Adolph Rupp was at Kentucky, Frank McGuire at North Carolina and a 7-footer named Wilt Chamberlain was about to make Kansas a basketball threat.
The year was 1957. (Use research books to find things that happened in that year.)
Everybody liked Ike and Elvis was crooning about a hound dog, when Glenn Wilkes of Mansfield, Ga., left Brewton-Parker (Ga.) Junior College for the head coaching job at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla.
And he hasn't left yet.
(body of the story goes on about Wilkes and his coaching.)
Tie-back Ending: "I enjoy my job every bit as much now as I did when I started. . . Maybe even a little more."
The year was 1957. (Use research books to find things that happened in that year.)
Everybody liked Ike and Elvis was crooning about a hound dog, when Glenn Wilkes of Mansfield, Ga., left Brewton-Parker (Ga.) Junior College for the head coaching job at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla.
And he hasn't left yet.
(body of the story goes on about Wilkes and his coaching.)
Tie-back Ending: "I enjoy my job every bit as much now as I did when I started. . . Maybe even a little more."
Quote lead
Not considered a good way to begin; however, this is a good example of an acceptable quote lead:
"I have the worst job in the Army." This is an example of a good quote lead because the reader asks, "What could that possibly be?"
Second paragraph to the quote lead used paralanguage (Tennessee accent) with body motion facial gesture (didn't smile):
Chaplain Col. William J. "Bill" Hughes spoke with his trademark, gentle Tennessee accent.
But he didn't smile. His new job - in the event of a ground war - will be to minister to Fort Hood familes whose loved ones have been killed in action in the Middle East.
"I have the worst job in the Army." This is an example of a good quote lead because the reader asks, "What could that possibly be?"
Second paragraph to the quote lead used paralanguage (Tennessee accent) with body motion facial gesture (didn't smile):
Chaplain Col. William J. "Bill" Hughes spoke with his trademark, gentle Tennessee accent.
But he didn't smile. His new job - in the event of a ground war - will be to minister to Fort Hood familes whose loved ones have been killed in action in the Middle East.
Scene-setting lead
Note the present tense.
Like a beauty pageant entrant, (original analogy) Donald Hofeditz struts his vital statistics. He curls his thumb in the waistband to show he's a size 36, down from 40. He pats his stomach where 50 pounds used to rest. And he rubs his chest about his now healthy cholesterol level of 177.
Note repetition - beginning sentence with "he" and then using "and" in the last sentence.
Hofeditz even relishes showing his "before" pictures. The pot-bellied 71-year-old in the early 1980s was unable to cut his backyard grass because of the cumbersome weight.
Like a beauty pageant entrant, (original analogy) Donald Hofeditz struts his vital statistics. He curls his thumb in the waistband to show he's a size 36, down from 40. He pats his stomach where 50 pounds used to rest. And he rubs his chest about his now healthy cholesterol level of 177.
Note repetition - beginning sentence with "he" and then using "and" in the last sentence.
Hofeditz even relishes showing his "before" pictures. The pot-bellied 71-year-old in the early 1980s was unable to cut his backyard grass because of the cumbersome weight.
Anecdote
Notice specific details:
Nine and a half hours before the war began, the telephone rang in Rami Zamani's small apartment in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. Zamani, a 45-year-old construction engineer, lifted the receiver and heard the frightened voice of his sister, 6,000 miles away in Bagdad. Then Zamani's mother came on the line and asked her eldest son to tell her when and if the war would come. "She was crying for help, basically," says Zamani, a ruminative, full-bellied man who spent his first 25 years in Iraq before moving.
Nine and a half hours before the war began, the telephone rang in Rami Zamani's small apartment in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. Zamani, a 45-year-old construction engineer, lifted the receiver and heard the frightened voice of his sister, 6,000 miles away in Bagdad. Then Zamani's mother came on the line and asked her eldest son to tell her when and if the war would come. "She was crying for help, basically," says Zamani, a ruminative, full-bellied man who spent his first 25 years in Iraq before moving.
