How do you start writing articles? Let's talk about a good person. Title and intro

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If you find it difficult to come up with a start, use proven techniques - they will save time.
Yes, it is not easy to lure people into your networks. Sometimes educated people come across. It's unbelievable, but true!
An exciting start? Yes! Intriguing questions with their full disclosure in the text? Yes! But not “water”… No!

So how to start writing an article so that the reader’s attention is not lost, does not want to yawn a couple of times?

It all starts with a lead...

The word lead has foreign roots and is translated from English. language means "to lead". The usefulness of an article is determined by the reader in 5 seconds, quickly. Then the first paragraph takes center stage. He is important, his eyes run through.

When the lead is bad, the text closes quickly. Mistakes in the lead worsen the situation, that's all! Forget readers and sales.

What does a lead do? Grabs attention, catches the eye!

Serious information is easy to submit, especially interesting, with examples and, with the author's approach. The lead plays a role in advertising brochures, his task is to set the mood, sell the product to the client, intrigue so that an understanding of the actions comes after paying for the order. These are sales on emotions, you don’t even need to invent additionally

The lead is the main point of the article, after reading it, it is easy to grasp the essence of what the article is about. It is different, we will consider its varieties later, but for now, about clichés and clichés.

How not to start articles?

Valuable information is spoiled by incorrect presentation of the material. Do you want to repeat the mistakes of authors who do not want to study and work on texts? The blogger is interesting to readers not only by the writing style, but also by the absence of hackneyed phrases. Which ones?

1. Stamps

Example: B modern world Mobile technologies are developing at a rapid pace.
Example 2: Without movement, there will be no life.

No fantasy to come up with an enticing beginning? Leave it, write further, and the lead will wait. Good thoughts come at the wrong time and at the wrong time. So the problem is how to start the article.

2. Captain obvious

The beginning of the obvious phrases that everyone knows - more typical mistake. Why add meaningless sentences, for volume? This is stupid, detached phrases are not good.

Example: The earth is round, there are 24 hours in a day, day follows night.
Example 2: Women are not like men, every person thinks about their health.

The authors are trying to set the reader on a wave, because they write things that are hard to argue with. Or do they really need more sentences to make the text seem stretched.
Obvious phrases are not serious. If you don’t know how to start an article, think carefully, take a break from the text for a few hours.

3. Sophistication

Difficulty understanding the first sentence participle turns and weight smart words is a direct way to close the page immediately. They tire, cause yawning, the desire to study what is written disappears. This is a failure.

Example: A trade secret is information that is secret in the sense that it is unknown in some form and its totality of parts, is not easily accessible to people who deal with the information.

Imagine using this style in your sales article? Yes, everyone will run away at once. If you don’t know how to write an article, a difficult one will aggravate the situation.

How to start an article:

The slippery slide of Sugarman

This is the golden method. It was created by the wealthy and famous American copywriter Joe Sugerman. The method is unique, suitable for publications in the media, information sites and selling articles.

How does it work?

The first sentence is intriguing. It is broken, incomplete and makes you want to know what was left unsaid. The second sentence reveals the essence of the first, but not more than 50%, and it is better to reveal the whole essence a little later in the text.

The intrigue should be maintained until the end, until the reader has read the entire material. At first, the implementation of this method may seem difficult, you need to try and learn. The third sentence brings closer to the main point, but the intrigue remains.

Important! Don't stretch the beginning.

Statistics or facts

Grab attention with something special. Give truthful intriguing information. Curiosity will take over and you will want to read the article. Add shocking facts to the lead, it will no doubt work and there will be no problems with how to write an article at all.

Examples:

1. Scientists have proven that crocodiles are smarter than dogs.
2. In the world's oceans, islands with mountains of plastic bottles were found.
3. Only 2% of redheads are born in the world.

Provocation

This technique is used by copywriters, it is even a favorite. Its essence is to evoke emotions, set the mood with provocative proposals. Sometimes they use profanity, the reader's reaction: "It looks like the author has become impudent?". These thoughts make you read the material. People anxiously plunge into provocative material and give feedback in the form of comments.

