With your main points thought out, It's time to work on the Introduction. I advise writers to wait until this point simply because it gives them a chance to solidify their thoughts and get ready to make a memorable intro.

Like a stage actor, you've practiced your lines. It's time for that grand entrance.

I break this into 3 parts:

  1. Hook
  2. Transition
  3. Thesis

And yes, the order is important.

First, you want to hook the reader. Look for something that gets the reader's attention and keeps them hooked.

I have a list by my desk. I think it originally came from Neil Patel. It reads like this:

  1. Open with a Controversial Opening - “Contrary to popular belief...”
  2. Offer the “Why” of Your Content - Focus on benefits
  3. Lead with a Memorable Story
  4. Get Readers Nodding by Stating the Obvious
  5. Use an Analogy, Metaphor, or Simile
  6. Cite a Shocking Statistic
  7. Open with a Thought-Provoking Question

You might consider making such a list for yourself, too. It's quite helpful when you begin a post, even if you don't do the full outline.

Often, this part of the intro is comprised of only a sentence or two. But sometimes it needs to be slightly longer.

Of course, you don't use all of them on any post. Choose one for each post and make it grab attention.

Once you get their attention, transition to the main point of the post. Then tell the reader what you're going to give them in the thesis.

Be careful not to give everything away in the intro. You want to entice them to keep reading.

Try to create a first paragraph that shows expertise and begins a relationship with your reader.



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TMutim Premium
Thank you, Diane, excellent information.

Cheers
Teresa,
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Newme202 Premium
I've always given your training to members who are having problems writing.

Or others who asked for some assistance in writing their content.

This is the first time I'm reading, and I must thank you for this training.

There are a lot of reminders that I had forgotten. I made a screenshot of the list of the introductory paragraph.

I will be adding my list to this and print it off for ongoing and future use.
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DianeK59 Premium Plus
Thank you, Simone! I am so happy you found the training useful. And thanks for sharing with others, too.
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Newme202 Premium
You're welcome
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miloncashgal Premium
2 pgs notes later. Wow its gonna be long. Best for me so far is 350 and I feel like I take to much to begin with, plus on a phone. But I'll do whatever it takes to "get what I want" or you say reach my goal. Thanks , can I follow you?
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DianeK59 Premium Plus
Yes, please follow. I'm sorry you felt it was long. I wanted to ensure that I covered the topic completely.
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miloncashgal Premium
I took 3 pgs notes lol
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DianeK59 Premium Plus
I'm glad you found it useful! Please let me know if you have any questions.
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DianeK59 Premium Plus
Just wondering how you are doing-- are you using the outline method?
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mariaWA723 Premium
Thank you so much for this very informative training, Diane. I find this very useful for me as I have scattered thoughts all the time. I just write whatever i want to write. I need to change some headings, subheadings, introduction, conclusion etc. Omg! Looks like I need to restructure all my posts lol. I need to keep referring to this to hopefully come up with a good post. Thanks again for sharing!
Maria
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DianeK59 Premium Plus
I'm glad you found it useful, Maria!
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71pacerunner Premium
Hi Diane,
Thanks for sharing this.
In my case, I cannot change the size of my title head. Also, I only have H1 to h4 for the subheadings. I cannot even see the icon for changing the color of the font. Does it have to do with the theme? What theme can you suggest to do these, if ever? Please suggest a theme that would not require paid plugins, I do not have income yet to pay for paid plugins.
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DianeK59 Premium Plus
What theme are you using now?
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DianeK59 Premium Plus
Did you find a solution to the changes you needed to make?
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