Are you looking for tips on how to write a blog post introduction? Well, you are in the right place.
An average person only reads up to 20% of a blog post according to Copyblogger. You, therefore, have to grab their attention in the first few sentences and have them scroll down.
If you hook your reader from the word go, they will likely:
- Read the entire or most of the blog post,
- Click on the call to action button,
- Check out your other blog posts,
- Become a customer.
If your introduction is uninspiring, your reader would be off to find a more captivating post. It does not matter how great the rest of the article is.
In this article, we help you hook your readers right from the start. We also include some blog introduction examples to give you a better picture.
Shall we get going?
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Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post Introduction
Below, we look at several techniques for developing a captivating blog post introduction. You can choose what works well for you, or mix several techniques to come up with a killer introduction.
I believe some techniques work well for specific types of articles. Therefore, you need to understand your audience well before selecting the technique to work with.
Alright, let’s now dive right in.
1. Connect with Your Reader Through Shared Pain or Problems
People are reading your content to find help or a solution to a problem they have.
You, therefore, need to identify with the problem the reader is looking to solve. A good way is to show that you understand the pain or that you have been there before but not anymore.
This technique will definitely spark your readers’ curiosity…they will want to see how you overcame the problem.
Readers will only stick around when they trust you to offer them a remedy.
In the example below, the writer shows that he understands how difficult it is to choose a camera. He, however, quickly lets you know that he is going to hold your hand in selecting your first camera.
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2. Use Statistics and Fun Facts
Another great way to start your blog post is by revealing fun or surprising statistics.
Solid statistics and research make the readers trust you. Yes, you need trust from your readers if you want them to click on the call to action buttons or purchase the item.
Just be sure to use statistics that are fun, shocking, but still relevant to the article’s intent. You want the reader’s reaction to be “Woah” and not “I know” when they read the fun fact of the statistic.
3. Sell Emotions
You must have heard that people buy emotions and justify their purchases logically.
Yes, emotions make people act.
This Harvard Professor states that emotions are behind 95% of purchases.
If you are writing a blog post, you want to elicit the right emotions from the reader. This is a great way to have them click the call to action button, keep reading or make purchases.
You must understand the reader’s psychology well to evoke the right emotions. For instance, are they battling the fear of missing out? Are they looking for empathy, or is it validation?
If readers feel you understand their feelings, they will likely scroll down.
Some of the emotions you can bring up in your introduction include:
- Frustration,
- Stress,
- Excitement,
- Admiration,
- Love,
- Uncertainty,
- Stress,
- Desire.
4. Use Anecdotes or Storytelling
Starting your blog post with a captivating story is a great way to captivate the readers.
Remember in high school when the best moments were when the teacher shifted from the subject content to giving us their life stories? It was such a great way to capture the learners’ attention.
Your storytelling will bring out the same feeling from your readers.
Note: You want to ensure that the anecdote is more than just a random story. You have to find something that relates to the content. And you have to cleverly connect it to the intent of the blog post.
Also, whether it is made up of a true story, the goal is to:
- Show your readers that you understand their point of view,
- Make it simpler for the readers to learn or understand the subject at hand,
- Help readers visualize the point you are trying to put across,
- Build a rapport between you and your readers.
5. Start with a Compelling Question
This is one of the most popular ways bloggers open their blog posts.
It is a great way to connect the readers and tell them what to expect from your article.
If you bring out the question well, you may show your readers how much they need to scroll down your blog post.
There are several ways you can pose the question to your readers:
- Use a yes or no question,
- Go for rhetoric questions,
- Go for open-ended questions, especially while inquiring about the reader’s experiences.
The goal of the question should be to make the reader want to keep reading to find the answer.
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6. Tell Your Readers What To Expect
Yes, you can just get straight to the point.
This tactic is often used with other tactics such as statistics, storytelling, or agitating pain.
You, however, can use this independently.
Your reader needs to know what value your article brings to the table if they keep scrolling.
If they do not find the direction, you will likely lose them. For instance, if you agitate pain or frustration without promising a solution, the readers will quit reading that article.
Tell your readers:
- Who you wrote the article for,
- Why you wrote it,
- And how exactly is the article going to be helpful to them?
Tip: Try covering the 5 Ws, why, who, where, when and what when telling your readers what to expect.
7. Add a Twist to the Introduction
I am a massive fan of TikTok, and I come across many TikToks that make me scroll away quickly and others that make me stay to the end.
Do you know one category that makes me stay? Those that are supposedly not meant for me.
For instance, when the video starts with, “If you are not a man, please keep scrolling….”
I am a woman, but the moment I hear that, I can promise you I will be sticking to the very last second of the video. I want to hear that which does not involve me.
And I can promise you, many times; the video is meant for women. This is just a way to play with people’s minds, and it works.
The same applies to blog post introductions.
Consider going for unexpected twists to your introduction. For instance, if you are writing about the new weight loss method, you can start your article with a…
“Do not read this article if you would rather stick to the old boring weight loss diets…”
There, you will have captured everybody in their weight loss journey. Nobody would rather stick to those old boring methods after all.
8. Use Engaging Quotes
Kicking off your blog post with an engaging quote is an excellent way to intrigue your readers.
It may be a well-known or even a new quote.
You can quote reliable sources or experts in the field.
A reliable quote will make you sound more convincing to your readers.
However, you want to avoid the following:
- Cliche quotes,
- Using quotes from obscure sources or those that may rub people the wrong way.
9. Get Straight into the Benefits of the Post
You can start your article by letting them know the benefits of what you are writing about at a glance.
You do not want your reader to dig deep before finding what they are looking for.
For instance, if you are writing about a weight loss program, you can have something like:
This is a list of 10 weight loss strategies that have helped me shed 10 kilos in 3 months.
It is more of giving a case study or a success story.
This way, the reader knows that they can shed 10 kilos if they follow the strategies you are about to discuss.
Note: You do not want to spill everything in the introduction. Just give a glance of what is to come. If you reveal everything they need to know in the introduction, then they have no business scrolling down.
10. Take a Bold Stand from the Word Go
Another great way to start your blog post is to make your readers know where you stand.
You will then follow with an elaboration of why you take that stand.
It is even much better if the stand you take is controversial. Controversy is a great way to spark curiosity.
How Long Should a Blog Post Introduction Be?
Always keep your introduction short and sweet.
You want to get to the body of the post as fast as possible.
Ideally, a blog post introduction should be between 80-200 words. The length of the introduction, however, depends on the article’s length. For instance, if it is a 500-word blog, you cannot have a 200-word introduction.
Here is a format that can make you stick within the correct length:
- One sentence or question to introduce readers to the intent of the article,
- Up to 5 short sentences giving a short story or stating statistics,
- Up to 2 sentences emphasizing why the blog post is important
- One sentence encouraging the reader to keep scrolling down
Final Thoughts: How Do You Write a Blog Post Introduction
You may have the best idea for a post and a well-written body, but if the introduction is not captivating, you will lose the readers. It is estimated that 3 in 10 people do not read the headlines, but skip straight into the introduction.
With your introduction, you want to hook your readers, earn their trust and have them stick around for more.
The tactics above will help you develop a great intro; yes, you can use one or a combination of several. Whichever method you choose, always remember to keep it short and sweet.
Which methods do you use to captivate your readers? Let us know in the comment section below.
