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Why Stephen King Spends 'Months and Even Years' Writing Opening Sentences

Updated: Dec 19, 2022

Forget what they told you in school. 

Copywriting isn’t like the regular writing you used to study there.

Copywriting is headlines, hooks, and stories.

Crafted to get your attention and keep it.

It's the number one most important skill.

Think about it for a sec. 

Once, you master it, you can sell something without even having to open your mouth.

You can write emails, landing pages, catchy presentation titles, pitch decks, scripts, blog posts and ads.

We are all in sales, we all sell ideas and copywriting is what you use to move people.

"You should give your copy to a 12-year-old boy to read aloud. If it sounds wooden when he reads it aloud, it will feel wooden to your customer."

When you write for the web, remember the reader. 

I’m going to say that again. 

Remember the reader. 

Always write for a single person.

The truth is that when you write as if you’re talking to someone, it reads just like you’re talking to someone.

It's called 'conversational copywriting'.

Your copy should feel like a conversation. 

A conversation between real people. 

You and the reader.

And let me tell you a secret about your reader.

She's not curled up on a comfy sofa with a book and a glass of Captain Morgan Private Stock.

She's hurrying across the web, searching for interesting articles to read, like and share.

Now, she's read your headline.

Good.

She’s clicked. 

Good.

But, her hand is still hovering over that ‘Back' button. 

Her BS meter is higher than ever.

What happens next depends on what I call the art of the opening sentence.

"There are all sorts of theories and ideas about what constitutes a good opening line. It's a tricky thing, and tough to talk about because I don't think conceptually while I work on a first draft - I just write. To get scientific about it is a little like trying to catch moonbeams in a jar. But there's one thing I'm sure about. An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” -Stephen King

Here’s the most important thing to remember.

The headline captures your attention. 

The first sentence keeps it and entices you to read the second sentence. 

You see, a compelling first sentence keeps you on the page.

Because it gets to the point.

Because it leads to something.

Because it shocks and awes.

It cuts the noise.

It gives an attitude.

It sets the tone for the rest of your piece, hooking you in, one step at a time.

Hey.com by Basecamp is email without the bullshit.

Jason Fried and his team is very clear about it.

Look at the opening sentence 'Email sucked for years.' followed by the next sentence 'Not anymore — we fixed it.'

They don't try to sell you on Hey.com, they just tell you what they’ve made.

They write short, choppy copy. (I stole this phrase from Dave Gerhardt, who probably stole it from someone else.)

The first line can be a beast to get right, I admit.

When it comes to literature, an opening line from Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is worth studying.

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." -J.D. Salinger 

'Now, that’s great, I get it, but what about the second sentence?’ I hear you asking.

Well, here’s a bonus lesson. 

Your second sentence should make your reader want to read the third sentence.

Ok, you know where I’m going with this, right?

Imagine you have a rope and you’re just trying to reel the person in to get her all the way to the bottom of your copy. 

When you write, it's easy to fall into the pattern of using the word “I”. (Here’s a simple excercise you can try with your web or blog post.

Getting into 'Me, me, me' will hurt the performance of your email, presentation or LinkedIn post. 

Talk TO your reader, not AT your reader.

Back in 1998, when Derek Sivers started CD Baby, their order confirmation email was the regular: 'Your order has shipped today. Thank you for your business.'

But for Derek, this was too generic, dry and impersonal. 

So he wrote the following:

The same basic rules apply to a video format.

Consider this stunning 1977 piece called Powers of Ten by Ray and Charles Eames.

It is really mind-blowing.

It shows the Universe in the factor of ten.

While you watch it, I guess, you’re literally hanging on the narrator’s every word.

Every line pushes you to the next one.

When every line of copy leads to the next, it’s like a slippery slide.

You can’t stop watching.

Direct TV commercials that used to run back in the day are well executed.

Let’s finish here with David Abbott, a hell of a copywriter who once put his life on the line to sell a Volvo. (Here's my riff on Don’t Tell Me, Show me.)

When you look at the ad, first, your eyes are drawn to the floating cherry red Volvo in the air.

Then you see a guy - David himself - in a suit lying underneath it. 

Finally, you get to read the copy with a killing opening line: “That’s me, lying rather nervously under the new Volvo 740.”

How do you feel?

I bet you're ready to read more, right?

Every speech, pitch to an investor, ad, article, sales page, small talk or blog post you write must begin with one hell of an opening sentence.

Your ability to grab attention AND keep it is key to your success.

Your first line leaves a lasting impression. 

Make it a good one.



PS. Like what you’re reading here? Well, you have three choices really.

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3. When you are ready to level up, hire me.

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