When writing for the web, it’s important to lead with your best material.  While the same advice can be true for many types of writing, it’s especially relevant to online content, as the readership often bring less patience and commitment than someone who buys a magazine or borrows a book does.

People read online material differently than they do regular printed matter.  They’re less invested in actually consuming your content, so they look at the few items on the page that stand out and close the tab if it doesn’t seem interesting

One of the first things people almost always read is your first paragraph.  Hence, the value of putting your best material near the top of the page.   If you fill the first paragraph with fluff, you leave your reader with no understanding of what the content is about, increasing the likelihood that they’ll leave and look for answers elsewhere.

Using a newspaper-style introduction is an excellent way to lead with the meat of your material.  If you don’t feel that structure best serves your reader, though, you can also opt to write in a way you deem more suitable, but add a short summary as a lead-in to the article.  That way, the reader can get the gist of the subject quickly without forcing you to adopt an inverted-pyramid style.

Wondering how long you should make the introduction to your essay?  Like many things about writing, the right answer varies.  There are some guidelines you can use to make it of reasonable length, though.

1. It should be brief relative to the essay.  If you’re writing a short, five-paragraph essay, then an introduction with three to four sentences will likely suffice.
2. Make sure the introduction introduces the main thesis, as well as gives  the reader an idea of how the argument will be developed.  Many times, a paragraph with three to five sentences can accomplish this successfully.
3. Include only background information necessary to your target reader.  For class essays where the teacher may already be knowledgeable on the background of the topic, you can skip including any such information.  Only put in material that will be necessary for the target reader to understand your main points.
4. If the necessary background information is too long, put it in a second paragraph.  Opening paragraphs that grow too long can end up intimidating readers.
5. Never make statements that are self-referential.  You know, stuff like “This essay will focus on…” and “The succeeding discussion will show…”  You are writing an essay, not an opening statement at a trial.  Doing self-references will only lengthen an essay unnecessarily.

Getting off to a solid start is crucial to effective writing, no matter the genre.  If you’re writing fiction, you want to do the same.  Here are some tweaks you can do to accomplish just that.

1. Use it to build momentum.  Opening lines should introduce the story effectively, combining individual elements of the craft that define it as a whole.  A rudimentary plot should be apparent from the start, along with traces of the artistic voice, a clear point of view and some amount of characterization.  If that sounds hard, that’s because it is — nobody said writing fiction is easy.
2. Start in the middle.  Starting from the very beginning is perfectly acceptable.  Most of the time, however, the actual starting point of any story is nothing but a boring mass of details.  The first moment of the first conflict, on the other hand, helps suck in the reader immediately.
3. Manage expectations.  Hooking the reader is important.  Go too extreme, though, and you can set up too lofty of an expectation.  The trick is to use small hooks, but to pull hard.
4. Keep dialogue to a minimum.   Dialogue at the outset of a story immediately puts you at risk of losing the reader.    If you absolutely must do it, keep the talk short and pull back immediately, presenting additional context.
5. Make sure the reader understands your opening line. Starting a story with a cryptic line whose actual meaning will be illuminated later may sound clever in theory.  In practice, though, the unclear opener will just leave the reader confused and, possibly, put off.

Good introductions are very important to any type of writing.  That very first paragraph is your best chance of conveying the main topic of the piece, as well  as engaging the reader’s interest in the ensuing discussion.

For most people, it’s a good idea to write your introduction after the rest of your piece is complete.  That way, you can effectively incorporate the different ideas you discuss in the work’s body — something that’s hard to pin down accurately at the beginning of a draft.  You can also write a rough introduction if it makes you feel comfortable, as long as you get back to it as soon as the remainder of your discussion is formed.

Here are some things to consider when reviewing and revising your introductions.

