How to Write The Perfect Introductions for Your Articles???

in #steemit8 years ago

Writing the perfect introduction for your article is critical to its success, and having the perfect introduction can mean the difference in your article being read or not. Personally, I only decide to read a blog post based on its introduction. If the introduction of an article is boring, I conclude that the article is as well boring.

As a writer, you should realize that your readers are always very busy, and there are a lot of things fighting for their attention. A sure-fire way to get a lot more people to read your content to the end, and tell their friends about it, is to work on writing the perfect introduction.

Your introduction leads to your content, and if people don’t enjoy your introduction they would probably not read your content, no matter how great it is.

I have written a lot of articles over the years, and writing introductions is probably the most difficult part of writing my articles. Once I’m able to write the introduction for an article, every other thing becomes extremely easy. I have improved over the years, and I have also learned a lot. I’ll be sharing with you in this article how to write the perfect introductions for your articles, while at the same time giving you examples to help you better understand my points.

Writing Introductions: 6 Tips to Help You Write Better Introductions

(1). Start With Questions: My most preferred way to write introductions is to start with questions. It is human nature to want to think about an answer to a question we are reading, and since your article already has an answer to the question you asked in the introduction, your readers won’t be able to stop reading your article until they find the answer.

By using questions to start your introductions you are making use of the element of curiosity, and as a result, your readers won’t be able to stop just at the introduction. They will read your article to the end to find the answer to the question you asked.

Example: Do you know that 80 percent of writers fail to use introductions in their articles? Do you know that using introductions in your articles can increase the chances of your reader reading your article to the end by 400%?

If the above example is used as an introduction, the reader of the article won’t be able to stop until he/she finds out why, and how, using an introduction can increase the chances of an article being read to the end.

(2). Start With Facts: People love facts, especially if it can be proven. People come across a lot of articles everyday, and most of the advice they come across are completely worthless or impractical, and as a result, they are always happy to read an article whenever it is started with a fact.

Example: Over 33.8% of American adults are obese, and the percentage of obese Americans has increased by at least 20% in 2010 alone.

By reading the above example as the introduction to an article you will want to know why 33.8% of American adults are obese, and why that number keeps on increasing regularly. People just can’t resist facts!

(3). Start With a Story: People love stories because they can relate with it. A lot of people find it difficult to read books, but a good story has such a huge power to captivate its reader. You can use great personal or made up stories as introductions in your article so as to get a lot of people to read along.

Example: It was 6am on the 27th of July, 2010, when the wind came crashing at our door. It was such a huge weather that I wondered why it didn’t appear in the forecasts.

The above is an example introduction to a story. That story can be used in an article telling people how to prepare for any weather condition. Anyone who reads an article with such an introduction will want to know what happened after that huge wind, and as a result might end up reading the whole article the story was used to introduce.

(4). Start With an Interesting Quote: A lot of great and wise men have lived before us, and so many of them have gone through a lot of pain and joy and as a result have a lot of knowledge to share. Fortunately, some of the best sayings of these great men have been made available as quotes, and people are always inspired by them.

In other words, quotes are able to connect with people, and using a quote to start your article puts your reader in the right frame of mind to read your article.

Example: I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times – Bruce Lee

A quote is simply irresistible, because it echoes the saying of a great man, and as a result, you want to read the article to find out what the writer is trying to add to, or criticize in, “such a great saying” that has been for a very long time.

(5). Start With Humor: After a busy day at work, or after being bombarded with all the sad news from the media, what better way to assimilate some quality information than it being introduced with humor?

While they might not always ask for it, everybody appreciate some great humor, especially if it is being used as an introduction to a great article they need to read.

(6). Start With Interesting Statements: You can also start the introduction of your article with an interesting statement. While this statement doesn’t necessarily need to be a fact, or quote, it makes people want to read your article to know the reason behind you using the statement.

Example: Some people will never be what they think they are. Lord help me be the person my dog thinks I am.

Reading the above statement as the introduction to any article makes you want to read it. Why? You want to know the reason why someone wants to be the person his dog thinks he is…lol! Seriously, statements like that are sometimes very unique, and provoke a lot of thought, and as a result, you want to know what the reasons for the author using the statement are.
Conclusion

Introductions can break or make your article. Learning to use the right introductions for your article can make a whole lot of difference in whether a reader reads through your writing or not, and as a result end up taking the action you intend.

Personally, an article becomes extremely easy for me to write once I have written the introduction. I hope the above tips help you be better at writing introductions.

P.S. The above examples were only used in such a way to ensure you get my point, and none of them can actually be verified. When you use facts as introductions in your articles, it is important to make sure they can be verified.

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Hi Janice,
Could you please add this citation to your post
https://www.writersincharge.com/writing-introductions/

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