- How YOU can write articles without driving yourself crazy, too!
- Why you should write articles to establish your authority.
- Let’s start at the very beginning: the importance of the first sentence (and the next, and the next etc…)
- Word magic – it’s a thing and I’m going to show you how you can avoid staring at a blank screen.
Pin it & Read it Later!
I’m sitting in the Boston airport waiting to board my flight to Austin, Texas.
There’s something about the hustle and bustle of an airport that gets my “get it done” heartbeat going.
I’ve gotten more focused work done this morning than I have in ages.
And now, I’m up to the moment where I need to crank out an article for my blog.
Which brings me to my rant…
Article writing can be tricky.
On the one hand, it’s a great way to build authority.
On the other hand, done wrong, articles can come off as impersonal and dry.
Is there a way to solve this problem?
Article writing experts recommend that you open with a single thought––one idea that anyone can relate to––ideally, encapsulated in your first sentence.
What’s the big deal with the first sentence?
Some marketing experts will tell you the magic of the first sentence is to grab the reader by the throat and not let go, so they are “practically forced” to read the rest of your article.
That’s not untrue.
And it’s a compelling idea…
Imagine writing something so attractive and magnetic that a person can’t help but read the whole thing? It sounds great… like waking up with perfect hair and great lipstick… something out of a perfectly (non-scripted ;-)) reality TV show.
The real secret of the opening sentence…
But the real magic of the first sentence is in the structure itself.
If your reader sees the first sentence and reads it so fast it’s almost like they didn’t read it at all, then they’re more likely to read the second sentence.
And if the second sentence has that same captivating quality, they’re more likely to read the third sentence.
You get the drift of where I’m headed with this.
Before your reader knows what happened, he’s read the whole article.
So the secret is in making the words seem as though they magically appeared in the person’s brain without reading them at all.
The words that make the magic…
At this point, you’ve decided to lean on the structure of a simple first sentence, which leads to this question…
What should you say in the first sentence??
As long as you lean on the structure, there’s no wrong way to start.
Do anything you can to avoid staring at a blank screen, because you can always edit later.
Write several starter sentences and see what you like. Most of the time you’ll end up deleting several ideas before you land on one you like. That’s normal.
Here’s a list of 99 starter sentences, in case you get stuck…
I didn’t create them, but they’re inspiring to read. Check them out here: https://hobbylark.com/writing/99-Starter-Sentences
What’s next: If you’d like to discover how a former 9th grade Algebra teacher/SAHM helps multi-million-dollar businesses increase sales with simple “teach for action” techniques, then go to www.9BuyerSystem.com
