Friday, December 31, 2010

Questionable Questions

Would you like to know the best way to write an introduction for a blog post?

Well, I certainly wouldn’t write it the way I wrote the intro above, that’s for sure – mainly because it’s a question that pretty much amounts to a dead end.

You see, questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” aren’t all that interesting, so that type of intro is really a wasted opportunity to encourage the reader to continue on.

Questions that don’t call for a binary “yes/no” answer might be interesting. For example I might have written, “What’s the best way to write an introduction for a blog post?” That could lead to a discussion of various approaches.

But note that question is rhetorical. I’m not really looking for an answer, just using the question as a way of cluing you in about the topic of the article.

Even so, it’s probably still a weak approach. I can think of plenty of other ways to make it a lot more interesting – such as telling a story about a successful (or not-so-successful) piece of introductory copy.

There are some cases where a “yes/no” question could work, but only if there’s a decent lead in.

For example, “With so many choices for an introductory line – a story, unique observation, or even a quote – why is it that so many writers use questions?”

To put this into an actual marketing context, consider these two openings.

Do you have enough life insurance?

Or

Think about how much life insurance you have. When you consider the soaring costs of a college education, living expenses for your spouse, and paying off your mortgage, do you really have enough insurance?

The second question opening really works best (and I’ve used intros like that before).

So that’s my take on questions. Any questions?

Posted by Richard Bloch

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