The Anatomy of a Full Feature

By Melissa A. Vitale 

Media Relations can have a number of results in the form of coverage. There's Let’s take a deep dive into the client- and publicist-favorite type of coverage: the full feature.
 
A full feature about a company or individual can have a variety of angles. I estimate that each brand I’ve spoken with has about twenty-five to one-hundred-twenty-five stories that have the potential to become news coverage.
 
While the topic of a full feature vary, they typically follow a similar format.
 
There’s usually a headline and sub-headline meant to drive clicks across social media platforms. It’s common that the journalist writing the story doesn’t create the headline. Often these are editors and web directors who brainstorm a title that will bring in the most readers and can often be splashier than the story itself.
 
The starting paragraph includes a hook to draw readers in. If the feature is about a product, this hook will be a common problem many experience that the product solves. For entrepreneurial profiles, the hook could be be a compelling story that explains why the founder created their product.
 
Middle sections of a full feature often start broad and get more precise about the subject. A full feature answers Who, What, When, Where, Why and How to readers. The biggest question answered is “Why is this relevant to you.”
 
For every statement made, there often needs to be supporting evidence. This can come in the form of outside experts or customer testimonials. It is also common practice for the journalist to insert their opinion, especially about a product, on the subject.
 
The conclusion of a full feature is almost-always a snappy quote from the subject that finishes the thought while giving readers something else to think about.
 
Littered throughout a full feature are often images of the subject, either taken by the magazine or provided by the brand. It’s rare for full-features to not include images. If given the opportunity to have your picture taken by an outlet, I rarely advise against it. You’ll often be photographed by more expensive photographers than you could afford and who know how to help you pose for the desired imagery of the story. In these sessions, photographers will take hundreds of photos but only publish a handful. After that, brands can often license the unused images at start-up friendly rates.
 
When my clients get a full feature, I’m usually taking my next call from the line at the liquor store, buying a bottle of champagne to celebrate the achievement.

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