Writing Feature Articles: Print, Digital and Online

✍ Scribed by Mary Hogarth

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 315
• Edition: 5
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Writing Feature Articles presents clear and engaging advice for students and young professionals on working as a freelance feature writer. This fifth edition not only covers producing content for print, but also for digital platforms and online.

Mary Hogarth offers comprehensive guidance on every aspect of feature writing, from having the initial idea and conducting market and subject research, to choosing the right target audience and publishing platform and successfully pitching the article. In addition, the book instructs students on developing their own journalistic style and effectively structuring their feature. Each chapter then concludes with an action plan to help students put what they have read into practice.

Topics include:

• Life as a freelance
• Building a professional profile
• Telling a story with images
• Developing a specialism
• Interviewing skills
• Profile and interview articles
• Working in publicity and advertising
• A career in magazines and newspapers
• Getting published overseas
• Understanding issues in media law and regulation

The book also provides an extensive range of interviews with successful media professionals, including a newspaper editor, a money, health and lifestyle journalist, a copywriter and an award-winning columnist, where they share their own experiences of working in the industry and offer invaluable tips on best practice.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Contributors
Foreword
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
Elementary skills and resources
Learning your trade
Set up a workspace
Gathering experience and networking
Getting published
Engage editorial teams
Work placement opportunities
2 Life as a freelance
Books, equipment and resources
A productive home office
Tools for organising data
Writing is a business
Organising your time
Getting commissions
Workflow and business records
Set the rate and rights
3 Ideas are everywhere
Ideas as a staff writer
News stories
Press releases
Social media and the letters’ page
How to get ideas as a freelance
Finding suitable target markets
Where to look
Ideas from B2B magazines and professional journals
Books are a great source of inspiration
A word about techniques
Get creative
Using formulas and word associations
Linear-logical thinking
Develop a specialism
An essential checklist
4 Market research
Researching magazine markets
Analyse adverts
What media kits will tell you
Content analysis
Online opportunities
Target new start-ups
Newspaper markets
An emphasis on features
Specialists in demand
Local papers
Examples of local stories
Reporting experience
National papers
Features with topical pegs
When local becomes national
Further resources
5 How to pitch successfully
An editor’s point of view
Preparing to pitch
The pitch
Example 1: a travel magazine editor receives a phone call
Example 2: the woman’s magazine editor receives a call
Pitch via email
An example of a pitch
Multiple pitches
Develop a network
Organising commissioned articles
Start a feature file
Problem features
When to send specs
Dealing with editors
Dealing with rejection
6 Turn ideas into articles
Feature opportunities
Celebrity stories
Changing times
Pitfalls
Your approach
Children
Different approaches
Pitfalls
Your approach
Crime
Different approaches
Pitfalls
Your approach
Education
Different approaches
Pitfalls
Your approach
Health and medicine
Different approaches
Pitfalls
Your approach
Old age or retirement
Different approaches
Pitfalls
Your approach
Travel
Different approaches
Pitfalls
Your approach
Books
7 Research and interview techniques
Finding reliable sources
Background research
Personal experience and legwork
From legwork report to feature
Build up your contacts
Assessment of sources
Social media and online resources
A word on experts
Interview strategies
Effective approaches
Some dos and don’ts
Interview notes
Quoting and paraphrasing
How to organise notes
Creative questioning
Questions not to ask
Persuasion techniques
Awkward questions
Something to hide?
When to get legal advice
How to elicit good quotes
Choose the best interview method
Acknowledge your sources
Establish bonds with contacts
Verification skills
How many facts make the truth?
Verifying figures
Evaluating online sources
8 A cohesive structure
The right components
Organise your notes
An engaging feature
Focus on the readers’ interests
Get the order right
Taking a how-to approach
Writing detailed, descriptive articles
Taking care of the narrative
Structuring arguments
First drafts and the feature package
A word about style and packaging
Get the structure right
How many quotes?
Key components of the draft
Headlines
Intros that make an impact
Get the right ending
Turn your feature into a package
9 How to develop a strong style
Get the description right
Compelling narration
A thorough explanation
Arguing convincingly
Essays, think pieces and polemics
Find your own style
10 Images tell a story
Images add impact
Photos – relevance or art?
Pictures for features
Build up experience
Relevant shots and getting permission
Specialist photography
Cameras, tips and resources
Basic photo techniques
Sending/uploading images
Working with a photographer
Getting pictures from other sources
Captions are essential
Photos from a business perspective
Negotiating fees
Creating a digital library
Infographics, charts, maps and timelines
An infographic
Charts
Maps
Timelines
Resources
11 Copywriting and PR
From journalism to PR
Advertising and PR defined
Research is key
Advertising copywriting
Slogans with impact
Developing the idea
From PR to journalism
Press releases
Getting copy past editors
Example of a press release
Adapting to different markets
Trade releases
Obtaining publicity work
Building your portfolio
Specialist services
12 Specialist features, columns and reviews
Part 1: Specialist features
Finding opportunities
Keeping ahead in your field
A publishing strategy
Pitching to specialist publications
Producing specialist features
Shape your copy
Use the right language
Beware of jargon
Research and fact-checking
Part 2: The art of columns
Learning from the best
Securing a column
Finding the gap
Types of columns
How columnists work
Part 3: The reviewer
How to get started
Potential markets
On the job
Writing up your copy
Book reviews
Music
Art exhibitions
The theatre
TV and films
13 Interviews vs profiles
Interviewees: choose wisely
Getting commissioned
Setting up the interview
Getting past the minders
Interview options
Face-to-face
Recording face-to-face interviews
A phone interview
The email interview
Preparing questions
What questions, in which order?
A structured approach
Interviewing techniques
Be in control
Techniques for tough questions
Difficult interviewees
Encouraging revelations
Prepare to follow up
Editing the transcript
Summarise parts
Formats for writing up
Q&A
The narrative
The profile
Always follow up
14 Worldwide markets
Finding opportunities
Getting started
Writing for different countries
Study the culture
Finding opportunities
Syndication
15 A career in magazines and newspapers
My career path
Publishing from a business perspective
More opportunities are being created
Work placements
The industry view
Advice on work experience
When on placement
A graduate’s perspective
Build up a portfolio
Mapping your future
A word from the experts
Toby Granville at Newsquest
Rebecca Constable and Jason Alner at Haymarket
Jonathan Telfer at Warners Group Publications PLC
16 Law and ethics: A rough guide
Copyright
Libel
Defences to libel
Good practices for avoiding libel
Contempt
Anonymity for vulnerable people
Rights and restrictions when reporting court cases
Privacy and data protection
Data Protection law and General Data Protection Regulation
Ethical concerns
17 Last word: An editor’s perspective, with Jonathan Telfer
Appendix 1: Example of a freelance workflow income spreadsheet
Appendix 2: NUJ Code of Conduct
Appendix 3: IPSO – Editors’ Code of Practice
Appendix 4: The Society of Authors’ Guide to Copyright and Permissions
Appendix 5: Syndicates, news and press cuttings agencies
References
Bibliography
Books
Reference
Basic reference library
Publications
Online
Indexes to articles
Magazines
Index