News FeaturesNews Features

Value of featuresprovide more info to the consumergive background and context

about your organizationprovide behind-the-scenes

perspectivegive a human dimension to

situations and eventsgenerate publicity for standard

products and services

How to proceed with your ideaWrite it & distribute it like a regular

news releaseWrite an exclusive for a specific

publicationDon’t write it, but instead interest a

journalist in writing it (via a “pitch letter”)◦Saves you time◦But you lose some control over how it is

handledPost it on your company’s website

Types of featuresCase studiesApplication stories Research study – based on a survey or

pollBackgrounder

◦ A problem and how it was solved◦ Where a product comes from

Personality profile◦ See p. 166 for tips

Historical piece – for anniversaries, major changes, etc.

What type of feature is yours?

Parts of a featureHeadlineLead

◦not a summary lead like in a regular news release

◦instead, to attract attentionBodySummaryPhotos & graphics

Placement opportunitiesNewspapersGeneral magazinesSpecialty/Trade magazinesInternal publications

Ideas for YOUR feature story