Only there is one "but" - it is better to provoke correctly. So the storm of criticism will not hook the author. By the end of the article, all the negativity should melt away.

Examples:

1. Only stupid people drink cold water in the morning.
2. Dynamo fans are a bunch of inadequacies.
3. If you can read, you will read the information below.

Provocations must be thought out so as not to alienate customers. The provocation will be funny and it is necessary to work out the negative, by the end of the day after the provocation people should have in their heads positive impression. The company should follow this carefully. Sometimes it can be very harmful if it is negative.

Ask a Question

Don't know how to start an article? Yes, ask a question, it will be easy. Questions are relevant in that people always try to get an answer to them, but if there is none, then curiosity makes you read. And an intriguing question is a win-win. Don't know how to start? Ask a couple of questions and write them at the beginning of the text.

Examples:

1. How to earn money for an apartment in 1 year?
2. Where can I get a loan for 1,000,000 rubles without interest?
3. How to lose weight in a month by 20 kg?

Questions are combined with the “Sugerman slide”, other methods work, the main thing is not to spoil it!

hypnosis method

For informational articles, such a beginning is not typical and even unusual. It's perfect for sellers. commercial offers, landings and promotional articles.

The whole feature is in the use of such phrases: "Imagine ...", "Just think ...", "Imagine ..." and stuff like that.

Examples:

1. Imagine yourself in the place of a man who has two suitcases full of money in his hands.
2. Imagine that you are the president of a car holding company.
3. Just think how many people can be saved if you think about health from childhood.

Quote

It's easy to start an article with a quote, a smart and deep phrase famous person.

But, using this method, do not forget that the target audience should catch the meaning of the quote (don't be too smart). Her main point easily related to the text below.

Don't get carried away, it doesn't always work, but the article looks better with it than without it.

Experiment or Poll

A great way to start an article is to write a short survey right away. Most people are inquisitive, love all sorts of texts and experiments, learn something new about themselves with interest.

By introducing such introductions into the materials, you are guaranteed to get readers, albeit not for long, even if the text is selling an information product on.

Examples:

1. Answer 5 questions and find out how to start the day so that money goes into your hands.
2. If you want to know about yourself, take the test and understand why it is difficult to learn Chinese on your own.

Experience

In some ways, the experience will resemble a story, only a specific person tells it in his own name, and not in a third person. Sometimes the experience is too emotional, which is good!

A great start for a sales text. Curiosity flares up further, like a flame burns. The author remains to throw firewood so that it does not go out.

Problem and Solution

Find main problem Target audience and promise to solve it with the very first sentence. If you guessed the problem, wait for the readers.
The copywriters who make up the Landing Page of slimming products work with this to get rid of dandruff and problems.

The text must be built with intrigue and revealed at the end, leading the reader to the idea that he cannot do without this thing.

Summarizing the results

Don't know how to start an article? Do not invent a bicycle, it has already been invented for you, tested and successfully implemented, having received positive results.
Skim the cream off other people's developments and actively use those methods that will 100% interest the target audience.

Interesting:

Comments (14)

Yes, it is very important to catch the attention of the visitor, but the main thing is not to overdo it. He smiled about scientists (Elena, just don’t take it personally, this is very correct advice, but they often use it in their own way).

So, about scientists: now this “trick” is used right and left, even in cheap teasers: scientists have found out, scientists have proven, scientists advise ... Poor, poor scientists, they don’t even know how much they have discovered)))

This is me to the fact that every piece of advice should be used thoughtfully, without turning the article into absurdity or outright lies!

By the way, I recently read the advice: the success of a copywriter is to pass off fiction as truth. And I have mixed feelings! Either the author of the advice is doing this, or is doing a disservice by giving "excellent" recommendations for the death of truth.
And I agree with scientists, sometimes they go too far!

Elena, how you helped me with your article and recommendations, thank you ... I have already read so much on this topic, but still I return to this issue again and again ... You gave very useful advice ... It’s good that you gave specific examples ... We will try to use it in practice in practice my blogs… Sincerely, Anna.

