How to Write a Good Lead Paragraph

Between newspaper articles, magazine articles, formal and informal essays, encyclopedias and blogs, it is hard to really talk about a single set of rules for a lead paragraph. Most magazines and papers have their own guidelines, and essay writing admits many different approaches to writing an introductory paragraph. The best that you can do is a general approach to leads. They should start broad and bold, end narrow and specific and hook you into the article, making you want to read more.

Instructions

1. Start off with a good hook. A journalistic lead might contain the most significant fact in the article, boldly stated. An informal essay might try to appeal to the reader personally by discussing a common experience that most people share. The important thing is to hook the reader's attention and get him to want to keep reading.

2. Start to narrow things down. The general rule for writing is to start broad and get narrower. If you start with an experience you shared with the reader, for example, tie it in with the topic of your essay. In high school and undergraduate essays, this usually takes a few sentences, but in other kinds of writing it can take pages.

3. State the main point. You don't need to come out and write a thesis statement in the formulaic style of the five paragraph theme. What you say should be clearly written, but also elegantly worded. The whole lead paragraph is in a sense part of the hook, so you want to keep the reader interested.

4. Add the glue. The end of your lead paragraph should tie into the body of the writing, trailing out of the thesis into the first point you make. For example, in an article about a neighborhood which has undergone positive changes in the last few years, most of the lead-in might talk about the success that has come to the neighborhood. Your last sentence might read "Of course, it wasn't always like this," and lead into a paragraph about the way the neighborhood used to be.

Tips & Warnings

• In journalism, the lead is often only a single sentence summarizing the most significant facts in the article. The best thing to do is check out the guidelines of the paper you are writing for.

Resources

• How to Write an Introduction to an Essay