“All beginnings are hard.”
Chaim Potok began his novel, In the Beginning, with that bit of rabbinic wisdom. He could have been talking about blog posts.
The beginning of a post is critical because you only have seconds to capture the reader’s attention. In an instant he or she decides whether to read further or not. If you don’t interest them, they’re off to the next blog.
You have to come out punching. Here are three dos, one don’t, and a tip.
Pique their interest. That’s what I tried to do with the opening line of this post.
Hook them emotionally. If your post is about something emotionally powerful, this is the way to start.
Promise a benefit. We all want to know what’s in it for us.
Don’t waste time. Get to the point.
That leads to my tip. Try cutting off the first few lines or the first paragraph of your draft to see if it makes your opening better.
Bottom Line
When you begin well, more people read your post.