Allusion
At first look, Paula Greif appears to be lifted out of a sappy Walter Keane painting, all large eyes and long dark hair, with the diminuitive bone structure of a waif. She doesn't look like the type who would wear a bright red bra and a G-string. But it was Greif who lent Madonna the provocative lingerie and directed the underwear-clad, flag-draped Material Girl in an MTV public service announcement that threatens nonvoters with a spanking.
Getting tidbits
Elena Shemetoff wants the world to remember the great span of Alexander Siloti's hands. She mimics their spread, their position at the keyboard; she describes the singing tone their weight brought. Smoke rises from a Dunhill (this is a ritzy, expensive brand of cigarettes) as she says, "Nobility is the most prominent quality in his playing, in his life."
In her West Side apartment, where two grand pianos shoulder each other like rugby players in a scrum, Shemetoff muses.
In her West Side apartment, where two grand pianos shoulder each other like rugby players in a scrum, Shemetoff muses.
Description
Anguilla, 10 minutes by air from Saint Martin, (this locates the place)is a Rip Van Winkle of an island, a sleepy sand spit that was dormant until about 20 years ago.
Onomatopoeia
Clang, clang, sounded the new engine for a few brief minutes, and then hisssss, a screeeech and booomm - it exploded.
Pun
Trash collectors at this college have been down in the dumps lately.
Sequence
Professor Jim Martin slipped quietly through the door, removed his rain-drenched hat and coat and dropped them into the corner. He pulled from his pocket his well-worn Henny Youngman joke book... (lead about comedian-professor)
Then and now
Joe Blow's grandmother attended this college in 1949 in the old German school on Alamo Street.
Today, Blow, an architecture major, has designs on renovating the structure into a museum for the Alamo Community College District.
Today, Blow, an architecture major, has designs on renovating the structure into a museum for the Alamo Community College District.
Contrast
Lights in Loftin Student Center burn brightly every day, but the building is wrapped in darkness every night.
Description
Picketers stroll lazily in front of Loftin Student Center...
Break Format
He said he would — and he did. (lead has nice rhythm.)
Below are a dozen different ways you can begin your story.
Remember: A lead sets the tone and mood for the rest of your story, so choose carefully. Depending on what you're writing about, certain leads may be more appropriate than others.
If none of the leads listed below from CubReporters.org seem like a good fit, try coming up with your own approach. Just make sure that your lead gets to the point quickly and entices the reader to read on.
Summary Lead
The summary lead is the most traditional lead in a journalism article. It is to the point and factual. It's meant to give a reader a quick summary of the story in as few words as possible (should be 30 words or less), usually in one sentence. It contains the essence of the story (i.e. the most important, but not necessarily all, of the 5 Ws and H -- who, what, when, where, why and how). It cites the source of any opinions.
WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress yesterday that U.S. economic growth appeared to be slowing, heading off for the moment any need to raise interest rates. Wall Street responded with a cheer, sending stocks and bonds soaring.
Single-Item Lead
This lead focuses on just one or two elements of a summary lead for a bigger punch. For instance, when the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series, their first championship since 1980, a story posted online by the Associated Press began with this single-item lead:
The Philadelphia Phillies are World Champions again.
As opposed to this typical summary lead, which Reuters used:
The Philadelphia Phillies ended their long wait for a World Series title with a short burst of baseball last night as they clinched the crown by completing a rain-suspended 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Delayed Identification Lead
Sometimes with summary leads, you don't always want to clearly identify the subject (or the who) right away. In the above examples, the who -- Alan Greenspan and the Phillies -- were identified because they were really essential elements of the story. People don't just want to hear that a baseball team won a championship -- they want to know which team. Similarly, when the Federal Reserve chairman speaks, people listen.
Often, however, the subject doesn't have much name recognition, nor do readers care all that much about the subject's name. So, use a descriptive pronoun to identify the person in the lead. Provide his specific name and title in a later paragraph.
For example, take this lead about a school board scuffle in the Providence Journal. What made this story newsworthy was the what (the fight). So, I lead with details about that and identified names in a later paragraph:
LINCOLN, R.I. -- A School Committee member has filed an assault complaint against a fellow member, accusing her of grabbing her nose and twisting it following an executive session Thursday night.
Patricia A. Iannelli yesterday alleged in an interview that fellow committee member Lucille J. Mandeville "grabbed my nose and proceeded to twist my nose" following a rancorous discussion during a closed-door School Committee meeting.
