We copywriters so often use these introductory lines that don’t play an *essential* role in the piece we’re writing. And really, if we just cut out the first paragraph or two… or the first line or two… our copy would be way better for it. John Carlton calls it “clearing your throat” – and says that whenever he finishes a piece, he’ll always go back and take a good look at the first paragraph. And VERY often he finds that the piece would be better without it.
Your first line is always critical.
Don’t waste it.
START with the heart of the matter.
If you’re gonna fumble around saying useless stuff (which you shouldn’t), say it ANYWHERE but in the first line.
After you finish a piece, always go back to that first line. And as you read it, put yourself in your reader’s shoes… and ask, “would I be absolutely hooked from the get-go after reading this line?”
If the answer is ‘no,’ you’re probably clearing your throat.
And you need a new opening line.
The end.
P.S. Ironically, when I posted this article a week ago… I was “clearing my throat” for 3 lines. And it’s only now – a week after posting – that I realized this. And I literally just took out the first 3 lines and changed nothing else. Just goes to show how often we copywriters do this terrible, terrible thing.
