One of the very top writing challenges my students, and participants in my writing seminars, express to me is their trouble “getting started.” This “how to” post will explain the ins and outs of writing that opening INTRODUCTION. It will cover three main recommendations:
give readers what they need at the start,
avoid starting with “background” info,
use the INTRO to set up the whole document.
GIVE READERS WHAT THEY NEED AT THE START
Knowing how readers actually read can help us know what kind of information they need at the start of any document (email/letter/report/web page, etc.). Readers read by asking questions!
In fact, as readers cycle through anything they’re reading, they proceed by asking “3” BIG QUESTIONS—as you’ll see, the first question has two parts that are joined at the hip. Here are those 3 questions:
1) WHAT IS THIS AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
2) WHAT’S THE “STORY”?
3) WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS NEXT?
The INTRO must engage the reader right off the bat. It must answer the first (two-part) Big Question: What is this? & Why should I care? It should do this as concisely as possible.
As you’ll see, a helpful INTRO has three parts.
FIRST, the INTRO explains why you’re writing.
Maybe you’re responding to someone. You can let them know that instantaneously: “Let me answer the questions you asked.” Or “I’m writing to respond to your last email.” Or “This report responds to your request for XYZ.”
If the reader doesn’t know why you’re writing, this first part of the INTRO is more challenging. But you need to tell your reader as quickly as you can, why you’re “bothering” them. Think of it as what you’d say if you knocked on their door and they opened it for you: “YEAH…WHAT DO YOU WANT?” is what readers ask first! So you tell them as succinctly as you can.
SECOND, an INTRO tells the reader why they should care (if they don’t know already). You’ve told them why you’re writing, now explain, as briefly as you can, why they should care.
This part of the INTRO is very much like the opening paragraph of an OP-ED article…it delivers a clear and captivating HOOK (often referred to as a “lead” or “lede”). Here’s a good resource for writing a great HOOK: https://training.npr.org/2016/10/12/leads-are-hard-heres-how-to-write-a-good-one/.
Usually you can tell the reader pretty easily “why they should care” because it’s fairly obvious. But sometimes the reader will need persuasion. The scenario looks like this: there’s a problem or issue the reader needs to care about. You get them to care by focusing on CONSEQUENCES…the “so what,” the “impact.” Only if a problem/issue has real consequences for the reader will they care enough to read on.
THIRD, an INTRO should end with a PREVIEW of the main topics that will be discussed in the document, whatever kind it is. This PREVIEW creates a roadmap for the reader’s voyage ahead. Research in cognitive linguistics has demonstrated that readers navigate documents more easily when they’re given roadmaps to show what’s ahead before they dive into the info.
You’d SHOW your reader, throughout the document, where each of these previewed topics begins by using a HEADING. So the preview should match the headings and come in the same order in which they’ll be discussed.
To review…a useful INTRO tells the reader why you’re writing, why they should care (if they don’t know), and previews the main topics (as a roadmap for the reader).
The intro should be as short as you can make it while still delivering this needed info. As you’ll see in the next section, an INTRO ≠ BACKGROUND INFO.
AVOID STARTING WITH BACKGROUND INFO
The big mistake many writers make when drafting the INTRO is to confuse it with BACKGROUND INFO. They are two different parts of a document and serve two different purposes. Don’t mix ‘em up!
Writers can think their readers need to begin with a lot of background info—historical or contextual details. But that’s not true. Yes, they may need this background, but it shouldn’t come first. Remember, the reader reads by asking questions. QUESTION # 1 = What is this and why should I care? It is not, WHAT’S THE HISTORY?
Half-kidding with those who take my writing classes, I say this about background sections:
BACKGROUND INFO is important. That’s why you need to put it into its own section with a clear heading—”BACKGROUND.” THAT WAY THE READER CAN SKIP IT! 😁
No reader I know looks at a document and wonders, “WHERE IS THAT BACKGROUND INFO—LET ME AT IT!!!”
Beginning with background information can swamp you and your reader. 😵💫
Stay out of that swamp. Let the INTRO do what it needs to do. Then add a BACKGROUND section, if necessary. You can even put it into an appendix if it’s long.
USE THE INTRO TO SET UP THE WHOLE DOCUMENT
Finally, let me just remind you that a great INTRO will get your reader started on the right foot. You’ll connect with your reader if you keep your eye on the reader’s questions! Notice that a great INTRO sets up your whole document—of any type or length.
It sets the stage (why you’re writing and why the reader should care). And it offers a helpful roadmap for the rest of the document. The previewed topics become the sections developed in the rest of the text.
A great INTRO allows a reader to opt-in (or opt-out) right at the start. Allowing your reader a helpful ON-RAMP or an equally helpful OFF-RAMP at the beginning shows that you care about your reader’s time.