How To Hook Your Reader

Writing is a lot like fishing. Contrary to popular belief, fish are not dumb. Think about it! If they were, fishing would be so much easier and much more efficient. The fishermen (or women) in our lives wouldn’t have to brag about their big catch or care to join competitions. If fishing were simple, we wouldn’t need to work at it. Bait and tackle boxes wouldn’t even be a thing because the fish would bite anything and everything. It’s not that easy, though.

Fish need something to catch their attention first. In the writing world, that’s the title. Next, they need something to lure them in. For authors, that’s the first sentence. But what keeps them interested, following the bait and ready to bite? The introduction! If the introduction can’t keep your reader’s attention, nothing else in your piece will.

So how do we do this? How do we ensure we are hooking our audience, securing our prize and reeling them in? Below, I’m going to offer three tips to do just that:

1. Hook! Ask yourself if what you’re writing about interests you. You may know it interests others, but do you really care about your message? Just like fish aren’t dumb, neither are our readers. They can tell when we’re passionate and excited about the topics we share or the messages we craft. Take this into consideration the next time you write. Decide to leave the topics and subjects you don’t care for to someone else who will write passionately about them. We all have our writing niche, and that’s not only OK but important. If your topic is not important to you, it won’t be important enough for your audience to read about. It won’t hook them.

2. Line! Use a story or illustration to open up with. People tend to relate most to personal stories. They want to know if someone has been through an issue, milestone or experience similar to their own. Be honest and interesting as you choose your words. Tell them all about your struggles and your successes. They’ll love to see how you made it to the other side of what they may be dealing with. Your audience needs this lifeline, or they won’t follow along.

3. Sinker! Be concise. Stories are great, but they shouldn’t be too lengthy, either. The reason you’re writing about your particular topic is ultimately the part your readers want to get to. They love to learn a little about us, but they really hope to learn something from us. The opening story or illustration is the bait that draws them in. Remembering that they aren’t interested in reading about our whole life should keep us quick and to the point so we can give them what they’re after, which is whatever is in it for them. Remember, this is why they decided to take the bait to begin with. Otherwise, they’ll bail.

In the same way that fishing requires patience and seems daunting, so can writing. This never makes the “reel-in” impossible. The next time you pick up your laptop, think of this blog. Ask, tell and be concise. This will ensure your piece is not only going to hook them but teach them the very thing that made them want to bite. This is what they call catching fish hook, line and sinker.

Blessings,

Melissa Labieniec

Are YOU ready for the hook, line and sinker? What is one thing you want to put into practice today to help hook your audience and keep them reading?