Starting Off on the Right Foot
It is a well-established fact that if you want to capture the attention of your target audience, the only way to really do that is to share an emotion (or several) with them that resonates and that causes them to remember having had a similar experience.
Laying the foundation
If you have recently launched your business or if you are embarking on a new phase of your business, you must lay a solid, well-thought-out foundation with a strategy that will work for your business and that will take you very far and stand the test of time.
When it comes to laying that foundation, you will need to use thought-provoking concepts that that help you to not only grab the attention of your target audience members but also that help you to engage those people, create your desired tone, and drive the content in the way that you want to drive it.
Of course, you not only need to accomplish all of that but you also need to do that in the first few seconds (three, to be precise) of when your target audience members start reading. If that seems like a really tall order, it certainly is. However, it is far from insurmountable.
That idea is exactly why your content title and teaser paragraph are so important. They will make a first impression and that first impression better be amazing for the sake of your audience and your business/brand. As you sit down to write that amazing content, if you experience any sort of block, you can lean on your target audience to help you get past it.
Making the beginning really count
Not only does the beginning need to be exceedingly strong but it must also drive some really important points home quickly. Those points are the adhesive that keeps your target audience stuck to your content. Hopefully, they will not move away from your content until they have read everything, from beginning to end. However, don’t forget that it has to be really good in order for you to accomplish that.
Each one of those points needs to be surrounded by fortifying words that build them up and keep them standing tall and solid. Of course, your teaser paragraph sets the precedent for the rest of your content and, in many ways, it serves as an effective preview of things to come. That is exactly what you need to accomplish for your business and that is exactly what your target audience members need to read. It instills confidence and it keeps them interested and hungry for more. In a sense, your teaser paragraph is a promise of wonderful things to come.
You can use that concept within one article and you can also use the same concept if you have a series of connected articles. When it comes to a series of articles; however, you will probably have to promote the content differently (more aggressively) but it will all be worth it.
What do you put in your teaser paragraph?
There are a number of things that you can put into your teaser paragraph (as concepts). In many cases (depending on how you go about it), posing a question can be really effective in a teaser paragraph. A large number of people love to offer their opinions and you, of course, will be delighted to hear what they have to say. Your thought-provoking question will undoubtedly engage your audience, which, of course, is exactly what you are hoping for. The more discussion that ensues, the better.
Another approach that you may wish to consider is demonstrating (through your content) exactly how human you really are. Human beings are vulnerable. There are times when human beings are not exactly sure what they need to say or how they need to feel. If you can show your human side to your target audience, they will be able to relate to you and to your brand in a really meaningful way. Showing that vulnerability will also make the target audience want to pitch in and help you. It can be an extremely effective approach.
Conclusion
Your content title and teaser paragraph must be highly effective and they must really grab the attention of your target audience and hold them. Beyond just your teaser paragraph, you will need to make sure that your first sentence of that paragraph is memorable and really draws in your target audience members.
If you aren’t sure what to do to write an effective beginning, do your homework. Read the teaser paragraphs of other people who you feel have done an effective job and mimic the concepts using your voice and style. As a structure, you will want to use one of a few approaches: start with some action, ask a question, describe an experience, start with an interesting background, or personalize your story right off the bat.
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