Feature Leads

Journalism/New Media IIMCOM 258

Feb. 16, 20009

When to use a feature lead…

• The how or why is the focus rather than the what

• The topic of the story• When the story is more unusual or interesting

rather than important (breaking news)• Background information

Examples of when to use

• Plane crash in Buffalo– Hard news story– Hard news summary lead appropriate here– In-depth story/feature– Takes a different approach

Types of feature leads

• Summary—not to be confused with summary lead for hard news– Used for shorter stories. – Different approach– example

Anecdotal Lead

• Very common approach to a feature lead• Writer uses a story or anecdote to capture the

essence of the story• The anecdotal lead should make the point

simply and clearly• Example • Lead is an example of the larger picture

Narrative Lead

• Presents a story to the reader but it’s longer than the anecdotal lead

• Has quotes and dialogue to set up a scene• Example

Descriptive Leads

• Include details that support the point of the story

• Can be used in travel stories—stories that focus on a specific place, person or group

• example

Question leads

• Pose a question that captures the reader off guard

• Not the best type of lead for feature stories—you don’t see them used very often

Nut Graph

• 3-5 paragraphs down• Tells us what the story is about• Ties the lead into the larger picture• Essential element to your story when you’re

writing a feature lead.• example

When writing the feature lead

• Pay attention to detail• Something in the story should stand out to

you• What about this helps me understand the

bigger picture?