The lede, also spelled lead, is the opening paragraph of a news story or press release. It carries the most important facts, typically answering who, what, when, where, why and how, so a reader understands the essential news even if they stop after the first few lines.
Lede is journalism's spelling of 'lead', the opening paragraph of a story. Wikipedia notes that the Oxford English Dictionary treats it as an intentional misspelling created to distinguish the word in printers' instructions from printable text. It defines a news lead as one that answers the standard questions: who, what, when, where, why and how.
In a press release, the lede follows the headline and dateline. It must state the news outright. A weak lede opens with background, a company slogan or a scene-setting sentence and pushes the announcement down the page. Journalists call that 'burying the lede', and editors often do not scroll far enough to find it.
The lede works together with the inverted pyramid. The most significant facts go first, supporting details follow in decreasing importance, and background comes last. That structure lets a reader stop at any point and still understand the story, and it lets an editor cut from the bottom without losing the news.
How to: 1) Write the news in one sentence: who did what, and when. 2) Add the where and the why in the same paragraph if they fit, or in the second. 3) Keep the first paragraph to two or three sentences. 4) Remove adjectives that are opinions. 5) Test it by reading only the first paragraph aloud to someone; if they can repeat the news, the lede works.
QUESTIONS
Is it lede or lead?
Both refer to the opening paragraph. 'Lede' is the journalists' spelling, originally used to separate the word from the metal 'lead' used in typesetting instructions. Either spelling is acceptable, and 'lede' is common in newsroom and PR writing.
What should a press release lede include?
The essential news: who is announcing what, and when, with where and why if they fit. It should stand alone. If a journalist reads only the first paragraph, they should know exactly what happened.
What does burying the lede mean?
It means putting the most important news below less important material, such as background or greetings. Readers and editors may stop before they reach it, so the news is missed. The fix is to move the key fact to the top.
How long should a lede be?
Short: usually one to three sentences. The goal is not a fixed count but a clear statement of the news, in plain words, that makes sense without reading further.
SOURCES
Last reviewed