Sometimes getting the first, or lead, paragraph right is the hardest thing about writing a story. Whether it’s a blog post, a short video or podcast or even an opinion column, get it right, and the rest of the content will flow. Remember there are seven main lead sentence styles that can set the scene to draw audiences in. Try writing one or two of these then choose the one that you feel works best.
Summary lead
This answers the 5Ws of the story, (who, what, where, how, why, when) in one sentence and is usually the best choice for a news story. A Company is launching A Product at A Trade Show taking place On A Date, in A Town. The reader gets the all the facts at a glance and can make a decision about where it’s worthwhile to read on.
Question lead
Good for longer feature stories or op-eds, this lead can be effective in drawing readers in. What has wheels, is green and everyone is jumping on it? The environmental bandwagon is rolling through marketing departments of large corporations all over the western world as companies seek to appeal to ethically motivated millennials. This raises curiosity with the question and explains issue being discussed in the answer. Avoid using questions that require a yes/no answer. Have you made your will yet? The risk is the reader will think: No I’m not interested, and then hit delete. Or, he or she might think: Yes so I don’t need this info, and then hit delete.
Factual lead
Using statistics and hard facts up front can gain immediate interest and encourages the reader to go further into the story. Fifty per cent of working mothers fail to prepare healthy family meals because they ‘just don’t have the time’, according to a survey conducted by A Meal Preparation Company. The target audience will identify regardless of which side of the issue they fall on.
Quotation lead 1
Drawing on well-known sayings and famous quotes gives immediate context. Mark Twain once said that reports of his death were greatly exaggerated; this could also be said of a faithful PR tool…the news release. Most people are familiar withe the quote and they understand it to mean: don’t take reports at face value. They now have the context to read on to find out why the news release remains a useful communications tool.
Quotation lead 2
This one is a first cousin of the factual lead and is a great way to report on events and speeches and for comment stories. It pushes a quote from someone featured in the story to the top “There was no collusion. Everybody knows there was no collusion” is a good example of quotation lead for a story about a recent Trump rally. “I don’t think I’ll have a career after this.” This quote led many of the news stories that resulted when Kathy Griffen apologized for her bad-taste Trump joke.
Anecdotal lead
This lead offers the reader a glimpse at the feelings, results and specifics of the story you are writing. For example: “Leo Muldoon, now 78 and gone grey, grew up on the farm where he nearly died Sept. 21, one of 12 kids raised in an old brick homestead with no running water, set deep on a fertile plain around Dunrobin.” This is the opening sentence of a three-sentence lead paragraph used to tell a story of a survivor of a weather disaster.
Descriptive lead
This is where you draw a picture with words to put your reader into the scene and is very effective for longer feature stories. It was a dark and stormy night. This example clichéd but it makes the point. Here’s a longer example: Sitting in the food court of a busy suburban mall, the yummy mummies were ignoring their designer prams while greedily gulping down lattes and exchanging lively banter among themselves. Readers can picture themselves in the scene and, in a sense, become part of the story.
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Quality content covering timeless subjects keeps attracting visitors (and, if you’re a business, potential clients and buyers) indefinitely. Few people who own Web sites – not even those who pay for PR – realize that every post made is an investment.
While some subjects are quickly dated, others – such as how to write well – change very little even over decades. When your article is superior to all of the others out there it will continue to attract links. Over time, when the search engines are working well, the best rise to the top (based on quality incoming links with appropriate anchor text).
Between blogging and Social Media, every targeted piece posted online could suddenly reap huge benefits. Some Social Networking users have large followings, so a mention by them can generate numerous links and potentially even thousands of visitors in one day.
The Internet has changed greatly in the past few years. Those who understand it will reap benefits from seeds planted long ago. Wise businesses are well advised to hone their writing skills or hire those – like you – who have them. Use those skills to offer quality content that points back to what they do best.
People buy from those who answer their questions and help them make decisions with confidence. Few businesses do this as well as they could. Those that do will grow – even and especially – during difficult economic times.
I’m loving that there is still life in this post. 🙂
This was the most complete, concise article covering this very important writing skill: keeping readers interested enough to keep reading. I hope your clients appreciate your ability to create exceptional content that will attract quality links and potential business. Some topics, such as this one, are timeless. They keep growing your traffic and sales indefinitely.
Thanks for the great tips. As starter in writing articles this will surely help me in doing my content. I hope there are still more advices to come.
I’ll visit this site often.
-Jan
Thank you, sherilynne, for posting this. I am trying to teach a yearbook class about how to write more effective leads, and I found this very helpful.
Thanks Richard
Great advice: I’ve added a link to this post from my wiki page devoted to (PR) writing.