Write Captivating Leads

The most important paragraph of any article is the first. If the reader is not attracted by what it contains, it is likely that he will not continue reading. The first paragraph has to “grab you by the throat” and hold you until you’re well into the article, and to do this you need a “hook”—something to draw you in and keep you reading.

Writers sometimes save the most interesting and exciting material for the third or fourth paragraph, or later, but they shouldn’t. If the first paragraph doesn’t draw the reader in, they’ll never get to the third or fourth paragraph. The first of directs, paragraph should captivate you; it must be so intriguing that it’s almost impossible for him to put it down. And in fact, there are several types of tracks that are especially effective in this regard. They are:

• Tea anecdote or protagonist of the story. This is a short story that makes a point and is somewhat related to the topic of the article. In many cases it involves a person with a problem, and shows how they solve it. It is one of the most popular types.
• Tea opening statement gold shocking facts lead. If an article started with any of the following sentences, it would immediately grab your attention. “The global economy is doomed. We won’t be out of the current recession for at least five years.” “Now there is evidence that the world has been visited by extraterrestrials.” Admittedly, they sound like tabloid headlines, and you may not want to be so direct. But they do the trick. They entice the reader to continue reading.
• ask lead. In this case, start by asking a question, and of course it has to be provocative or important enough to pique your readers’ interest.
• Stock gold conflict lead. This is, of course, closely related to the anecdotal clue. The main difference is that there is explosive action or conflict in the first few sentences. And, of course, this indicates that the rest of the article will be full of action.
• mystery lead. Introducing a mystery in the first few sentences and hinting that it will be solved can be quite effective.
• Tea shocking moment lead. It is closely associated with the action initiative, but usually contains only a thought and no action.
• An appeal to our emotions This may not be as dramatic as some of the others, but it can be quite effective. Think about emotions like love, hate, fear, pity, strong feelings, etc.
• Tea mood adjustment lead. This is usually more difficult to achieve effectively, but it is used occasionally.

Good leads are also useful to the writer in another way. Starting with a good lead will help you write the rest of the article. Create flow and momentum. It’s like starting a ball rolling at the top of a hill. Once you start it up, it will continue rolling on its own; in fact, it accelerates rapidly. So if you start with “something exciting” you should be able to write the rest of the article much faster.

One question that people sometimes ask in relation to leads is: how long should they last? There is no rule for this; the best answer is: as long as it is necessary to get the job done. In most cases, one paragraph is enough, but don’t assume that once you’ve got their interest you can slack off. You may have a bit of breathing room, but you still need to make sure that the next paragraph leads them to the third and so on.

Clues are important in both articles and books. In books, the heading will be the first paragraph of each chapter. So pay attention to how you start each chapter. It should captivate your interest again. Also, make sure that the end of the chapter draws your reader into moving on to the next chapter. The beginning of a new chapter is the most likely place you’ll stop and leave the book, and of course, you want to keep reading as soon as possible. So be sure to hint at what’s in the next chapter and make it intriguing.