9 Examples (from Professionals) on How to Write a Captivating Introduction

To illustrate the various ways to start a text so that the reader is most likely to finish it, blog posts or articles on this topic typically follow a standard formula: First, the theory is briefly outlined and then supported with an example, such as a newspaper excerpt. However, we believe: it works better the other way around. Why not examine examples from seasoned editors? And consider: What universally valid statements can be derived from them?

Have you ever paid attention while reading your newspaper or similar to the stylistic devices the author uses to capture your interest? Does he present the most important information right at the beginning? Does he create suspense? Does he work with contrasts? Does he describe a scene? Does he captivate you with a humorous-ironic comparison? Does he address you directly as a reader? (Like in this introduction?) Or does he start the text with a quote? All of this can work—no question—but why exactly?

To get closer to an answer to this question, we took a closer look at some examples from professional editors of ZEIT, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Tagesspiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Spiegel, Computerwoche, Geo, and Welt. And considered: Can general insights be derived from them on how to capture the reader's interest? A little spoiler: Many authors seem to exploit our (primal) instincts, subconscious fears, and other psychological drivers.

1. THE PAST-PRESENT CONTRAST

This classic always works: The indication that something was completely different in the past than it is today piques the reader's interest because such a message always implies that what is being written about in the article personally affects the reader. After all, he lives in the here and now, and if things change diametrically, it has an impact on his own life. And who, pray tell, is not interested in themselves?
**
Important for this type of introduction:** Don't overdo it. Many things change compared to the past, and not every change is noteworthy enough to create enough suspense for a successful introduction.

AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE CURRENT ECOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE WORLD. SOURCE: "ANDERS LEBEN, ANDERS REGIEREN" ZEIT (49/2018)

2. THE TECHNOLOGICAL-CHANGE-REQUIRES-THIS-AND-THAT INTRODUCTION

AN ARTICLE ABOUT DIGITIZATION IN EUROPE: "DIGITALE 360-GRAD-ÖKONOMIE" FROM: SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (19.11.2018)

AN ARTICLE ABOUT CURRENT TRENDS: "ZEHN DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIETRENDS FÜR 2019" FROM: COMPUTERWOCHE (19.11.2018)

When was this type of introduction first used? Even though today technical innovations conquer the world much faster, profound technical changes are not an exclusive phenomenon of the 19th or 20th century. Even Gutenberg's printing press was perceived by quite a few contemporaries as a blatant danger and defamed as "black art". What lesson do we draw from this? Technology has always had the potential to turn people's lives upside down by replacing the familiar with the new. That people—due to uncontrollable changes—get "scared" (see right), or that companies have to question their business models (see left): Well, such things characterize any true change. And whether with euphoria or fear—people always react sensitively to changes and read about them with excitement, horror, euphoria, or discontent.

3. A PERSON DOES SOMETHING THEY DON'T USUALLY DO

ARTICLE ABOUT THE DONATION SCANDAL OF ALICE WEIDEL: "GRÜEZI, UND AUF WIEDERSEHEN" FROM: SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (19.11.2018)

The person could, of course, also be a thing: Just think of a volcano that suddenly erupts after a thousand years of dormancy. Why does something like this work well? Probably the surprise effect inherent in such reports. For years, person x/y was known for this and that, but suddenly they do something else, something no one knew them for. It's kind of logical that this piques interest. Everyone knows this from their private life or typical interpersonal situations. It's simply noteworthy when Kurt the waiter suddenly becomes a pilot—after 20 years of successful existence as a restaurateur. Or a taxi driver. Shoe shiner. Whatever. The point is that it's suddenly different.
What lesson can be drawn from this? We humans are creatures of habit. Anything that suddenly doesn't go as we are used to piques our interest and is therefore well-suited for a successful introduction.

4. THE SCENIC INTRODUCTION: RIGHT INTO THE ACTION

ARTICLE ABOUT THE "GILETS JAUNES" IN FRANCE: "MAJESTÄT, DAS VOLK IST UNBERECHENBAR" FROM: FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE (19.11.2018)

ARTICLE ABOUT A SWISS ACTIVIST WHO DISAPPEARED IN BORNEO 18 YEARS AGO: "WAS GESCHAH MIT BRUNO MANSER" FROM: GEO (11/18)

Attentive newspaper readers know: This type of introduction is among the most common. In almost all reports, authors use the scenic introduction. But why is this introduction so frequently used by journalists? The idea behind it is no secret: The reader should be drawn as close as possible to the action. Detailed descriptions of feelings, impressions, tastes, smells, etc., are meant to evoke associations or, if possible, memories in the reader. Because the more connected the reader feels with what is described, the more likely they are to read the article to the end. More generally speaking: Scenes create mood. Those who capture the reader's mood—so the hope—have won them over. Tip: No matter how extraordinary the scene may be: An introduction must not be long-winded. Therefore, keep it short and get to the point as quickly as possible, no matter how beautiful the scenery may be.

