If You Have to Ask

Do you sometimes start press releases, media alerts, and other documents with questions? Do you think it’s a compelling way to catch your reader’s attention? Can you stand to hear the raw, unblemished truth about this strategy?  If the question you pose is a yes or no query, as it often is, you risk losing your readers immediately if their answer isn’t the one you’ve anticipated. A recent press release led with: “Ever been stressed out at the thought of driving 300 miles in a day?” The writer hoped readers would answer yes because the release was announcing what it called “a solution.” (Everything these days is a “solution,” isn’t it?) But readers answering no might stop reading then and there. Even when the question is open ended (“How would you feel if you were served undercooked meat in a restaurant?”), you can never be sure of your readers’ response, nor whether that response will spur them to keep reading or click delete. Starting documents with questions is not only common (which makes it boring) but it’s lazy. It says “I can’t think of anything else, I’ve got a million other things to do, I chipped a nail earlier and I’m in a terrible mood, and I was hoping to leave a few minutes early today, anyhow.” It implies you don’t care about what you’re writing and, heck, if you don’t care, why should I, your reader, give a hoot? Providing your audience a reason to stop reading from the start is not only poor judgment, but a disservice to your client (and to your reputation - see Freud et al). Short of questions on the order of “have you heard, we’ve cured prostate cancer?” or “have you received the gift certificate we sent you for free calf implants?”, the next time you find yourself beginning a document with a question, first ask yourself, is this really the best you can do?

Comments

[Michele]

Excellent! I'm the first to admit my writing isn't perfect (although I'm studying and striving to be;)

This is really something to think about because I've even heard writers that have been writing for years say, "Start with a question. It will intrigue your readers and they'll keep reading."

But you're right, they may not...

[Brian Clark]

How terribly clever of you to start your post with 3 questions.

There's an art to starting with a question. It can't be an exercise in yes or no. It's got to be something unanswerable and intriguing to draw the reader in. That's when it works like a charm.

[Ragdoll]

Yes, I totally agree. I've heard so many ads and speeches that start with questions and I immediately switch to snooze mode.

If the opening is that boring I can't imagine the actual content is going to be interesting either.

[Lee]

Will you be adding a search tool for your blog?

[Scott Smith]

You say that starting an article with a question is lazy and yet you do it. Were the excuses listed ones you had for beginning this article with a question?