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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Feature Writer

💰 $65,000 - $95,000

ContentWritingMediaJournalismMarketing

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a master storyteller with a passion for bringing complex subjects to life? This role requires a creative and tenacious Feature Writer to join our dynamic content team. In this role, you will be the driving force behind our long-form content, responsible for conceptualizing, researching, and crafting compelling narratives that captivate our audience and elevate our brand. You will dive deep into various topics, conduct insightful interviews with industry experts, and transform your findings into polished, thought-provoking articles. The ideal candidate is a wordsmith with a journalistic mindset, a keen eye for detail, and a proven ability to produce high-quality content that resonates, informs, and inspires.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Writer / Staff Writer
  • Journalist
  • Content Coordinator
  • Copywriter

Advancement To:

  • Senior Feature Writer
  • Content Strategist
  • Managing Editor / Content Manager
  • Editor-in-Chief

Lateral Moves:

  • Brand Journalist
  • Communications Specialist
  • UX Writer
  • Scriptwriter

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Conceptualize, research, and write compelling, in-depth feature articles and long-form content that align with our brand's voice and strategic content goals.
  • Conduct thorough research on a wide range of topics, utilizing online sources, academic journals, internal data, and industry reports to ensure accuracy and depth.
  • Identify, source, and conduct insightful interviews with subject matter experts, industry leaders, case study participants, and other relevant sources to add unique perspectives to your stories.
  • Pitch a consistent stream of fresh, relevant, and innovative story ideas during editorial meetings, demonstrating an understanding of our audience's interests and industry trends.
  • Transform complex information, technical concepts, and dense data into clear, accessible, and engaging narratives for a broad audience.
  • Craft powerful, attention-grabbing headlines, subheadings, and lead paragraphs that entice readers and improve content discoverability.
  • Weave storytelling elements into articles to create an emotional connection with the reader, making the content more memorable and impactful.
  • Manage the entire writing lifecycle for multiple projects simultaneously, from initial ideation and outlining to drafting, editing, and final publication, all while adhering to strict deadlines.
  • Rigorously fact-check all statements, statistics, and quotes to maintain the highest standards of journalistic integrity and accuracy.
  • Collaborate closely with editors to revise and refine content based on feedback, ensuring each piece meets our quality standards and editorial guidelines.
  • Work alongside graphic designers, photographers, and video producers to develop complementary visual assets that enhance the storytelling experience.
  • Develop and maintain a consistent and engaging tone and style, acting as a guardian of the brand voice across all written features.
  • Build and nurture a strong network of industry contacts and expert sources for future story development and insights.
  • Stay relentlessly curious and up-to-date on emerging trends, key players, and new developments within our industry to inform your reporting and idea generation.
  • Analyze content performance using analytics tools to understand what resonates with our audience, and apply those insights to future content strategies.

Secondary Functions

  • Optimize all written content for search engines (SEO) by naturally incorporating relevant keywords, implementing on-page SEO best practices, and structuring articles for readability.
  • Repurpose and adapt long-form feature content into various formats for different channels, such as social media posts, email newsletters, infographics, and video scripts.
  • Assist in developing and maintaining the editorial calendar, ensuring a steady and strategic flow of high-quality feature content.
  • Contribute to the evolution of our content style guide and editorial best practices to ensure consistency and quality across the team.
  • Participate in peer-reviewing and editing content from other writers on the team, providing constructive and thoughtful feedback.
  • Support marketing campaign initiatives by creating anchor content and thematic features that align with promotional goals.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expert-Level Writing & Editing: Mastery of grammar, syntax, and structure with the ability to produce clean, polished copy under deadline.
  • Journalistic Research & Interviewing: Proven ability to conduct deep research, identify credible sources, and perform compelling interviews that elicit unique insights.
  • SEO Best Practices: Strong understanding of keyword research, on-page SEO, and content structures that improve search engine rankings.
  • Content Management Systems (CMS): Proficiency in using CMS platforms like WordPress, Contentful, or similar systems to publish and manage content.
  • AP Style (or other style guides): Deep familiarity with a major style guide (e.g., AP, Chicago) and the ability to adapt to an in-house style guide.
  • Fact-Checking: A meticulous and systematic approach to verifying all factual information within a piece of content.
  • Digital Analytics Tools: Experience with tools like Google Analytics to interpret content performance and audience engagement metrics.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional Storytelling: The ability to craft engaging narratives that connect with readers on an emotional and intellectual level.
  • Creativity & Curiosity: A natural curiosity that drives you to ask "why" and a creative mindset to find unique angles for every story.
  • Deadline-Driven & Time Management: Superb organizational skills to manage multiple complex projects and consistently meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Adaptability: The flexibility to pivot between different topics, formats, and tones as required by the content strategy.
  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: A keen eye for detail in both writing and fact-checking to ensure complete accuracy and quality.
  • Collaboration & Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for working effectively with editors, designers, marketers, and interview subjects.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field of study.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Journalism
  • Communications
  • English
  • Creative Writing
  • Marketing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-7 years of professional writing experience.

Preferred:

  • A strong, demonstrable portfolio of published long-form articles, features, or journalistic work that showcases exceptional storytelling and research skills. Experience writing for a well-known digital publication, brand, or media outlet is highly desirable.
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