You would agree with me that writing the introduction paragraph of your article or blog posts is vital to catching the readers’ attention as well as whet their appetite on what they would expect from the work.

While you must have caught a bit of their attention span by your headline, another important thing to get them reading those wonderful words you have chiseled to write a good introduction paragraph.

A weak introduction paragraph is a massive turn off for your readers just as the saying goes that first impressions matter a lot. Your intro is more like your first impression on the reader and so you must get it right.

How can you make a good introduction paragraph? It’s quite simple!

Use a Quote
Quotation, Marks, Speech, Quote, Symbol, Label, Page

Quotes are one of the strongest ways of hooking the reader from the introduction paragraph.

If it’s from a renowned person or even a well-known one and appropriate to the subject of discourse, your readers are sure going to stick around till they finish reading the articles.

Barry Demp’s blog post is a good example of an introduction paragraph using a quote

“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence.”

If you’re stuck on how to make an introduction paragraph for a blog post or article, go into your folder and pull off a nice quote that would wow your readers.

Quote a Statistics
Calculator, Calculation, Insurance, Finance, Accounting

Humans are psychologically drawn to figures as they help in giving authority to your blog post.

You’ve a higher chance of making your readers glued to your post when you deploy this technique in writing an introduction paragraph.

I was able to write a good instruction paragraph in one of my posts here, by quoting a statistics:

“With the upward surge in the creation of blogs, put at about 172,800 daily, you may have thought about starting a blog; taking up blogging as a career, a medium of expression and connection with the world.”

In doing so, ensure that the figures are related to you’re going talk about in the body of the work.

You cannot be discussing food, for instance, in the main work but pull off some data about mobile phones in Nigeria. That’s a no-no; like the Yorubas would say, ko le werk (it wouldn’t’ work)!

Tell Stories
5 WAYS TO CREATE AN EXPLOSIVE INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH



From children gathering around the elderly under the sweeping glow of the moon, to a family congregated in the living room watching their favourite movie, stories are one of the most potent way you’ll get the readers’ attention if you use it to write an introduction paragraph.

Again, Promise Excel's work provides a good example of introduction paragraph, using a story; to drive home his point:

“There’s this weird thing I do almost every day which I’ve never shared with anybody. I termed it, “REHEARSING FOR THE FUTURE.” First of all, let’s know the meaning of rehearsing. According to Dictionary.com, to rehearse means: “to practice (a musical composition, a play, a speech, etc.) in private prior to a public presentation.” If you accidentally catch me in the act ( of rehearsing for the future), you’d think I’ve gone crazy. Since when I was in secondary school, I’ve always loved writing. I was the fastest writer and had the neatest note. Go ask my teachers. I had pieces of paper, notebooks and jotters where I would write stories (that made no sense…lol). One day a friend asked me, “do you want to be a writer?” I looked at her and smiled. “I don’t know.” In my mind, I was saying, “let my aunt better not hear that rubbish from you before she stops paying my school fees.”

You could share your stories or that of others (ensure you take permission in this case), that are in line with what your post.

However, ensure you don’t make it windy rather keep it short and simple.

Questions/Comments from Your Readers
Keyboard, Help, Support, Information, Info, Computer

Chances are that you’d get loads of questions from your readers –seeking clarification on certain things.

If you’re getting a particular question often, then it’s a sign that you need write on such.

So, when bothering about how to start an introduction paragraph for a blog post, use the questions.

This is one example of an introduction paragraph.

“Recently, someone from the blues sent me an email asking how he could make money online without working. What! Make money online without working? Guess what I did – I hit DELETE.”

Take a cue from recent happening


This is especially for those who can tie one or two lessons to a trendy story.

For instance, Stephanie Obi, a business coach crated a compelling piece after attending an event, alongside Mo Abudu –a popular producer –to mark the 2017 International Women’s Day.

Look at how she got a good introduction paragraph from the event:

“It was the “International Women’s Day”, a few days ago and you know what I saw everywhere? “Boldness!!!” I attended the Wimbiz Annual Lecture and Mo Abudu spoke about a topic titled, “Bold Steps in the Face of Uncertainty.”

Also, when a medical doctor jumped into the Lagoon in Lagos, popular life coach, Femi Adedoyin, penned a powerful Facebook post, “Are You Okay?, which went viral.

Carefully examine how he uses the event to write an introduction paragraph, to tie his message –on depression:

“The sad news of the man who ran out of his car and jumped into the Lagos lagoon has been all over the internet since yesterday. It's an unfortunate incident but one thing I have come to know is that being suicidal does not just jump at someone. It takes a process except maybe the witches from your village have gotten you (that was a comic digression).”

Ask question


Light Bulb, Idea, Consider, Know, Wisdom, Wise, LampWho doesn’t want to get the answer to a nutty question? You want answers to posers bothering your mind. I do too –all of us do.

You can write a good introduction paragraph by asking questions which you have answers to.

This is a post from my friend, Promise Excel’s blog about his writing course:

“Do you know you can become a well-paid freelance writer? You love to write. You want to write. People have told you that you should take writing seriously. Does this sound like you?”

Ask your readers intriguing questions in your introduction paragraph that’ll keep them on their toes, seeking for answers.



Make a definitive statement
Exclamation Point, Matter, Requests, Response, Task

This rather looks counter-intuitive in nature but it does the magic when used in the intro.

Definitive statements would make the reader want to know “why?”

In one of his posts, Mohammed Abdullahi Tosin, uses this technique to write this introduction paragraph:

“Lists of blogging tips for beginners are everywhere on the internet. Chances are high you’ve seen a handful of them already. The problem is, most of them are regurgitated lists of tips that simply don’t work or that work only for the pro bloggers who already have a huge following. Today, I’m sharing with you, some of the blogging tactics I’ve lived by for some time now.”

It puts you in a position of condemning or validating a popular saying, belief etc.

However, you’d be careful so as not to stoke the flames of hatred –religious, political etc –when you use such to write an introduction paragraph!

There you go! See how easy it could be for you to pen those wonderful ideas you’ve been hoarding in your mind because you “Don’t know how to start!”

I normally use 3, 4, 5 in writing my introduction paragraphs and they come out fine at the end.

Which one works for you?



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