Warning: If you aren’t doing this one thing right, you’re losing readers faster than Frosty the Snowman melts in the summertime sun…
If your potential reader gets past your headline… you’ve got to GRAB them with your opening line before they click away to all the other shiny objects competing for their attention!
So how do you craft an opening that draws your reader in?
What do you say that makes your reader think, “and then what happened next?!”
Here are 10 attention-grabbing ways to open your next blog post:
1. Ask a Question
Have you ever…?
2. Begin with Dialogue
She told me I’d never succeed, but then…
3. Share a Quotation
Famous person said shocking thing…
4. Start With a Sound
WHOA!… Thud!… SPLAT!…
5. Invoke a Feeling
Warning:… evokes caution, fear…
6. Get Descriptive
Thick black smoke rushed out of the kitchen as I ran to open the door in a futile attempt to silence the piercing sound of the fire alarm taunting me for my attempt at…
7. Break Out the Humor
Googlebot walks into a bar and…
8. Make a Bold Statement
99% of the bloggers reading this will fail… but could succeed if they did this one thing differently starting today…
9. Quote Fact or Statistic
86% of people skip TV commercials *source
10. Reveal a Personal Experience
I sat on the floor holding my crying, hungry toddler, in tears myself… and made a promise that day that no matter what it took I would never be in that situation ever again.
Do any of those 10 make you want to keep reading to see what comes next?
These are all simple but effective. They can be fun to combine, as well. Test them out!
What’s the best blog post opener you’ve seen recently? What your favorite way to open a blog post?
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Great post Michelle. Loved the headers, each one would catch my attention if I was sent an email or blog post.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a joyful and successful 2015.
Warmly
Hazel
Thanks Hazel, Happy Holidays to you, too!
1, 2, 3,4, 9 and 10 resonated with me the most! :D
I enjoy short sentences that jolt you awake with an alarming statistic, a heartening quote or a funny story (classy humor can never go wrong! ;) )
Thanks Michelle #HUGS
Kitto
Definitely agree on the classy humor! Thanks for commenting, Kitto.
These are great, Michelle. Thanks for posting them!
Thanks Mark. Appreciate you reading and commenting.
I love these! What a magic hat to keep frosty in tip top shape in that summer blaze!
Number 6 without a doubt. Having spent the better part of my life in the kitchen I have seen some strange things, interesting, funny at times, scary at times but I have never tried to work those into my blog posts. I think that is a new door to open in 2015. Have a wonderful holiday season.
I love them all, Michelle, and will make sure to use them. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!
These truly are excellent attention-grabbing blog post starters and as Hazel said, they would also make attention-grabbing starters for emails.
Thanks for sharing, Michelle.
I love all of these suggestions and can’t wait to start blogging again in 2015…New Years Resolution!!!
Hey Michelle, Us bloggers are always needing fresh ideas for new posts, I shall put into practice!
Wonderful suggestions, Michelle. I’m about to write my last post for 2014 this weekend and love the thought of starting the post with a warning or something different from my usual opening lines.
Season’s Greetings to you and your loved ones!
These are great openers! I’m going to copy & paste them into a notepad for future inspiration. Thanks so much, Michelle, for all the worthwhile advice you give us in your blog posts. I truly appreciate everything you do for bloggers. You’re great. :) Have a great new year.
Great openings, will use in my future blogs..Happy holidays Michelle, thanks for sharing.
http://www.mosmojo.com/do-you-need-a-coach/
Great advice and examples. I struggle with this! These give me great ideas for both my blog and YouTube. I’d definitely keep reading with these lead ins.
Excellent examples Michelle!
And without a doubt I would have definitely kept reading to discover more!
After we learn how to become competent at writing really good attention grabbing headlines, we’ve also got to become skilled at creating those all important opening hooks, as you have so expertly demonstrated!
Thanks!
Lovely blog and nice article dear, really liked it :) your blog is really great!!!
That is a handy quick resource list of blog post openers Michelle! And I know that is an area I can really improve on as the ‘opener’ is key to grab that attention and pull them in. Appreciate you sharing.
Hi Michelle,
I really like ‘ask a question’. I think it a good way to start off a feel-like conversation between the writer and the reader.
Naomi
Thanks for your post – it really hit a chord with me.
I have a blog on my site, and I’m always aware of how important it is to have good post titles.
I have used titles such as “Invisible Design”, What’s missing from your website?”, and “Social, Shmocial, why bother?”, but my favorite so far is “Do-it-Yourself Dentistry?”
if you can get the reader’s attention in that first line, chances are they will go on to read more, not just of that particular post, but of other, related posts on the site.
I know that’s what I did on your site! I read several of your articles on this visit and found value in every one. You are now bookmarked and I will be back!
Great tips! Never have I tried to “Start with a Sound”. I want to try that and see how readers would react :)
Hahaha..! I never think that sharing some qoutes is pretty technique for writing blog post, but I did that because I want to share the readers of some value person thoughts and opinion. Now, I get know that.
Also, I am agree. The most of readers are robot, LOL. They scanned our blog post and look for just online headlines of the post. Using the remarkable would be really nice to attract readers attention.
Thanks for sharing..! :)
thanks for this tips, i will change the way i write my post