5. NUMBERS, FACTS, NUMBERS: THE SO-MANY-ARE-AFFECTED INTRODUCTION

ARTICLE ABOUT IMPENDING DRIVING BANS: "AUF BERLINS AUTOBAHNEN DROHEN FAHRVERBOTE" FROM: TAGESSPIEGEL (17.11.2018)

ARTICLE ABOUT THE REPUTATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AMONG THE POPULATION: "EIN STERNCHEN FÜR EUROPA" FROM: ZEIT (49/2018)

Do big numbers have a big impact? Let's put it this way: Large numbers signal significance and are almost always important. The dynamics behind it are basically easy to understand: Only if it affects many, it is reported. To put it bluntly: One leprosy patient interests—pardon the expression—no one. But think of an entire village, a city, or even a region full of leprosy patients—then the printing presses run hot, or more modernly spoken: the social media portals. The introduction through numbers or percentages has exactly this significance: It concerns a lot of people and is therefore of interest. The majority is in favor, and yet it doesn't happen! Why? Understandably, readers prick up their ears.

6. EXPOSING APPARENT CONTRADICTIONS

ARTICLE ABOUT EXPORT SURPLUSES IN GERMANY "BACHBLÜTENÖKONOMIE" FROM: SPIEGEL (17.11.2018)

Understandably, such things attract readers. For years, one thought they knew exactly where the boundaries between left and right politics ran, and suddenly this: The contradictions are gone, at least according to the author. Basically, this type of introduction is a play with the reader's supposed certainties. What I thought I knew is suddenly questioned: That logically has to interest me if black and white are suddenly not supposed to be black and white anymore. Important for this type of introduction: As an author, one should always be able to well justify the exposure of an apparent contradiction (or an apparent certainty). Real contradictions do not simply dissolve into thin air, not even for a good introduction.

7. EXAGGERATE... BE FUNNY... WORDPLAYS AND METAPHORS ARE ALSO ALLOWED!

ARTICLE ABOUT THE FRENCH POLITICIAN SÉGOLÈNE ROYAL: "REVUETÄNZERIN, SCHNEPFE, KUH" FROM: WELT (17.11.2018)

ARTICLE ABOUT THE DEFENSE MINISTER URSULA VON DER LEYEN: "WER BERÄT BERATER-BERATER?" FROM: ZEIT (49/2018)

As long as the joke, exaggeration, or emphasis is not simply pulled out of thin air but justified by facts, there is nothing against enticing the reader to continue reading with a smile. Exaggerations and emphases naturally arouse curiosity in people. One wants to know what is behind it. And a good joke or a humorous question has never harmed anyone. Here, a look at social media doesn't hurt: Wordplays are in vogue and can be used as an introduction to an article. But here too: Keep it in moderation and don't overdo it: The Rubicon to unseriousness is crossed faster than one thinks.

8. PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE

ARTICLE ABOUT A WOMAN WHO WANTS TO DISCOVER HER FATHER'S IDENTITY THROUGH GENETIC ANALYSIS: "WIE ICH WURDE, WER ICH BIN" FROM: GEO (11/18)

Another classic, especially in reports: You tell the end first. Even though fans of novels would curse anyone who reveals the outcome of their bestseller before they have finished reading it, the principle of "spoiler alert" applies only to a limited extent in journalism. Here we learn (see image) right at the beginning that the woman found her father in the end. Well, the most exciting part has already been revealed at the beginning, hasn't it? No: the journalists at GEO were concerned with something entirely different in the article. The core of the story is not that she finds him, but how the daughter finds her father: namely with the latest and newest methods of genetic research, which are at the center of the report. So, revealing the end at the beginning has the following reason: Other questions (e.g., how? or why?) should immediately come into focus for the reader and fuel their interest in the article. In other words: Just because you already know the outcome of a story doesn't mean you don't want to know how it came about.

9. THE ONCE-IN-HISTORY INTRODUCTION

ARTICLE ABOUT THE DEBATE IN THE BUNDESTAG ABOUT THE MIGRATION PACT: "UNTER KEINEM GUTEN STERN" FROM: ZEIT (49/2018)

Basically, such an introduction is the sharpest form of the previously described past-present contrast, only the phrase "for the first time in history" implies that something did not exist at all before. Therefore, it is truly new and stands uniquely on its own. And if a world novelty, something never seen before, does not pique the reader's interest—what will?
Attention: Research carefully! Many authors have fallen for historical data. What happened when and where for the very first time is not always immediately apparent to the layperson and is often knowledge of experts in their respective fields.

CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK

Two more things in conclusion: This selection is purely subjective and never covers all the possibilities of how to write a successful introduction. This brings us to the second point: There are no universally binding rules for this. Even with the scenic introduction, doubts have been raised about the "effectiveness" on the reader, as advertised in journalistic manuals. One can argue about this, but ultimately something else is in focus: capturing the reader's interest. How this is achieved is secondary. Nevertheless, a look at the work of professionals shows that certain introductions occur more frequently than others. Anyone who wants to learn something would do well to read introductions more attentively in the future—and ask themselves the following questions:

Which instincts is the author targeting? Which psychological drivers is he exploiting? Only in this way can new ideas emerge, and a fresh, unorthodox introduction naturally has the potential to arouse curiosity in the reader.