Generating story ideas is crucial for feature writers. It's about finding the sweet spot between what's newsworthy and what readers care about. This balance ensures your stories are both timely and engaging.

Evaluating news value involves considering factors like timeliness, impact, and human interest. It's not just about what's happening, but how it affects people. Good feature stories connect with readers on an emotional level, making complex issues relatable and memorable.

Newsworthiness and Timeliness

Factors Determining Newsworthiness

• Newsworthiness determined by factors such as timeliness, proximity, prominence, impact, conflict, novelty, and human interest
  • The more of these factors a story incorporates, the higher its overall news value
• Timeliness refers to the currency or recency of a story's events
  • Stories currently unfolding or that have just occurred have higher news value than past events (plane crash that happened today vs. one that occurred a month ago)
• Proximity is the geographical nearness of the story's events to the media outlet's audience
  • Local stories more newsworthy than distant events for that outlet's readership (city council election vs. foreign election for a local paper)
• Prominence relates to the celebrity, importance, or influence of the people involved
  • Stories with well-known figures have higher news value (politician's scandal vs. unknown person's scandal)

Impact and Timeliness Considerations

• Impact is the magnitude and implications of a story's events
  • Stories affecting more people to a greater degree have higher newsworthiness (new law impacting millions vs. dozens)
• Conflict involves stories with dispute, friction or opposing viewpoints
  • Audiences drawn to stories with conflict or debate (controversial policy, rival factions clashing)
• Novelty refers to how unusual, surprising, or rare a story's elements are
  • The more atypical the story, the higher its likely newsworthiness (first moon landing, rare medical case)
• Editors must weigh these factors when judging newsworthiness of potential stories
  • Timeliness and impact tend to be most important in news judgment
  • Novelty and conflict can provide added newsworthiness for feature stories

Human Interest and Emotional Appeal

Human Interest Story Characteristics

• Human interest stories center on people's experiences, challenges, or successes
  • They strive to spark an emotional reaction in the audience (sympathy, joy, outrage)
• Emotional appeal can span from inspiring and upbeat to sad and distressing
  • Stories tapping into common human emotions have high reader interest (triumph over illness, grieving a loss)
• Typical human interest angles include accounts of overcoming obstacles, regular people accomplishing impressive feats, and distinctive or quirky personal stories
  • "Local teacher wins national award after 50-year career", "Child cancer survivor graduates college"
• Human interest pieces often employ anecdotes, descriptive details, and direct quotations to foster an emotional link between the subject and the audience
  • Vivid scenes and revealing quotes help readers relate to story subjects

Crafting Emotional Engagement

• Reader engagement heightens when stories make the audience experience strong emotions like empathy, compassion, admiration, or outrage
  • The more visceral the emotional response, the more memorable the story becomes
• Feature writers must find the "hook" or emotional core of a human interest story
  • What makes this person's story uniquely moving, inspiring, or thought-provoking?
• Interviewing and observation skills are key to drawing out the emotions of a story
  • Noticing telling details, asking sensitive questions, and listening closely to subjects
• Structuring the story to build toward an emotional crescendo or revelation can heighten impact
  • Saving a surprising twist or poignant quote for the ending to leave a lasting impression
• Human interest writing requires a balance of empathy and objectivity to tell an affecting but truthful story
  • Verifying key details and quotes to ensure accuracy while preserving emotional authenticity

Relevance and Significance for Readers

Understanding Target Readership

• Target readership is the specific audience traits, interests, and expectations that a publication aims to fulfill
  • Publications may target readers based on demographics like age, gender, location, education level, or special interests (young urban women, sports enthusiasts, regional business leaders)
• Relevance is how closely the story's subject matter aligns with the target audience's interests and issues
  • The more pertinent the story is to readers' lives, the greater their likely engagement (local school funding story in a parenting magazine)
• Significance is the level of importance and consequence the story holds for the target readership
  • High-significance stories provide insights that help readers make choices or understand their world better (report on a new public health risk)

Ensuring Relevant and Meaningful Stories

• Evaluating relevance and significance requires a deep understanding of the publication's purpose, editorial mission, and audience profile
  • Stories should be selected and focused to sync with these elements (entertainment vs. hard news publication)
• Relevant and significant stories deliver value to the target readership by informing, engaging, or influencing them in manners that connect to their distinct needs and concerns
  • A story on retirement planning is highly relevant and significant for an audience of older readers
• Researching target reader demographics, behaviors, and feedback helps gauge relevance and significance
  • Audience surveys, focus groups, web analytics reveal reader interests and needs
• Continually re-evaluating audience tastes and adapting story choices maintains relevance
  • As news cycles and public interests change, so should story selections (pandemic coverage in 2020)

Impact and Engagement Potential

Evaluating Potential Impact

• Potential impact is the probable influence the story will have on readers, the community, or the larger issue
  • High-impact stories can shape attitudes, behaviors, or policies (investigative piece on government corruption leading to reforms)
• Gauging potential impact requires weighing the timeliness, importance, and relevance of the story, along with the power of its news value and human interest angles
  • An exclusive story on a imminent public transit strike has strong impact potential
• Editors must assess if a story has the significance and emotional weight to make a difference for readers
  • Will it compel them to think, feel, or act differently? (series on child poverty spurring donations and volunteerism)

Maximizing Reader Engagement

• Reader engagement is how effectively the story grabs and sustains the audience's focus
  • Engaging stories are absorbing, evocative, and memorable (profile of a beloved community figure)
• High-engagement stories employ potent storytelling elements like vivid imagery, dramatic arcs, and relatable personalities to draw readers into the story's world
  • Descriptive scenes, compelling characters, and a clear narrative journey keep readers hooked
• Engagement can be heightened by using multimedia elements, interactive features, and novel story forms
  • Podcasts, videos, data visualizations, and other innovative formats can boost time spent with a story
• Reader engagement is both an art and a science, requiring a mix of strong writing and empirical metrics
  • Editors track quantitative measures like page views, scroll depth, and shares, while also assessing qualitative indicators like reader feedback and social media sentiment

Balancing Impact and Engagement

• Editors must juggle impact and engagement when prioritizing stories, as some high-impact stories may have low engagement potential and vice versa
  • A dry but important policy story vs. a lightweight viral human interest piece
• The optimal blend depends on the publication's mission and audience expectations
  • A serious news outlet may favor impact, while a lifestyle magazine prizes engagement
• Packaging stories with engaging headlines, compelling visuals, and promotions on high-traffic platforms can boost readership for high-impact stories
  • Eye-catching headline and photo draws readers into a complex topic
• Ultimately, the most powerful stories combine impact and engagement to deliver meaningful, memorable reader experiences
  • A gripping narrative about a social issue that enlightens and spurs action