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 barb clews to subscribe to "Words that Work", Barb's monthly ezine packed with tips for writers.
expert residential cleaners Park Ridge ..You want your business to be noticed by thousands daily.... Read More
The experts are always telling us that getting paid for... Read More
Are you short of ideas? There are times when we... Read More
If your business has a website, you're probably searching for... Read More
Every field or discipline has its own specialized vocabulary and... Read More
One of the best ways to build credibility and promote... Read More
We all know that online publishers earn revenue from our... Read More
Having an article published is one of the fastest and... Read More
Submitting articles once or twice a week can yield 15... Read More
Article marketing-the simple act of writing one 400 word article... Read More
What's the quickest, easiest way to get exposure for your... Read More
By now you probably understand how important writing for trade... Read More
Getting people to join your company can be hard work.... Read More
If you market online, whether it be your own information... Read More
Whether you own your own affiliate website, or subscription website,... Read More
Did you realize that writing and publishing articles online represents... Read More
Have you ever wondered why Ezine Articles have become one... Read More
What should be in your article summary? It's otherwise known... Read More
Okay, I admit it: I'm a keen people-watcher. (Most writers... Read More
Publicity?you're business can survive without it, but it certainly won't... Read More
Ever read one of those web articles written by an... Read More
Sharing knowledge on the web can be a very powerful... Read More
Writers have one basic need -- readers. We all want... Read More
How are you marketing your articles? As a writer prospecting... Read More
Marketing on a budget is tough. This is a universal... Read More
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..It's not enough to scatter your articles across the internet... Read More
Although this may sound like a funny metaphor, if you... Read More
One of my subscribers writes 'I can't hold my tongue... Read More
Find definitions from Q to Z... ~~~~~~~~~~~ Q ~~~~~~~~~~~ Query... Read More
[Disclosure: I went into ezinearticles.com very innocently. I... Read More
A Consultant could be an expert about absolutely anything.Calling yourself... Read More
Do you know the difference between simultaneous article submissions and... Read More
If you've spent any time online trying to promote your... Read More
Writing for the internet requires that you create a large... Read More
MS: Shelley, you're an excellent person to talk to about... Read More
Most business owners are overwhelmed with the day to day... Read More
In this article I will show you how to use... Read More
Writing articles for online newsletters and websites can be a... Read More
Whatever you're selling, writing articles to distribute freely amongst webmasters... Read More
You know that writing articles is the best free way... Read More
To be successful at any affiliate marketing program, you not... Read More
Never before in the history of the business of writing... Read More
Writing articles that are available for reprint is an excellent... Read More
What is Anchor Text Optimization?Anchor text optimization consists of the... Read More
Every field or discipline has its own specialized vocabulary and... Read More
I've noticed a disturbing trend recently of articles suggesting that... Read More
Submitting Articles for redistribution is the best way to get... Read More
If you've spent any time online trying to promote your... Read More
One of the best things you can do for your... Read More
There is no doubt that Spam has affected online business... Read More
Article Writing |