Did you know that most people are too busy to read beyond an article’s opening paragraph? That’s why it’s so important to write a good one. If the opening paragraph of your article isn’t good, the person won’t bother reading the rest of it. That may be the reason why writers just don’t know how to write our articles’ opening paragraphs. Do you have this problem? You are not alone. But once you have read my article, you are going to find writing your opening paragraph much easier. I am going to give you the steps that are needed to write a great opening paragraph every time.
Ask Questions of Targeted Audience
When you are writing your opening paragraph, ask the reader some questions. You want to get them started thinking. You want them to relate to your article. You want them to read on. Did you notice I asked you two questions in my opening paragraph? Did this get you thinking and relating to this problem? I hope so, because that was my intent, and it should be your intent too, when you are writing your opening paragraph.
Promise Results
The person who is reading the opening paragraph is reading it because they were intrigued by your article’s title. Your article’s title made them a promise. Your first paragraph of your article needs to expound on that promise. For example, in my opening paragraph I promised I would provide you with the steps that are needed for writing a great opening paragraph every time, and that is what I am doing. Your reader is giving you their time and you need to give them results in exchange.
Give Audience Facts
When you are writing an article, people don’t want your opinions. They have their own opinions. They want facts. They want something concrete that they can sink their teeth into. I stated a fact in my very first sentence. In today’s busy world, people don’t have time to sit down and read through something unless they know that they are going to benefit from it. This is true for both newspaper articles as well as online articles. Let’s look at two examples:
Now that we know the three things that can help you to write a better opening paragraph, let’s look at two examples of opening paragraphs to illustrate the point.
Sample One
Shoveling snow is a very strenuous activity. Most people hate winter and hate snow. That is why there are so many snowbirds who flock to warmer clients during the winter months. But there are things that you can do in order to help snow shoveling be easier.
Sample Two
Last winter alone there were over 5,000 injuries related to snow shoveling. Florida reported a 1% increase over last year in the amount of people renting condominiums for the winter months. Does your back ache so much from shoveling snow? Are you thinking of retiring to Florida? Don’t worry! In this article I will give you three tips guaranteed to put the fun back in winter and turn it from a Winter Wasteland to a Winter Wonderland.
Do you see the enormous difference between the two examples? Most people know that shoveling snow is strenuous. But what I did was to give them some facts that showed them just how strenuous it is. I asked them if they were having this trouble. I made them promises that would help them with their shoveling.
Now, ask yourself. Which article would you want to continue reading?
