The words of your piece may be golden -- but nobody will read them if you've got a boring headline or a stale first sentence, also known as a hook, intro or lede.
Here are a series of posts on how to killer headlines and hooks.
Killer Headlines and Hooks
Headlines and Intros 101 - How headlines and hooks work, and why they're important.
Hit Them With a Hard Headline and a Soft Hook
Headlines and Intros 201: Mix Things Up - It's often smart to put hard, straight-news headline on a story with a soft, non-traditional hook, or to do the reverse. This post shows you why and how.
Cut Your Headlines and Paragraphs In Half
Headlines and Intros 301 - What looks fine on the computer screen when you're composing it will look completely different when it's laid out in a newspaper or blog, where you have far less space. Cutting your headlines and paragraphs in half is a gift to your readers.
Writing Hard Headlines and Intros
Headlines and Intros 401 - A hard, straight-news headline and hook is a basic skill that every writer needs to master.
Soft Intros Aren't for Sissies
Headlines and Intros 402 - Soft, non-traditional intros and headlines aren't weak. They're actually better at grabbing the attention of readers.
Writing Advanced Intros
Headlines and intros 403 - There are dozens of ways to write the first sentence of a piece, no matter what kind of piece you're writing. You aren't locked into the hard, straight-news intro every time.
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