How to write a feature article: Notes from the Episcopal Communicators Conference

I love publishing feature articles sharing the good stories of what’s happening around our diocese, and judging from website traffic, people love reading them. That’s why I was excited when I attended the annual Episcopal Communicators Conference earlier this month and one of the workshops was Turning facts into stories: Feature writing for writers and editors, presented by Summerlee Walter of the Diocese of North Carolina. She did such a good job breaking down the process of feature article writing that I want to share my notes with you, in the hope that some of you may be inspired to submit your own feature articles about some of the exciting things happening in your church.

You’re probably familiar with the “inverted pyramid” of journalism, which puts the most newsworthy information – the who, what, where, when and why – at the top, followed by the remaining information in order of importance, with the least important information at the bottom. Even if the reader doesn’t finish the article, they will glean the essentials from the opening paragraphs.

By contrast, a feature article does more than simply convey facts. It’s a character-driven narrative that uses a human story to illustrate a larger issue. It is more memorable than a straight news story and usually appeals to a wider audience. It also has more appeal when shared on social media, and can increase the value of your social media channels. Finally, feature articles can help advance larger communications goals – such as building support for a ministry.

I’ve summarized my notes from the workshop in the chart below, comparing the elements of a feature article to those of a news story:

Some common pitfalls in feature writing to watch out for are too much summarizing in the narrative (you want to show, not tell), and, conversely, an over-reliance on quotes.

For some excellent examples of feature writing, I recommend:

The winners of the top Polly Bond Awards for feature writing, announced at the Episcopal Communicators Conference: Sudanese diaspora longs for lasting peace in homeland by Matthew Davies and Wood bank’s unique ministry warms those left in the Montana cold by Mary Frances Schjonberg, both of Episcopal News Service. Davies’ feature links The Episcopal Church to an international news story; Schjonberg’s feature describes three Montana parishes that distribute firewood in the winter.

Till Death Do Us Part, a series on the high number of deaths in South Carolina resulting from domestic abuse, which recently earned The Post and Courier of Charleston the most prestigious of the Pulitzer Prizes, the gold medal for public service. While far larger in scope than the typical feature article (it is comprised of seven separate articles written by a team of reporters) it is an excellent example of an engrossing narrative with a clear call to action.

If you’d like to try your hand at submitting a feature article to The VOICE Online, please contact me at nnicholson@dioceseofnewark.org or 973-430-9907. I’d be happy to talk to you about story ideas, possible contacts, word count, illustrating photos, and other elements that will help you produce the most effective feature possible.

And finally, anyone working in the ministry of communications in The Episcopal Church is eligible to join Episcopal Communicators, and I commend it highly to all church communicators.