How to Write a Great Opening Line

Do you want to make sure that your entire blog post gets read?

The headline is definitely the most important thing for attracting readers to your blog posts. Definitely the most important factor, when it comes to getting people to read your blog posts, or just considering reading your blog post.

While that isn’t the only thing you want to focus on, when you are getting people to read your blog post. I believe that opening lines is and will always be the second most important  thing, when it comes to this. The opening line’s purpose is to get people to read the next lines.

There are lots of ways you can write a great opening line. I will only demonstrate a few of them, the ones that I find most relevant.

Arouse the Curiosity with a Question

We could start out with a question-type of opening line. The question could be anything, there is different ways of lay out questions for your opening lines.

Photo by Apoxapox

1st Type of Question to Ask: Ask a question where everyone would answer ‘yes’.

That’s a technique lots of copywriters have used for a long time and it works. An example of a question could be: “Do you want to be an a-list blogger?”

If the reader answers “yes” to this question, then he is wants to be an a-lister (simply). This means the reader wants to read on, because you have his attention.

With this opening line, you will get the attention of all those bloggers who is wannabe be a-listers. The thing is, your opening line should have much relevance to your headline. thus, this opening line would go very well with the title “how to become an a-list blogger?” – it would be perfect, because the reader can relate to this opening line.

I think you have the general picture of how to make a “yes” question as an opening line.

2nd Type of Question to Ask: Ask a question that makes people wonder what the answer is. Make them interested in reading beyond the opening.

This is yet another technique that people in copywriting have used for quite a long time. A great example of a question would be: ‘How did I Jump From a PR1 to PR8?’

Start the Post With a Quote

A quote can be very effective, no matter where it is on the post. When the right quote it chosen it is deadly powerful in the opening lines. If you use other people’s words you could build some authority or credibility around your blog post.

It is very hard to find a matching quote for a post, especially for an opening line. It’s much easier to build a post around a quote, than to find a quote to fit around your blog post. If you want to have a quote as an opening line, I would go out and find a quote and write a blog post around that specific quote.

Statements

I have “studied” a couple of blogs, which I read daily. Blogs on how to blog and a totally irreverent view on blogging.

When I looked at their opening lines I saw the same thing, over and over again. I am definitely not saying that, that is wrong (though variation is good). I saw statements in almost every single post, and I know that most of my opening lines is statements too.

Statements is very powerful (when used correct) and really lead the reader on and make them read the entire blog post.

What I would do to make the statements much more powerful than some of them are now.

• Make it sound conversational
• Deliver it with confidence

That would be the two main things to improve your statement opening lines.

Solve a Problem, By Identifying It

You should begin to see the power and importance of identifying the reader’s need or solve a problem. It is a key for you, if you want to write a killer blog post.

Of course you should never (ever) tell them how they solve the problem in the opening line, but you should tell them, that you will solve the problem later. If they want to solve the problem, then they will most definite read on.

What Was Your Most Effective Opening Line?

I have shared my experience, I’m still on my journey. Everybody is. That means that there is methods that works better, or equal. I really would like you to make a good opening line, the best one from you so far?