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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Open Your Blog Post With a Bang




5 Simple Ways to Open Your
Blog Post With a Bang

What’s the second most important part of your

blog post after the title?

Master copywriter Eugene Schwartz often spent an

entire week on the first 50 words of a sales piece —

the headline and the opening paragraph.

Just imagine how disappointed you’d be after

crafting a killer headlinefor your post, only to lose readers

with an opening that failed to carry the momentum.

A great headline mixed with a lame opening is like inviting

someone into your house, only to slam the door in their

face as they approach.

1. Ask a Question

Opening your post with a question is a rhetorical device

(hence, the “rhetorical question”) that creates curiosity

and gets the reader thinking. Thinking equals active engagement

with your writing, and that’s a very good thing.

2. Share an Anecdote or Quote

Anecdotes are quick stories that can make people laugh or

immediately establish the main point of your post. A nice

quote from a recognizable authority or famous person can

also work wonders when holding attention in those crucial

opening seconds.

3. Invoke the Mind’s Eye

Producing a mental image in a reader’s mind is one of the most

powerful things you can ever do as a writer, so expressly engaging

the imagination is a powerful opening technique. Activate

the mind’s eye of the reader by using words like “imagine,”

“picture this,” “do you remember when,” etc.

So, here are 5 ways to open your post that will capture

the reader’s imagination and pull them deeper into

your content.

4. Use an Analogy, Metaphor or Simile

Analogies, metaphors and similes are some of the most

powerful devices available when it comes to telling a story

in a single sentence. This is a great way to capture a

reader’s attention and also acts to provoke mental imagery

that allows readers to tell a story to themselves.

5. Cite a Shocking Statistic

Starting off with an interesting factoid is also a great technique.

People love being provided with interesting data, but only

if it is unique, startling, or even shocking. The statistic

should also be directly relevant to the point of your post as well.

Bonus Tip: The third most important part of your blog post is

the closing. A great way to close is to tie back into your opening.

So, which of the 5 techniques did I NOT use in

the opening to thispost?


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