COMMUNICATION FOR JOURNALIST: that’s not always possible.

Get to the important

WRITING A LEAD information as fast as possible. For example, an
article about a shooting on 7th Avenue should
Journalists know they typically have one not start with a description of that day’s
paragraph to grab readers. Writers in weather. 
newsrooms frequently joke that any
information after the first paragraph is lost, SHORT IS BETTER.
because no one reads past the first paragraph. Long-winded lead paragraphs result in people
That puts a lot of pressure on knowing how to clicking on something that gets interesting
write a lead.  faster. 

LEAD - A lead or an (intro) is the beginning KEEP IT SIMPLE

paragraph for a story. It is the hardest part to Let the facts speak for themselves without the
write as it sets the tone and introduces the needless adornment of adjectives or (especially)
reader to the rest of the story. adverbs.  

CONCEPT GROUNDING WRITE IN ACTIVE VOICE

Writing the opening paragraph of a news article
or the lead is one of the challenging tasks. The
manner of presenting the lead may dissuade
the readers field reading the entire news article.
Perhaps, a traditional way of opening a news
article is using the summary lead or the straight
lead(presenting the W’s and the H). Other types
of lead include question lead, quotation lead,
anecdotal lead and descriptive lead.
Use active verbs. Writing “a grizzly bear chased
four campers through the forest” is better than
“four campers were chased by a grizzly bear.”
Also, use precise language. If it’s a grizzly bear,
use “grizzly bear,” not just “bear” or “animal.” 
USE PYRAMID STYLE
Pyramid style requires putting important, new
information at the top of an article, then using
subsequent paragraphs to provide details.  

Whatever type of lead you decide to use THE FIVE W’S AND H
remember to: Who?
 Emphasize the most important details What?
 Be specific and concise When?
 Use active verbs as much as possible Where?
Why?
TIPS ON HOW TO WRITE A LEAD How?

BE HONEST
A lead headline and lead paragraph on “sex lives
of the rich and famous” might have grabbed
more attention on this article, but that’s not
what the article is about. Using “click bait”
leads only angers readers who may never visit
your site again. 

PROVIDE INFORMATION
Journalists attempt to answer as fast as possible
the following questions: who, what, when,
where, and how. Also answer “why,” although
 TYPES OF LEAD

QUESTION LEAD
Many editor dislike question lead on the basis
that people read newspaper to get answer, and
not to be asked question. But, if the question is
provocative, it may be used as a lead.

ZINGERS
A zinger lead works on occasion. Typically, it
should contain an end that is unexpected given
the sentence’s beginning. Examples: “The Wall
Street trader lit a cigar and talked about the
days when he dreamed of no longer living in a
QUOTATION LEAD box.” Or: “The Grand Dame of the socialite set
Quotes frequently are the essential stood before the room at the Ritz Carlton,
documentation for a lead and should be used covered in deer blood.” 
immediately after a paraphrase that
summarizes them.

DESCRIPTIVE LEAD
A descriptive lead describes how an event CONTEXTUAL LEADS
happened rather than simply telling what the These don’t always scan as well with readers,
event is about. but journalists use them to put information into
context. For example: “After years of debate
GAG (FUNNY) LEAD and argument over how and when to raise taxes
A journalist who writes a funny story put up the that will fund a new roof at Smith Elementary
saddest face in a newsroom. Journalistic humor School, the school board took one small step
requires the skilled and practice. forward Tuesday by deciding when to hold the
meeting at which they will finally make a
decision.”  
SCENE SETTING
Interview articles with famous people
sometimes begin with a scene-setting few
paragraphs that give the reader detail on how
this person lives.  For example, if Tom Cruise
has a room full of vintage accordions, that’s an
interesting place to start. 

ANECDOTAL LEAD
The Anecdotal lead is used when the anecdote
is bright and applicable and not too wasteful of
space.

Understanding how to start an article helps

writers do a better job at attracting readers and
retaining them – sometimes, even past the first
paragraph.