A newspaper article must contain an objective and factual account of an event, place or person. Most people read the text fluently, so the most important information should be placed at the very beginning, and then supplement the material with descriptive details for the informativeness of the plot. Study the topic and stick to the correct structure of the text organization in order to create competent and engaging articles.

Steps

Part 1

1. Contact sources. Try to get in touch with everyone as early as possible so sources can find time to interview. For an article, it is desirable to have 2-3 primary sources. It is advisable to communicate with people who have opposing views on the situation in order to fully cover the issue.

   • Sources must be experts in the topic you are considering (for example, experienced professionals, professors or academics). You can use sources with extensive experience or a long relationship in this area.
   • Eyewitnesses to the event will also be helpful, especially if you have experience in the matter you are considering.

2. Conduct an interview. Try to conduct face-to-face conversations with sources in a comfortable and quiet environment, such as a coffee shop, office, or home. If it is not possible to meet in person, then you can talk by phone or via video link. Prepare your questions ahead of time and get permission to record the conversation so you can use quotes later.

   • Sometimes more than one interview is required with the main source. Also, if necessary, you can send additional questions to the person.
   • Transcribe the audio recording of the conversation in printed form to provide accurate quotes in the article. Having a transcript will simplify the task of fact checking and backing up information.

3. Research publicly available information on the topic at your local library or on the Internet. Always use only reliable information that is based on facts. Explore various monographs and articles in the library. Find verified information online on trusted services (scientific databases or official government websites).

   • Correctly cite the information in the article, include the name of the person or organization that provided you with the information. Use reliable sources so that your article has weight.

4. Check statistics and other numbers before using them in an article. If your article relies on statistics, data, or quantitative information, then always check the information with reliable sources. Indicate such sources in the article so that readers are convinced of the reliability of the information.

   • If you have received an assignment from the editor, you may need to provide him with a list of all sources for the article. This will demonstrate that you have checked all the facts.

   Part 2

   Article structure

   1. Come up with a catchy, informative headline. The title should grab the reader's attention and hint at the content of the article. A competent headline contains answers to the questions “what” and “where”. It should be short and clear, contain 4-5 words.

      • For example, come up with a headline like: “A teenager has disappeared in Irkutsk,” or: “The Duma has not adopted a law on benefits.”
      • In some cases, it is more convenient to write the title after the article is completed in order to fit the main points of the text into it.

   2. Start your article with an "introductory" sentence. The first sentence, also often called the loanword "lead", contains the main details of the plot. The first sentence should provide concise answers to the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “why”, and “how” questions, as well as engage the reader so that he continues to explore the material.

      • For example, you can write a lead like this: “Three schools in Samara have been quarantined due to a flu outbreak,” or: “Police report that a missing teenage girl was found at an abandoned construction site in a residential area of ​​​​the city.”

   3. Place information in chronological order starting with the most relevant and important details. It should be enough for the reader to look through the first part of the article to find out the necessary information on the topic. Indicate the most recent data in the first two paragraphs of the article. This approach is called the inverted pyramid principle.

      • For example, you could write: “10-12 students have been diagnosed with the flu, but doctors fear that the number of cases may increase if schools are not closed.”

   4. Supplement the article with important details. It is here that you need to answer the questions “why” and “how” in more detail in order to inform the reader of all the details. Write a detailed background or briefly review past events that are directly related to the situation. Paragraphs should not include more than 2-3 sentences so that readers do not get confused.

      • For example, write: “The girl's mother reported her child missing on Friday night when she did not return home after meeting with a friend. This is the second girl who went missing in Irkutsk in the last two weeks.”

   5. Use at least 2-3 supporting quotes from sources. The first part of the article should contain one persuasive citation, and the second part - one or two additional citations. With the help of quotations, any information that cannot be attributed to well-known information should be confirmed. Use short, informative and understandable quotes. Always cite the source to which the quote belongs.

