Writing an introduction? You stare at a blinking cursor and think about those two or three lines that you want to draw readers’ attention to your article. How do you write a good intro?

An intro is a small text above your article or blog post that entices readers to read the story (as above). If you do it right, your readers will feel engaged.

One of the best intros I read recently was above an article about the dangers of sitting for long periods in Algemeen Dagblad by author Anton Damen.

Beware! While you’re reading these words, an assassin is out to get you. Not the cigarette or that greasy bite is public health enemy number 1, but our tendency to sit anywhere and anytime. ‘Forerunner’ Anton Damen reports.

I read this intro sitting at my desk. My interest in the article was aroused: was I really doing something dangerous by sitting down? I immediately started reading.

That is the effect of a good intro.

Writing an introduction – what are the rules of the game?

An ‘intro’ is a journalistic term for a short text above an article, which encourages readers to read the story. Usually, it concerns two or three lines, at most 35 words.

Sometimes an intro is confused with a lead, but that’s the first paragraph of a news story using the 5w’s and h.

An intro does not actually belong to your article. It is a separate element. You cannot elaborate on the text in your article. Readers should be able to understand the story even if they haven’t read the intro.

Think of the intro as a sign, an advertising text that is placed with an article. Sometimes it is also referred to as an ‘amuse-bouche’ as it is a taste of what to expect next in the article.

In a good intro, you describe in a nutshell what the reader will learn of the article. You have no room for side jumps and unnecessary details. You want to get to the core of your story without immediately revealing everything. The intention is to make the reader curious.

Writing an intro – how do you proceed?

Writing an intro often works best when your article is already finished. You will then know exactly where your story is going, what are the most important questions you will answer and what exciting information you can refer to.

But you can also pre-write the intro to get the point of view of your article clear for yourself. Make sure you have already done all the research and have the most important information for yourself in a row.

Below you can read my personal step-by-step plan for devising and writing a good intro.

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Writing an introduction – step 1 – Determine the main question of your article

An intro or amuse-bouche often contains a question. This is usually the main question of your article. If you are going to write an intro, it is useful to first clarify that main question for yourself. What question will your readers get an answer to when they read your article?

This is best determined by looking at the reason for your article. Why did you write it? What do you want to make clear to the reader, or what were you curious about when you wrote the piece?

For example, I once made a report about a medical clinic for pets for the Volkskrant. The reason was the increase in healthcare costs for pets in the Netherlands.

The main question could therefore have been: how high are the healthcare costs for a pet in the Netherlands? 

But… that is of course not really an exciting question.

Writing an introduction – step 2 – Make the main question concrete

An intro or amuse-bouche becomes much more attractive if you formulate the main question in a more concrete and personal way for your reader. You do this by using the language of everyday life: spoken language. The main question then becomes more recognizable.

Nobody who owns a dog or cat talks about ‘care costs’ for their pet in everyday life. It is better to write down the main question in a more informal and personal way

For example, how far do we want to go to make our sick pets better?  

You can also convert the main question into a provocative statement, such as we are digging deeper into our pockets to make our pets better. Or: we go to great lengths financially to keep our dog or cat healthy.

In his AD article on the dangers of sitting, Anton Damen also chose such a statement: it is not the cigarette or that greasy bite that is public health enemy number 1, but our tendency to sit anywhere and anytime.

Writing an introduction – step 3 – Introduce your main question or statement with a recognizable example 

You don’t want your main question to come out of nowhere. A good intro starts with an introductory sentence that makes the main question instantly relevant to your reader. Especially concrete examples and details that people know from daily life work well.

I ended up writing the intro to the pet clinic article like this:

A pacemaker for the dog, or chemotherapy for the cat. Medical treatments for pets are getting more and more expensive. How far do we want to go to make our pets better?

Anton Damen’s intro also starts out recognizable, because he responds to something you’re probably doing while reading: sitting.

Beware! While you are reading these words, an assassin is after you. Not the cigarette or that greasy bite is public health enemy number 1, but our tendency to sit anywhere and anytime.

In summary: writing an intro consists of three steps. 

1. Determine your main question.
2. Formulate that main question as specifically and personally as possible. A statement is also allowed.
3. Introduce your main question or statement with an example that your readers know from everyday life.

Did this article help you?  I help you improve your texts in all areas.

Do you want to read more about writing good intros and other elements in your articles? Then I can recommend my Youtube Channel. It’s full of writing tips.