Even the most compelling stories need a good introduction. Many bloggers and brands have found themselves telling stories or outlining plans in great detail, only to find that audiences are seemingly not interested in what they have to say. While sometimes this can be due to the context or focus of the content, it cannot be overstated that introductions play a massive role in how people perceive your posts.

Because of this, learning how to optimize introductions for optimal appeal is crucial. The first few sentences can often make or break who sticks around to hear your story and who looks somewhere else. To encourage better structure and greater reader retention, perfecting this aspect of posts and articles is key.

Today, let’s take a gander at how you can hook readers early on and ensure more of them absorb the gist of your content.

Use an Intriguing Fact

Did you know that 60 percent of the best-performing posts begin with an interesting fact or statistic? While the above might not actually be true, it illustrates how best to open your posts in order to pique the minds of those reading. One of the biggest appeals in reading content is to learn something new: by opening with a factual statement that not many may not be aware of, you can draw in crowds and ensure they continue reading to find out more, equally intriguing details.

Be Clear About a Solution

A large number of blog posts and articles attempt to answer a question or solve a problem. Nobody wants to waste time reading about such if there is no concrete answer or solution contained within the content, so it’s vital that your introduction makes it clear that there is a solution or answer forthcoming.

You can pique the interests by pinging users with a broad-based answer, using the remainder of the post to answer the question or explain the process in greater detail. This can ensure individuals who stumble across your content know that they’re not wasting their time – but will still guarantee you please search engines with long-form content and maximize the average on-page time of readers.

Begin Telling a Story

Some of the best-performing content revolves around a narrative being constructed within the content itself. Even in technical or factual blog posts and articles, being able to relate it to the human  experience will build a connection with readers and keep them reading.

Whether it be a personal story of yours that relates to the content or an imaginary tale that ties the content together, make sure your introductions offer a narrative in order to keep your audiences engaged.

Address FAQs

You don’t want to provide all the answers your content seeks to provide in the introduction, but anticipating the questions or concerns most will have at the beginning can help ensure more people continue reading.

Frequently asked questions relating to the topic at hand can be used to further ensure audiences that their answers await them within the content. Pinging users with these questions can be a sure-fire way to maintain their attention for longer periods of time, which can bolster SEO performance (among other things).

Great introductions are key to ensuring audiences remain engaged with your audience. Be sure to put these four tips to work if you want to maximize on-page time, reader retention, shares and SEO performance as a whole!