An effective standfirst can make all the difference when engaging your key audiences and earning their trust.
The fact that you’re reading this sentence means that the standfirst – nestled in bold between the title and text of this article – did its job. You want to know exactly how an effective standfirst can make all the difference, so you’ve read on. In an online world with an Everest of content, populated by hyper-short attention spans, that’s half the battle won.
Also known as the ‘sell’, ‘kicker’, and more blandly the ‘summary text’, the standfirst is a familiar feature of online blog pieces. It originated from print newspaper and magazine articles with the purpose of summarising the article, ‘kicking’ the reader forward and hooking them on a business proposition or product. That’s a big job for a short piece of text, so it’s crucial to get it right.
What makes a strong standfirst?
There are a few common features of the standfirst to adhere to. While lightly summarising the gist of a blog, it should avoid being too long or clunky which risks losing your audience’s attention – use the opportunity to offer something creative and snappy instead.
A good standfirst should also always be tailored to the subject and the target demographic. And most importantly, there needs to be a hook. It might raise an intriguing question or tackle a tricky business pain point directly, but it should instil a curiosity to read on. Let’s take a look at how this can work in practice.
What are good examples of a standfirst?
There are different ways of tackling a standfirst. Perhaps your business’ tone is more or less formal. Or maybe your target audience are young professionals or people approaching retirement age. While your standfirst should follow the guidance outlined in the section above, it should most of all represent your business, your tone and your objectives.
For instance, imagine your business runs and manages a content delivery network (CDN) that helps websites load faster. One example of a standfirst could be:
“A content delivery network (CDN) can help your business speed up your website loading times – but how do they work and are they worth the investment?”
Here, a positive statement is followed by a question, spurring the reader to click on the article and find out for themselves exactly what a CDN is, how it works and whether it’s worth their while. And, given that not all business owners will know what a CDN is, the standfirst offers the reassurance that all the basis will be covered, making it appeal to a broader audience.
But now let’s consider how a smaller, start-up CDN firm could structure a standfirst. Let’s also imagine that this start-up is targeting younger business owners; it is open to adopting a humorous tone to capture the attention of its audience and uses an off-hand comment as a standfirst. Paired with a title such as, “10 ways a CDN will speed up your website’s loading times”, it could read something like this:
“Say goodbye to that spinning wheel”
It’s more casual, but also more relatable and speaks directly the concerns and needs of busy marketing and web teams who need a quick fix to a tricky problem. The slightly more informal tone cuts through to a younger audience while also directly tackling their problem head on.
What should a good standfirst include?
It might just be a sentence, but the standfirst is prime digital real estate with the potential to get your content noticed and start converting your traffic into new business. It’s an opportunity to express your authentic tone of voice and expertise in just a few words, so it’s important to get it right.
When it comes to crafting that perfect standfirst, make sure to give consideration to the following:
- Your audience: investors probably aren’t looking for a casual, light-hearted tone.
- Your voice: if your firm is making a name for itself by taking on the established giants in your space, try using a confident and ambitious tone in your openers.
- Your goals: A catchy standfirst is just the first part of an article that can convert traffic into customers, inspire action or raise awareness. Keep one eye on what you want your article to do and a snappy standfirst will help you achieve it.
A good standfirst can convince your audience to read on. But it’s by no means the only way to help your business stand out. At Stratton Craig, our team of expert content strategists and writers can help you convert readers to leads. Get in touch today and find out how we can help you win with words.