Creative Lead
Unless you're writing hard news for a daily newspaper or regularly-updated website, the summary lead just doesn't reel in readers. You need to take a more creative approach. Consider this summary lead:
A late spring snowstorm surprised forecasters and drivers Tuesday afternoon, triggering more than 30 accidents, Cleveland police officials said.
Instead, you could try a more creative approach, such as the example immediately below.
Short Sentence Lead
This lead uses one word or a short phrase as a teaser for the rest of the lead. Readers may find this gimmicky, so use this approach sparingly. Here's an example:
One-fifth of an inch.
That's all the snow it took to trigger more than 30 accidents on local roads yesterday as a late spring storm snuck up on Cleveland motorists.
Analogy Lead
This lead makes a comparison between an issue or event you're writing about and something more familiar to the average reader. This approach can work well when you have a complex or foreign matter you want to explain in laymen's terms. Consider:
AMSTERDAM -- The Netherlands is considering anti-terrorism laws that make the United States' Patriot Act look like a civil libertarian's dream come true.
Wordplay Lead
This lead involves a clever turn of phrase, name or word. Be careful using this lead because it can mislead the reader. The reader may think your story is about one thing and then discover it's about something else and get annoyed.
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Bill Clinton will finally get taken to the cleaners.
So will Dracula and a Playboy bunny.
The three are among some 6,000 smoke-damaged costumes that will visit dry cleaners in the next few days, because of a fire that broke out Wednesday night at Morris Novelty, a popular costume and novelty store.
Scenic Lead
This lead begins with a description of the scene surrounding an event. It is typically used for stories in which the setting is prominent, such as stories about festive events, performances and sports. It can also be used to strike a mood appropriate for the story.
The lights shine down and the music surrounds her as she spins across the stage into the arms of her partner. The audience roars its approval as the music slows and the curtains begin to close.
It's the end of just another workday for teenager Chelsea Rittenhouse.
At 18, the Howell resident is the youngest member of the New York Theater Ballet, which describes itself as the most widely seen chamber ballet company in the United States. The professional group also tours abroad.
Storytelling Lead
Using a narrative style, begin by introducing the main characters, the conflict, and perhaps the setting of the story. Make readers feel the drama and want to know what's going to happen next. Wall Street Journal reporter Angelo Henderson used this approach to begin his Pulitzer Prize-winning article about a pharmacist who is driven to violence by his encounters with armed robbery:
DETROIT -- "Get on the ground," a man holding a gun screamed. "I'll blow your heads off if you move."
Dennis Grehl and a co-worker complied. Dreamlike, he found himself lying face down on a cold, gritty black-tile floor, a pistol against the back of his head.
"Please, mister, don't make me shoot you," a second gunman threatened.
A crazy memory: tiny specks of light floating in the tile; that, and the paralyzing weight of helplessness.
Grehl is a pharmacist, unassuming, mild mannered. A family man with a wife and a daughter.
He was being robbed.
Amazing Fact Lead
Open with an amazing fact that arouses readers interest, such as:
WASHINGTON -- Sixty percent of Americans oppose the U.S. war in Iraq, the highest number since polling on the subject began with the commencement of the war in March 2003, according to poll results and trends released Wednesday. (CNN)
Startling Statement Lead
Open with a startling statement that arouses reader interest. An anniversary story about a widely-publicized murder used this unique angle:
LINCOLN, R.I. -- The first thing Elizabeth Moon sees in the morning is the room where her father was beaten to death.
It was one year ago yesterday that she and this bucolic town were stunned by the brutal and still unsolved murder of Dr. Alfred C. Moon. The radiologist's naked body was found in his bed, bludgeoned with a lamp.
According to an autopsy report, the medical pioneer who brought the CAT scan to Rhode Island died from "blunt force deforming-type trauma" so severe that he had to be identified by dental records.
Elizabeth Moon acknowledges that many people think it's "creepy" that her family lives in the house where it happened. To her, the light gray house with aqua shutters on Briarwood Road is not where her father died, but the place where he lived.
Opposite Lead
Cite first one point of view or observation and then follow with the opposite view, like this:
Facebook rots the brain, according to a report by a Stansbury University psychology professor. Jim Wallace, honors student and an avid user of the popular website, says that just isn't true.
