What’s Wrong with the Introduction to Your Technical Articles?

Learn how to capture the reader’s attention so they stay and read

Original Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash, edits by Author

All articles require a great intro, after all that’s the second thing our readers get to experience after reading the title of the article. And many writers do spend quite a lot of time honing their introductory paragraphs to capture the reader with a metaphorical ball and chain. They glue them to the chair with their words, and they’re not able to leave until they’ve finished reading the whole piece.

However, there is one particular type of article that many believe to not require an intro at all: technical articles.

Technical articles are often written to teach someone about something, whether it’s about new technology, or how to perform a certain task step-by-step. The point is that some authors assume the reader will skip the intro, or skim quickly across it to get to the “good part” and follow the instructions.

This is not true.

A technical reader also needs a good introduction, they also need to feel the need to keep on reading. Technical articles can be very long and boring otherwise.

So let’s take a look at some do’s and don’ts when it comes to writing the introduction to your next technical…