Types of Feature Stories 1 Commemorative linked to

Types of Feature Stories

1. Commemorative • linked to the anniversary of an earlier news event • written initially at the first anniversary and thereafter usually at five-year intervals • typically features the people originally involved in the event • example: On the anniversary of the sinking of Princess of the Stars, you interview and write about a survivor.

2. Explanatory/Informative • requires “saturation research, ” which means you have to know as much about the process as does the expert in your story • content: information > entertainment • example: You explain how glutathione soap whitens the skin.

3. How-to • explains a process • usually timeless articles but can be news features if tied to a season or a news event • characterized by information that is tricky/hard to come by • example: You share tips on how to make money from your blogs.

4. Personal Experience • so dramatic that nothing less than the first-person point-of-view (“I”) is appropriate • usually inspires or gives meaning to human existence • may also be funny

5. Profile • applies to people, groups, institutions and things • may be done with or without the subject’s cooperation • paints a word portrait of the subject, giving the reader a closer “look” at a person in or out of the news

6. Number • uses a number such as “ten” and interviews with experts to put a problem and some solutions in perspective • example: You conduct a survey on fastfood eaters and write about the school’s “ten most popular fastfood choices. ”