A compelling human interest story could follow the journey of a refugee family fleeing their old lives and navigating a new future together. You could tell the tale of a record-breaking mountain climber who recently scaled one of the world’s highest peaks, sharing details about their early life, training, and future goals too. You might consider writing an exposé about a local politician who just got some major reforms passed that they promised during their campaign.
If you wrote about a refugee family, for example, your goal might be to educate readers. Some find this subject controversial, so you could write a story to evoke empathy and acceptance. If you were writing about a brave, remarkable mountain climber, your intent could simply be raising awareness and appreciation for the remarkable protagonist of your story. If you wrote the political exposé, your focus might be helping inspiring people into action—like grassroots campaigning or vocally supporting certain legislation.
A human interest article’s subject could be a particular person, an animal, or the story of an event or organization and the people involved with it. For example, if you love dogs, you could tell the story of a dog that got lost, survived on their own, and eventually found their owners again. If you’re passionate about mental health awareness, you could write about a community member who educates others about mental health issues.
For example, your angle for a piece might be to create sympathy for a person that has experienced a tragedy. Alternatively, you might want to bring attention to a local hero’s good deeds. There might be an organization that is often viewed incorrectly, and you hope to shift perceptions of it.
Websites that end with “. org,” “. edu,” or “. gov” are often more credible than those that end with “. com” or other common suffixes. Research authors and judge their credibility based on their expertise level. Evaluate each online source for signs of a bias or reasons to believe the content is inaccurate. Remain objective throughout your research. Don’t make assumptions about a story; let research determine the facts and not your perception of things.
Ask questions that begin with “what,” “why,” “when,” and “where. ” Learn as much as you can and record your interviewee with an audio or video device—but get permission before using the device! Consider interviewing more than one person for your story; that will give you more information to work with. Take photos relevant to the story if it’s appropriate to do so. Sometimes your subject might request not to be photographed, but if they allow it, include a few photos of them.
Consider starting with a brief story about the person you’re writing about. You could describe how an interviewee greeted you or played with their pet before the interview, for example. You could begin a piece about the dangers of the drought in Southern California by telling a short story about someone who fights wildfires. Introductions are typically 1 paragraph long, though your lead can be a maximum of 2 paragraphs for a human interest piece.
Be concise! If you have a lot of different interviews and statements you can quote, limit your own word count as much as you can. Be mindful of the number of quotes you include. You don’t need to write the interviewee’s every word in your article—just the most relevant and interesting quotes.
For example, if you interviewed a teacher to write about insufficient salaries for educators, explain who that teacher is, what they teach, their background, and their experience with the problem at hand. In a traditional news story, the nut graf is usually the 2nd paragraph. In your human interest piece, however, place it wherever you plan to start quoting the interviewee.
For example, you could write a conclusion explaining that the local activist you interviewed plans to run for a political position in the next few years and detailing exactly what they hope to change in office. Consider making the final sentence of your article a particularly poignant quote that emphasizes the story’s message.
Present-tense means describing something like it’s happening in the moment. For example, write, “Alex is tired, but she keeps going,” rather than, “Alex was tired, but she kept going. ” Second-person point of view makes the reader part of the story using “You…” statements, while third-person relays information using pronouns like “He,” “She,” or “They. ” Avoid first-person POV. First-person means writing in “I…” statements and a human interest story isn’t about you—it’s about someone else!
Instead of saying, “The sun is setting,” try, “The setting sun paints the sky with red and orange hues. " Describe a person with words like, “Her angular features are offset by soft, wavy hair, and she has piercing brown eyes…. ” Be creative with your word choice. Sprinkle in vivid language, alliteration, or a clever pun if you think of one. It’s okay to be more poetic than what you’d see in a standard news story. Think of all the fiction stories you’ve read. How did those authors introduce characters? Your story can still use that level of prose even if it isn’t fiction.
A military story might require the use of ranks, but some ranks are difficult to understand. In the Navy, for instance, “Hospital Man 1” is a senior rank to “Hospital Man 2,” but that isn’t obvious to outsiders. Relate difficult terms to everyday things. Instead of citing “Hospital Man 1” as the head of a unit in the Navy, use terms like “supervisor” if the main character in your story works below them.
Include anecdotes and quotes to give your article life and let them carry the piece. You can even write quotes like dialogue, as long as you’re still directly quoting the interviewee. If you write the tragic story of a man who lost his wife, for example, you could describe their happiness together, the events that separated them, and finally, the emotional fallout he experienced after the loss.
Altering your account of events or facts makes the whole story less credible. You can express an opinion, use emotional language, and be compelling without changing the facts!
Fact-check your story to ensure you haven’t included incorrect information. Think about the story’s focus and the emotions you identified earlier. Did you convey them the way you intended? You could revise the piece if you feel a different delivery will impact readers more.
