How to Write A Killer Opening: Clever Ways To Entice Readers

How to Write A Killer Opening:Clever Ways To Entice Readers

Bob Girolamo

Words are more than just a means of communication, they are a way of enchanting readers with your ideas, perspective or product. However, attracting your audience depends critically on your opening sentence.

How can you tap the magic of language to mesmerize people from the outset? Here are 3 tips that will help you craft dazzling introductory lines.

Use Humor

Words are more than just a means of communication, they are a way of enchanting readers with your ideas, perspective or product. However, attracting your audience depends critically on your opening sentence.

How can you tap the magic of language to mesmerize people from the outset? Here are 3 tips that will help you craft dazzling introductory lines.People love to laugh and humor is one of the most dependable ways to interest readers. So, employing a deft comedic touch is a great technique to add to your writing go-tos. For example, you could say something like:

“I’ve always found that politics is more entertaining than professional wrestling, even if it’s not quite as sportsmanlike.”

A chuckle-inducing opening is a terrific way you can signal that you have a quirky, interesting, and entertaining point of view. In particular, look for clever plays on words, unexpected analogies -- like an implied comparison between politics and professional wrestling -- or a tongue-in-cheek attitude, which can put a smile on readers’ faces.

Famous examples of using humor in an opening line:

"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." (From The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams).

"Nick Naylor had been called many things since becoming the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, but until now no one had actually compared him to Satan." (From Thank You for Not Smoking by Christopher Buckley).

Harness the power of figurative language

To paraphrase Voltaire, poetry says more than prose, but in fewer words. That’s because metaphor -- the lifeblood of verse and balladry -- is saturated with energy and loaded with meaning. For example, you could say something like:

“Metaphor is the use of language to pack a punch. So, if you want to knockout readers from the opening bell, then lead with a powerful figure of speech.”

Figurative language zeros in on a hidden connection between seemingly unrelated ideas, but it also taps the right brain’s associative network. As a result, good metaphors have pinpoint accuracy, but they also expand our imaginations. You might say, that’s a powerful, one-two combination.

Famous example of using figurative language in an opening line:

“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board.” (From Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston).

Utilize imagery

Of course, metaphor and imagery are inextricably linked. However, it is worth calling attention to the inherent power of imagistic language.

Used cleverly, words are symbols that create visuals impressions in our mind. Picturesque language entices the reader because imagery nourishes our cognitive faculties on a deep level. For example, you could say something like:

“A good opening line is an appetizer that leaves readers ravenous for more.”

Look for words that paint pictures on the canvas of thought and you will tap a powerful dimension of language.

Famous example of using imagery in an opening line:

“The towers of Zenith aspired above the morning mist; austere towers of steel and cement and limestone, sturdy as cliffs and delicate as silver rods.” (From Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis).

Conclusion

Conjuring a killer opening line is as much an art as it is a science. Invariably, it takes effort because you have to expend mental energy to create something exciting and new.

Exposing yourself to exceptional introductory sentences is one of the best ways to start generating your own. Think about some of the patterns that outstanding writers use to hook readers. Here are a few additional opening motifs:

● Raise an interesting question and promising to answer it later on. ● Provide a very intriguing fact that stimulates the reader’s curiosity to learn more. ● Surprise readers by introducing something incongruous or unexpected.

Look for example types that grab you. Then you can use your favorites as templates. For example, once you settle on an essential pattern, then you can use them as a starting point for your own creativity.

Be original and captivate your audience with playful, witty and slightly unpredictable writing, and you’ll keep them engaged.

PRESS RELEASE: The Launch of Sorc’d for Microsoft Office Forecasts Increase in Productivity for Content Creators

For Immediate Release9 a.m. PST June 7, 2016

For press inquiries: Bob Girolamo Bob@Sorcd.com (312) 953-6060     The Launch of Sorc’d for Microsoft Office Forecasts Increase in Productivity for Content Creators

Sorc’d Takes Major Step to Becoming a Necessity For Smarter Content Creation

CHICAGO – June 7, 2016 – Sorc’d [Sorcd.com], the cloud-based aggregator for snippets of content users have deemed noteworthy, today announced the launch of Sorc’d for Microsoft Office. This is an expansion of plans Sorc’d has to seamlessly integrate with content creation partners, augmenting existing systems to create more value for users. The add-on empowers users of Microsoft Office: Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to search and add snippets from the Sorc’d knowledge base directly within Office documents.

“Sorc’d is about giving back precious time and mental capacity to a world that is overloaded with data, said Bob Girolamo, CEO of Sorc’d. “By providing a platform that is intuitive and easy to use, we hope users can discover more meaningful pieces of information to use as support or idea generation for original content. Add on the sharing and collaboration of the Sorc’d collective database, and you’ve got an environment where teams become smarter, thought leaders flourish, and individuals discover something new.”

