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Tips on Writing Holiday Features That Get You Noticed and Help Editors Prepare Their Sections
Posted on: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:18:00 +0000
Features that cover holidays are a topic that is golden to editors, and of interest to a majority of readers of all ages, young and old. Which means the media is always on the lookout for fresh holiday story ideas. So this year, give them the gift of a well-written feature.
"Writing holiday features stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, is not always easy, and persuading the editor who is preparing a gift guide or section is an even more difficult task," says Angela Mendola, Manager of Strategic Products for Business Wire.
"More often than not, we feel pressured to be creative and we focus more on promoting the product than on the information itself," says Mendola, "Getting to the point can be a challenge, but there are tricks and techniques that will help you promote your holiday message by actually being a credible source of information without sounding like an ad."
Some helpful tips on preparing a holiday feature:
-- Less is more: Keep your story to 400 words.
-- Headline: Summarize your story in 20 words or less and let readers know what it's all about.
-- Provide a good humanizing quote from your spokesperson within 60 words of your story, and attribute and identify the source or expert.
-- Avoid shopworn phrases, such as "Santa is making a list and checking it twice." The only person who will lead with a holiday phrase will be the editor, and that would be on the front page of the section.
-- Avoid superlatives like "revolutionary," "cutting-edge" or "innovative." Those words are overused and predictable. Instead, let the readers know the key benefits of the product and how it can help them.
-- Don't date your gift story to one specific holiday. Consider writing that the gift is also available even after the holidays.
-- Bullet your tips and do not number them. Editors may be tight on space and may need to edit the list.
-- Prices are necessary, but you don't want your story to become a price listing -- this will discourage the editor. Simply put parentheses around prices and toll free numbers. This way editor can decide whether or not to carry them.
Mendola is an 18-year veteran of the commercial newswire industry, with a focus on Feature news, Style and Women's news sections. Mendola was instrumental in pioneering the podcasting of features, and has conducted many feature writing workshops and webinars nationwide. Earlier in her career, Mendola worked in the On Air promotions department of Capital Cities/ABC Television Network.
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