Crafting compelling leads and nut grafs is crucial for grabbing readers' attention and keeping them engaged. These elements set the tone, provide context, and highlight the story's significance. Mastering different lead types and nut graf techniques is essential for effective news writing.
Leads entice readers by conveying key information in 25-35 words, while nut grafs explain the story's importance. Understanding when to use summary, anecdotal, or question leads, and how to craft concise, impactful nut grafs, helps journalists create more engaging and informative articles.
Compelling Leads for News Stories
Crafting Effective Leads
- Leads entice readers to continue reading by succinctly conveying the most important information and establishing the tone of the story
- Aim for 25-35 words that encapsulate the who, what, when, where, why and how of the story
- Employ active voice, vivid language, and engaging storytelling techniques to draw readers in
- Avoid burying the lead, forcing the reader to wade through too much information before getting to the main point
Types of Leads and Their Uses
- Summary leads directly state the key facts in a straightforward manner (breaking news)
- Anecdotal leads open with a brief, interesting story or example that encapsulates the article's main point (human interest pieces)
- Scene-setting leads vividly describe a place or moment to transport the reader into the story (travel articles, event coverage)
- Question leads pose a thought-provoking question to pique curiosity (exploratory or provocative stories)
- Quote leads begin with a powerful, eye-catching quote from the story (profile pieces, emotionally charged stories)
Purpose and Placement of Nut Grafs
Defining the Nut Graf
- A "nutshell paragraph" that appears just after the lead, explaining the news value and why the story matters to readers
- Expands on the lead by providing context, background, and the "so what?" of the story
- Essential in longer stories to ensure the reader understands the significance before becoming bogged down in details
Optimal Nut Graf Placement
- In straight news articles, often appears as the second or third paragraph, after a compelling lead
- For longer feature stories, may come later, after several opening paragraphs have set the scene or introduced characters
- Placement affects the structure and pacing of the article, as subsequent paragraphs elaborate on ideas established in the nut graf
- Serves as a transition or "pivot point" from the lead to the body of the article
Concise Nut Graf Writing
Key Components of Effective Nut Grafs
- Distill the essence of the story into a concise 1-2 sentence statement
- Explain the central conflict or tension and hint at the larger implications
- Provide crucial context, background information, or thematic framing not conveyed in the lead
- Address the "why now" of the story, explaining the current relevance or timeliness
- Point to the broader trend or systemic issue that the story illustrates
Nut Graf Language and Framing
- Use specific and concrete language while still zooming out to provide a wider lens
- Raise key questions or tensions that will be explored in the rest of the piece
- Carefully word the nut graf to serve as a smooth transition from the lead to the body
- Frame the story in a way that underscores its significance or human impact
Lead Types and Their Uses
Hard News Leads
- Prioritize the key facts (who, what, when, where, why, how)
- Used for breaking news, crime stories, event coverage where conveying information is paramount
- Examples: natural disasters, political developments, major announcements
Soft Leads
- Take a more creative, narrative approach better suited to feature-style articles
- Work well for human interest stories, trend pieces, and profiles
- Examples: a day in the life of a unique profession, exploring a subculture
Leads for Specific Story Structures
- Anecdotal leads where a single person's experience represents a larger issue (a student's struggles illustrating education inequities)
- Descriptive scene-setting leads where a strong sense of place is central (transporting readers to a vibrant festival)
- Question leads that explore an intriguing or provocative issue (asking who benefits from a new policy)
- Impactful quote leads for profile pieces and emotionally resonant stories (a mother's grief-stricken words after a tragedy)