Don’t Bury the Lede: How to Hook Your Audience Instantly

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You’ve got 8 seconds. Sometimes less.

That’s all the time you get before someone decides to keep watching, reading, or scrolling. According to Microsoft’s Consumer Insights Report, the average attention span is now just 8.25 seconds. (source)

So what happens in those first 8 seconds?

They either lean in—or leave.

The opening line of your story, post, pitch, or video isn’t just a starting point. It’s your only shot at relevance. Which is why so many messages fail—not because they’re bad, but because they take too long to get to the point.

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Most Openings Are Wasted

You’ve seen it. Long intros. Too much backstory. Vague lead-ins like:

By the time you get to the good part? Your audience is gone.

We’ve been trained to warm up our stories like stretching before a jog. But in storytelling, that slow build costs you attention.

Newsrooms have a saying: Don’t bury the lede.
That means don’t wait until paragraph three to say what matters most.

Put it at the top. Make people care right away.

Here’s How to Write a Stronger Hook

1. Cut the warm-up.​
   Start with conflict, a surprising fact, or a bold question.
   Think Don Draper in Mad Men—he didn’t ease in. He opened with tension. So should you.
2. Use the Rule of Three (but not how you think).​
   Write your full story. Then delete the first two lines.
   Line three? That’s probably your real opening.
3. Test it out loud.​
   Read your first line to someone. Ask: Would you keep listening?​
   If the answer’s no, rewrite.

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Try This Now

Open a draft—any draft. A social post. A speech. An email you’ve been tweaking for hours.

Highlight the strongest sentence.
Move it to the top.
Then see how much better the whole thing reads.

Want to sharpen your story from the first word?​
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We help people and brands craft openings that grab attention—and hold it. Because you can’t earn trust if you don’t first earn curiosity.

Let’s sharpen your story. Work with Scout Stories​

Remember: You don’t need a longer intro.
You need a better beginning.