Writing leads How you start is quite important

Intro In mass media writing, we refer to the opening paragraph of a story as the lead. It is also sometimes spelled lede, to avoid confusion with the word lead, which has multiple meanings.

Why’s it so important? Particular importance is placed on the lead because: - It often contains the most newsworthy information in the story. - It serves to “hook” the reader. A good lead draws readers into the story and gets them interested in reading on. - Web searches.

Poor leads An otherwise quality story might never be read if it suffers from a poor lead. The reader may just decide to stop reading if the opening is no good.

The straight news lead A typical lead for an inverted pyramid story is one that delivers the most important information straight at the top. Good because it gets to the point quickly. Readers are used to this structure. It is familiar to us all.

Technical structure A good lead is typically 25 words or less. We follow normal rules for punctuation, grammar, word usage and verb tense in good leads.

Leads answer basic questions Who, what, where and when. Lead contains just enough information to relay the main news. Other details can go in subsequent paragraphs.

So what is the big deal? When we are starting a story, writers need to decide what is the most important piece of information to relay. What about this story has the greatest impact on the most readers or viewers in my audience?

Basic types of stories and leads An accident – was anyone injured or killed? Damage? Tragedies – fire, robbery, crime. What was the result? Money – taxes, fees, tuition hikes. Changes? Something that is spectacular or unusual. Something this is new. New business, new product, etc.

Emphasize Your lead should emphasize your story’s most interesting and important developments. It should emphasize the story’s impact on readers and viewers in your audience. It should emphasize the most unusual or unexpected developments.

All those terms to refer to leads In the portion of the textbook on leads, the author used several different terms to describe leads. Don’t worry so much about the specific terms; instead, focus on absorbing the concepts behind the terms.

Avoid leads like these Questions. Leads that ask a question are not good. Stories answer questions instead of raising them. Direct quotations. Do not use. Ever. They lack context. Definitions. Snore. Cliches.

Similarities If you look at leads in print and broadcast news reports, you’ll find similarities in structure are apparent. Also public relations and advertising. In PR and advertising, leads can take on even more importance, because you are trying to promote or sell something, and you may have limited time and/or space.