Those opening words—so common in student papers—represent the most prevalent misconception about introductions: that they shouldn’t really say anything substantive. As noted in Chapter 2, the five-paragraph format that most students mastered before coming to college suggests that introductory paragraphs should start very general and gradually narrow down to the thesis. As a result, students frequently write introductions for college papers in which the first two or three (or more) sentences are patently obvious or overly broad. Charitable and well rested instructors just skim over that text and start reading closely when they arrive at something substantive. Frustrated and overtired instructors emit a dramatic self-pitying sigh, assuming that the whole paper will be as lifeless and gassy as those first few sentences. If you’ve gotten into the habit of beginning opening sentences with the following phrases, firmly resolve to strike them from your repertoire right now:In today’s world …Throughout human history …Since the dawn of time …Webster’s Dictionary defines [CONCEPT] as …For one thing, sentences that begin with the first three stems are often wrong. For example, someone may write, “Since the dawn of time, people have tried to increase crop yields.” In reality, people have not been trying to increase crop yields throughout human history—agriculture is only about 23,000 years old, after all—and certainly not since the dawn of time (whenever that was). For another, sentences that start so broadly, even when factually correct, could not possibly end with anything interesting.So what should you do? Well, start at the beginning. By that I mean, start explaining what the reader needs to know to comprehend your thesis and its importance. For example, compare the following two paragraphs:Five-Paragraph Theme Version:Throughout time, human societies have had religion. Major world religions since the dawn of civilization include Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Animism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These and all other religions provide a set of moral principles, a leadership structure, and an explanation for unknown questions such as what happens after people die. Since the……

By now, you’re probably familiar with all the great reasons why you should start a YouTube channel, and maybe you even know how to improve your SEO. If so, then you’re more than ready to take your videos and your channel to the next level! Have you ever heard about YouTube intros? No?Don’t worry! In this piece, I’m going to tell you all about this crucial (yet often disregarded) element that can give your videos a more professional look and strengthen your brand identity. Most importantly, I’m also going to share 25 great examples and break down what we can learn from them.Let’s discover what the pros can teach us today!YouTube intros are like a TV show’s title sequence, short scenes at the beginning of a video that helps establish a channel’s identity. Over time, the specific elements in your intro, such as the music and the visuals, will foster loyalty and recognition among your viewers. These sequences can be used for a wide variety of purposes, from setting yourself apart from the intros competition to getting people excited about your content. They can also strengthen your brand identity, make your pieces look more professional, and even keep a level of consistency. Good YouTube intro videos should be concise and as short as possible. Ideally, they should be no more than 20 seconds long and immediately introduce the channel’s branding while also telling the viewer what the content is about. The ultimate goal of the intro is to help your audience recognize your channel immediately. So, you should make sure to include your characteristic logo, typography, background music, and any other element that makes you unique.Now we’ve come to the fun part: examples. As usual, I’ve made sure to include a wide variety of intros from different industries and all channel sizes so you can (hopefully!) find lots of inspiration. Now, in no particular order, let me show you some cool YouTube intros!I’m sure we’ve all watched a TED Talk at least once in our lives. But, if you’re one of the odd ones out and don’t know what I’m talking about, this channel focuses on learning and features inspiring talks from some of the world’s leading thinkers.Ted’s latest YouTube intro starts wit……

In this article we’re going to take a look at 21 of the best YouTube intros.A YouTube intro is a short introductory clip that plays at the beginning of all of a channel’s videos. YouTube intros give channels a stronger brand identity, make videos look more professional, and help to maintain a level of consistency. So let’s jump in and take a look at 21 of the best YouTube intros… Before YouTube, there was television. Okay, television still exists but YouTube is much much more popular. According to Think with Google, Statistic YouTube reaches more adults during prime time than any cable network does, on mobile alone.  Source: Think with Google And the numbers are really staggering: Statistic YouTube has approximately 122 million daily active users across the world! Source: Wyzowl YouTube Stats 2024 But, focusing on TV for a moment, there’s something all TV shows have in common. They have title sequences. Here’s one you probably recognise:TV shows have title sequences for a number of reasons. A title sequence establishes the identity of the show, and familiarises viewers with the locations and characters. On top of that, the music used in title sequences is a great way to mentally prepare people to leave the stresses of the real world behind for a short period and enter the world of the TV show. A YouTube intro can do the same thing for your channel. Our Insight A great intro can get your viewers excited for your video. As they start to recognise the music and the visuals, they may even begin to look forward to seeing your intro every time you release a new video. This helps to generate buzz and build loyalty among your viewers. So, now that you know why a YouTube intro is so important, let’s get some inspiration from 21 of the best YouTube intros…Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell is a channel that takes complex scientific topics and ideas, and breaks them down into easy-to-understand animated videos. According to their YouTube “about” page, they are “a small team who want to make science look beautiful. Because it is beautiful.”And boy, do they deliver. Their animations have a beautiful and distinct style, featuri……