The Most Important Paragraph in Every Story You Ever Write
By: David Ferrers
Tags: Important, Headlines, Clickbait, Stories, Write

The Most Important Paragraph in Every Story You Ever Write

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

There’s a reason why all my best-performing stories start with a single sentence first paragraph.

I want my reader to be asking themselves, “Is this story about to deliver on the promise in the headline?” Your first paragraph has to get your reader believing that they are going to get something of value. You have to give the reader the urge to go on reading. For instance, you might say:

“I nearly died on 3rd September 1993.” Your reader will be gagging to know what happened, what nearly caused your death. They will read on. And that’s your purpose, to get your reader involved in your story.

Why numbers work so well in articles

When readers click on a headline like The 4 Essentials of Magnetic Headlines That Attract Thousands of Views Like My Top Earning Story they are already programmed to look for “The 4 Essentials.”

They have been pre-conditioned to scroll down the page to find each of the “4 Essentials”. So, simply by using a number in your headline, you have started your reader on their journey through your article. Perhaps it’s because there’s an instinctive interest in numbers. Or perhaps it’s because numbers suggest credibility.

Fifty percent of my top-performing articles use numbers, in some form, in the headline. But that puts pressure on the first paragraph which has to keep the reader engaged.

First paragraphs that arouse readers’ self-interest

One of my most popular articles Writer Bios That Attract Hundreds of New Readers Work Like This starts with a paragraph designed to spark the self-interest of readers. What I wrote was:

“In the last two months, my followers have increased by 620% from 59 at the end of July to 424 by the end of September.” Any reader worth their salts wants more followers. They want to know, “How the heck did he do that?” And, more importantly, they want to know, “What’s the secret that I can use to achieve similar results?”

The thirst for knowledge drives writers who want to become successful. They will find a way to improve their writing. And, if they’re anything like me, they will never stop looking. So they, like me, will always read articles that offer to tell us how we can get better.

First paragraphs that arouse readers’ curiosity

The article I wrote for the top publication Start It Up under the headline The Safe Way To Quit Your Job and Be Your Own Boss starts with this first paragraph:

When you reach the “fu** it” moment — jump.

Do you, or do you not want to know what is the “fu** it” moment and what happens next? You’re hooked. And that’s the point of a first paragraph that is designed to arouse a reader’s curiosity. Readers want to know what happens next. They want to find out.

That’s the job of your first paragraph, to get them involved and then to deliver on your promise.

First paragraphs that are newsy

My only self-published article that has done well is, My 5 Top Earning Medium Stories This Week.

The words “This Week” have an immediacy about them. Just those two words say that this is something new. The first paragraph of this article is also newsy. The article is pinned to the top of my bio. This is the current week’s first paragraph:

I’m excited to have a new number two this week.

I then go on to embroil the reader in the news by quickly getting into the second paragraph that begins with the sentence: “The Safe Way To Quit Your Job and Be Your Own Boss is moving up fast on the established number one.”

Readers are accustomed to reading news. As a result, first paragraphs that have news value are a good way to gain a reader’s attention and pull them into your article.

First paragraphs that suggest a quick and easy way

My article Top Writers Get Thousands of Readers Using This I.T.A.K. System For Writers starts with a long first paragraph that says:

If you’re a writer struggling to get enough eyes on your words it’s probably because you’re missing some of the tricks the top writers use.

We all want inside information on what successful people do. So what I am suggesting to readers of this article is that I am about to show them the secrets of top writers. Then all the reader will have to do is copy the top writers’ formula. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Should first paragraphs be short or long?

You may have noticed that I have a preference for single-sentence first paragraphs.

I have now published over a hundred articles and stories on this platform. I have noticed that single-sentence paragraphs work well. I have also noticed that many of the top writers whom I follow also use single-sentence first paragraphs.

However, I subscribe to the principle that rules are made to be broken. So don’t be surprised if you come across one of my articles or stories that starts with a multiple-sentence first paragraph. When a multi-sentence first paragraph is needed to gain my reader’s involvement I will use a multi-sentence paragraph.

An apology

In principle, I am against articles that are stuffed with links — clickbait. However, I have included links to several of my own articles in this story because it seemed to me that some readers might like to see “the real thing in action.”