Use This Popular Magazine To Steal First Paragraph Ideas
Use This Popular Magazine To Steal First Paragraph Ideas
So let’s continue talking where we left off - the importance of the first paragraph.
We discussed the “If” and “Then” formula.
So what other techniques can you use to hold your reader’s attention when writing your first paragraph?
John Caples in his book Tested Advertising Methods has a few interesting techniques. What he did was this. He went through a number of a certain magazine issues and discovered some very successful first paragraph formulas repeated time and time again.
So these techniques were obviously proven to grab the reader’s attention. And keep them reading. Which is exactly what you need to do all in your sales ads.
What was the name of this magazine?
Reader’s Digest.
I’ll share with you the formulas Caples discovered.
#1. Come out with a startling statement. Or a sentence which interrupts your reader’s thought process.
For example…
She stormed out of the bar shouting and cursing.
The profit potential for you is astonishing.
These get you thinking who. What. Where. And you want to read on.
#2 The shocker.
A Frenchman is rarely seen drunk, but France has the highest rate of alcoholism in the world.
Now that’s what you call a shocking statement.
3. News.
Come out with a piece of news for your reader.
People love news.
4. Start with a story.
If you analyze Reader’s Digest over half the articles start with a story. Besides everybody loves reading a good story. We’ve been familiar with them since childhood. And they help to avoid your reader’s advertising radar.
So if you get stuck when writing your first paragraph try some of these formulas. They worked for Caples. And they could work for you.
Until next time
Mark
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