7 blog post introduction you can be proud of

The blog post introduction is, probably, the most important element that would determine if the reader stays in your blog or jumps to another website immediately. Do you need a guide to check if your introduction is good enough? What do you think is important when you’re trying to write an introduction? Today I’m going to help you answer these questions. I’ll give you the best choices I normally use in my introductions. And well, if you’re still here reading this article, it’s because they are working! 🙂

Here, you have the article outline. This way you’re going to be able to have a clear idea of which are the points we’re going to address and you’d be capable of deciding if you want to review each section or if you’d rather go directly to what calls your attention:

YOUR GOALS CREATING A BLOG POST INTRODUCTION
- STIMULATE THE READER’S INTEREST
- BE HONEST

7 WAYS TO WRITE A GOOD INTRODUCTION
1. USE A METAPHOR.
2. ASK A QUESTION.
3. GIVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL OPINION.
4. BASE IT ON NUMERICAL RESULTS.
5. TALK ABOUT A PERSONAL SITUATION.
6. EXPLAIN A SITUATION THE READER MIGHT BE LIVING.
7. QUOTE AN EXPERT.

FINAL ADVICE

YOUR GOALS CREATING A BLOG POST INTRODUCTION

You can skip this section if you consider you are an expert writer, or if you come straight to know only the 7 ways. But if you’re still interested to know about the goals I’m always trying to reach when I create a blog post introduction, you might want to keep reading. When I reach these goals completely I know the introduction will work perfectly:

A) STIMULATE THE READER’S INTEREST:

Of course, this is the main goal. We want the visitors to read our content and not to leave after scanning the website for three seconds. Some ways to keep your reader’s attention are by:

Informing him how he can benefit from the article.
Presenting an idea that summarizes the content you are going to develop later.
Taking an adequate approach to the situation you outlined with the headline.

You mustn’t write a long introduction. A short paragraph is more than enough. Although I suggest you invest enough time to write it, because that’s the part where a standard reader of digital content invests more time and attention. That’s part of “The f-shaped pattern”. (If you want to know more about this interesting subject I recommend you to read this article): How the F-Shaped Pattern can make your blog fail.

B) BE HONEST:

Would you like to feel tricked? Of course not. It’s really important to treat your readers the same you’d like to be treated. Be honest to tell what they are going to find in the article and what they are not. If the reader confirms that the article fulfills what’s been promised in the introduction, then his trust will increase. There’s nothing more valuable than trust.

It’s important for you to know this. You must understand the purpose you pursue when you write a good blog post introduction. So you are not going to create an empty and mechanic content. Once you know this, you can help yourself with those seven useful ideas to implement.

7 WAYS TO WRITE A GOOD INTRODUCTION

1. USE A METAPHOR.

Metaphors have always been part of our culture. That’s why we love them so much. If you connect a metaphor to a good story you develop throughout the article, you’ll capture the reader’s attention.

For example: “It’d be fantastic to find a magic mirror and be able to ask: how can I write the introduction of this blog post? Well, I have to tell you, this is exactly what you have in front of your eyes”.

2. ASK A QUESTION.

Asking questions is an art. Besides, we’re programmed to reading a question an instantly thinking internally how we would answer it. And we’d love to know which would be the right answer. That curiosity we experience at that moment is key to hook your reader. Ask a convincing question that could be answered with the information you’re about to give. You’d have written an awesome introduction using a single line.

For example: “How many times do you improve your blog post introduction without being certain if it’ll be interesting for your readers?”.

3. GIVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL OPINION.

Here you just have to say, in a clear and convincing way, your own personal opinion. Look for a memorable and attractive way to explain it.

For example, when it comes to improving business results, I like to say: “You have to forget about the client”. Clearly, you have to present your arguments later (first, you have to take care of your employees, because they are going to be who pamper the client). But when you get to it, you’ve read the whole article because that first opinion pushed a button inside you.

4. BASE IT ON NUMERICAL RESULTS.

We love numbers. Yes, even you that don’t really understand them. If you start saying that “99% of 1000 dentists think that sugarless gum is healthy” then you’ll be setting the stage for the information that may come next. If you don’t have global results, you still have the choice of showing your own numbers.

For example, “From over 400 clients I’ve worked with, all of them agreed that this is the most helpful way to write to their own clients”. I bet you want to know which way is that, don’t you? Exactly 🙂

5. TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN PERSONAL SITUATION.

This is the beginning of many stand-up comedies. A lot of them start by saying: “The other day I was entering the coffee shop when suddenly…”. We love to know about this kind of personal situations related to certain content of interest. It’s called storytelling. Use it wisely.

For example: The other day I was in front of the computer squeezing my brain to write a good intro and I thought: ‘I won’t write an intro unless I have a few examples to make the process quicker and more effective’. And this is what I found…

6. EXPLAIN A SITUATION THE READER MIGHT BE LIVING.

This is a fantastic way to write a catchy blog post introduction. Here you present the reader a situation you’re 100% convinced he’s going through. That empathy would immediately make him feel like part of the story and he will want to read it.

For example: “We’re all a little tired of sitting down to start typing and not being able to come up with an idea. It’s so frustrating, isn’t it? We begin to think “I wish this were simpler and faster”.

7. QUOTE AN EXPERT.

In this case, you won’t talk about your experience, or connect with the reader’s reality. Here you use a third person. Not just anyone, but someone important.

We love quotes. Deep down, when we use them, we are connecting the authority of that person and their words to ours. Starting your article by using a quote not only increases the authority, but also the curiosity. A brief quote would leave their mind’s doors open enough to keep reading in order to close them.

For example: When you’re talking about how to stand out in your online business:

“Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.” — Anthony Volodkin, founder of Hype Machine

FINAL ADVICE

As you see, I also know the importance of a good blog post introduction, and that’s why I use these ideas I’m now sharing with you. But remember something relevant, a post is so much more than a good intro and a catchy headline. You must fulfill the initial expectations through a post with a pleasant structure and that makes the reader feel good. Not every post is well structured or has an appropriate template. In the following article you can check the structure I use to achieve the aforementioned: The best blog post template (after making a lot of mistakes).

“The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.” —Joyce Carol Oates, WD Click To Tweet

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEA TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTION? Tell me about it in the comments section and let’s improve this blog together.

If you want to start your blog or website for your online business, remember here’s a page full of the most helpful resources you may need: Resources

Meanwhile, I recommend you to read: How to start your business from scratch.

And remember, you can join our community of “freenancers”. Register to the Freenancial Exposed Newsletter here.

Luis Gil.