Types of Feature Stories: Profiles, Trends, Seasonal and More

To be able to write feature stories it is important to know what feature stories are and how there are many different kinds of these "soft" (as opposed to "hard") news stories. This post will "feature" examples of nine types that I talk about in my Feature/Magazine Writing class at SC State. 

1. PROFILE OR PERSONALITY FEATURE

This is a good example of a profile feature. Is about Austin Johnson, who is the caddy to his famous (and rich) golfer brother Dustin Johnson. 

The article appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of College of Charleton Magazine, the flagship magazine of CofC. Austin is a CofC graduate as his wife Samantha who is also featured in the piece.

The headline is a catchy one: "Every Step of the Way." 

2. HUMAN INTEREST FEATURE

In that same College of Charleston publication is this really nice story about another graduate, Alex Jackson. As a young child he was badly injured and paralyzed in a car accident with his mother. 

The feature covers Alex' life with the many challenges he has faced and overcome to become a public affairs specialist with the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic in Charleston. "Man on the Move" is a great headline for this feature. 

Alex earned two degrees at CofC and I am proud to say he was a student years ago in a television journalism course I taught back then. 

3. EXPLANATORY (OR SIDEBAR) FEATURE

These stories are often sidebars or next to main, larger stories about a prominent story in the news. They may provide more insight into an activity, organization, trend or person in the news.

In the example to right is a lengthy piece that ran in Charleston's Post and Courier on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. It is about the judge who has overseen a number of the court hearings related to the ongoing Alex Murdaugh case in South Carolina. The headline is "A Steady Leader Amid a Sea of Drama." 

Readers learn about Circuit Judge Clifton Newman- his upbringing, education and experience that all seem to help make him the right person for the messy and tragic Murdaugh case. 

A second example of an explanatory feature appeared in the Charleston newspaper on Sept. 2, 2022.

This feature is literally a sidebar next to a piece about how Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral for former President Mikhail Gorbachev who died recently.

The sidebar piece is headlined, "'Gorby' Remembered Fondly in Germany." The story is about how Gorbachev was "enduringly popular" for his role in the post-Cold War reunification of Germany in the late 1980s. 

4. ADVENTURE FEATURE 

I have been a blogger since 2010 and one of my favorite posts is from July 2018. This was when I "discovered" a remote family cemetery in the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area preserve down in the ACE Basin. 

I share with readers my trials and tribulations, then joy, when I actually came upon several gravesites deep in the woods. 

My blog post is titled, "Grave Discovery in the ACE Basin!"  Clever right? 

Take a look at my post here. 

I was a happy camper when I finally found and photographed the cemetery. I left a few red bricks off the hiking trail to mark where to turn in the woods. 

5. HOW-TO-DO-IT (OR DIY) FEATURE

I am a member of a photography club called the Carolinas' Nature Photography Association (CNPA for short). Members receive a quarterly magazine. 

The latest issue had this type of feature story. A photographer tells how she transformed her backyard into a bird oasis and shares tips on how to take high-quality photographs of the tiny, quick and beautiful Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 

6. TREND OR LIFESTYLE FEATURE

The popular fashion magazine Vogue on August 25, 2022 posted online this trendy feature. The article is titled, "9 Best Fashion Colors Fall 2022." 

See the link here. 

This is the type of feature you expect to regularly see in fashion publications. Which colors do you like? 

7. OCCUPATION OR HOBBY FEATURE

I found this feature story in a coastal Georgia touristy magazine that I picked up when we visited Jekyll Island. The magazine is called Golden Isles Visitor Guide and this article about painted and sculptor Kevin Pullen is under the headline "Unsung Heroes: Storytelling With Art." 

The feature is in the question and answer (or Q&A) format.  

8. SEASONAL FEATURE

It is only early September but the promotions for Halloween are already appearing everywhere. On Sept. 6, 2022 the New York Post ran this seasonal feature titled, "Look Wickedly Good in these 15 Sexy Halloween Costume Ideas for 2022."

If you are looking for your adult costume, check the posting here! 

9. HISTORICAL FEATURE 

Last Sunday Parade magazine that comes in my Post and Courier newspaper had this cover story about the popular TV show M*A*S*H that debuted 50 years ago in September 1972. 

The show's ratings started slow but it went on to come one of the most loved shows of all time. It still holds the record for most watched TV episode when its finale aired in 1983.