4 Easy Steps to Writing Killer Introductions

Introductions Give Your Readers Tools

Let’s face it: first impressions matter. As a social species, humans heavily rely on first impressions. We make some of our most important judgments about others within the first thirty seconds of meeting them. It would be foolish to think that the same does not apply to writing. In the opening lines of your essay, your reader already begins to make strong judgments about your topic, writing, and credibility.

If you want your reader to read your entire paper, it is crucial to provide them with the right tools. A reader who knows what to look for in a paper will get more from your writing and will be willing to push through challenging concepts. Strong introductions will prime your reader by…

Increasing their attention
Motivating them to read carefully
Showing them what to look for in the body paragraphs

Unfortunately, introductions are not only the most important part of your paper, but they are often the hardest to write. While we know what we want to say in our body paragraphs, introductions stump many writers. Writers have so much to say that it becomes overwhelming to choose what should lead.

Thankfully, once someone learns the basic principles of successful introductions, they become quite simple to compose. Following a simple four-step process from Joseph Williams’ writing guide Style, you can soon be writing stellar introductions, grabbing readers’ attention, and priming them to understand your subject.

Readers Love Problems: Give it to them

To boost the quality of your writing, it is important to think of your essay as not about a topic, but about a problem.

Ultimately, readers choose to continue reading when they want their questions answered. While a topic may not inspire questions in the reader, a well-crafted problem statement prompts the reader’s wonder. However, not all problems are inherently interesting to readers. Problems are only interesting when they answer the question, “so what?” or in other words, how does this affect me, the reader? To engage your reader, it is crucial to frame your introduction as a problem that answers “so what.”

Part One: The Context

There are many forms of shared context that can prime your reader to understanding your problem. The goal of sharing context at the beginning of your introduction is to give your reader an unproblematic base to begin discussing the issue. This shared background is key to building trust with the reader. Here are some examples of types of contexts that you can use to prime your reader:

1. Historical Context

For example, Lincon used historical context to begin The Gettysburg Adress: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” –Lincoln, The Gettysburg Adress

2. A Recent Event

FDR recalled recent events to begin his Infamy Speech:“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” –FDR, Infamy Speech

3. A Belief

It is important to note that this belief is not your thesis statement; rather it is a common belief that your reader likely holds. Once you have given your reader this belief, you proceed to challenge it. In other terms, make the reader think they understand a subject, then show they do not. This twist is crucial for motivating the reader to learn more, and therefore, continue reading.

For example, Thomas Frank Began his essay American Lament with a common belief: “That we are a nation divided is an almost universal lament of this bitter election year. However, the exact property that divides us—elemental though it is said to be—remains a matter of some controversy.” -Thomas Frank, American Lament

Part Two: The Problem

Writers typically transition from shared context to their problem with a term such as “but” or “however.” In the case above, Thomas Frank uses “however” to shift from a common belief about politics to his problem, that we do not know what divides us. Once you have pivoted, stating your problem comes in two parts:

Introducing a condition/situation that needs addressing
Demonstrating the unbearable consequence of this issue, a cost felt by the reader

Another phrase for “consequence”, is “so what?” In other terms, why should someone care about this issue? The answer to that question depends on what kind of issue you present to your reader. There are two types of problems you can address:

Practical problems are those that demand action as solutions. Some practical issues may seem like they have very obvious consequences, however, you must explain to your reader exactly how the issue affects them to motivate them.

Example: Automation and artificial intelligence are developing rapidly with little to no oversight. (So What?) As 36% of Americans jobs can be more than 70% automated, American workers and families are in jeopardy.

Conceptual problems are those that require a new understanding to solve. The condition of a conceptual issue is something that we do not yet understand. The costs of a conceptual issue are not material. Instead, the cost is the dissatisfaction of a poor understanding of a subject. To show a reader the cost a conceptual issue must be connected to a larger issue.

Example: Three years after the 2016 election, analysts still disagree what the greatest factors were in Trump’s victory. However, if we understand the reasons behind his election, we will understand how to successfully elect candidates in the digital age.

Part Three: The Solution

Here you present the answer to your issue. Essentially, the solution is your thesis, or in other terms, the main argument of your writing.

For practical problems you argue for what must be done to solve the issue (ie. our findings indicate that we must allocate more funds for human resources in the next quarter).

For conceptual problems, you give the reader something to understand or believe (ie. this study finds that the scale of the refugee crisis has been significantly underrepresented by national media coverage).

Part Four (optional): The Prelude

Reading over your introduction, do you feel that your context doesn’t quite catch your reader’s attention? If yes, you should consider adding a prelude before your context. Here are some quick examples of types of preludes that you can include.

1. A Quotation

Example: “A dog is a man’s best friend.”

2. A Shocking Fact or Statistic

Between 2014 and 2016, the number of US pet dogs fell by half a million.

3. An Anecdote

Last summer, I was interested in rescuing a dog. After falling in love with a golden retriever, I was rejected as an adoption candidate as my job required too many hours.

In fact, skilled writers usually do not stick to just one of these strategies. They can be blended in any number of combinations. The above could be linked together to form the opening of an essay about over-regulation in pet adoption.

Example: 1) “A dog is a man’s best friend.” Unfortunately, this is true for fewer Americans each year. 2) Between 2014 and 2016, the number of US pet dogs fell by half a million. 3) Last summer, I found myself a part of this pattern. After losing my dog of twelve years, I went to a rescue home to adopt a new dog. After falling in love with a golden retriever, I was rejected as an adoption candidate as my job required too many hours.

Final Notes on Introductions

Before you take off to write your own awesome introductions, it is important to note that while these are useful rules, they are by no means set in stone. The hallmark of a good writer is knowing just when to bend the rules. Here are some examples:

If your target audience knows the issue well, some writers shorten or skip the shared context.

When readers already understand the costs, writers sometimes skip them.

When readers know the condition and the costs, writers sometimes skip the shared context and lead with the costs before the condition.

When readers are patient, some writers save their thesis/solution for the conclusion. In this case, the introduction ends with a promise that a solution will be revealed.

While talented writers use all of these strategies, they all pose risks. It is often easy to overestimate what a reader may know or how patient they are. When in doubt, stick to these four steps.

Especially in the digital age, it is more important than ever to provide your reader with excitement and information early. Once the reader knows where they are heading, half the battle is won.

4 Easy Steps to Writing Killer Introductions