How to write soft news
Soft news, also known as feature news or human-interest news, is a type of journalism that focuses on in-depth, narrative storytelling rather than hard news reporting. Here are some tips on how to write soft news:
- Focus on people and their stories: Soft news often centers around the experiences and stories of individuals, rather than events or issues. Look for unique, relatable, and compelling human stories.
- Use a narrative structure: Soft news articles typically follow a narrative structure, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use a hook to grab the reader's attention, build tension or suspense, and resolve the story with a conclusion or a twist.
- Use descriptive language: Soft news articles often rely on vivid, descriptive language to paint a picture in the reader's mind. Use sensory details to bring the story to life.
- Conduct in-depth interviews: Soft news often requires in-depth interviews with the people involved in the story. Ask open-ended questions to encourage the interviewees to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
- Research and fact-check: While soft news may not require the same level of fact-checking as hard news, it's still important to verify the accuracy of the information and sources.
- Use a conversational tone: Soft news articles often have a more conversational tone than hard news articles. Use a friendly, approachable tone to engage the reader.
- Focus on the human impact: Soft news often explores the human impact of a story, rather than just the facts. Look for ways to highlight the emotional, psychological, or social implications of the story.
- Use anecdotes and examples: Soft news articles often use anecdotes and examples to illustrate a point or make the story more relatable.
- Keep it concise: While soft news articles may be longer than hard news articles, it's still important to keep the language concise and easy to follow.
- Use visuals: Soft news articles often benefit from the use of visuals, such as photos, videos, or infographics, to help tell the story and engage the reader.
Some popular types of soft news include:
- Human-interest stories: Stories about people's experiences, achievements, or challenges.
- Lifestyle articles: Articles about food, travel, fashion, or other lifestyle topics.
- Profile pieces: In-depth profiles of individuals, often focusing on their achievements, passions, or challenges.
- Feature stories: In-depth stories about a particular topic or issue, often with a narrative structure.
- Listicles: Articles that present information in a list format, often with a humorous or lighthearted tone.
Remember, the key to writing effective soft news is to focus on the human element and tell a compelling story that resonates with readers.