List Lead
Sometimes instead of focusing on just one person, place or thing, you want to impress the reader with a longer list. Consider this next example about the growing popularity of general aviation in Phoenix. Because of the diversity of examples, many readers probably can identify with at least one of the pilots:
Whenever sixth-grader Vasil Evanoff has a day off from school, he hops into a Cessna 152 and takes to the skies.
On weekends, Sue Sumner likes to fly her grandson around the Valley, just to see the sights.
There's a special restaurant that funeral director Lincoln Ragsdale Jr. likes to visit for breakfast, but it's 115 miles away from home. He climbs in his Beech Bonanza A-36, and an hour later, he's eating pancakes in Sedona.
Evanoff, Sumner and Ragsdale are among the growing numbers of Arizonans piloting small airplanes.
Below are a dozen different ways you can begin your story.
Remember: A lead sets the tone and mood for the rest of your story, so choose carefully. Depending on what you're writing about, certain leads may be more appropriate than others.
If none of the leads listed below from CubReporters.org seem like a good fit, try coming up with your own approach. Just make sure that your lead gets to the point quickly and entices the reader to read on.
Summary Lead
The summary lead is the most traditional lead in a journalism article. It is to the point and factual. It's meant to give a reader a quick summary of the story in as few words as possible (should be 30 words or less), usually in one sentence. It contains the essence of the story (i.e. the most important, but not necessarily all, of the 5 Ws and H -- who, what, when, where, why and how). It cites the source of any opinions.
WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress yesterday that U.S. economic growth appeared to be slowing, heading off for the moment any need to raise interest rates. Wall Street responded with a cheer, sending stocks and bonds soaring.
Single-Item Lead
This lead focuses on just one or two elements of a summary lead for a bigger punch. For instance, when the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series, their first championship since 1980, a story posted online by the Associated Press began with this single-item lead:
The Philadelphia Phillies are World Champions again.
As opposed to this typical summary lead, which Reuters used:
The Philadelphia Phillies ended their long wait for a World Series title with a short burst of baseball last night as they clinched the crown by completing a rain-suspended 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Delayed Identification Lead
Sometimes with summary leads, you don't always want to clearly identify the subject (or the who) right away. In the above examples, the who -- Alan Greenspan and the Phillies -- were identified because they were really essential elements of the story. People don't just want to hear that a baseball team won a championship -- they want to know which team. Similarly, when the Federal Reserve chairman speaks, people listen.
Often, however, the subject doesn't have much name recognition, nor do readers care all that much about the subject's name. So, use a descriptive pronoun to identify the person in the lead. Provide his specific name and title in a later paragraph.
For example, take this lead about a school board scuffle in the Providence Journal. What made this story newsworthy was the what (the fight). So, I lead with details about that and identified names in a later paragraph:
LINCOLN, R.I. -- A School Committee member has filed an assault complaint against a fellow member, accusing her of grabbing her nose and twisting it following an executive session Thursday night.
Patricia A. Iannelli yesterday alleged in an interview that fellow committee member Lucille J. Mandeville "grabbed my nose and proceeded to twist my nose" following a rancorous discussion during a closed-door School Committee meeting.
Creative Lead
Unless you're writing hard news for a daily newspaper or regularly-updated website, the summary lead just doesn't reel in readers. You need to take a more creative approach. Consider this summary lead:
A late spring snowstorm surprised forecasters and drivers Tuesday afternoon, triggering more than 30 accidents, Cleveland police officials said.
Instead, you could try a more creative approach, such as the example immediately below.
Short Sentence Lead
This lead uses one word or a short phrase as a teaser for the rest of the lead. Readers may find this gimmicky, so use this approach sparingly. Here's an example:
One-fifth of an inch.
That's all the snow it took to trigger more than 30 accidents on local roads yesterday as a late spring storm snuck up on Cleveland motorists.
Analogy Lead
This lead makes a comparison between an issue or event you're writing about and something more familiar to the average reader. This approach can work well when you have a complex or foreign matter you want to explain in laymen's terms. Consider:
AMSTERDAM -- The Netherlands is considering anti-terrorism laws that make the United States' Patriot Act look like a civil libertarian's dream come true.
