The spotlight is on, the microphone is on, and everyone is waiting for me. Tips for Writing an Effective Blog Post Introduction.
It’s not an open mic night at the neighborhood coffee shop. Every time I write a blog post introduction, it’s simply the inside of my head (like this one). Keeping readers interested from the start is critical if you want them to read the stuff you worked so hard on all the way through.
Coming up with an interesting beginning, on the other hand, can feel like fishing in a dried-up well at times. It helps to have a few formulas or thought starters on hand for moments like these to jumpstart the process.
Let’s look at some strategies you can use the next time your creative brain activates its OOO autoresponder.
What a blog post introduction should accomplish
Understanding what an introduction should do allows you to determine whether you’ve hit the mark (and can call a draft “done”). When I begin a blog post, I have three objectives in mind:
- Excite readers and make them want to read more.
- Introduce a fresh take on the subject
- Establish expectations for what a reader will learn.
Keep in mind, however, that your blog post intro should achieve these objectives quickly. After you’ve finished writing your introduction, go over it again and see if you can remove any sentences—or even paragraphs—without losing meaning or effect.
A four-part method for making introductions easier to write.
When you set down to write a fresh blog introduction, you must come up with something unique and intriguing. There is no way to “hack” successful writing, although there are several standards that can help.
I’ve divided the intro-writing process into four steps. Examine these best practices, then apply the formula to your writing style.
1. Begining
First, a couple of lines to get someone’s attention. If you can’t think of a good beginning sentence, wait till the manuscript is finished. Then write something that references a point in the content.
To make it more interesting, include a personal story or analogy.
Avoid stating the obvious. Sentences like “We’ve all seen…” or “X is a well-established trend…” are unnecessary.
2. difficulty
Next, explain why readers should be interested in what you’re about to say. Describe the problem, tell a relatable joke, offer an expert quotation, or explain how it came to be.
Consider who will read the post and how the topic will influence them.
Don’t rely on worn-out, over-dramatic, or out-of-date statistics to make the problem appear larger than it is.
3. Remedy
It’s now time to address the reason someone read your blog article in the first place: a solution. Set up the antidote to the problem, and then insert your major keyword.
Choose clarity over cleverness here
Don’t take advantage of your keyword rights by jamming every search term into a sentence.
4. Predictions
Finally, I like to provide a preview of what’s to come. Ideally, you can indicate what a reader will be able to do after finishing the book. Readers want content that is useful.
Do concentrate on the reader’s benefit.
Avoid the “five-paragraph essay” trap by saying, “Today, I’ll be writing about X,Y, and Z.”
Opener
My goal is to let creators recognize themselves in the story and exclaim, “Hey, that’s me!”
This is what I wrote: “Your podcast downloads are increasing every week, and you recently secured a dream guest. It appears that your podcast is expanding, which is a good experience.”
Problem
My purpose is to make readers consider their business critically.
This is what I wrote: “But do you know what’s actually making a difference? Could you tell me how many customers converted as a result of your podcast? Do you know which promotional channels bring in the most listeners?”
Solution
My goal is to reassure readers because this could be a delicate or frustrating subject.
This is what I wrote: “You are not alone if you do not. Making sense of how your podcast can help you grow your business is difficult for both new and experienced podcasters. But you deserve to know how your efforts are paying off. You’ll know what to double down on—and what to let go of.”
Expectations
My goal is to emphasize that the post will not simply be a list of stats with no next steps.
“With a little strategy and setup, you’ll be on your way to tracking podcast success like the knowledgeable creator you are,” I wrote.
Excellent results with Great Question
The brief for this blog post stated that customer research recruitment is a stumbling block for teams, so I attempted to demonstrate that “catch.”
Opener
My goal is to explain what you learn from research rather than simply saying “research is valuable.”
This is what I wrote: “Customer research may be a gold mine of information. Before you go too far down the rabbit hole, you obtain new perspectives, confirm hunches, and get feedback on advances.”
Problem
My goal is to tease the ideal reality they could have while also introducing the monster that stands in the way of the quest.
“There is a catch, though—you must have enough people participate,” I wrote.
Solution
My goal is to make research incentives the hero of the story.
This is what I wrote: “It would be fantastic if customers volunteered to participate in your UX study out of the goodness of their hearts. Because that isn’t a general technique, we employ consumer research incentives to increase participation.”
Expectations
My goal is to preview subsequent sections that detail which incentives work best in different contexts.
This is what I wrote: “Instead of blindly throwing money at a project, consider what type of incentive is best for your target audience. Here’s what you need to know.”
Writing more is the best method to improve your writing
If you don’t shudder when you read your blog entries from two years ago, you’re not pushing your writing far enough. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t a dedicated content marketer, so all that remains is for you to get out there and write. For more information about content marketing get in touch with us
