The opening paragraphs of your web sales pages are important. Fail to catch your prospect's attention and he or she won't read further. But it can be hard to come up with opening paragraphs that get attention. Your mind might even go blank when you sit down to write your first sentences.

An easy technique to solve this is to use the problem-solution technique. Not only is it easy to apply, but it's very effective.

It works because it shows your prospect that you understand his problems. You have an understanding of his world and what he thinks about every day. You show that you know his troubles. And you show him you have the solution he's looking for.

That would get most people's attention.

In fact, I used to study a lot of dating tips. (As a single male struggling with dating, I might as well use all the help I can get!) One of the techniques I read about was cold reading.

To do cold reading, you approach a woman you've never met before and make a few guesses about her, such as her personality or what type of person she is. If the cold reading is accurate, it gets the woman's attention and makes her want to listen more. The woman feels intrigued.

Doing cold reading is a lot like using the problem-solution technique in the opening paragraphs of your copy. If your statements about the prospect's problems are accurate, she'll feel intrigued. You'll get her attention and she'll keep reading your copy.

To use the problem-solution technique, show that you understand the prospect's problems. If the prospect wants to gain muscle, but finds it hard to, you could say how frustrating it is that no matter how much he eats, he can't gain a single pound. All the hours spent at the gym didn't produce any results. People keep telling him how skinny he is, and he hates it. He dreads the summer months and wears baggy clothes to hide his figure to avoid embarrassment. And he's envious of people who can easily pack on weight without even trying.

Then you show him you have the solution. You introduce your product and say that he'll finally gain muscle with it -– and that his lifelong skinniness will finally be over.

So if you're ever struggling with writing the opening paragraphs, try using the problem-solution technique. It's easy to use and gets your prospect's attention.

Author's Bio: 

Francis Lui is a freelance web copywriter with web technical skills. For more web copywriting and Internet marketing tips, get his FREE 31-page report along with a FREE newsletter subscription at francislui.com/.