Reprint Instructions: Article must be reproduced unedited and in its entirety. Resource box/bio and copyright date must be included. Live links must be given to any URLs within the article and/or resource box. Do not list your own site as the original publisher of this article. Do not direct visitors to link to your site in place of the author’s site. Please email us notification of where the article will be used and a copy of your newsletter if you are publishing the article in an ezine. Thank you! It's one of the best pieces of copywriting advice I've ever been given. "As often as possible, start your paragraphs with sentences that hook readers and drive them deeper into the copy." Why? Because - after the headline - the first sentence in any paragraph is what gets read most often. After that point, customers usually skip to the next section unless they feel compelled to keep reading. That means your job, as the copywriter, is to entice them into each segment, so they will consume as much of your copy as possible.Take your cue from Reader's Digest. They crank out - issue after issue - exceptional opening lines for their articles that engage then hook readers. What happens next? The reader is pulled into the story full force. Here are some examples.
See? Those sentences boost your curiosity. They make you wonder what happens next. They cause you to visualize a scene that might be taking place. You can do the same thing from a marketing perspective when you write your copy. For instance, rather than starting the copy for an email to Australian hotels like this:
Really capture their attention with an opening sentence that is specific to them like this:
For an Australian hotel that depends on the Internet to generate reservations, that sentence gives them many reasons to keep reading. Here are some other before-and-after examples of opening sentences. ============== BEFORE: Hello and welcome to our website. If you are looking for [enter product name here], you are at the right site. (In this case, the example is from a wedding photographer's site.) AFTER: We don't take pictures. We capture precious memories that you can enjoy for a lifetime. ============== BEFORE: Our site has been online since 2000, and this marks our 6th year online providing designer-inspired sunglasses. AFTER: How do you get the latest designer-inspired looks without paying outrageous prices? ============== BEFORE: Our cruise website offers unbeatable rates and a diverse array of travel services guaranteed to satisfy even the most discriminating vacationer. AFTER: Just imagine yourself on the white sand beaches of Honolulu, hiking through the balmy rainforests of Belize or whisking down a powdery, snow-covered mountain in Aspen… all at up to 50% off! ============== BEFORE: Thank you for shopping for your corporate gifts at _________.com. We hope your shopping experience is delightful. AFTER: When you truly impress your clients with distinctive corporate gifts, they remember you longer, feel a closer relationship and are more likely to reward you with increased sales. ============== See the difference? The "before" sentences are dull, average and unflattering. The "after" sentences are intriguing, imaginative and enticing. Don't stop after you create inviting headlines. Keep the momentum going by writing intriguing opening sentences, too. When you do, you'll help convert more site visitors into paying customers.
Copy not getting
results? Learn to write SEO and online
copywriting that impresses the engines and your visitors with
Karon's Copywriting
Course. Be sure to also check out Karon's report "Writing With Keywords" at http://www.writingwithkeywords.com. [Back to Copywriting Articles Menu]
|
