10 ways to achieve a winning first paragraph for your article

by Sushant Risodkar on August 2, 2009

make money online

What’s the second most important part of your posts, after that catchy title? The first paragraph.

Many bloggers don’t get much response to their article because many people dropped out of reading their article because the “1st paragraph” wasn’t too convincing for them.

Like a sales man;  when he knocks at your door he firstly introduce about the product by telling the important and interesting things about it, he doesn’t tells any rubbish info like it’s power consumption or it’s weight etc. . This makes most of the people buy that product. Similarly you have to try and make your 1st paragraph of the article so much interesting that will make the reader scroll down and read the rest of the part.

If your 1st para doesn’t makes you look a good sales man,
then the rest of your article might not be thought useful by readers.

Here are 10 ways to make the first paragraph of your article drag the reader to read the rest of the part:


1. Ask a question-

Starting your post with a question is a very good strategy, it creates curiosity and makes the reader think on it. The thinking may often result in linking your content, and that is something very good for you.

2. Start by quoting an interesting story part-

They are one of the best ways to communicate and to produce emotional reactions in others like sympathy, apathy, laughter, anger, sadness and so on.

3. Put a picture in the first paragraph-

We all know that a good image captures the attention of the eyes, so do not miss the opportunity to use it. But beware, do not forget that you are trying to attract attention from the first paragraph to redirect them to full article, if you use a striking image, but that has nothing to do with the article, the effect is lost. Use an image that readers can identify with the title or phrase, or representing a situation arising in the first paragraph of the article or topic.

4. Use the reader’s Imagination-

Usually if you describe something that a person can imagine or project in the backdrop of his head, then it will help you. Appealing to the mental imagery is one of the most powerful things you can do as a writer or speaker.  You can help make this happen using words like “imagine” ,”think like a ..”, etc..

5. Make an analogy or Comparison-

How many times we explain things without any success until someone comes and says, “does this means…” or “is it similar to…” and suddenly, although the topic has nothing to do, we understand.
When writing your 1st paragraph, remember something which brings to mind a comparison that is useful for the reader to understand more easily, do not ever hesitate to mention it.

6. Use Metaphor in your article-

Metaphors are among the most powerful tools as it helps to tell a story or give advice in only one sentence. It is a great way to attract attention and cause a mental image that allows readers to tell a story themselves.

7. Use some Surprising Statistics-

Starting your article with numbers is not always recommended, but this is the exception to the rule; an interesting and shocking statistic is a great technique. People like them who provide interesting data, but only if they are original, surprising or shocking. Like the images; the statistics used must also be relevant to the topic you are trying.

Note: Do not abuse the amount of numbers, Use figures from reliable sources, and if you use graphics to enhance your statistics for greater impact then it will give you more benefits.

8. Quote someone famous or an expert-

A quote from an expert in one subject or character recognition, can work wonders in attracting the reader’s attention in those first few seconds.

9. Write a summary of your post-

If your article is long and you feel it’s excellent but somewhere the reader might skip then at the last of the article you can summarize the article so that your reader gets the proper information about that article.

10. Beware of links in the first paragraph-

Particularly I think the links are very useful, to describe what it has been inspired from or what it is related to.
But if you use them in first 2-3 lines to raise a condition for understanding your article, then probably your reader might leave. Unless you are a continuing any post series,do not place links in the first paragraph that readers need to visit to understand the rest of the article; it will only encourage them to leave faster which you really don’t want.

Remember! If you get a great title and a first paragraph, then it will ensure that you get the reader’s attention to the rest of the article.

Please lemme know your response on this article and how you! take care of your 1st paragraph of the article.


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Article Written By Sushant Risodkar

Yo! I'm +Sushant Risodkar (noteeboyz.13@gmail.com) & my nickname on web is Typhoon. I'm a 18 yrs. old young blogger from India & the owner of SmartBloggerz. If you are looking for SUCCESS as a blogger & affiliate marketer then SmartBloggerz is the right blog for you. You can follow me on Twitter or be my friend on Facebook. And hey! Don't forget to LIKE SMARTBLOGGERZ on Facebook. Read more .