      • For example, write: “Police spokesman Sergei Fedorov said that “The girl is in shock, but nothing threatens her health,” or: “The school administration says: “Quarantine will prevent the spread of influenza and protect our students.”
      • Do not use long quotes or more than four citations in an article so as not to confuse readers.

   6. End the article with an informative quote or link to more information. At the end of the article, you can give a spectacular quote that will help the reader to better understand the situation. You can also leave a link to the website of the organization or event that is described in the article.

      • For example, write: “The girl’s mother felt relieved and showed concern for other residents of Irkutsk: “I hope that no other child will be lost in our city.”
      • You can also write: “Representatives of the health sector urge parents to follow developments on the citywide portal www.schooling-samara.ru and school websites.”

   Part 3

   Tone and style

   1. Use specific and understandable words that won't let you get confused. Avoid vague phrases and general statements that do not benefit the reader. Use simple and understandable language accessible to a wide range of readers. Sentences should take no more than two or three lines. In other cases, divide the thought into several sentences.

      • For example, instead of the phrase: “The girl’s mother suggested that the disappearance was related to the school,” it would be better to write: “The mother of the missing girl suggested that bullying at school could be the reason for the absence.”

You will need

• The maximum of useful and reliable information about a person, a voice recorder, a pen, paper, a list of questions, intuition and the ability to listen.

Instruction

There are two main ways to write about . You can interview him (or a series of interviews), or you can use other sources. The first method is preferable, because the data is provided from the original source. The second method can be used when life has already become part of the story, or there is no way to contact. In this case, scrupulously check everything and their sources. Send the article to the hero for verification, and if he is no longer there, try to contact his relatives.

Write down questions that you will ask the interlocutor and that will help you in the subsequent work on the article. Take a voice recorder to the meeting.

Remember that under any circumstances, you must take control of the course of your conversation. "Reveal" the interlocutor, keep the thread of the conversation and manage it.

In order to write an article, it is necessary that you have no questions left for the person, so that a complete picture of the article develops in your head, perhaps its composition. Sometimes it takes several meetings with a person. Remember that not everyone will support your commitment to different reasons(mainly due to time limits), even if the article is written by his order. Discuss this point ahead of time. You may have to write based on the material of one meeting, and the details are already coordinated by phone and in writing.

Study the collected material. Do this until you have a complete idea of ​​the composition of the future article in your head. Write down the plan of the article, supplement (optionally) with brief explanations. Try to find interesting moves, highlight the right and darken the excess. The future reader should be familiar with the result of your work.

Create! And having created, put the article aside for a while, and then critically refine it.

Helpful advice

Before writing articles (not only about people), you should familiarize yourself with the rules of how to do it professionally and be able to apply them.

Many famous authors argue that writing is not a muse and inspiration, but hard daily work, in which there is not even a hint of romance. At the same time, whether you are writing a story, short story, essay or article, with technical side it does not matter. Armed with a piece of paper and a pen, or running text editor To write your first article, keep a few things in mind.

Instruction

You must clearly understand for which publication you are going to write an article. View, if possible, articles by other authors. Determine which style of speech is more suitable for the articles of your chosen publication, specify all order parameters - the number of printed characters, design requirements, the presence (or absence) of links, lists, tables and other technical details.

Determine the topic of the article. If you have already been given ready theme, consider the name, understand the meaning of what you will write about. Mentally or on a piece of paper, draw up an outline of the article, determine its structure. Remember that any text must have a beginning and a logical conclusion, and events, facts or any other information must be presented in sequence.

If it is difficult for you to immediately formulate what the article will be about, start writing it from the main part, and add the announcement or introduction at the end, when the finished text is in front of your eyes. When writing text, remember that sentences in paragraphs should be related in meaning, and each new paragraph should logically follow from the previous one.

If you refer to historical (political, economic and other) events and facts in an article, use dates, do not be lazy and double-check the accuracy of the facts you are writing about. If you mention an Internet resource in the text, indicate its address or exact name, so that the reader can find it on their own.

Prepare a conclusion, if required. Write an introduction (or announcement) if you haven't already. Reread the finished article several times, checking it for grammatical, punctuation, stylistic and other errors. Arrange (if necessary) the text on the page in accordance with the requirements of the customer (set the margins, align the text, indent paragraphs).

