Last Update 9th May, 2017.

Imagine your reader forgetting where they are and suddenly laughing out loud.

They’ve just sat down and started reading one of your blog posts. There was a line in it that connected with them made them chuckle right there in their seat. You've already found common ground.

It’s a great picture, right?

You’ve been reading this post for 6 seconds already… Why are you still reading?

It might be because you're a loyal subscriber reader to this awesome blog beause it's helped you before. Perhaps the compelling post title intrigued you enough to make you keep reading.

But I think the main reason you engaged immediately was because from right at the start of the blog post I conjured up a picture in your head:

‘Imagine your reader forgetting where they are and suddenly laughing out loud’.

Connecting with your readers is something you're striving for right? I intentionally started this blog post with a way to connect with you on an this way because I want to connect with you on an emotional level, in a way to fuel to hopes and dreams as a blogger. It’s visual.

How you start – the hook – is, after your title, the most important part of any blog post.

In writing terms, the very start of your blog posts (the very first line) is called ‘the hook’. As bloggers we tend to be very intentional in how we write engaging post titles, but honestly, the way you start your blog post, your hook, is just as important in connected and engaging your reader.

So how do you start a blog post in a way to hook readers from the get-go?

I’m about to show you some simple little blog post writing techniques I learned from the world's biggest online community of bloggers.

But first;

13 Killer Hooks You Can Use To Start Your Next Blog Post

1.“You want to make money with your blog, right?”

You want the question to makeyour readers jump up and down shouting “Yes!!”

2. “Want more blog traffic? These seven sure-fire traffic boosting tips will show you exactly how: ”

Make your reader hungry for the answer

3. “Want to know worst possible way to start a blog post?”

A different type of question that's related and builds intrigue, the type that gets your reader really wanting to know what you're going to say next.

4. “I will never forget this one time when…” “I remember once when I…”

The ‘Once upon a time…' blog post opener. Who doesn't love a good story?

5. “Within the next 100 seconds, you'll know exactly how you can earn $4,000 a month as a ClickBank affiliate”

Set expectations with what they're going to learn with a bold promise – but make sure you deliver!

6. “Capture their imagination with the very first word. That’s the first step”

Catch people off guard by starting with a powerful action statement. It's unexpected and refreshingly unusual

7. “Now writing blog posts just flows. This 2,000 word post took me 53 minutes before I hit publish”

Get their attention with something impressive, then back it up with real proof

8. “I couldn't accept what my eyes were seeing, I froze in total disbelief”

(You can't go wrong with this tried and tested literary technique. Start your blog post like the middle of an action scene)

9. You might like to know I was miliseconds awat from calling this article‘What’s My Name, Bitch?’

Be shocking, be controversial, be funny

10. “Do you think you will grow your blog by churning out blog post after blog post? Instead of 90% constent creation and 10% promotion, it should be 10% cration and 90% promotion.”

This is where you challenge the conventional wisdom of the day by saying the opposite of what everyone else is saying. But make sure you can mack up your point. Derek Halpern of Social Triggers is great at this.

11. “Can you imagine if…” or “What would happen if…”

Get them to fill in the blanks, and make their imaginations run wild.

12. “A successful blogger like you will already know this”

(ell them what they already know and use a little flattery, trust me it builds trust 🙂

13. Niagara Falls has traveled 7 miles upstream in the past 12,000 years. Let’s make sure you grow your email marketing list faster than that.”

(Give an interesting fact or statistic to grab interest and find a way to link it with the rest of your content)

7 Top Tips on how to start your next blog post

1. Get to the point

A great way to start a blog post is by diving straight in. Cut the waffle and start with the juicy stuff.

A good technique here is to start your next blog post with ‘Okay', ‘Well' or ‘So', it immediately grabs your reader's attention and makes it sound like you're having a conversation with a friend.

2. Keep it lean

After your first draft, go back through your post and cut all unnecessary words and redundant phrases. Try and say a lot without saying much.

3. Start your post with a simple one liner

You'll see me use this one a lot. Short paragraphs are a blogger's best friend, not only do short paragraphs break your content down into easier to read chunks, but starting with a simple one liner really emphasises what you're saying.

You see the enter button on your keyboard?

Use it.

4. Connect on an emotional level

Imagine your reader sitting alone in a room, staring blankly at a screen and clicking onto your post. Now picture them actually being tickled by your witty remark, or at least breaking into a smile, connecting with you and building trust on the spot.

Picture someone searching the net, cutting through all the nonsense and finally what you're saying makes sense, calls to their hopes and gives them a real solution.

Make your brain do a workout. What can you put into that first line that will grab your audience right there on the spot?

5. Relate to their question or problem immediately

What's your reader’s biggest concern, what's troubling them? What's the reason they searched for your post int he first place?

Instantly relate to how they're feeling, again finding common ground, and tease the answer so they know if they just stick with you a little while longer, they'll have a useful solution.

Build anticipation and make them thirsty for the answer.

6. Break the grammar rules

The start of your blog post is to draw your readers into your content – a full stop at the end of a sentence (or ‘period' as my American cousins like to call it) subconsciously tells your reader to ‘stop reading'.

Don't do it! Try and use a comma or a dash if you can, it'll make it easier for your reader to just keep on reading and immerse themselves into your main content.

“But wait! That's bad grammar!”

I know and even as I type I'm conflicted because I'm a real grammar geek, but trust me on this and try it when you start your next blog post. If you don't tell the grammar police, I won't.

Is this helpful?

I'd love to get your feedback on this one – try and of these hooks or tips when you start your next blog post and share your link in the comments below.

Anything tip or trick you'd like to add on how you like to start your posts? Please share!