15 Steps To Writing The Perfect Lead
The following are lead-writing tips taken from "Writing the Perfect Lead", a booklet written by Don Gibb, a Ryerson School of Journalism professor and former city editor of the London Free Press.
- Don't settle for the first lead you write.
- Make sure every word serves a purpose.
- Read your lead aloud. It will give you a much better sense of how it sounds. If you stumble over a word or phrase, you can bet the reader will too.
- Take a second and third look at any numbers you've used. Does the reader need all the numbers to understand the story?
- Does the lead give the reader specific information, or is the language too general and vague. Have you told the reader the news or simply repeated the subject topic. Don't settle for a routine, so-what lead.
- Can attribution be left for a later paragraph?
- Can the time element be saved for the second or third paragraph?
- Can someone's job title or position be considered or left until later?
- Is the lead too long? Can you eliminate secondary detail?
- What makes this story different?
- If you began with the time element and location, you should look for a better beginning.
- Make sure you haven't injected your opinion in the lead.
- Try your lead on another reporter.
- Are the facts in the lead backed up by the rest of the story?
- Ask yourself: would I read on?
Don is also available for in-house seminars on writing, editing, reporting, critiquing and coaching...both group sessions and one-on-one.