Service features: How-to article

Chapter 13 (Professional Feature Writing

~Bruce Garrison)

What do they do?

• Articles & other content help readers: – to make better decisions as consumers– to take better care of themselves– to improve relationships– to make things and cope with “realities

of everyday life, and not matters of cataclysmic importance”

How do they help?

• Can change the way readers think/ act

• Alter the way they spend time/ money

• Influence style, eating habits, travel plans

• Improve relationships• Diminish biases

Forms of service articles

• The how-to article• Listings• Art-of-living• Chronological case histories

Listings

• Sports sections and sports-oriented magazines offer lists of records and interesting trivia as regular features for readers. Business and finance-oriented publications often run lists of top business, executives’ top salaries, real estate transactions, etc

Art-of-living articles

• Teach us how to get more out of life

• Often inspirational articles • Sometimes called self-help articles• Include subjects as retirement,

love, family relationships, making tough decisions

Chronological case histories

• Teach us about something by looking at a particular example in depth.

• Readers are served by the lesson learned from the case history. These can include descriptions of purchasing a house, curing a medical problem, or resolving a conflict between neighbors

How-to-article

• Explains how something is made, built, cooked, protected, purchased, or otherwise accomplished by an expert on the subject

Basic approaches

• Writer-as-expert perspective• Someone-else-as-expert

perspective• Writer as source or generator of

informational graphics devices

Choosing best subjects

• Easiest ways to break into print• Subjects readers want to learn about• Everyday “how to live better” subjects• Personal health care, fashion, car and

home repair and care, home and office decoration, gardening, food preparation, money and finance, shopping, arts, crafts

Writing authoritatively

• Helps to have first-hand experience• Helps to have great interest in

subject• Seeks experts for specific

descriptions, subject-bound terminology, concrete examples, expert facts

Ways to be instant experts

• Brainstorm for sources, Find mentor to help you find sources, Let one expert source lead to another, Be wary of self-serving experts, Use clip files, Ask editor for suggestions, Use trade and professional publications, Find a dissenting view, Use experts who are paid to study subjects, Use references, consult PR directories and public affairs coordinators

Caution against …

• Make certain you are not presenting opinions instead of facts. Multiple sources help filter out opinion

• Present the facts and instruction as yours, not someone else’s. A number of interviews with different sources lead you to certain conclusions of your own and make this easier to do, you can become an authoritarian

Tips for boxes

• Keep it simple - Give information, not literature

• Make it lively - Material should be inviting

• Graphics should be legible• Display material prominently, don’t

bury it

Tips for boxes

• Be accurate - Check facts. You can’t afford to lose the readers’ trust

• Avoid giving the readers too much. Be selective

• Stick to one style. • Coordinate with art department who

produce the artwork

Three distinct parts

• Lead: First few paragraphs where you get readers interested and entertain them at the same time. This is the portion of the article where the stage is set. The introduction tells what the story accomplishes. It contains a paragraph that is a statement of purpose/ it helps the reader so he or she does not have to struggle with your article to figure out what will be gained from reading it.

Three distinct parts

• Middle: Start with decisions about the main points/purpose. What are you trying to do? How do you accomplish that? Step-by-step portion of your article follows. Take readers through the process to their goal. Detailed. Explain all steps. Assume they don’t know certain basic points about process.

Three distinct parts

• Ending: Recapping. Some repetition is important here, on significant points. Conclusion can offer bit of final advice. Tips for trouble-shooting, setup, or maintenance.

Best sources

• Craftsworkers, mechanics, artists, technicians, authors, inventors, investors, the Internet, builders and contractors, carpenters, electricians, gardeners, horticulturists, chefs, culinary experts, consumer advocates, scientists, decorators