Hand over the article within the time specified by the customer. If you were not too lazy and did the work in good faith, took into account all the wishes of the publisher, there should be no problems with the publication of your article. If you are writing an article for your own website (newspaper, magazine), the requirements should not be reduced - you want people to read you.

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Children are a very special people. They have their own worldview, habits and interests, which can be very different from what adults are used to. If you decide to write articles for children, you will have to consider them. mental features and become a child for a while.

Instruction

Decide what educational purpose (if any) your article has and write a plan for how you are going to get it across to the reader. Remember that the educational methods used by a three-year-old baby also differ significantly.

In order to attract the attention of an adult reader, you can write an article about gender relations, but you will not be interested in this for a children's audience. Choose topics that interest you modern child– comic book characters, toys, food, active games on fresh air, fairy tales.

It is desirable that the chosen topic is of interest to you. You will enjoy the work, and the little reader will intuitively feel your interest and believe in what is written. Remember your childhood, feel like a child again and write what you like.

Be consistent. If in your article you talk about how delicious chocolate is, and at the end you make a conclusion about the usefulness of vegetables, the kid will not understand your article and will prefer to forget about what he read.

The beginning of an article is what grabs the reader. The first sentence should make you want to read the second, the second - the third and so on, until the very end of the article. At the same time, from the very beginning you must decide on the topic and idea of ​​​​the article, and also answer yourself the question: “What does my article call for?”. Yes, we are all copywriters and we need to think about why we write. Articles can encourage the reader to take one or another action - to purchase a product, follow a link, download a file. Then all your strength from the first word should be thrown into this action. And if your article is an informational or entertaining plan, but the task is somewhat different.

Never start with platitudes. Do not repeat what everyone already knows. For example, there is nothing worse when an article begins with the words: "Everyone has long known ...". If something has long been known to everyone, then why repeat it in once more? Take it right off the bat. The beginning should be intriguing, not "slowly sinking" the reader into your article.

Avoid generalizations. “Everyone loves makeup...” is a rather silly start for an article. How do you know that all women are crazy about cosmetics? Or maybe someone has an allergy, and someone basically does not use make-up? Your statement can someone . “Every man is interested in cars...” - before you say this, walk down the street and find out how many men are interested in cars in reality. You will see that "not everyone" is far away. If generalizations cannot be avoided, then write: "Most, many, almost all" or simply: "Men are addicted, women love, children will be delighted."

Start with interesting history. It can be an anecdote, a case from life, or even an extensive quote. The main thing is that it should be on topic and not beaten. If your article begins with the words: "As the famous joke says ...", this beginning is no better than another one that begins with banal words.

Give only fresh and verified information. Especially if you write an article with a claim to analytics. Agree, it would be strange if you write an article about the state of the housing market in Moscow in 2014, and cite statistics from, say, 2010.

A good start would be to pose a paradoxical question, for example: “Why is the water wet?”, “Why was a roaming forest discovered in the steppes of Kazakhstan?” etc. Any question, even the most delusional. The main thing is to answer it, otherwise the reader will feel deceived - he swallowed the bait, and instead interesting story- empty.

Another interesting start become a provocation. The “yellow press” often “sin” with this: “A pyramid was discovered on Mars,” but according to the text it turns out that this is not a pyramid, but a play of light and shadow. " Famous actor crashed in a car accident, ”and it turns out that the actor’s character crashed on the set of the film, and the actor himself calmly gives interviews. It's up to you whether to use it this way.

Information can be submitted in the format “Did you know that ...”: “Do you know that Abramovich earns the minimum monthly salary of most Russians per minute?”, “Do you know that a runaway stone was found on Mars?”, “ Do you know that the elder is still in the garden, and the uncle left Kyiv? etc. It's amazing, but such beginnings "catch" no less than paradoxical questions. Do you know that such beginnings are almost never used in practice, and this is your chance to “develop” gold mine?

