What are the main types of Leads?

The lead is meant to capture the attention of the reader. It should draw the reader, listener or viewer to the story. The leads can be classified into two namely: hard lead and soft lead. A hard lead summarizes the essential facts of the story, i.e. five W’s and one H. While a soft lead may establish the idea or topic of the story. Hard lead relies only on the facts, while soft lead adds a little background info to it, for making it interesting.

Leads are also classified into simple and complex, based on the number of incidents involved in the story. Simple leads involve single incident, whereas complex leads involve more than one incident in the intro.

Following are other types of leads classified on the basis of the variety of the presentation of the intro.

1. Summary lead

It gives a brief summary of the speech or happenings. It answers all the w’s and h without highlighting any significant feature. It summarizes the whole news story. It is used in straight regular news. It is also called ‘straight’ or ‘digest’ leads.

Ex: Ten persons were killed, at least thirty injured and hospitalized when a bus and a car smashed into each other near Hyderabad in the morning. The accident occurred when the bus caught fire and collided with the car.

2. Descriptive / Narrative Lead

A descriptive lead describes how an event happened rather than simply telling what the event is about. Complete sketch of the event, place and person are given through the words. It is used when comparatively a few descriptions can create and image of the event. This lead can create the mood of the story.

Example: The night vision image in the rescue helicopter showed a downed pilot in a life raft lobbing thirty five miles from the Atlantic shoreline, but when Brain Fogle, get ready to plunge down to him, the midnight sky and sea level led into inky blackness.

3. Question lead

It is used when a news story is of direct relevance to the reader. It begins with a question, which attracts the interest of the audience.

Ex: Who will become Miss India this year?

This will be known on June 26th after the final screening to be held at the Savera hotel and performing arts centre.

4. Punch/Capsule/Cartridge lead

A punch lead is a short, forceful word or expression used to attract the readers. It can be an explosive statement that is meant to create an impact on the reader.

Ex: The president is dead.

5. Quotation/Direct quotation/Statement lead

Quotations are speaker’s direct words which are taken from a speech, public address or an interview, which are very striking. This lead can be effective if the quote is on an important issue. This is generally used in speech reporting.

6. Contrast lead

Contrast lead is used for grabbing reader’s attention by comparing the extremes. It describes two extremes or opposites like two different thoughts, physical difference, etc. most commonly used contrast is between old age and youth, past and present, etc. The stronger the contrast, more effective the lead will be.

Ex: a private school is having funds in millions and international facilities where a municipal school is lacking in its basic need of a teacher.

7. Staccato lead

It consists of short clipped words, jerky and exciting sentences and phrases that are sometimes separated by dots or dashes. It is only used if facts justify it. It is often used in descriptive manner to create the mood of the story.

Ex: “At midnight on the bridge… a scream… a shot… a splash… a second shot… a third shot.”