Memorable Leads and Conclusions: Master the Art of Creating the Most Powerful Portions of Your Publication

The lead is the "hook" in your article. It should be powerful or interesting enough to compel readers to read the article. The conclusion typically includes what you want your audience to do or remember about the article.

 

Types of Leads

Summary Lead — The standard beginning of a news story, the summary lead answers the following key questions:

• What happened?
  
• Who was affected or involved?
  
• Where did the event happen?
  
• When did the event happen?
  
• Why should your readers care?
 

Blind Lead — Instead of immediately delving into the details like a summary lead, use short succinct generalizations to capture reader interest.

Delayed Identification Lead — A useful tool for personality or human-interest stories, a delayed identification lead includes a person’s name, but saves complete identification for later in the story.

Direct Quote Lead — A once-fashionable method of beginning speech stories, a colorful or emotional quote can effectively draw readers into the story.

Leading with a Metaphor — This technique involves saying that something is something else, as when Mark Twain said,” Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.”

Leading with a Simile — Because similes say that something is like something else, they are useful for opening stories that will compare items or ideas, such as, “ A pretty girl is like a melody.”

Leading with an Anecdote — Analogies help readers grasp complex concepts by placing them in a context the reader can understand. For example, stories about the federal budget deficit begin by saying, “Each American household would have to pay $X to eliminate the nation’s shortfall.”

Setting a Scene — A useful technique for feature stories, these delayed leads craft a mental picture for readers, then link the picture with the main subject of the story.

Posing a Question — As with headlines, a writer must exercise great caution in writing a lead that poses a question to the reader. To involve the reader, and effective question should require comprehensive thought and creates a cut-off point for people with short attention spans or heavy demands on their time.

Tease — A tease can effectively capture reader attention by presenting a puzzle, intentional ambiguity, insinuation or a new twist on a cliché.

Zinger — Zingers draw readers into body copy by setting them up, then “zinging” them with an effective play on words.

 

In Conclusion Common endings include:

• Summary endings, which involve condensing and repeating ideas or information.
  
• Referral endings, which make some type of reference to your lead-in.
  
• Calls to action, or a response ending, which asks the reader to take a specific action.