Thesis Statements, Summaries, and Teaser Copy

Dec 6, 2011 | Better Blogging

In elementary school, we wrote a thesis statement before we wrote anything. The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina defines a thesis statement this way.

“After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.”

A simple thesis statement will help you craft a great post. Write it before you start and it will help you stay on track. But don’t stop there.

Make that statement part of your post. Derek Irvine does that on his excellent blog, Recognize This! Derek includes his version of a thesis statement at the beginning of every blog post.

I do something similar on my Three Star Leadership blog. That blog is for “bosses at all levels” so I end every post with a “Boss’s Bottom Line.” But wait, there’s more.

Most blogging platforms give you the opportunity to publish a short snippet about your post. Many bloggers simply excerpt the first paragraph. I prefer writing short teaser copy, the close relative of a thesis sentence.

Teaser copy should summarize what the post is about, but it should also inspire a person to read the whole post. Here’s an example. Yesterday I posted “Don’t Rush to Publish.” If you search for that title on Google, you’ll find it along with the teaser copy.

That old elementary school thesis statement can serve you three ways. It can help you write a better post. It can summarize the post for others. And it can inspire people to read your post.