because it is where they want to see the final punch of your article that will also make your reader feel the emotion you want to express towards them.
10. Do it with mind and heart, a feature article shows emotion so the emotion of the writer needs to be expressed first and it is where you can see the impact of your article. A feature article has an audience impact if the writer expressed its overall emotions from the beginning to the ending. A feature article needs a heartful author above it.
About the Author
Cahrl Jayson Reyes is a 7-year feature writer who has passion to inspire co-journalists. Currently a feature writer and a publisher of a school publication. [Among Charl’s accolades as of writing is him becoming a Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) Qualifier in ScieTech Writing, and Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC) qualifier in Feature Writing.]
