What turns a good feature into a great feature?
Feature stories are some of my favorite pieces to write. They allow you the ability to really tell a story, craft characters and really engage your readers. Good feature stories get the job done, but with a little more effort you can turn them into something great.
Good stories tell the who, what, when and where. Great ones add the how and why. Dig a little deeper.
Good features include an interview and a quote. Great ones include multiple interviews and memorable quotes.
Good stories include the vague “many”, “most” and “some.” Great stories include specifics.
Good stories have a beginning, middle and end. Great stories are mindful of their readers and include sidebars, charts, lists.
A good feature will entertain or inform. A great one will do both. It will leave the reader saying “Wow! I didn’t know that.”
An entertaining feature is usually about people and their experiences. A great one will allow us to take the journey with that person and experience the changes and emotions they encountered.
Dig a little deeper into the story. Ask two or three more questions. Find out who was along for the journey and get their point of view as well. With just a little extra work, you can turn your good feature into a great one!