The first twenty-five words of your article are the most important. If they're not powerful and "sticky", readers will not stop and invest the time to find out what your article is about.
Some writers write and rewrite their leads numerous times, changing a word here, adding a word there.I've heard of writers reworking the lead up to twenty times, until it is the best possible. Are leads that important? Absolutely!
Most people flick through a magazine first and then decide what to read. Your lead is the advertisement, a signpost telling readers what to expect.If readers like the lead, they will invest the time to keep reading. Your lead, known as "the hook", worked.
Editors and Leads
Editors have a built in detector for excellent leads. Anything that doesn't hook the editor won't be accepted. Your article may have a great topic, be well written, contain terrific research, include usable tips and ideas... but, sadly the lead let you down and your article was rejected.
Writing a Sticky Lead What makes a lead "sticky"?
This is an article about moving house.
"One day we were driving along a nice country lane, enjoying the countryside. The weather was ideal, warm with blue skies and not much cloud.
We had chosen this day to look at a new suburb because we had considered moving. The suburb was two hours drive from where we were living and we wondered what attractions it had to make us want to relocate." (65 words)
This is a pretty sleepy lead. It rambles and doesn't have a hook.
Take a look at this lead for the same article.
"Two hours drive south of Big City is New Town. Jobs are plentiful. Homes range from bungalows to multi-level spacious accommodation. New Town is on the banks of Lake Special. The air is clean -- All the ingredients for a great lifestyle.Here's what to look for when you're thinking of moving." (52 words)
The second version sets the scene and tells readers what to look for when considering a move. You are giving information, inspiration and entertainment.
Barb Clews is an award winning journalist with nearly 1,000 published articles to her credit. She has been a writer and editor for 15 years and is the author of "Article Writing for Freelancers" and "20 Tips to Increase Writing Skills" Visit http://www.bcabooks.com/ to subscribe to "Words that Work", Barb's monthly ezine packed with tips for writers.
People who have an idea for a website sometimes require... Read More
Lately, there seems to be some confusion between Article Marketing... Read More
I am sure that there would have been a moment... Read More
You are running out of ideas, you sit down in... Read More
You know that writing articles is the best free way... Read More
Heard about article marketing but not sure why you'd need... Read More
A few years ago as a webmaster with no money,... Read More
Content is an important component of your web site. Learning... Read More
It is amazing to see how much we all still... Read More
What should be in your article summary? It's otherwise known... Read More
Writing a great deal of articles myself, I see a... Read More
Writing articles for online newsletters and websites can be a... Read More
Online publishers, ezine subscribers, and Web visitors want short, useful... Read More
It's amazing how quickly free articles can generatetraffic - my... Read More
Most business owners are overwhelmed with the day to day... Read More
Routing traffic to your web page is incredibly important in... Read More
Well maybe it's not that "little known" but some people... Read More
It's no secret that writing and publishing helpful articles is... Read More
MS: Shelley, you're an excellent person to talk to about... Read More
If you have submitted your articles to EzineArticles.com you have... Read More
This has to be the number one thing that most... Read More
Writing can be fraught at the best of times but... Read More
Write articles, be recognized as an expert, drive a surge... Read More
It has become common knowledge that the smartest and most... Read More
Yesterday I met a 13-year old boy with a devilish... Read More
second floor addition over porch wheaton 1980s contemporary house remodel hawthorne woods ...Proven and Exceptional Click-Through ResultsTesting has proven again and again... Read More
The more you write, the larger your impact. If that's... Read More
One great benefit of article marketing is the generation of... Read More
One of the best ways to promote your website is... Read More
A huge problem for many people who are working on... Read More
Publishing articles on the Internet is a tremendous way to... Read More
Never before in the history of the business of writing... Read More
This is the "real" Money Maker in the Mail Order... Read More
Marketing on a budget is tough. This is a universal... Read More
1. Participate in chat rooms related to your targeted audience.... Read More
If you are starving for traffic, can't seem to consistently... Read More
Why do so many internet marketers waste their time on... Read More
Understanding the rules of correct formatting for online articles will... Read More
If you market online, whether it be your own information... Read More
Marketing on the internet can be a costly procedure, especially... Read More
If you are not creating articles for your website and... Read More
Some six weeks ago, I began writing and submitting articles... Read More
Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they... Read More
You, too, can become a recognized expert in your specialized... Read More
Knowing exactly what an editor wants.Unfortunately, many new writers struggle... Read More
I get asked all the time, "Lorrie, how can I... Read More
Back when I was in college, I belonged to one... Read More
How is it possible to turn an idea into the... Read More
Have you ever wondered why Ezine Articles have become one... Read More
Strategically developing online content helps to ensure a small-business owner's... Read More
Article Writing Article Writing |