What Is an Introduction?
An introduction, as its name implies, is part of the text that presents the subject that will be addressed. It may seem obvious the practice is often tricky.
Let’s list what is not an introduction.
- A summary of the text. After all, you want the reader to go all the way. If everything a person needs to know is in the introduction, why would he keep reading the text?
- A portrait of humanity. Unless your text is about the origin of human beings, you don’t have to start with “From the beginning…”.
- A mere repetition of the title. The person has read the title. He wants to know more about it.
- “Once upon a time…” An introduction is definitely not a place for you to tell a gigantic, context-free story.
Now let’s think about what you should do in your introduction:
- Provide context: After all, from the same title you can take several approaches to a subject. Therefore, the introduction is a great place to provide context to the reader about which path you intend to follow throughout the text.
- Bring some relevant information: After all, you want that text to bring value to your reader.
- Instigate: But, as stated earlier, you don’t want your reader to read the introduction and be content with that. So pique his curiosity by posing a question or a promise (which of course must be kept in the text).
- Be brief: If your introduction has 5 paragraphs of 12 lines, you’ll lose your audience right away.
- Convince the reader to keep reading: When reading a text, people want to know what they get out of it, or why learning about it is important. This information is great for a good introduction.
- Make the text scannable: That is, allow the reader to read dynamically, and to become interested in the content. This can be done by bolding the most important information or by bringing in relevant links.
Whether you’re writing a blog post, a landing page, or an e-book, the introduction is often the first impression. Introductions may be the shortest part of any type of content marketing, but they’re also some of the most valuable.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional wordsmith to get a killer introduction that will grab your reader and make them want to pay attention to what you have to say. And, you don’t have to try to be witty or clever, either (although that helps).
You might be thinking, “How am I going to do it all in a short 2-3 paragraph text?” Don’t worry—there’s a way!
Why Is the Introduction So Important to Any Text?
As with everything else in life, first impressions matter. While most people scan the headlines, only a few people (about 20 percent) actually pay attention to the words on the (digital) page.
So, since you’re working with a diminished audience, you don’t want a weak introduction to cause them to bounce. Ideally, your introduction will prime the reader to understand what you’ll be discussing and set the tone for the rest of the content.
Overall, a well-crafted introduction can make or break your content, so you need to pay attention to it. That’s not to say that introductions are more valuable than the rest of your content, but they’re still essential.
How to Write a Compelling Blog Post Introduction
Content marketing is always a fantastic way to promote your business, as it will drive traffic to your website and build brand recognition. Blogging is the best foundation for content marketing, so you need to know how to write compelling introductions for each post. Here are six tips for better intro writing.
1. Focus on the persona
One of the best ways to develop new content is to create buyer personas. This way, you can focus your attention on specific goals and needs rather than trying to appeal to everyone all the time.
When it comes to introductions, knowing the persona helps you address that individual directly. For example, if you’re writing a post to a single mother, you can talk about the challenges she faces and how the post can be a valuable lesson for her to solve child-related problems.
A generic introduction can feel cold and impersonal, and it may not make it clear that the content is geared toward that persona, leading to a higher bounce rate.
2. Set the content’s objective
Creative introductions work well for fiction, but they’re unnecessary when writing blog posts. Instead, it’s much better to outline the topic of the content and tell the reader what they expect.
This way, the reader can decide whether the post relates to their issues or not.
Overall, clarity is far better than trying to be clever. That said, if possible, you can merge both attributes for a more captivating hook.
3. Find a theme
When it comes to blogging, writing for a specific niche can help you build an audience faster and establish your brand as an authority within a specific industry.
So, when coming up with a blog, you also need to figure out which theme or niche it fits in.
For example, maybe the blog post is conversational and meant to be a personal recommendation. Alternatively, the post may be authoritative and professional to build trust in the reader.
4. Set the tone of voice
Finding a voice can be hard when it comes to writing, especially because it relies on conveying the right tone to the reader without extra context clues. Some examples of writing voices can include:
- Casual – Here is when you talk to the reader like you’re friends. So, you can use slang and short sentences to convey information.
- Authoritative – In this case, you’re trying to sound professional, so you want to use the correct jargon and show off your expertise.
- Entertaining – Some blog posts are less about conveying information and more about getting a reader to stay engaged. Entertaining blog posts can be funny and wry, and there’s much less investment in accuracy or precision.
5. Make the content clear
As we mentioned, clarity is essential when writing an introduction. In many instances, the introduction can be like a short synopsis or outline of the content to come.
While you don’t have to go into too much detail, you should offer insight regarding the purpose and flow of the article.
6. Mind the length
It’s hard to say how long an introduction “should” be.
On the one hand, you want it to be quick and breezy so the reader can move on to the “meat” of the article. On the other hand, a longer introduction may make sense if you’re trying to provide more context necessary for the reader to understand the piece.
While there is no formula for writing a good introduction, there are some points to keep in mind when starting your content piece.
What Makes a Good Introduction?
Typically, it’s challenging to quantify what makes an introduction “good” or “bad.” However, here are some examples to give you an idea:
- No Stilted Language – The words should flow easily, with one sentence blending into the other. Stilted language may be missing connecting words or use improper keywords that sound inauthentic. Bad intros use this kind of language, while good intros are easy to read.
- No Punctuation Mistakes – If you can’t add the correct number of periods, commas, and em dashes to an introduction, the reader may assume the rest of the piece is identical. Usually, poor spelling and grammar can be a huge turn-off for the reader.
- No Ambling Content – Introductions are supposed to be short and sweet and to the point. If your introduction is rambling and discusses too many thoughts or ideas, readers are more likely to wander off like your writing.
4 Ideas for Introduction Openers
While each blog post is unique, you can utilize one of several introduction archetypes to ensure you never stray too far away from them. Here’s a quick rundown.
Personal story
This option works best for casual or personal writing, in which you need to convey a personal experience or insight to the reader.
In this case, you’ll write in first person (I have a story to tell) and help the reader understand how the story provides context for the post.
Pain point
A big reason why people may be reading your blog is to find solutions to their problems. So, you can address a specific pain point and then illustrate how the article will provide a much-needed solution.
This option works best for all kinds of blogging content, both personal and professional.
Authoritative information
This type of introduction uses stats and links to illustrate that you know what you’re talking about and can provide expert insight.
Usually, the first statistic should be eye-catching, so the reader is more likely to keep going.
Funny anecdote
When writing an entertaining blog post, you want to show the reader how clever and witty you are from the get-go.
This kind of anecdote doesn’t have to come from personal experience, but it should be related to the piece.
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