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Imagine if you could literally reach through your screen and grab your readers by their shirt collars and say, "I can help you. Let me prove it to you."
That would get their attention, wouldn't it?
Now, it's pretty obvious you can't do that. Not literally. But you do need to do it figuratively if you're going to engage your readers, and ultimately help them. And that's why inside this lesson you're going to discover the three-part system for beginning your content with a bang.
These three parts include:
- The Introduction
- The Transition
- The Supposition
Here's how to put this system to work for you...
Part One: The Introduction
Your introduction is the opening statement to your content. It is often referred to as the "hook" which, as the name suggests, is designed to get your readers' attention and pull them into your content. It should sufficiently intrigue your readers and make them want to keep reading.
Learn this principle:
Nothing helpful happens if people lose interest.
You've got to keep them reading if you want to help them. And helping them is how you keep them as customers. See how that works?
Understanding Your Reader's Attention Span
Here's what you need to know about your readers...
They are extremely busy, and they have very short attention spans. Right at this moment they're being bombarded by content coming in at them from every direction. I can't begin to estimate or exaggerate how many other voices are speaking to them at every waking moment.
Your title got their attention and their click, which is awesome. But if the opener to your content doesn't hold their attention immediately, they're going to hit their back button instantly.
Or, worse still, if they paid for the content and aren't engaged enough to keep reading, you're in for a dissatisfied customer and a refund request.
That's not much of an exaggeration. You literally only have a few seconds to engage your readers, which is why your introduction needs to be read-worthy.
A Hook Example in Action
For an example of how this works, just check the first line of this lesson:
"Imagine if you could literally reach through your screen and grab your readers by their shirt collars and say, 'I can help you. Let me prove it to you.'"
This particular example does a good job of engaging the imagination of the reader through the imagery as they actually envision a hand reaching through the screen to grab a reader by the shirt collar. Once you've engaged a reader's senses, imagination, curiosity, or interest, she's going to want to keep reading.
Learn this principle too:
Something helpful can happen if you hold people's interest.
Two Core Strategies for Writing Effective Hooks
As you might suspect, there are plenty of different approaches you can use when it comes to your introduction.
For example, you can use a relevant quote from someone famous. If you were writing about learning from one's mistakes, you might start with these words from Henry Ford: "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."
Basically, you want to do one of two things:
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Enter the conversation that's already going on in your reader's head. For example, your reader may have been seriously, actively hunting for the subject matter of your content because of a strong sense of interest or immediacy.
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Interrupt the reader's non-relevant thoughts. Maybe your reader is just mindlessly skimming your blog while they think about what they're going to do later today. A good introduction will refocus his attention on your content and how it can help him accomplish something of interest or importance to him.
Five Proven Ways to Open Your Content
Here are five ways that you can open your content piece to garner interest so your reader or viewer continues reading or watching...
The Revelation
This is where you tell people what they're about to discover.
Example: In today's podcast episode, I'm going to share how to get completely free dining for your Walt Disney World vacation.
The Story
This is where you share a relevant story or anecdote.
Example: Our first Walt Disney World vacation was a complete train wreck: we overshot our budget, missed out on some fun experiences and even got into a fight with Minnie Mouse!
The Surprise
This is a fact, statistic or other statement that is unexpected.
Example: 7 out of 10 people overpay for their Walt Disney World Vacation by an average of $572. Here's how to make sure you aren't one of them...
The Question
This is where you engage readers with an intriguing, relevant question.
Example: What if you could cut your Disney vacation costs in half without sacrificing a single magical moment?
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