How to Write a Good Introduction: 3 Components to Consider As a lover of all things meta, I will, of course, use this post's introduction as an example of how to write an intro. "), or tell a story, so the reader immediately feels some emotional resonance with the piece. Just because you know the purpose of your post, doesn't mean the reader does -- not yet, anyway. Now that the reader is presented with a problem that he or she can relate to -- and obviously wants a solution -- it's time to let the audience know what the post will provide, and quickly. I want you to expect to read about what makes a good introduction. Azure Advisor Intro Here's a great example of an introduction that presents a problem and a solution to it. Here's the thing about this intro -- it gives the reader something to aspire to. admitting you suck intro Let's read through this introduction from ReadThink together. (Spoiler alert: I work with Janessa and can say, with great confidence, that she is far from sucking.) How do you write a good intro, and what are some of your favorite examples?
Let’s break down exactly how to write an introduction that’s short, effective, and relatively painless. And if you’re ever having trouble churning out those intros, come back here and re-read this formula to lift yourself out of that writing rut.
How to Write a Good Introduction: 3 Components to Consider
As a lover of all things meta, I will, of course, use this post’s introduction as an example of how to write an intro. But it contains different components that create an introduction “formula” — you can refer to that when you get stuck with your own.
1) Grab the reader’s attention.
There are a few ways to hook your reader from the start. You can be empathetic (“Don’t you hate it when…?”), or tell a story, so the reader immediately feels some emotional resonance with the piece. You could tell a joke (“Ha! This is fun. Let’s read more of this.”). You could shock the reader with a crazy fact or stat (“Whoa. That’s crazy. I must know more!”).
For this intro, I went the “empathetic” route.
Writer’s block stinks. Blank screens and taunting cursors — the worst. Who’s with me?
2) Present the reason for the post’s existence.
Your post needs to have a purpose. The purpose of this post is to address a specific problem — the pain in the butt that is writing intros. But, we have to do it, and therein lies the approach to something important: making writing introductions easier.
Just because you know the purpose of your post, doesn’t mean the reader does — not yet, anyway. It’s your job to validate your post’s importance, and give your audience a reason to keep reading.
3) Explain how the post will help address the problem.
Now that the reader is presented with a problem that he or she can relate to — and obviously wants a solution — it’s time to let the audience know what the post will provide, and quickly.
In other words, the introduction should set expectations. Take this post, for example. I don’t want the reader to dive in and expect to see a list of reasons why introductions are important. I want you to expect to read about what makes a good introduction. But if I hadn’t clarified that in the introduction, you might have expected the former. After all, be honest — did you skim over or forget the title of this post already? That’s okay. That’s why we tell the reader exactly what the post will provide, and why it’s valuable.
The underlined sentenced is a way of saying, “Keep reading.” We already established that there’s a problem — here’s how I’m going to make it easy for you to solve.
Of course, there are other valid ways to write introductions for your marketing content — don’t feel the need to follow this formula for every single piece of content, as some are more casual than others. But, this guide should help provide a solid framework to follow if you’re just getting started, or if it’s just one of those days when the words aren’t flowing.
But what are some examples of great introductions in the wild? We thought you might ask — which is why we picked out some of our favorites.
5 Introduction Paragraph Examples to Inspire You
There are a few reasons why we love this introduction. Immediately, it grabs our attention — how the heck did this guy make fifty grand every month? And just from 10 hours a week?
But unlike some spammy comments that might contain a similar sentiment, he almost…
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