Choosing the wrong lead type does not just weaken an article — it signals to editors that the writer does not understand the story they are covering. Here is a practical map.
The five types
| Summary lead | Hard news, breaking events, press releases. Delivers facts first. |
| Anecdotal lead | Long-form features, human interest. Opens with a specific person or scene. |
| Question lead | Rarely advised. Only works when the question is genuinely unanswered in public discourse. |
| Quotation lead | Effective only when the quote is striking and the speaker is central to the story. |
| Descriptive lead | Scene-setting for investigative or narrative journalism. Requires strong sensory detail. |
The decision point most writers skip
Before writing the lead, identify whether the story is event-driven or person-driven. Event-driven stories almost always need a summary lead. Person-driven stories can sustain an anecdotal opening.
A digital news outlet covering a court verdict would use a summary lead. The same outlet profiling the defendant three months later would likely open with a scene. Same subject, different lead logic.
One thing to check before publishing
Read only the first sentence aloud. If it could apply to five other stories this week, it is too generic. A good lead is specific enough to belong to exactly one article.