Goes first to the French notices (5)
I believe the answer is:
leads
'goes first' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'the french notices' is the wordplay.
'the french' becomes 'le' ('the' in French).
'notices' becomes 'ads' (advertisements).
'le'+'ads'='LEADS'
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for leads that I've seen before include "Clues" , "Guides from the front" , "Takes initiative" , "stars" , "singers principally?" .)