Sushant Risodkar has written 372 superb article(s) on this blog


{ 81 comments… read them below or add one }

Deepika December 15, 2009 at 1:38 pm

agree with all the points. First impression is the best impression. So we can spend some extra time to make more catchy. Using images will be an effective way
.-= Deepika´s last blog ..My Favourtie Posts@Which I Have Read =-.

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scheng1 December 21, 2009 at 2:39 pm

I learnt this from writing to Helium, since raters often read just the first paragraph
.-= scheng1´s last blog ..Something’s down there by Mickey Spillane =-.

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kathleen from Legitimate Work From Home Jobs January 23, 2010 at 2:57 am

Great tips. I try to add a piece of personal info. in the form of a story – I think this makes the reader feel connected to me and want to continue reading.

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Latief from AnotherBlogger February 16, 2010 at 1:30 pm

Yes, it make sense why first paragraph is very important :) Thanks for sharing this article is really useful
.-= Latief@AnotherBlogger´s last blog ..Refresh Your Old Links =-.

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irfan from cinema bioskop March 23, 2010 at 10:56 pm

I usually ask question in first paragraph. and in the middle or end paragraph i put picture.

.-= irfan@cinema bioskop´s last blog ..shutter island movie trailer =-.

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John April 30, 2010 at 12:23 pm

I’d add personalization to the good openings list. “Joe Jones came home to an eviction notice …” “My pal Al made $1,000 just by …” “My wife walked in red-faced, holding a traffic ticket …”

Starting off with a quote or a question are among the cliches most good writers try to avoid when writing leads. Anything can work, of course, but for these two I think you really want to ponder other approaches.

When someone asks a question in a headline or a lead, I wonder why they’re me asking me.

Stats are another suspect opening in my book.

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Danielle McGaw May 16, 2010 at 11:49 am

The first paragraph is critical but you can only be effective if you know your readers. If you don’t know who your readers are you won’t know what they want. Once you know that you can deliver!
.-= Danielle McGaw´s last blog ..7 Awesome Chrome Extensions for Writers =-.

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iamdavid May 20, 2010 at 2:45 am

Yea, but it is still difficult to get people to actually read what you wrote, everyone judges a site way to quickly and makes assumptions about content. This is based on my own experience.
.-= iamdavid´s last blog ..Is Passion Really a Success Factor? =-.

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Jamie Harte May 25, 2010 at 9:46 pm

I think my biggest mistake is that I tend to put links in my first paragraph thinking that it will attract more visitors to click if they just read the first paragraph and are uninterested in what I have to say. However, after reading I realize that this might be the reason people are not reading it in the first place. Thanks for the advice I will try and implement them in the future.

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Suneel June 6, 2010 at 9:20 am

I follow most of these tips while blogging and they surely turn out to be very effective in capturing the reader’s attention.

Do check my blog once and let me know if I am really doing it correctly.

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Typhoon June 6, 2010 at 4:53 pm

It’s good but I would suggest you to write the first para in more creative way like use some surprising questions for some post, use some kind of quotes etc. That really grabs the attention quickly..

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Michael from clickbank Wealth Formula August 28, 2010 at 5:00 pm

Great article. Thanks for the GREAT tips on writing articles. To be successful with any type of marketing or promotions, both online or offline, one must be able to properly write an article which will get the point across and also compel the reader to read the complete article all the way through. I believe the first paragraph should give an idea about what you are writing about as well as establish your credibility and give the reader a solid reason as to why they should read your article. Following paragraphs should provide supporting details and the final paragraph should summarize everything and bring the whole article together.

Writing articles takes time and practice. For best results, one should spend time reading the articles of known successful marketers, and use the formats of those articles as a guide for writing their own.

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Tony September 2, 2010 at 10:37 am

I think using a quote right off the bat is a great way to catch the attention and garner interest. From there these other tips can be used to keep the interest going. How well does shock value go over in a paragraph? I suppose there is the chance of turning someone off but it could help. What do you think?

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GG September 20, 2010 at 4:39 pm

The hardest part of writing an article is on how to begin it, on how to let your reader enjoy on the introduction so they could keep on reading. Thank you for this article, you made it easy to begin.

