Determine your hook.
Look at the 5 Ws and
1 H. Why are readers clicking on this content? What problem are they trying to
solve? What’s new or different? Determine which aspects are most relevant and
important, and lead with that.
Be clear and succinct.
Simple language is
best. Mark Twain said it best: “Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent
word will do.”
Address the reader as “you.”
This is the writer’s
equivalent to breaking the fourth wall in theater, and while some editors will
disagree with me on this one, I stand by it. People know you’re writing to
them. Not only is it OK to address them as such, I think it helps create a
personal connection with them.
Put attribution second.
What’s the nugget,
the little gem you’re trying to impart? Put that information first, and then
follow it up with who said it. The “according to” part is almost always
secondary to what he or she actually said.
If you’re stuck, find a relevant stat.
If you’re trying to
be clever or punchy or brilliant and it’s just not happening, search for an
interesting stat related to your topic and lead with that. This is especially
effective if the stat is unusual or unexpected, as in, “A whopping 80 percent
of Americans are in debt.”
Borrow this literary tactic.
Every good story has
these three elements: a hero we relate to, a challenge (or villain) we fear,
and an ensuing struggle. Find these elements in the story you’re writing and
lead with one of those.
When you’re staring at a blank screen.
Just start. Start
writing anything. Start in the middle of your story. Once you begin, you can
usually find your lead buried a few paragraphs down in this “get-going” copy.
Your lead is in there — you just need to cut away the other stuff first.
Happy Learning!
Anamika Gupta
IAAN
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