Catch them with your first words.
Don’t be like the writer whose article I recently rejected.
While his brief account reported the event’s facts, he failed to take into account his prospective readers. So he neglected to provide at the start of the article any material to prompt people to want to read it.
I edit the magazine for a specialty organization. While its readers may have other interests, what draws them to the magazine is its singular focus.
Somehow the writer forgot that. Not until his seventh paragraph did he present material of specific interest to the magazine’s audience. The first six gave no hint of this key connection.
I liked the topic, so I offered advice for a revision. “Begin by connecting,” I said. “Most of what this version contains is better presented as a sidebar.” The core of his article — for this magazine’s readers — lay in what he’d condensed into his seventh paragraph.
If he began with that relevant material, in an expanded form, he’d give readers something they’ll immediately find interesting. Whatever your audience and topic, that’s a great way to start.
