5 Simple Tips To Help Write Feature Articles

Writing feature articles is a great skill, and, if done well, can make you a lot of money. All businesses can use feature articles on their websites and as part of their marketing plan, and of course, all publications need feature articles too.

So there is no shortage of demand, but how do you learn how to write great features articles - ones that you can pitch to publications or businesses, and make money from?

With these five simple tips, writing a feature article is easy, and they can be applied to any feature article, regardless of the subject, which therefore turns you into a brilliant and versatile writer!

1. Know your audience

This is so important and should have a massive influence on the style of writing, the information you give, the language you use, and so on. If you aren’t clear about who you are targeting ask the business or publication to clarify, or, better still, do your own research to find out. You need to understand why the reader would come to that business for help, why they would choose to pick up that publication over all the others, and what are they searching for. Are they reading for need, or for pleasure? Are they looking for specific information or just to be entertained? Knowing your reader inside out, before you start writing, will help tailor your article, so it not only appeals to them but is exactly the right kind of content to help and satisfy them.

2. Understand the point

Before you begin writing your feature article is essential that you are clear on what its purpose is. After your reader has finished what do you expect them to do next? Is there a desired action, or reaction that you need the reader to have? If so, make sure your writing is geared towards that, and is persuasive and to the point.

3.Why should your reader want to read this?

Step outside yourself for a moment. Think about your target reader. Would they want to read your article? If so, why? If not why, not. You need to understand what is in it for them, what benefits are there for the reader, and why they would come to you as the source of these benefits, or information. Nowadays you’ll be hard pressed to find a subject that hasn’t been covered elsewhere, so unless you are writing about something incredibly niche or unusual, you need to come up with a fresh angle, or make your writing the absolute authority on that particular topic.

4. Plan your information

Before you start writing do your research, prepare your information and come up with a structure of how your article will flow. If you are writing for the web, your style should be different to print features. This is because readers are far more likely to skim read your information, therefore, make sure you let them know what it’s all about from your headline. Also, break the writing up into essential points so they can quickly absorb the information.

5. Be ready for questions

It is now so much easier for customers and readers to communicate, and voice their opinions once they are finished with your piece. Be prepared for this and anticipate what questions they might have. Nothing looks worse than an ‘I’m not sure’ response, or worse, just radio silence. Readers are a lot more forgiving if you are happy to respond to them, though if someone is being particularly difficult, you may want to move this discussion away from the public eye by asking them to contact you directly.

Once you have completed these steps then you have done most of the hard work already, therefore writing your article should be a breeze. You’ll be clear on tone, style and voice, and purpose, as well as having the outline of your article already written.

So there you go - interesting, useful and engaging content that will appeal to your target audience and motivate them to act! Writing a feature article - done!

Bethany Cadman -contributor

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