1. Get straight to the point
You need to make your abstract as interesting as possible, and you need to do this as quickly as possible. Your introduction’s first sentence should do just that – immediately intrigue the reader by giving them a reason to continue reading. You can do this by posing a question or stating something that is interesting, different, shocking, etc. Whichever approach you choose, it needs to be short and punchy.
2. Focus on what benefits the reader
While being concise is very important, so too is being clear about why exactly your readers would benefit from reading further into your post/essay. In other words, tell them how they will benefit from reading beyond your abstract. For example, if you are writing an article about the health benefits of some new dietary supplement, your abstract might look something like this: People looking to lose weight should try out Slimcea, a new dietary supplement that works wonders for boosting metabolism. The fact is that it’s absolutely packed with nutrients and has been clinically proven to be completely safe.
3. Keep it relevant
Your abstract must be focused on your essay/post topic alone. It should not contain any general information about the subject or end up drifting into other topics that are related but still different from the subject at hand. For example, if you’re writing about how artificial sweeteners can lower one’s risk of developing diabetes, your sentence should not read like this: Artificial sweeteners can lower one’s risk of developing diabetes, as well as a number of other health conditions that affect the body.
4. Be specific
Don’t just state your point in general terms – instead, give examples to support your case. For example, don’t write out an abstract that reads like this: Smoking is unhealthy. Instead, try something more along these lines: Smoking increases the chance of low birth weight babies by 300%. It also leads to respiratory problems and greatly reduces life expectancy even if you stop smoking before reaching middle age. This approach gives readers some real-life evidence on which they can base their decisions about whether or not they should continue reading.
5. Make it count
If you’re using the first sentence of your abstract to pose a question, then it should be followed up with either an answer or some support for why that question is relevant and important. For example: Why do we sleep? While there are theories about this, nobody really knows the reason beyond a shadow of a doubt. It is clear though that sleeping plays an important role in our lives, with both humans and animals spending approximately one-third of their time asleep. This approach makes the question more interesting because the reader will want to know what specific benefit there can be from sleeping so much.
6. Keep it concise
You don’t have anywhere near as much room in an abstract as you do in an entire essay, so you need to make your sentences as concise and to the point as possible. You can achieve this by using short and familiar words and avoiding any complex sentence structures. For example, The benefits of Slimcea, a new dietary supplement that works wonders for boosting metabolism, include weight loss and increased energy levels. It is completely safe and has been clinically proven to be effective with zero side effects for users.
7. Be positive about your subject
While it’s true that abstracts are supposed to inform the reader, there’s no sense in being overly negative or simply providing information – instead, try to inject some excitement into what you’re writing by focusing on what makes your subject interesting and beneficial rather than what is lacking or undesirable. For example: While there are various studies claiming that high protein diets can contribute to heart disease, most of these reveal a number of flaws which means they cannot be regarded as accurate representations of the truth. Instead, people should try out Slimcea, an all-natural dietary supplement that has been clinically proven to boost metabolism and is completely safe with no side effects for users.
8. Be honest but optimistic
Your abstract needs to be honest in order for it to serve its function properly – this means you need to choose reliable sources and present only the information that is based on solid evidence (or at least references). However, it also means you need to focus on why your subject matter is beneficial, not on what problems it can lead to. For example: While high protein diets are often claimed to increase the risk of heart disease, this is simply not true. Instead, people should try out Slimcea, an all-natural dietary supplement that has been clinically proven to boost metabolism and is completely safe with no side effects for users.
9. Expand your topic
Deciding exactly what you’re going to write about in an abstract isn’t always easy – however, the more general subjects you can narrow down into one specific sub-topic for your content within your essay or blog post, the better off you’ll be when it comes time to write up your intro and conclusion sentences. Remember, if you want to reduce any potential confusion about what you’re writing, make your first sentence short and specific. For example, Many dietary supplements claim to aid weight loss, but Slimcea is the only one that has recently come onto the market to be clinically proven as safe with no side effects for users.
10. Make people want more
If you can find a way of leaving readers wanting to know more by posing questions they want to be answered or relating your sub-topic directly to them in some manner, then this will serve as extra motivation for them to read through the rest of your content quickly. The best type of question you should pose is open-ended – which means it requires an answer rather than giving one. For example, Slimcea may be new on the scene, but it is already going from strength to strength. It isn’t hard to see why – the supplement has 100% natural ingredients and contains no fillers, binders, or harmful chemicals, making it completely safe for use with zero side effects.
11. Avoid cliches
In an abstract, you don’t have as much room as you do in an essay itself, so you need to make each word count towards your overall message. Clichés should definitely be avoided because they’re overused phrases that contribute nothing new of substance – instead of using them yourself within your writing, try to give some examples or use analogies instead. For example: If you want a dietary supplement that will help energize and rejuvenate your body while aiding weight loss, look no further than Slimcea.
12. Consider your target audience
The final tip is one to bear in mind not only for writing good abstracts but also when producing content to put online in general – you should think about who will be reading it before you actually begin writing anything down. For example: If you’re looking for a new dietary supplement that can help aid weight loss and give your body an energy boost while still being completely safe with zero side effects, why not try Slimcea? It’s 100% natural with clinically proven ingredients that contain no additives or harmful chemicals whatsoever. There are currently four different flavors to choose from!
Now that we’ve given you 12 tips for writing killer abstracts, you can try to apply them within your next essay, blog post, or article.
