How To Start Your Online Articles (Take My Intro Template)
I don’t get writer’s block. Blank pages don’t scare me, a blinking cursor doesn’t intimidate me, and I never struggle with starting to write my articles.
I have to attribute this to years of writing online. My first article went live in 2016 and since then I’ve published more articles than I could even remember. Writing a lot has helped me get passed writer’s block but it’s not the only reason that I don’t struggle with starting my articles.
A huge reason for my ability to jump right into that blank page and start typing is my formula for writing introductions. I created this after realizing that content writing and copywriting shouldn’t be two seperate strategies. What works well in copywriting will also work well in content writing.
In copywriting, you’re writing to get an action from the reader. You’re writing about a product and littered throughout your copy are calls to actions to purchase or sign up. The key to great copy is getting your audience’s attention.
Part of that is writing a great article title. But, the other part is having a solid introduction that makes someone want to keep reading. What is a ‘solid introduction’?
It’s an introduction that hooks the reader, tells them what you’re going to talk about in your article, and shows them why they want to learn this from you.
Here’s my formula for writing introductions for online articles:
#1: Hook
#2: What is the reader about to read?
#3: Why should the reader learn this from you?
Here’s an example of this formula in action…
#1: Hook
“I have something to say, and I don’t mean to brag.”
#2: What are the reader about to read?
“I don’t get writer’s block. Blank pages don’t scare me, a blinking cursor doesn’t intimidate me, and I never struggle with starting to write my articles.”
#3: Why should the reader learn this from me?
“I have to attribute this to years of writing online. My first article went live in 2016 and since then I’ve published more articles than I could even remember. Writing a lot has helped me get passed writer’s block but it’s not the only reason that I don’t struggle with starting my articles.”
Why do each of these sections matter in your introduction? They’re all there for a reason and this formual is built on copywriting principles.
Hook: You need a hook to get someone interested in reading your article. When in doubt (or lack of creativity), use the number one pain point someone has around the topic you’re writing about. For example, an article on getting ghosted by a date can start with, “I sat staring at my phone, realizing the response was never going to come. I’d been ghosted and it was up to me to deal with it.”
What are they about to read?: Copywriting 101 teaches you that you have to tell your audience why they should care about what you have to say. In the case of online articles, you want to tell your audience what they’re about to read so they can realize they want to know what information is inside that article.
Why should the reader learn this from me?: Once you’ve hooked someone in and they know what to expect, it’s time to compete with all of the other resources they have at their dispense to learn the same thing. This is where social proof comes in. Social proof is a huge part of copywriting and it’s something that’s impacting YOUR buying decisions everytime you purchase a new product. Add social proof to your article by explaining why you’re the person to learn this information from. Talk about your (or your client’s) experience, success metrics, or feedback they’ve gotten from customers.
Now that you know my formula for writing introductions, you’re going to notice a pattern in all of the articles I write. They all start with that hook, go into what the reader is going to learn, and then talk about why my client is the best person to learn this from.
Using copywriting in your content isn’t something that should only stay in your introductions. With copywriting, you can get the attention of the companies you’re dreaming of working with.
Inside my 8-week mentorship program for content writers teaching you how to turn the faucet on when you need writing clients and off when your schedule is full, I give writers my Client Acquisition System Cold Pitch Template. This template has brought in over $100,000 in writing projects for brand new to established writers and it’s all because it’s based on the foundations of copywriting with a sprinkle of content writing strategies mixed in.
The pitch hooks the reader in by mentioning specific details about their company that show how well you know what their current marketing strategy is. It establishes what they’re about to read in the pitch before going into a content strategy—provide value. Inside the pitch we provide so much value, that it’s hard for companies to look away. This pitch gets responses from companies like, “I never respond to cold pitches but this one caught my eye.” or, “This pitch genuinely impressed me.” Imagine your dream writing client saying that about the pitch you sent them…
Then, we hop back into a copywriting strategy, telling them why they should take us seriously. In this case, we’re showing them your past writing work to prove that you’re a great fit to write for them.
With over $100,000 in writing projects signed for new and established writers, writing your cold pitches like this works. It works just as well to get responses from your dream clients as writing interesting introductions to your articles helps you get more people to read your article.
And it’s all based on proven copy and content writing strategies.
If you want to avoid writer’s block the next time you start writing, bookmark this article to come back to later. Use this template to upgrade your writing and create articles that make readers think,
“Who wrote this?!”.
