As a news consumer, what makes a good lead? What about a lead hooks you and makes you want to read/watch/listen?

As journalists, it is our responsibility to report the news to the public.  The audience has a need to know what is going on around them but they are only interested in certain stories that they feel are important.  If they are captivated by the story then they will want to know more.  If they aren’t drawn in however, then it is easy for them to lose interest and not want to listen to the story.  That being said, journalists need to find a way to not only report the news but to also make the public interested at the gate so they want to continue listening.  That is why the lead to a story is so important.

But what makes a good lead?  What is it that you the public wants to hear that will make you want to keep listening?  With the world the way it is today with fast moving media and social networks, people want to be able to get their information as quickly as possible.  They don’t have the time to read long elaborate opening paragraphs.  Instead they want to know what they need to and move on with their lives.

 One example of this would be a summary lead.  A summary lead is a sentence long that tells what the rest of the story is going to be about.  It will include some but not all of the questions who? What? When? Where? Why? How?  If you try to cram all of these into one sentence then it will not come out properly.  You will often see these used in news releases which need to be brief and newsworthy.  When a consumer reads or hears a summary lead they are immediately being told what the gist of the story is and can determine if it is relevant.  That is why it is so important when preparing your summary lead to include the most important information that the audience would want to know.  If there was a murder committed near a college campus then it should be included in the lead to be able to draw in the audience so they can find more details about the crime.

Another good example of a lead that draws audiences in is an impact lead.  It explains how the readers and viewers will be affected by a certain issue.  It immediately answers the question so what?  How does this affect me?  With both questions answered in one sentence, the audience is finding out quickly what they need to know and if they should continue listening.  If you read or hear something that affects you then you will automatically be drawn in to the rest of the story for further details.

All in all, when we write we want you to be interested.  We don’t want to beat around the bush.  Instead we get to the point so that you the audience finds out what you need to as fast as possible.  We understand how the world works, everything is in fast motion.  There isn’t always time to sit around and read or listen to things that are not relevant.  By making the news story immediately relevant, we are able to draw you into our story and make you want to know more.

Another thing to do is to try and tease the audience with a surprise that leads to the main idea of the story.  It is something different but can definitely be effective.  Anything that draws you guys to our story is worth giving a shot and that is the main objective after all.  When in doubt, just stay classy.