Guest Blog Post by Elaine Rau
CEO & Founder of LadyBossBlogger.com
Every line of your post builds on the ones before it.
The quality of each sentence determines whether the reader will read the next one, so your first line — your lead — has GOT to set you up for success!
Your intro is what PULLS the reader in to wanting to read the rest of your writing.
It’s called a hook for a reason.
This post will give you 5 concrete ways to write a lead sentence that will make your readers want more.
1) Share an (embarrassing) Personal Story
I like hearing about other people’s mistakes. Admit it, you do too!
This type of lead is called the personal anecdote.
Anecdote: “a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.”
Keywords here: SHORT, AMUSING, INTERESTING, REAL.
When you start with a personal experience story, your post becomes RELATABLE.
Remember, the anecdote should DIRECTLY relate to what you’re talking about.
For example, to talk about monetizing your blog, I shared a story of how I got started blogging by PAYING to intern and not realizing that I could MAKE MONEY off blogging instead!
Read the post here → How To Monetize Your Blog: The Secret Is In The Foundation .
2) Shock Their Socks Off
Another way to start your post is to share a shocking statistic or statement that the reader didn’t know beforehand.
For example, I started the post 12 Most Profitable Niches For Making Money Online with the lead “Not every niche is viable or profitable, no matter how “passionate” you are about it”.
Kind of shocking right?
Most bloggers would not say that or start their post that way, but it worked for us, because that post was shared 15k times!
Don’t be afraid to bring out the “big guns” and say things that others wouldn’t or find a statistic that goes against the grain of what the average person may think.
3) Bring Out Your Inner Sass-Master
This one is my personal favorite.
I just really love the sarcastic, sassy, ironic leads.
For example, we recently started the post 5 Stone Walls Every Blogger Runs Into (And How To Move Past Themwith “You started off your first blog at a sprint, and then you ran head-first into a stone wall. Ouch.”
In all seriousness, it really is a good way to start your post because it gives your writing a certain voice and personality that the reader will LOVE.
4) Pester Them With Questions
Struggling to come up with an eye-catching post introduction?
“Why, yes I am,” the reader thinks, clicking on your post.
Ask the reader a question they can relate to and spend the rest of your post answering it.
By starting your post with a rhetorical question, you allow the reader to feel as though they are entering into a conversation that will give them a personal, helpful response.
It can be a simple question like “What is GDPR?”(How To Become A GDPR Compliant Blogger)
OR a more complicated question like “What is the first thing you do when someone talks about their blog?” (How To Build A Credible Blog And Stand Out From The Rest)
5) Make a Promise (& keep it)
Lastly, you can tell the reader in the first sentence what your post will DELIVER to them.
This one is a great way to get readers to keep reading, because it sets up their expectations to get something really great out of your post they can go out and use.
For example, I started the post How To Start Working From Home Today with “Once you taste the freedom of working from home, you’ll never want to commute to an office again!”
My readers immediately knew that the post was going to convince them that it was possible for them to quit their jobs and enjoy working from home (which I hope it did!).
Now go out there and write killer hooks to grab the attention of your readers! You got this!
Former National Wedding Sales Manager, Elaine Rau, lost her brother-in-law, her job, and her home all in one week. Stuck in a third world country with no job opportunities, she had to learn how to make an income online… ASAP. So she spent her last bit of savings and invested in a blog domain: LadyBossBlogger.com.
Since it’s conception, LadyBossBlogger has garnered a massive audience of 100K in just 1.5 years. It’s a platform that helps female entrepreneurs learn how to start, grow and scale their own online businesses and blogs. She has been featured on the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and over 100+ other websites, magazines and books.
You can find Elaine in here:
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Email ladybossblogger@gmail.com
