feature story
B2Formal/Professional
Definition
Meaning
A lengthy, in-depth journalistic article that focuses on a person, event, issue, or trend, aiming to provide context and narrative rather than just report facts.
A piece of writing, broadcasting, or digital content that explores a topic with narrative depth, human interest, and creative or analytical perspective; can extend beyond journalism to marketing or corporate communications.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term combines 'feature' (a distinctive element or special article) with 'story' (a narrative). It implies both substance and storytelling technique. It's not a breaking news report.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both varieties use the term identically. Spelling follows local conventions (e.g., 'centre' in the story vs. 'center').
Connotations
Identical in both regions, associated with quality print/online journalism.
Frequency
Equally common in professional journalism contexts in both the UK and US.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The journalist wrote a feature story on <TOPIC>.The magazine ran a feature story about <PERSON>.She is researching for a feature story.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's not a flash in the pan; it's a feature story.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
In corporate communications, a feature story might highlight company innovation or employee achievements for an internal magazine.
Academic
Rarely used in core disciplines; appears in media/journalism studies to describe a genre of writing.
Everyday
Used when discussing noteworthy articles in newspapers or magazines (e.g., 'Did you see the feature story on climate change?').
Technical
A specific content type in editorial planning and content management systems (CMS) in publishing.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The Sunday edition will feature-story the local arts festival.
- They plan to feature-story the election's human impact.
American English
- The Sunday edition will feature-story the local arts festival.
- They plan to feature-story the election's human impact.
adjective
British English
- She has a feature-story assignment for the autumn issue.
- The feature-story length requires careful editing.
American English
- She has a feature-story assignment for the fall issue.
- The feature-story length requires careful editing.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I read a long feature story in a magazine.
- The newspaper published a feature story about a famous scientist.
- The journalist spent a month researching the feature story on urban poverty, interviewing dozens of residents.
- Her Pulitzer-nominated feature story deftly wove personal narratives with macroeconomic analysis, setting a new benchmark for the genre.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a STORY that FEATURES a topic prominently, giving it special attention and detail.
Conceptual Metaphor
JOURNALISM IS STORYTELLING; A TOPIC IS A SHOW (being featured).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation as 'фич стори' or 'особенная история'. Use 'развёрнутая статья', 'тематический репортаж', or 'фичер' (media slang).
- Do not confuse with 'feature film' ('художественный фильм').
Common Mistakes
- Using 'feature story' to refer to a short news item.
- Misspelling as 'future story'.
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'They will feature story the event' is incorrect).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is most characteristic of a 'feature story'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A news article reports timely facts and events concisely. A feature story explores a topic in depth, with context, narrative, and often a human angle, without the same immediate time pressure.
Absolutely. While traditionally associated with print magazines and newspapers, feature stories are now a staple of long-form digital journalism on news websites and specialised platforms.
A cover story is a feature story chosen to be the main story highlighted on the cover of a magazine or the homepage of a website. All cover stories are feature stories, but not all feature stories become cover stories.
Length varies widely, but they are typically longer than standard news reports, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 words or more, depending on the publication and topic depth.