How to Write a Strong Introduction

Your introduction is your reader’s first impression of your writing project and like any first impression, it shapes how the rest of the paper will be read. This handout explains what an introduction needs to do, how to structure your introduction, and some writing prompts to help you start writing an introduction.

What an Introduction Needs to Do

No matter what your major is or the length of the assignment, having a strong introduction accomplishes four jobs at once:

1. Hooks the reader: uses a quotation, statistic, fact, illustration or other device to engage the reader’s interest in the topic.
2. Provides context: the background or conversation your topic sits inside.
3. Narrows the focus: moves from that broad context to your specific angle.
4. States your thesis: the argument everything else in the paper will try to prove.

Think of these less as a checklist to complete in order and more as ingredients: how much space each one takes depends on your assignment, discipline, and length, but a paper missing any of them will feel incomplete.

Build It Like a Funnel

Picture your introduction as a funnel: wide at the top, narrow at the bottom. You open with a hook to engage the reader, then move to the broader context your reader needs, then narrow steadily until you land on your thesis or main idea sentence, which is the single sentence that states your position. A bonus sentence in the introduction can be an “overview sentence” that previews the key ideas/structure of your project.

Sentence Starters to Generate Writing

If you are stuck, you can borrow a structure and fill in your own content. These work especially well for argumentative and analytical essays:

• “Leading scholars, [A] and [B], have discussed that…”
• “Conventional wisdom has it that…”
• “My whole life I have heard it said that…”
• “One might think that…”
• “Theories of ____ have been dominated for centuries by opposing views…”

Self-Check

Before moving on from your introductory paragraph and into your body paragraphs, reread your introduction and ask the following:

• Does the first sentence point directly at my topic? Or is it a vague generalization?
• Have I given the background this specific paper needs without giving too much context?
• Does my thesis or main idea sentence capture the scope of my paper?
• Does my introduction preview how the paper will be structured?
• Could a reader predict my main argument from this paragraph alone?

Want Feedback on Your Introductory Paragraph?

Writing tutors at Student Success can help you get started on an introductory paragraph or help you work through the introduction you already have! Book a one-on-one appointment or drop-in session through the Student Success Portal.

References

Jahnavi Jagdeo, Writing Services, Wilfrid Laurier University, CC By-NC 2026