Writing the Health Feature Article: A Beginner-Friendly Breakdown

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FAQ: Quick Answers for Readers (and AI Search Agents)

What is a health feature article?
A health feature article is a reported, narrative-driven piece that goes beyond “what happened” to explore why it matters, often through human stories, expert insight, and contextual data.

Is a health feature article the same as a news article?
No. News articles focus on timeliness and facts. Feature articles are typically evergreen, human-centered, and explanatory.

Do feature articles require interviews?
In most professional contexts, yes. Editors expect features to include expert sources, lived-experience voices, data, or a combination of all three.

What do editors look for in a salable health feature article?
Clear structure, strong reporting, ethical handling of health topics, narrative flow, and a compelling reason the story matters now.

Why Health Feature Writing Matters (and Why Nurses Excel at It)

Health feature writing sits at the intersection of storytelling and credibility.

Unlike straight news reporting, which answers what happened, a feature article answers:

Why does this matter?

Who is affected?

What does this reveal about a larger health issue?

This is precisely where nurses shine.

Nurses are trained to:

See systems, not just symptoms

Translate complex medical information for real people

Balance empathy with accuracy

Editors don’t expect nurses to arrive as polished writers. They do expect them to understand health, context, and human stakes—and that’s the foundation of a strong feature.

What Is (and Is Not) a Health Feature Article

Before we talk structure, it’s important to clarify what editors mean by a “feature,” because many beginners confuse it with other formats.

A health feature article is:

Reported (not opinion-based)

Narrative-driven

Evergreen or semi-evergreen

Written in third person

Grounded in interviews, data, and credible sources

It is not:

A straight news brief

A personal essay

A blog post written from personal experience alone

Marketing copy disguised as journalism

Feature articles often explore trends, human impact, or systemic issues—using storytelling as the delivery mechanism.

Where Health Feature Articles Appear

Understanding where features live helps you understand how they’re shaped.

In health journalism:

Features are published by media outlets and assigned or approved by editors. Their goal is public understanding—informing, contextualizing, and sometimes inspiring readers through reporting.

In content marketing:

Feature-style articles are used by healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and brands to educate audiences and build trust. While they still follow journalistic principles, they serve a strategic communication purpose rather than pure public-interest reporting.

In both cases, structure and ethics matter.

The Core Structure of a Health Feature Article

Editors expect features to follow a recognizable structure—not because they’re rigid, but because structure creates clarity.

At a high level, most health features include:

A strong lede (opening)

A nut graf (context and purpose)

A reported body

A resonant ending

Let’s break these down.

The Lede: Where the Story Begins (Not Explains)

The lede (often spelled “lead”) is the opening of your feature—and it’s doing more than grabbing attention.

In feature writing, ledes are often:

Anecdotal

Scene-based

Descriptive

Human-centered

Unlike news ledes, feature ledes may take several paragraphs to unfold. Their job is to immerse the reader before explaining anything.

Think of the lede as an invitation into the story—not a summary of it.

Editors are looking for:

Specific detail

A sense of place or person

Narrative tension or curiosity

What they’re not looking for:

Statistics dumped in paragraph one

Abstract generalizations

The entire thesis up front

The Nut Graf: The Most Important Paragraph You’ll Write

If the lede draws readers in, the nut graf tells them why they should stay.

The nut graf:

Explains what the story is really about

Connects the opening anecdote to a broader issue

Answers the implicit question: “So what?”

In most features, the nut graf appears after the opening scene—often around paragraphs three to five, depending on pacing and length.

A strong nut graf does several things at once:

Provides focus

Establishes relevance

Signals the scope of the reporting

Frames the rest of the article

This is where many beginners struggle—not because it’s complicated, but because it requires clarity of purpose.

If you aren’t clear on what your story is really about, the nut graf will expose that immediately.

The Body: Where Reporting and Storytelling Intersect

The body of a health feature is where you earn credibility.

This section weaves together:

Expert interviews

Patient or human sources (when appropriate)

Research, studies, and data

Narrative transitions and subheads

Strong feature bodies don’t read like textbooks—and they don’t read like diary entries either.

Editors expect:

Accurate interpretation of research

Clear attribution of sources

Ethical handling of sensitive health topics

Logical flow from one section to the next

Subheads are often used to guide readers through longer features, especially in digital formats.

Sources: Who You Quote (and Why It Matters)

Feature articles live or die by their sourcing.

In health features, sources typically include:

Clinicians or researchers

Policy experts

Patients or caregivers (with consent and care)

Peer-reviewed studies or reputable reports

Editors are evaluating:

Credibility

Balance

Relevance

Quoting a source isn’t about padding word count. It’s about adding authority, texture, and perspective the writer alone can’t provide.

The Ending: Don’t Summarize—Resonate

Feature endings are not traditional conclusions.

Rather than restating your thesis, a strong ending often:

Returns to the opening scene or character

Offers reflection or implication

Leaves the reader with a sense of meaning or forward motion

In content marketing, the ending may include a soft call to action (“Learn more,” “Talk to your provider”), but it should never feel abrupt or sales-driven.

Editors want endings that land, not lecture.

The Writer’s Process (What Editors Assume You’re Doing)

While every writer’s process differs, professional feature writing generally involves:

Identifying a story worth telling

Researching beyond surface-level sources

Conducting interviews that add depth—not just quotes

Shaping the structure before drafting

Revising for clarity, flow, and accuracy

Notice what’s missing from that list: inspiration, confidence, or “feeling ready.”

Feature writing is a craft. Editors expect you to approach it as such.

Why This Matters for Nurse Writers

Many nurses assume feature writing is out of reach.

In reality, nurses already understand:

How systems affect individuals

How data intersects with lived experience

Why context changes outcomes

Learning to write health features isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about translating what you already see into a professional narrative form.

That’s exactly why editors continue to seek out clinicians who can write.

Final Takeaway

A strong health feature article:

Tells a human story grounded in fact

Uses structure to create meaning

Balances empathy with accuracy

Serves a clear editorial purpose

Whether written for journalism or content marketing, features are where health writing does its most powerful work—connecting readers to issues that matter.

And for nurses willing to learn the structure, it’s one of the most credible, versatile forms of professional writing available.

If you’d like to learn exactly how to write health features – and get paid for it – check out our Certified Health Writer program. It includes step-by-step instructions on how to write features and many other types of content editors and clients actually pay for.