Health writers! Want to increase your click-through rates? Hook your readers with these 4 tips.
In this article:
According to WordPress, users produce about 70 million new posts and 77 million new comments each month.
Also, Web Tribunal noted that there are more than 600 million blogs out of 1.9 billion websites in the world. Their authors account for over 6 million blog posts daily or over 2.5 billion annually.
There are so many alternatives to your article, your introduction must be powerful enough to keep your readers in. If your introduction is not catchy, your readers will bounce.
“This story begins in a city of bones. In the alleyways of the dead. In the silent boulevards, promenades, and impasses of the Cimetiere de Montmartre in Paris, a place inhabited by tombs and stone angels and the loitering ghosts of those forgotten before they are even cold in their graves."
This was the opening of the novel “Sepulchre”. Immediately I read those first lines, I was hooked.
But what do you do when writing a blog post and you don’t always have the liberty to tell a story?
In this article, we will focus on the power of catchy introductions when writing a blog post.
How to hook your readers
You have just 10 seconds or less to hook your readers and get them to read what you have put out. Whether you are writing a novel or a blog post, you must master the art of hooking your readers.
It is even a bit more difficult to hook your reader while writing blog posts because, unlike novels, your readers are coming to find particular information.
The chances of them reading everything you have written are slim. With innovations and competitions across different social media platforms, reading is becoming less and less interesting.
Anybody coming across your blog posts, sales letter, or page posts, has one question in mind.
What’s in it for me?
Is it worth my time?
How, then, can you hook your readers in health writing? 4 tips:
1. Statistics
2. Expert quotes
3. Scientific publications
4. Case studies
1. Share statistics
Humans love facts and statistics. You only need to find the most suitable statistics for the topic you are writing about.
Each niche has credible sources that people trust whatever they put out. For health, it can be the CDC and WHO, and the same applies to other areas.
If you are writing about diabetes, do a quick search on the current statistics for diabetes. What has been happening in the last 3 years? Are they some latest discoveries? When you gather your statistics, see if they will be suitable for an opening line.
For example:
“According to the CDC, 38.4 million people have diabetes, and that is about 11.6% of the US population. 29.7 million people, including 29.4 million adults, are diagnosed. While 8.7 million people are undiagnosed”.
This could be a powerful introduction to a topic in diabetes.
With a fact-based opening line, anyone who comes across your piece will be forced to stop and listen to what you have to say.
2. Look for expert quotes
For every blog post, interviewing experts always adds a layer of credibility. Now to hook your reader, start your post with expert comments. You could definitely win your readers over.
It could be a shocking fact your expert revealed or a fun fact. People tend to lean into you once they can sense the tiniest credibility in what you have to say.
For example:
XXX, a clinician at xoxo and obesity expert, said that...
Such an opening line will draw in anybody looking for information on obesity. From your first line, you showed that your piece is different.
3. Start with scientific research
This is another beautiful way to hook your readers. Start your writing with the latest scientific research.
What is the latest about the topic you are writing about? Find and incorporate them in your introduction.
You can always check Google Scholar, PubMed, Research Gate, and other credible sources. Sweep through various papers until you find something unique to use as your intro.
4. Include case studies
Using case studies is a unique way to hook your readers. This is hugely dependent on what you are writing about.
If you are writing about finance. You could start with a case study of people struggling as a result of bad financial decisions.
The same applies to other topics in different niches.
Other introduction structures
You can also use the Claim, But, So, If structure to make your introduction catchy.
Examples
Claim: Skincare products are amazing
But that’s only if you find safe ones without a long-term side effect.
So, you have to do thorough research before buying, and also check the reviews.
If you are curious about which one to get started with, I have explained it thoroughly in this piece.
Claim: Beets help to promote our health
But there are so many beet supplements out there that it has become increasingly difficult to choose.
So, you have to be careful not to go for the ones that are not approved and certified
If you want to know the best beet supplement to go for, I have curated a list for you.
Benefits of a catchy intro
It will make your piece stand out amongst millions of others on the web
It quickly engages your readers
It increases your click-through and open rates
It's a wrap!
There is a huge emphasis on the headline, flow, and structure of blog posts. While necessary, these won’t be effective without a powerful intro.
A powerful intro is the best way to hook your readers and keep them engaged.
Try different intro formats until you find the one most suitable for your piece.
Oluoma Vivian Aneke is a health and wellness writer. She holds a degree in Human Anatomy. She has written extensively on various topics for health and wellness brands. Read more about her work and connect with her on LinkedIn.