October 17, 2008

Keep Your Headline and Lead Focused

The lead paragraph in a news release should support the headline and sub-head.  Make it clear, concise and avoid jargon.  Too often, due to the typical number of changes in the review process, the headlines and lead paragraph often end up disjointed and unrelated.  This can cause frustration to journalists who are trying to “find the news” and prevent them from reading on.