The Destructive Addiction to Introductions In Content Writing

Whenever I browse websites, read blogs, go over product reviews or search for fresh articles, I frequently bump into stimulating headlines that attract my attention.

Great headlines must be leading to interesting content, right?

So I click them vigorously, expecting to explore some new exciting information, find answers to questions, discover smart solutions to complex problems.

Well... maybe yes, maybe not. But whatever the nature of the content, the first thing I'm forced to read is the... inevitable introduction!

A pure annoying nightmare.

These endless, exhausting, useless and pointless introductions are brutally killing readers' interest, attention and curiosity. They cruelly torture readers' patience and erode their precious time.

Why do writers have this uncontrolled urge to start with introductions instead of getting to the point?

In my opinion it's actually a kind of addiction. From highly talented creative writers to first time bloggers, people open their laptops convinced that they MUST start with an introduction. "Everybody does it, so it's probably essential, right?".

No, it's not essential at all!

No Espresso Can Wake You Up From Boring Intros!

Introductions are usually passé. They are an anachronistic writing style that used to be popular many years ago, when people had time to read newspapers and listen to the radio. Long before social media, streaming channels and mobile devices took over and eroded our free time.

The addiction to introductions everywhere. For example, a nice lady wrote a nice post on LinkedIn, offering "5 winning tips" on how to be successful on Instagram. I entered the article, but after 9 long paragraphs about the importance of social media, I decided to run for the hills. The tips may have been highly useful, but I didn't make it.

A digital marketing expert offered "5 new SEO tips" on his blog. He called them 'essential' for effective optimization. I entered the article, eager to improve my SEO skills. But unfortunately, before reaching the essential tips, I had to scroll long paragraphs about the importance of SEO and how SEO affects rankings. It was a nightmare!

Just try to imagine for a moment how would you feel if I started this article with a long introduction about the development of blogs over the past decade...

And talking about blogs...

The problem with blogs is that many times people don't write content because they have something interesting or original to share with the world, but mostly because they are trying to feed Google's bots. Google's original intentions may have been reasonable, but the result is problematic. People got used to write long pages, which is how long boring introductions became a standard.

So what's the takeaway? If you intend to write a post, an article or a review, drop the useless introduction and get to the point. People today are exposed to huge amounts of content and messages. Their time is limited and their patience can be measured in nano units. You have a very short opportunity to capture their attention. If you want real people to read your messages, ideas or opinions, drop the introductions and keep your content short.

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