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That's the problem, the problem! How to start an article? Not one copywriter puzzles over this question. It happens that everything is fine in the main part of the article, the end is also logical, but the beginning looks sluggish, boring and very banal! Let's tell you a secret: in order to captivate the reader, the article must have, firstly, an interesting title, and secondly, a "catchy" first paragraph, that is, the very beginning. Even if later the article is written interestingly and well, the reader may not know this, because he will evaluate the material by the first lines. If he sees hackneyed phrases, banality, or sentences that are too difficult to read at the beginning, he will close the article without regret.

If you want to ensure that people take your articles with a bang and read excitedly, then it's time to learn how to start your text correctly. That is what we are going to talk about now.

"Each of us ...", "Today ...", "Not so long ago ...", "At present ..." - such words and expressions are mortally bored, cause a desire to yawn and quickly close "another template article." Such initial phrases seem normal to you, but in the reader they evoke precisely those feelings and desires that we have just described. The reader has already "fed up" with such materials, and therefore, from the very beginning, such articles will be perceived as boring, useless and mediocre. Another mistake is very long, drawn-out sentences with numerous terms and complex constructions. In order to “drive into” what you want to say with such a sentence, a person must either read very slowly or re-read several times. Readers are not pleased with the well-known thoughts like "Birthday happens only once a year!", "A child in a family - great joy"etc. Boring!

• Do not use banal phrases and words at the beginning of the article;
• Refuse clericalism, "hackneyed" designs, templates;
• Do not try to make the beginning of the article abstruse by using long sentences and an abundance of difficult terms.

How to start an article: good options

In order for the beginning of the article to cause a person to think like: “Wow, this is something interesting, I haven’t read this yet! What does it say next?” Use the techniques suggested below. We offer you exactly the techniques that successful copywriters use.

1. Start the article with a question. Thus, you involve the reader in a conversation, he willy-nilly answer it and be sure to see what you write next. For example: "You know that smoking is harmful, but you are not going to quit anyway?", "Do you have a loved one and a close person?".
2. Creating a mental image. Reception is good, but not suitable for all articles. Its essence is that you need to invite the reader to imagine a certain situation: "Imagine that suddenly ...", "Imagine that you ....", "Let's say you have ....", etc. Further write what situation you want to imagine. Thus, you also involve the reader in communication, interest him, he thinks: "Well, presented, and what's next?" and read your article.
3. History or anecdote. All people love to listen and tell each other stories. It's interesting, it brings you together, so why not tell an exciting story (maybe fictional) or an anecdote on the topic at the very beginning? The main thing here is the liveliness of the narrative, you can use a colloquial style. Let the reader imagine that this story is being told by a friend or acquaintance. It will be great if you tell a story from your life, so to speak, from personal experience. This inspires confidence in the reader and the idea that "the author understands me and will certainly advise or tell something more sensible."
4. Statement of problem or question. If it’s hard for you to come up with a “catchy” start, then the easiest way is to immediately point out the problem or question that interests the reader, and promise to give a useful and correct answer to it, and then start doing it.
5. Conclusion on emotions. To interest the reader, at the very beginning of the article, he can be led to positive or negative emotions, for example, to provoke. Usually this affects a certain audience of readers, and it is negative emotions that work better than positive ones. For example: "All women are such fools!", "To spend time on the Internet is an occupation for ordinary and boring people." At the same time, it is important in the article to refute your attacks on readers so that they do not take offense.
6. Quotes and facts. Two more simple ways for those who can't think of a witty start. All that is needed is to give at the very beginning the factual data related to the issue under consideration, or an exact quote from a famous person, also directly related to the subject of the conversation.
7. Joe Sugerman, an American copywriter, once came up with another way to start an article. It's called "slippery hill". Its essence lies in the fact that at the beginning the shortest unsaid sentence is written. It raises interest and a lot of questions. In the second sentence, the idea is considered in more detail, appears new information, in the third sentence - more more information. So we gradually lead the reader to reading the information that we want to tell.

Here are a few ways to get started writing an article, use any of them and spark reader interest!