By Brad Bloom @faithfitnessmag

I still remember when I worked as an associate producer for an educational media company and we held an audition at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

The opportunity: Be an actor in two half-hour videos shot in two different countries. A fourteen-day all-expense paid trip to Italy/Greece, Singapore/India, Kenya/United Arabs Emirates or some single-destination trips to Russia, China, Canada or Costa Rica. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for college-aged acting students.

I walked into the audition studio with two other producers. Over the course of four hours we saw hundreds (yes hundreds) of hopeful students each vying for the handful of positions for their chance at stardom—or at least a really cool international trip.

It was to some extent a blur for us. This much I can tell you for certain, it was through this audition that I’ve discovered the reality of just how quickly we make judgments. Within seconds of each student’s audition I was mentally giving a thumbs up or down. If the student captured my attention at first, she or he got an additional thirty seconds of consideration. However, if the student failed to be compelling from the beginning, it took only a moment and I was already looking at the audition sheet for who would be next, while kindly waiting for the student to finish.

So it is with the opening paragraph of content you create for me or for any other project you do. That first paragraph has to deliver. That first sentence must be ‘wow’! And—just because you successfully get the reader through the introductory paragraph, you only have about thirty seconds more to keep them.

In today’s Internet culture and relentless bombardment of messages, getting someone’s attention is a real art. I say ‘art’ because clearly it is more than that. The science of successful writing and audience development is well researched. Techniques abound. Tricks and processes are engineered, statistically measurable, and ultimately celebrated by a sales team. Getting beyond all of that is golden.

I can’t give you a magic bullet or guaranteed path to success. I can however offer a few tips that I believe can help you ultimately find that compelling introduction that is so critical.

1. WRITE IT LATER: Go ahead and get writing. Build the bulk of your story then later you’ll have so much more on which to draw. I think the introduction more naturally percolates to the top when you follow this process.
2. READ AND WRITE AGAIN AND AGAIN: Think you’ve got the ultimate introduction? Put it to bed and get it out tomorrow and then read it again. Is it still really good? Run it by others. Consider and test alternatives. Don’t be afraid to change it. This is like picking the title to a book. It’s akin to selecting the cover art. In fact often the featured image and the introduction both work together in the split second processes happening in the minds of your readers.
3. TELL THE STORY: When you verbally share your story you get the benefit of observing what triggers interest and stimulates engagement in the listener. This can really start to help you craft the architecture of compelling. It can fuel your choice of words and let you discover and rehearse the subtle nuances of sentence inflection.
4. GET DIVINLY INSPIRED: Honestly, our words fall way short when they are simply from us. However, God’s Spirit gives life to what we write making it naturally compelling. Beyond best practices and good fabrication it is God who speaks to the hearts of our readers.

Take some time to review all you have written. Find what is most compelling. Then prayerfully consider what makes it so choice.

Brad Bloom, Publisher of Faith & Fitness Magazine, Shout! Outdoor Lifestyle Magazine and map Travel Lifestyle Magazine.  He is president of Lifestyle Media Group, a ministry that develops and distributes content to help people fuel their passion to connect daily living and Christian faith. Bloom draws a distinct difference between secular and his faith-centered brands, “Life should be lived way beyond training harder, living adventurously and going further. That’s all good but God is great. We can be equipped to be great when we get beyond all the doing and actively Be Life – the life of Christ to others.”