101 Tips for Improving Your Business Communication

SECTION 2

Writing

TIP #37

Write Like a Journalist

When writing news stories, reporters typically write a “lead” (or “lede”). They write a first sentence that contains the “who, what, when, where, why, how and often, the how much,” of the article.

For instance, if you read today’s news, you might find this kind of first sentence in an article: Last night, Senator Gruber, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, lost control of his 2019 Mercedes and wrecked in front of the White House, causing an estimated $10,000 damage to his car, putting his unidentified passenger into the hospital.

This sentence answers the questions: Who did what, when, where, and to what extent?

Application

Newspapers are sold. If they don’t appeal to people, they won’t ...