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What you're reading now is called the lead—the interface between the headline and the content. As with headlines, there's no one way to write them; however, here are some helpful tips:
Try starting with a question.
After the headline, open with a question, then follow with a little-known fact about your question. For example, say you're writing an article on the benefits of exercise. Your lead might be:
"Why exercise? Be careful—the most important reason might not be uppermost in your mind."
Try starting with a quote.
Sometimes a subject-matter expert might say something intriguing—and that could become your lead. Recently, I was interviewing a human resource expert when he said: "The most important failing of most managers or owners is hiring in
their own image. We all go into candidate interviews looking for people just like us." I used that quote as my lead.
Try telling a story that starts in the middle.
Beginning at the beginning is often boring. Jumping into the middle can be more interesting:
"Last week, John Mailman was called up on stage to thunderous applause. It had been a long time coming."
Try adding suspense.
Withholding a key fact can build interest and entice a reader into the story. For example:
"Price and quality may be XYZ Corp.'s best-known leadership areas. But new research says something else holds the number one spot in customers' minds—and it has nothing to do with our products…"
Try painting a picture.
Set a scene or tell an anecdote—but don't go on too long. Readers want you to get to it!
"African art lines one wall of Prescott's office—polished, long-limbed human figures. 'They remind me of who I am,' he says."'
Or:
"John Tillman had to ace his geometry exam, so he stayed up all night, studied hard and got a 92. The question is: By staying up, did he flunk a test he didn't even know he was taking?"
Try a concept.
What's a concept, you might ask? It's an idea, but a special one—perhaps a twist on a word or an old expression—that rivets attention. For example:
"Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head and goes through their pockets."
Another example, a lead from a recent Dallas Morning News article:
"Seeing isn't believing—or shouldn't be. That's the message behind the latest works of Sigmar Polke, the internationally acclaimed German artist whose…"
Here's a third example, one that plays off the word "make:"
"If you ask employees at the XYZ factory what they make there, they'll proudly tell you "nylon" and describe their products enthusiastically. But a project the mill has been involved in for some time speaks volumes about what they produce
there in addition to fine products—good will toward their surrounding community."
Try a second-person lead.
Use "you:"
"You'd think by now we would have had enough of red-light runners, but no…."
Or:
"If you've ever approached the U.S. Naval Academy by sea, you know what a breathtaking sight it is."
Or:
"When was the last time you …"
Try stating a problem; then follow up with the solution.
The problem-solution approach is as old as dirt, but it works:
"The XYZ school district faced a problem: Its middle school and high school running track infrastructure had become outdated. Virtually all the tracks needed resurfacing…"
DON'T write a lead that overstays its welcome.
How often have you become annoyed with a lead that goes on too long and seems to keep you from getting into the story? I have—too often! It's counterproductive. Especially when writing for the Web, do not put off satisfying the
question or the problem raised in the lead. Put yourself in your reader's place. Again, get to it!
The most important thing: Try!
If one approach doesn't work, try another. Don't give up until you get it right!
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