As an online magazine editor, there is one massive mistake I see writers make with their blog over and over.

Sadly, this mistake often costs them. A lot.

That terrible mistake is called, simply put, “writing bad intros.”

People might click on their blogs because of crazy amazing headlines, but if what they read next doesn’t pull them in … see ya later.

And as you know, the quicker your reader leaves your site after clicking, the higher your bounce rate. (That’s not good!)

And still, for some reason, many of us love to write intros that dance around the topic for a long time before jumping in to the meat of the story. This might mean telling an unrelated personal tale, writing about how bad your day was yesterday to get it off your chest, or simply rambling.

If that’s you, don’t feel bad. We’ve all done it!

Instead of beating yourself up, though, let’s talk through this.

Why do we write bad intros? Maybe it’s because we’re trying to figure out how to word our main point. 

Maybe we’re trying to “set the stage.” Instead, we lead our readers down a rabbit trail that even Alice can’t find her way out of.

You see, blog intros have a specific purpose: Hook the reader.

This is especially true of online articles, where you don’t have much time to grab people’s attention.

A bad intro completely defeats the purpose of an irresistible headline. When you start your article with something that’s not actually relevant to your main point, you lose the reader.

Let me show you what I mean. 

3 Downright Awful Blog Intros

These are NOT good opening strategies:

1. Spend 6 paragraphs telling a personal story that has little connection to your main point.

No lie, I one time edited an article in which the author spent three pages talking about the death of his family pet rodent. 

His main point (which I don’t even remember anymore but had a spiritual tone to it) didn’t come up until the final two paragraphs of the article.

After first reading that article, I stared at it with my mouth hanging open for a good two minutes. I was a wee bit horrified.

I cannot emphasize this enough: Blogs for other people are not an opportunity for you to indulge yourself.

If you’re using a blog to build a loyal following for your business, your writing has to be about your readers.

(Unless the reason people are following you is because they deeply relate to your personal stories. And in that case your personal story should be the main point.)

If you’re writing for others, then do exactly that. Write for them.

2. Open with irrelevant pleasantries and dance around your topic until you finally hit it five paragraphs later.

I’m not trying to be mean with this one, I promise. People do want to feel connected with you. It’s a great idea to write a blog like you’re having a conversation with a friend.

But keep in mind that a blog are still a form of writing.

When you’re sitting down to coffee with a friend, you expect pleasantries in the beginning. They build the rapport so you can feel more comfortable to talk about what’s really going on in your life.

But with writing, people want to know immediately what they’re reading about and what they’re about to learn.

Maybe not everyone feels this way. But if I’m reading a blog with a headline that promises to teach me how to make a healthy version of fettuccine alfredo pizza, I don’t want to spend the first third just reading pleasantries. (Chances are, I’m scrolling straight down to the recipe anyway.)

Again, a little is OK if it’s intentional and in your voice, but don’t make it too long. Get to the point quickly.

3. Open with a well-known fact that adds little value to your main point.

Surprising statistics can make good openers. Stating facts that we all know do not.

This one is certainly not as bad as the first two. 

The problem, though, is that it’s often the low-hanging fruit we reach for when we can’t come up with something more powerful.

Here’s one of the biggest offenders: Dictionary definitions.

I’m sure you’ve read a blog or article that started immediately with a word definition.

Maybe an article on humility started out like this:

Humility: freedom from pride or arrogance : the quality or state of being humble

But we all already know what humility means. And even if you’re introducing a word that your readers may not actually know the definition of, it’s better to save it for after your intro when you’ve already hooked them.

Just saying. You can make your intros stronger.

So let me show you how!

4 Ways to Hook Your Reader With Your Intro

Intros can hook the reader through a couple of strategies (or a combination):

1. Touch on the reader’s pain point.

If you hear me say this all the time, it’s because it’s just that important! Talk to your readers and find out what pain point your service or product directly helps fix.

2. Open with a short, relevant story that is either shocking or makes the reader see themselves.

This is like the flipped version of mistake #2. 

Stories can actually be a good thing … when used strategically. 

Use your introductory story to relate to your reader by sharing something personal you’ve been through. Or open with a relevant story they’ll still relate to and that leads you to the solution for their problem.

3. Introduce a controversial opinion. Then explain.

This one is so good for hooking readers. 

My time working as a news director taught me that people love controversy. And as a content creator and curator, I could either use that knowledge responsibly or irresponsibly.

My opinion?

Rule #1: DON’T be salacious. Just don’t.

Don’t be that person who loves to stir up controversy just for the fun of it because you know it will get you more traffic. 

I have received article submissions from writers who love to use this tactic. In the long run, I think it affects your brand and your image. 

Always take the higher road.

Rule #2: DO open with controversy when you can genuinely offer a different way of thinking that actually benefits your readers.

For example, while many others on the internet may be promoting a certain method of disciplining children, you have a wildly different approach that you’ve seen work.

So say that in the beginning. Tell the world how you’re different. And why it works.

4. Open with mystery.

With this kind of intro, you want to tease the reader a little bit (not in a mean way!). 

You might open by saying how one simple trick revolutionized your relationship with your child.

Or maybe share how nothing seemed to be working to lose weight. And then you discovered your mistake …

These kinds of intros make the reader want to know what the secret is.

And I’m sure it’s a juicy one!