1. Does your introduction show your main argument’s relevance in the current landscape of the field?  If you can do this, you immediately give the reader a reason to care.  In case that doesn’t apply to your topic, then focus on context — where your main thesis fits in on the bigger picture it’s a part of.
2. Does your introduction adequately prepare the reader for the level of language you will use? This is very important if you plan to introduce key terms and important jargon later on.
3. Does your introduction describe your main point clearly and precisely?  If the reader isn’t led directly to your main thesis, you’re not doing it right.
4. Does your introduction have the ability to draw the reader in?  You need to grab the reader’s attention and give them reason to read further.  The first paragraph is, often, your one shot at doing just that.

A strong lead is crucial to a well-written feature.  When you turn that page to a specific title, the way the it leads  usually determines the mood of the article, apart from introducing the subject to the reader.

When To Write Leads

Most writers always compose the lead first.  In fact, I know quite a few who couldn’t proceed to composing the rest of the piece until they are able to put a satisfactory one together.

It makes sense to write the lead first, as it usually defines how the rest of feature follows.  However, it’s always a good idea not to restrict yourself in this manner.  I’ve seen so many writers end up paralyzed when they’re unable to put a lead together that the work ends up being stalled.   In truth, you can write the lead for your feature any time, even after running the rest of it through your proofreading software.

Types Of Leads

Most newspaper and magazine features use one of these six different techniques to write leads.

1. Summary leads gives an overview of the subject, answering the basic questions for the reader (who, what, when, where, why, and how) in as succinct a manner as possible.  Most of the time, it makes sense to focus on three or less of those questions to keep your opening tight.

2. Salient feature leads put the focus on one particular aspect of the story, giving emphasis to a single specific characteristic of the subject.

3. Case-approach leads use a specific story – one representative example – to illustrate the point of the feature.

4. Suspense leads introduce the feature, but cut it off right before revealing the big news of the piece.  The effect is teasing the reader into perusing the rest of the story.

How much attention do you pay to the first line of your work?  Do you obsess over trying to get it right?  Or do you just dive in with the first sentence that comes into mind?

The shorter the writing, the greater the value that your first line carries.  While a 300-page novel might survive a rough start, a one-page essay will probably suffer for it.  If you’ve resolved that a powerful first line is what you’re aiming for, trying to make sure these four qualities find their way into your work should prove a worthy use of your time.

1. Properly written sentence.  Naturally, a good first line should be structurally correct, not to mention elegantly constructed.  A quality writing software should help.

2. Hints at the overall content of the piece.  What’s the rest of the text about?  If your first line can offer a clue, then it should prove an effective instrument for making the document easier to consume for your reader.

3. Sets the tone of the material.  How do you want your reader to act, feel and think while they’re going through your work?  A good first line will steer the reader in the direction that you want.  Not doing so can lead them down the wrong path, potentially pushing them to lose interest.

4. Hooks the reader.  You want to draw the reader in with your first line and pull them into the story, wanting to know more.

Of all the four characteristics above, the last and the first ones are easily the most vital to employ.  If the first line can get the reader to dive further into the piece, all while being elegant and proper, then it has done its job marvelously.  The succeeding statements can then proceed to assist with the other two qualities.

They say the hardest part of writing is the beginning.  While I don’t necessarily agree, I’m pretty sure most intermediate writers need plenty of help when it comes to writing introductions.

The introduction will typically span the first paragraph (or more) of any written piece of work.  Done well, they should do the following things:

• inform the reader about what the text will be about
• capture your readers’ attention to make them want to read more
• offer a background on the subject of the writing
• introduce your thesis

More so than other parts of your writing, you will need to ensure your introduction is well-written, with proper grammar and sentence structure.  It’s, essentially, your invitation to the reader – mess it up and they’ll be less likely to proceed any further.  As such, make sure you to employ the best writing software you can scrounge up to fashion your introduction into shape.

An introduction need not be the first thing you write.  In fact, some people choose to dive right into the body of their text, before even thinking about how to introduce.  Whichever works best for you should suffice.

You can write your introduction in any of a million different ways.  As long as it achieves the four objectives we set forth above, it should be an acceptable structure.  If you’re having a hard time coming up with one, however, you can follow this age-old way of crafting an introduction:

• start by writing a general statement about the subject
• follow it up with brief, but more detailed background information
• end it with your thesis statement