Wordplay Lead
This lead involves a clever turn of phrase, name or word. Be careful using this lead because it can mislead the reader. The reader may think your story is about one thing and then discover it's about something else and get annoyed.
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Bill Clinton will finally get taken to the cleaners.
So will Dracula and a Playboy bunny.
The three are among some 6,000 smoke-damaged costumes that will visit dry cleaners in the next few days, because of a fire that broke out Wednesday night at Morris Novelty, a popular costume and novelty store.
Scenic Lead
This lead begins with a description of the scene surrounding an event. It is typically used for stories in which the setting is prominent, such as stories about festive events, performances and sports. It can also be used to strike a mood appropriate for the story.
The lights shine down and the music surrounds her as she spins across the stage into the arms of her partner. The audience roars its approval as the music slows and the curtains begin to close.
It's the end of just another workday for teenager Chelsea Rittenhouse.
At 18, the Howell resident is the youngest member of the New York Theater Ballet, which describes itself as the most widely seen chamber ballet company in the United States. The professional group also tours abroad.
Storytelling Lead
Using a narrative style, begin by introducing the main characters, the conflict, and perhaps the setting of the story. Make readers feel the drama and want to know what's going to happen next. Wall Street Journal reporter Angelo Henderson used this approach to begin his Pulitzer Prize-winning article about a pharmacist who is driven to violence by his encounters with armed robbery:
DETROIT -- "Get on the ground," a man holding a gun screamed. "I'll blow your heads off if you move."
Dennis Grehl and a co-worker complied. Dreamlike, he found himself lying face down on a cold, gritty black-tile floor, a pistol against the back of his head.
"Please, mister, don't make me shoot you," a second gunman threatened.
A crazy memory: tiny specks of light floating in the tile; that, and the paralyzing weight of helplessness.
Grehl is a pharmacist, unassuming, mild mannered. A family man with a wife and a daughter.
He was being robbed.
Amazing Fact Lead
Open with an amazing fact that arouses readers interest, such as:
WASHINGTON -- Sixty percent of Americans oppose the U.S. war in Iraq, the highest number since polling on the subject began with the commencement of the war in March 2003, according to poll results and trends released Wednesday. (CNN)
Startling Statement Lead
Open with a startling statement that arouses reader interest. An anniversary story about a widely-publicized murder used this unique angle:
LINCOLN, R.I. -- The first thing Elizabeth Moon sees in the morning is the room where her father was beaten to death.
It was one year ago yesterday that she and this bucolic town were stunned by the brutal and still unsolved murder of Dr. Alfred C. Moon. The radiologist's naked body was found in his bed, bludgeoned with a lamp.
According to an autopsy report, the medical pioneer who brought the CAT scan to Rhode Island died from "blunt force deforming-type trauma" so severe that he had to be identified by dental records.
Elizabeth Moon acknowledges that many people think it's "creepy" that her family lives in the house where it happened. To her, the light gray house with aqua shutters on Briarwood Road is not where her father died, but the place where he lived.
Opposite Lead
Cite first one point of view or observation and then follow with the opposite view, like this:
Facebook rots the brain, according to a report by a Stansbury University psychology professor. Jim Wallace, honors student and an avid user of the popular website, says that just isn't true.
List Lead
Sometimes instead of focusing on just one person, place or thing, you want to impress the reader with a longer list. Consider this next example about the growing popularity of general aviation in Phoenix. Because of the diversity of examples, many readers probably can identify with at least one of the pilots:
Whenever sixth-grader Vasil Evanoff has a day off from school, he hops into a Cessna 152 and takes to the skies.
On weekends, Sue Sumner likes to fly her grandson around the Valley, just to see the sights.
There's a special restaurant that funeral director Lincoln Ragsdale Jr. likes to visit for breakfast, but it's 115 miles away from home. He climbs in his Beech Bonanza A-36, and an hour later, he's eating pancakes in Sedona.
Evanoff, Sumner and Ragsdale are among the growing numbers of Arizonans piloting small airplanes.
More on leads
How to Write a Lead
Gallery of Award-winning Leads
How to Write Good Story Leads