by James DeKoven
abstract by Allison Sundberg

James DeKoven knows that the first sentence of a sales letter is the hardest part, but he also knows that this is the most important. The quality of the first sentence determines whether or not the reader is going to finish reading through to the end or immediately start practicing his or her three point shots toward the trashcan. DeKoven lists five different strategies to approach the first sentence dilemma, plus one bonus tip to say that when all else fails, write your first sentence after you have finished the rest of the letter since “it’s just easier to match the first sentence with something you’ve already written.”

1. DeKoven recommends trying to shock the reader in a non-offensive way.

2. Start out with an “objective” tone like a fact-based or news-type. This way, you don’t sound like you’re immediately trying to sell something.

3. Let the reader know that he or she will get some valuable information by reading on.

4. Use a quote from someone famous.

5. Readers want to be entertained or emotionally moved. With that in mind, tell a short story to get the reader to want to keep going.

Original article