A feature article is a text that is persuasive, gives an opinion, educates the reader about a topic, and is fun to read. Instead of reporting on specific events, feature articles offer a broader perspective on a topic, which sets them apart from many other types of news articles. This makes feature articles last for longer, as they’re less likely to lose relevance as time passes.
Feature articles can differ widely, appearing in many forms. For instance, personal reflections on current events, interviews, opinion pieces on current issues, and human interest stories. They can appear in different places, including newspapers, blogs, websites, magazines and newsletters.
Form an opinion on the subject you are writing about. Persuasive texts are about convincing your reader to see an issue/subject from your point of view, so the first step is identifying what this is.
Think about who your target audience is. The tone of your writing and how you approach your article can be influenced by identifying your ideal audience. Research the facts. Collect interesting data, statistics and information that helps to support your opinion. These will help make your article informative and convincing by making it more credible.
Plan your article. Using a feature article template can help with this. Make a list of some of the most important points you want to make and arrange them so that your audience can read them and build on your argument. Write your article. The best way to start your article is with something catchy and interesting. Anecdotes are great for this and a natural way for you to use your own experience to bring a reader into your article.
Expand on each of your points. These will form the body of your feature article. After you’ve hooked the reader with your introduction, you can get into the nitty-gritty. Use persuasive language features such as emotive language, statistics, rhetorical questions, facts, quotes, direct address and inclusive pronouns to engage your audience and make your argument relatable to them.
Reiterate your opinion at the end. Don’t bring up anything new in the conclusion, but summarise what your argument is. Try and leave readers with something to think about, like a question, or remind them of why your perspective is so important.
