Write the first line like your life depends on it.

As they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and so does content writing.

I was not sorry when my brother died.

They shoot the white girl first.

Are these two sentences good?

Of course, they are. They entice you to read further.

But, what if I tell you, great authors and your favorite creators online use techniques and strategies to rivet the attention of their readers?

Huh?

ReadOn!

Curiosity and Clarity balance

When you are writing the opening line balance the dose of curiosity and clarity to propel forward your readers to read the text. You can do this with -

Mystery, conflict, tragedy

Use these elements in your opening lines, your readers will automatically slide down.

Ask Great Questions

The best opening line can also be a question. But before asking these questions to yourself :

• Will the audience take it as an interest or surprise?

• What is the most interesting story that you have mentioned in your content/book

• What do you have to say that breaking rules

• Human beings tend to respond to genuine connection

Personal Information

When people find your content interesting, they start becoming interested in you and your personal life. So talk about yourself whenever you get the chance.

Like this,

The school was really hard for me, for lots of reasons

Mirroring the readers' pain

You may dilute the readers’ motivation to read further if you don’t connect with them. According to the study, people are more interested to lift away the pain and problems they have as opposed to the pleasure they get from action.

Opening your first sentence with the reader’s pain, you can narrow down your audience and provide the solution to a specific audience.

How can I build a body without weightlifting?

A hassle-free approach to building an authentic audience on Twitter

Ask questions to your readers

People are constantly looking for answers to their questions thereby improving their overall life. Asking them the right question shows that you understand their pain and potentially give an answer to it.

Why success is so easy for some people, whereas most people keep griding their whole life?

Shock your readers

We shot dogs. Not by accident. We did it on purpose, and we called it Operation Scooby. I’m a dog person, so I thought a lot about that.

I don’t need to explain further, what will happen to your reader if you shocked them with your opening lines. They of course gonna want to know why you did that.

Lead with a bold claim

I lost 5kgs weight in just 15 days without weightlifting and a heavy diet.

Just make a bold claim and support your claim backed by the data. If your readers are symptomatic they will read further to know the answer.

Now readers who want the answer to this claim gonna read further.

Invite the readers in

Dear Reader: Thanks so much for purchasing Never Lose a Customer Again! Or pick it up at the bookstore and read this first chapter—trust me, you should save time and go buy this now as I offer a 100 percent refund guarantee at the end of this letter, so no need to worry!

The above opening lines look more like a conversation between the author and readers which itself is a plus point. Also, he mentioned the benefit of reading further in the opening lines itself - never lose customers again.

Give a brief idea about how the story will read

Are you telling your own story, is your work a real story or fiction or horror story etc? By giving an idea about what your content is, you jar serious readers and paint a picture in their minds about your work.

I always used to suck at learning new things before I learned this.

Introduce an overall theme

Take a look at these book names

Think and Grow rich

Amotic habits

Psychology of selling

There’s no doubt each book serves a different purpose. Think and Grow Rich covers success principles and how to attract wealth, atomic habits, and how to reprogram your mind and take a quantum leap in life, whereas the psychology of selling focuses on human behavior respectively.

You can do the same thing in your opening lines.

Just take a look at this example :

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Through these opening lines, the author wants to cover marriage and money.

Overall, it is essential to provide compelling reasons for your readers to continue reading.

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Stay curious and keep learning!