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michael from cb wealth formula October 17, 2010 at 1:01 pm

One more thing. I have found that it is best to never come across as if you are actually selling something. Instead make sure that it sounds like you are just trying to provide friendly information, then drop a link to a recommended and related product similar to your article. And of course it is totally alright if you receive an affiliate commission.

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Carter December 6, 2010 at 2:26 pm

the title and the first paragraph are 2 primary factors that decide the fate of a post, thank you for the valuable info

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Mathew January 17, 2011 at 7:44 am

The first paragraph is critical but you can only be effective if you know your readers. If you don’t know who your readers are you won’t know what they want. Once you know that you can deliver!

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Sam January 28, 2011 at 10:01 am

I’ve always read to include a link in the first paragraph for seo. Do you think it actually impairs article authority to include a link?

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Typhoon February 3, 2011 at 5:53 pm

Google great likes links at the start rather than placed at any corner of a website. So it’s really good for that site that is getting linked in starting within an article. It doesn’t affects article authority as such because Google greatly admires linking to related outgoing links wherever possible.

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Ajay February 5, 2011 at 10:46 am

you have to imagine yourself as the reader…. pretend to be the reader…. if your post then seems interesting to you it then will surely interest your readers… good job….

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Phanir February 5, 2011 at 2:06 pm

the first and foremost rule is better English…good english creates the first and best impression

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Lee Ka Hoong April 18, 2011 at 8:50 pm

You have a great write up here Sushant! I strongly agree with you, writing a short and brief summary in the first paragraph would really help a lot, at least it won’t make people feel boring and easy to understand what you’re trying to write in this post. I’ve seen some bloggers trying to write as long as they can in the first paragraph, it actually easy to drive people off because of the lengthy definition.

Writing a short brief, then straight go to the point, that would be perfect.

Great idea Sushant!

Regards,
Lee
Lee Ka Hoong recently posted..5 Ways How To Branding Your BlogMy Profile

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Rajesh May 2, 2011 at 10:56 pm

Nice tips friend. Asking a question and including a catchy related image are some of my favorite methods to create a perfect first paragraph. You have got a nice point that quoting some shocking statistics can make the reader move deeper in the article.
Rajesh recently posted..How to bypass Sharecash surveys- Sharecash Downloader serviceMy Profile

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Jerrick June 21, 2011 at 1:07 pm

there still a method which is show what there are facing and make them fear about the cause of failure and provide solution to them . I find out that this is human behaviour which they will look out something that fear in their life and to relevant to them.

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Azam July 15, 2011 at 1:53 pm

Very true, in today’s world everybody is so busy that no one has time to read pages after pages only to get to the conclusion that it was all rubbish. People read only a few initial lines and decide to stop right there or go forward. As it is those few beginning lines that make a deep negative/positive impression on the reader one should give them due importance.
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Jym July 15, 2011 at 4:25 pm

Good stuff Sushant…

It’s very true that unless you captivate your reader within the first lines of your post, you can easily lose them.

The first paragraph is a place where some creativity can be applied – practicality on the topic at hand can come further in. Love that you outlined a whole bunch of ways to keep it interesting and hold the reader’s focus.

Whatever strategy you use for writing that paragraph, it has to follow the energy of the headline which brought the reader in. Keep it consistent, then transition naturally into the body of the post.
Jym recently posted..Underground Blogging Secrets Review – UBS UnearthedMy Profile

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Matheus July 18, 2011 at 2:50 am

Great tips , i usually use a question or a summary , but ill try these other tips, thanks…

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Kostas August 1, 2011 at 12:21 pm

In my opinion the best way to get the attention of readers is to have a teaser on the first paragraph. In that way readers are curious about what exactly they will read and most probably they will read all the article
Kostas recently posted..PPC & CRO: Balance your efforts to optimize your campaigns and generate revenueMy Profile

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Jomson George November 23, 2011 at 9:24 pm

i find these tips are great help to me because i am newbie. I had a thought that giving links in first paragraph is very much useful for readers but its different and there is a point too, why we shouldn’t give link there. Thanks bro:)
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Razor nathan November 23, 2011 at 9:31 pm

Great work Sushant.I will suggest this article to my friend bloggers.Usually I will start my first paragraph with story narration along with high clarity images.Here after I will added famous quotes and exact statistics to my Opening.Keep rocking..

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