Sticky Leads

The first twenty-five words of your article are the most important. If they're not powerful and "sticky", readers will not stop and invest the time to find out what your article is about.

Some writers write and rewrite their leads numerous times, changing a word here, adding a word there.I've heard of writers reworking the lead up to twenty times, until it is the best possible. Are leads that important? Absolutely!

Most people flick through a magazine first and then decide what to read. Your lead is the advertisement, a signpost telling readers what to expect.If readers like the lead, they will invest the time to keep reading. Your lead, known as "the hook", worked.

Editors and Leads

Editors have a built in detector for excellent leads. Anything that doesn't hook the editor won't be accepted. Your article may have a great topic, be well written, contain terrific research, include usable tips and ideas... but, sadly the lead let you down and your article was rejected.

Writing a Sticky Lead What makes a lead "sticky"?

  • An Invitation -- Come in and read my article, there's lots of information, inspiration and entertainment.

  • Being Direct -- A sticky lead is concise, direct and appealing. It doesn't ramble, or promise the impossible.

  • It Fits -- Your sticky lead is an introduction to your article and should be appropriate for the following material. Some people have written great leads but they didn't have much to do with the rest of the article. Readers really hate that, so please don't do it.

  • It's Natural -- Readers can tell if your sticky lead is forced, the flow is not good and you are not writing in a style that suits you. Readers are perceptive and much more knowledgeable than we sometimes give them credit for.
    • Example of What Works and What Doesn't

    This is an article about moving house.

    "One day we were driving along a nice country lane, enjoying the countryside. The weather was ideal, warm with blue skies and not much cloud.

    We had chosen this day to look at a new suburb because we had considered moving. The suburb was two hours drive from where we were living and we wondered what attractions it had to make us want to relocate." (65 words)

    This is a pretty sleepy lead. It rambles and doesn't have a hook.

    Take a look at this lead for the same article.

    "Two hours drive south of Big City is New Town. Jobs are plentiful. Homes range from bungalows to multi-level spacious accommodation. New Town is on the banks of Lake Special. The air is clean -- All the ingredients for a great lifestyle.Here's what to look for when you're thinking of moving." (52 words)

    The second version sets the scene and tells readers what to look for when considering a move. You are giving information, inspiration and entertainment.

    • Information -- Where the place is and what are the immediate impressions.

    • Inspiration -- All the ingredients for a great lifestyle.

    • Entertainment -- Even if you're not thinking of moving this might be a great place to visit.
    Think carefully about the lead when you start your next article.

    Barb Clews is an award winning journalist with nearly 1,000 published articles to her credit. She has been a writer and editor for 15 years and is the author of "Article Writing for Freelancers" and "20 Tips to Increase Writing Skills" Visit http://www.bcabooks.com/ to subscribe to "Words that Work", Barb's monthly ezine packed with tips for writers.

    In The News:

    pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Free Reprint Articles That Will Interest Publishers - 4 Tips

    Have you been writing and submitting your free reprint articles... Read More

    Write Your Ezine Article in 15 Minutes or Less!

    Gasp! I can hear it from the purists now: Matt... Read More

    The Best Advertisement For Your Business

    It is no secret among internet marketers that writing articles... Read More

    Why You Need an Article-Marketing Strategy before Posting a Single Article Online I

    Part 1 of a 2-part series To read Part 2... Read More

    A Writers Glossary (Part One)

    Find definitions from A to G! A About... Read More

    Publishing: Changing realities (II)

    There is some wisdom in saying that when you are... Read More

    How to Create a Viral Lead-Generating Machine

    Whether you own your own affiliate website, or subscription website,... Read More

    The Raw Truth About Persuasion and Copywriting!

    I get asked all the time, "Lorrie, how can I... Read More

    Use Textpad Program for Easy Ezine and Web Site Submissions To Bring More Sales

    When you create your articles in TextPad format, something like... Read More

    Article Writing: Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from My English Teacher

    By now you probably understand how important writing for trade... Read More

    Article Marketing: Why 2 URLs Equals Watered Down Orange Juice!

    Are you an Article Marketer? If so, you know that... Read More

    Why Writing Articles Is Much Better Than Search Engine Optimization

    This article is dedicated to those who are afraid to... Read More

    Direct Sales Reps CAN Write Articles - Heres How!

    We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More

    So You Want to Be a Web Copywriter?

    I get tons of emails from people who want to... Read More

    How To Start Writing Articles Successfully

    You have probably heard that writing articles is one of... Read More

    Finding Your Way Through Online Articles

    For me, to decide to start a home business was... Read More

    Website Promotion ? Writing Articles May Be Better Than Hiring SEO Firms

    It is a well-known fact that a key to obtaining... Read More

    10 Article Writing Quirks

    Much has been touted about the effectiveness of article writing... Read More

    Four Article Marketing Secrets to Boost Your Internet Home Business Profits

    Many internet home business owners today have learnt that one... Read More

    Four Tips For Getting More Mileage From Your Articles

    It has become common knowledge that the smartest and most... Read More

    You Should Seriously Consider Making Money With Your Words

    Sometimes when I am communicating with other webmasters and I... Read More

    Article Math: A Multiplying Effect!

    Writing for the internet requires that you create a large... Read More

    The Secret To Promoting Sites With Articles

    Publishing articles on the Internet is a tremendous way to... Read More

    Exposing Your Expertise

    Writing and leveraging articles is my most successful strategy for... Read More

    An Article about Articles

    Everyone that publishes a newsletter or ezine knows that the... Read More

    Article Publishing Is A Key Component Of Internet Marketing

    Frequently when I am communicating with other webmasters and I... Read More

    The 2 Headed Dragon: Let Others Publish Your Material and Keep Your Site Unique

    Is Putting your Articles in the Public Domain really a... Read More

    Article Writing Strategies To Get Into Zen Flow ? 7 Tips

    The more you write, the larger your impact. If that's... Read More

    Eight Tips for Ezine Writers

    Have you ever wondered why Ezine Articles have become one... Read More

    Article Queries That Sell

    Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they... Read More

    Newbies Guide to Writing and Submitting Ezine Articles

    How many times have you read the following? If you... Read More

    Energize Your Mind With Inspirational Writing Exercises

    Feeling uninspired? Like you're stuck in a rut with your... Read More

    13 Techniques That Boosts The Power Of Your Resource Box!

    ***What is the Resource box?'Resource box' is an information box... Read More