A cliché is worth a thousand C.R.A.P. Awards

Why is it that some corporate writers fail to understand the importance of a good lead?

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The lead sentence in your story is absolutely the most important part of the entire piece. You only get one opportunity to make a good first impression, and your lead is that chance. If you blow it, you’ve thrown away your only chance to impress your readers. This week, I’m giving out two awards for crappy leads. The first one gets my “Sesame Street” award for treating employees like children. The lead appears in a health system’s employee publication, underneath this headline:

HIPAA training on the way

Here’s the lead:

If you see “HIPAA” and think “hippo,” it may be quite logical. Both are really big!

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