BLOGGERS: Your opening paragraph
catches your readers. Or not. Checklist
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catches your readers. Or not. Checklist
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- You catch the reader's attention in the title:
- Work your title. It's where your writing meets the road
- You catch a reader in the first paragraph.
- Or you lose the reader forever.
What do you want in your first paragraph? Here is a checklist.
Now look at the opening in this article. Not exactly a paragraph. A list--because lists are easier than paragraphs for reading on a monitor screen. Apply the checklist to the opening of this article (the part above the jump break):
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Next time you are writing the opening paragraph of an article, you may want to remember the checklist. Or at least the first item.
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- It is about the interests of your target reader.
- It is not a cliche'.
- It suggests what your current article will do for the reader.
- It follows the idea suggested by the title.
Now look at the opening in this article. Not exactly a paragraph. A list--because lists are easier than paragraphs for reading on a monitor screen. Apply the checklist to the opening of this article (the part above the jump break):
- The title started with the target audience, bloggers.
- The title mentioned something important to bloggers, catching readers.
- The title suggested what this article will do for the reader, offer a checklist.
- The opening lines expand on what the title offers.
- The opening lines provide the promised checklist..
Here is another way I could have opened this article:
Yesterday I was reading through about a dozen blogs and I was noticing what caused me to stop reading after the first paragraph. One of the first things that turned me off was a cliche, like "We are pleased to announce..." or "Come join us in..." Then I realized that what was bothering me was that I did not know whether the article was of interest to me or not. This kind of opening did not give me a reason to keep on reading. So I did not keep on reading. I made this checklist instead.Compare this paragraph with the actual opening. Does the red highlighting help to make the point?
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Next time you are writing the opening paragraph of an article, you may want to remember the checklist. Or at least the first item.
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Video-Machinima
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