A featured story is a piece of longform nonfiction that covers a topic in depth. It can include a news feature, in-depth profile or human interest story. Often a featured story is based on research, sourcing and interviews. Some features use a narrative structure and some are more objective, but they all rely on strong writing, research and strong structure to keep readers engaged from start to finish.
Great features don’t just inform, they captivate. They set the scene, introduce compelling characters and build a narrative that lingers long after readers turn the page. They make complicated issues seem approachable and personal. Unlike hard news stories, which focus on what happened and when, a good feature explores why something happened, uncovering its complexities and asking questions that compel readers to keep reading.
In a crowded news cycle, it can be challenging to get noticed. To stand out, writers need to find unique angles and deliver captivating stories that grab attention from start to finish. The key to creating an engaging story is to tell a relatable, real-life tale with a resonant hook. A well-reported feature is layered with primary sources, historical context and expert insight. It is also backed up by eye-catching visuals and compelling quotes from people who experienced the story firsthand.
Once the story is written, it must be polished with a solid structure and sentence-by-sentence editing to make sure every word carries weight. A final draft that’s a cut above the rest will give readers something to chew on, including a memorable final thought, quote or call to action. Remember that even the pros rewrite their work; Ernest Hemingway rewrote the last pages of A Farewell to Arms more than 30 times.