Anecdotes are easier to believe, understand and remember
One way to pitch a story that reporters want to catch: Start with an anecdotal lead.
Anecdotes make your PR pieces easier to believe, understand and remember. So use an anecdotal lead whenever possible to illustrate your key idea.
As they rounded a bend on the country road …
Take a tip from this Department 56 Silver Anvil Award-winning release lead, and tap the power of storytelling:
Buddy was hit by a car …
And this Deramaxx Silver Anvil Award-winning release lead is one of my favorites. Note the story in the quote:
Even as the 200-foot giant mural was erected, Dallas resident Niki Eichman worried she might not be able to find her dog among the thousands of photographs.
“Buddy was hit by a car when he was very young,” Eichman says of the 4-year-old Lab mix that shattered his pelvis and dislocated his elbow in the accident. “To this day, the only reason we can wrestle and play is because his veterinarian recognized his resulting arthritis and did something about it.”
Tell me a story.
Want to stand out from the crowd of “today announced” and fact pack PR leads? Try storytelling instead.
Hook readers with great leads
You’re not still packing all of the Ws into the first paragraph, are you? Cranking out “XYZ Company today announced …” leads? If so, your News Writing 101 class called and wants its leads back!
To win today’s fierce competition for your readers’ attention, you need more sophisticated, nuanced leads — not the approaches you learned when you were 19.
Learn how to hook readers with great leads at our lead-writing workshop.
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