The teaser is an important part of journalist and in this article; we are going to cover it completely, from the definition of a teaser to the qualities that make it up. You’ll also get some insight into how this term is specifically used in marketing and journalism as well as some expert tips on how to write a great teaser for your own journalism and marketing content.
What is a Teaser?
First, you have to know exactly what a teaser is. A teaser paragraph is generally something shown to readers to entice them to read the entire article. This may or may not be the first paragraph of an article. For example, when you take a writing class in school, they always tell you to make your first paragraph amazing. That’s because your first paragraph is kind of a teaser for your entire story. This goes the same with newspaper content, with the first paragraph always being above the fold so that people will want to read it. However, in marketing, this term usually refers to a separate piece of writing that serves as an introduction for the article that you are teasing.
How Teasers are used
In journalism, teasers are used as described above. However, when it comes to using teasers in marketing, the definition changes a little bit. When you refer to a teaser in marketing, you are usually referring to a teaser campaign. A teaser campaign is one that you want before the actual advertising campaign and probably before the product is really ready.
There are number of reasons why people launch teaser campaigns. One of them is to gauge the interest of the product from the public for the first time. Another is to get the word out to early adopters and those who might be able to offer feedback into what is wrong with the product in its current state so they can be fixed before release.
In advertising, teasers may also refer to the actual video itself. For example, in movies, the two minute trailer that you would see around the year before the film is actually released is called the teaser trailer.
Teasers in Journalism & Content Marketing
When it comes to journalism and content marketing, teasers are used in a much more traditional manner. These are the teaser paragraphs that we discussed earlier. In journalism, sometimes the reader just scans stories to see what they want to read. That’s why the teaser paragraph is so important. The teaser should make the person want to read the full story.
In content marketing, the teaser is even more important. When someone buys a newspaper, odds are that they are going to at least read the stories on the front page. But if someone comes across your content during a web search, there is no guarantee all that they will read your content. You have to have an amazing teaser if you want to draw them in and convince them that your content has the answers that they’re looking for.
Expert Tips: How to Write a Great Teaser
- Use the right keywords. Not only will they get you entered into the search engine index, they will also tell the reader that your articles what they’re looking for because they typed in those keywords.
- Appeal to the reader’s emotions. Whether or not they read your content is based upon how they feel about it. Make sure that your content – in the teaser behind it – speaks to them emotionally as well as intellectually.
- Take out words that do not do well next to each other. You will be able to tell if a word or phrase is awkward when you read it out loud. Take out words that do not make sense in your teaser headline and content.
- Use superlative language. If you believe that you have the best of anyone else, then go ahead and say so in your teaser paragraph. You want the reader to know that information, and it is okay to use it in a teaser.
Summary
When it comes to using teasers in marketing and advertising, the subject is a little complex. That’s because not only does the definition vary depending on which aspect of marketing and advertising you’re using it in, but there are also a lot of uses for the teaser itself. But just ensure that you follow the tips above if you want to write an amazing teaser that is going to draw people into your content.