“Sorc’d gives our joint users the tools they need to be as productive as possible with seamless integration into Microsoft Office products,” proclaimed Rob Howard, director, Office 365 Ecosystem, Microsoft.

Sorc’d clients boast shaving at least 30% off their research and content creation time by using the productivity tools. With over 90% of the world’s data created in the last two years, it’s no wonder that:

- 62% of professionals say their quality of work suffers because they can’t sort information fast enough,¹

- professionals waste an average of 9+ hours EVERY week searching and gathering information,² and

- Fortune 500 companies lose $30+ billion a year by failing to share knowledge.³ By making relevant snippets of content universally accessible and easily digestible, Sorc’d provides clients – such as content creation and marketing agencies, writers, journalists, marketers, and students – new cross-platform solutions for building stronger content, faster.

Unlike other ways to save information, Sorc’d is about efficiency and effectiveness. Without too many bells and whistle, all of the highly intuitive tools are designed with the end goal in mind – to build stronger content, faster. A browser extension enables users to highlight and organize only the pieces of online content they find interesting, such as in an article, blog, presentation or email. These “snippets” can be filtered by category, tag, post type, favorites or date, and link to their original sources. Recalling and importing snippets – both private and public – can be done with a single click via add-ins, like the one in Microsoft Office, or APIs. Users can choose to have the original source link built into the snippet or come after it. Users may create footnotes from links coming after the snippets with a few keyboard shortcuts.

Although Sorc’d has users from around the world, the company is focusing first on providing quality solutions to the 132 million employed in United States markets that create content, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.⁴  As the demands for original content increase, leveraging collective intelligence and participation from many parts of an organization will become essential - sourcing subject matter experts, thought leaders, research and other departments. Decision makers credit content marketing with driving sales (88%), customer referrals (83%), and customer loyalty (75%).⁵

 Sorc’d connected with Microsoft Corp. through 1871, Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub.

About Sorc’d (pronounced sourced)

An innovation award-winner, Sorc’d empowers content creators to build stronger content, faster through a cloud-powered knowledge database of digestible snippets of relevant content, substantially decreasing research time and giving users more time to focus on what matters. Seamlessly integrating with numerous content creation systems, such as Microsoft Office and Google Docs, Sorc’d supercharges existing processes across public and private systems for content creation and marketing agencies, public relation agencies, writers, journalists, marketers, healthcare and academia. The company is based out of Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub, 1871. For more information please visit: http://Sorcd.com

1."Newsroom." New Survey Reveals Extent, Impact of Information Overload on Workers; From Boston to Beijing, Professionals Feel Overwhelmed, Demoralized. Lexis Nexis, 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

2. Shechtman, Jason. "Top 3 Reasons Why We Spend So Much Time Searching for Information | Under The Radar Conference | UTRConf."Under The Radar Conference. Under The Radar, 14 May 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
3. Quast, Lisa. "Why Knowledge Management Is Important To The Success Of Your Company." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
4. "Occupational Employment Statistics Home Page." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
5. "Survey: Demand for Content-marketing Expertise Outpaces Supply of Skilled Job-seekers." Survey: Demand for Content-marketing Expertise Outpaces Supply of Skilled Job-seekers. SkilledUp, 26 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

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The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information, press only:

Bob Girolamo, Sorc’d, (312) 953-6060, Bob@Sorcd.com

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Sorc’d, please visit http://www.Sorcd.com.

Bloggers Meet Startups Interview with Bob Girolamo

Meet Bob Girolamo of Sorc’d

Posted on May 5, 2016 by madeline.osman •

Bob Girolamo is the founder of Sorc'd, a startup in 1871. Follow Sorc'd on Twitter and learn more about the company below: 

Tell us about your project:

Sorc’d empowers content creators to build stronger content, faster. Clients boast saving 30% or more off their research and creation time by using the suite of cloud-powered tools for capturing snippets of relevant content and seamlessly integrating them into their content

Sorc’d is about efficiency and effectiveness.  All of the highly intuitive tools are designed with the end goal in mind – to build stronger content, faster. A browser extension enables users to highlight and organize only the pieces of online content they find interesting, such as in an article, blog, presentation or email. These “snippets” can be filtered by category, tag, post type, favorites or date, and link to their original sources. Recalling and importing snippets – both private and public – can be done with a single click via add-ins, like the one in Microsoft Office, Google Docs or APIs. Users can choose to have the original source link built into the snippet or come after it. Users may create footnotes from links coming after the snippets with a few keyboard shortcuts.

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