Hello Steemians!
• START WITH A HOOK •
Let's face it.
• STATE A PROBLEM •
The first post is the hardest.
How do you introduce yourself to a community that is, more or less, going to be financially rewarding you (or ignoring you) based on what you say?
You could state your name and say hi. And that could work just fine.
• OFFER A SOLUTION •
But you can also dramatically increase your post's readership with a few small tweaks.
...and get more upvotes as well.
For example, I could have just started this post by saying something like this:
• FOLLOW IT UP WITH A PROMISE •
Hey SteemIt Comunity! My name is Justin Oberman. I'm an Advertising Associate Creative Director living in Los Angeles, California. I joined SteemIt to share what I know about writing and creativity.
• WRITE THE BODY •
That works just fine.
But the point of a headline is to get you to read the first line, And the point of the first line should be about getting you to read the second. And so on...
So start with a hook.
A hook can be something an interesting fact about yourself. For example:
"My name is Justin Oberman, and I used my marketing skills to rebrand myself and convince my ex-wife to remarry me."
It could be something that people would be interested in doing, as well.
"My name is Justin Oberman, and I make over 15k a month writing posts like this (amongst other things)."
A hook doesn't have to be an introduction as all. It could start with a simple sentence: "Let's face it," "I think you'll agree with me when I say," etc.
But the hook only takes you so far. You still have to keep'em reading.
The irony about introductory posts is that no one cares about you. For the most part, the people you're introducing yourself to are just as interested in themselves as you are in you.
In other words, most people think about themselves (myself included).
So follow up your hook with a problem that resonates with them.
In this post, it was "The first post is the hardest."
Then briefly state your solution.
In this post, it was, "But one small tweak could turn ten readers into 100."
Then promise something. This will help them understand why they should care about you!
In this post, it's "I joined SteemIt to share what I know about writing and creativity."
And that's precisely what I hope to do.
I'll be posting tips and tricks on how to improve your writing, as well as your creativity.
I hope you'll find it enjoyable and useful!
