The 1/3/2/1 Introduction Prompt: Craft Attention-Grabbing Introductions in Seconds

#writing #ai

Writing introductions shouldn't take longer than writing the entire article body.

You know your topic inside and out, but crafting that opener feels impossible. Most technical writers spend 30-60 minutes on introductions alone, cycling through approaches that sound too formal, too casual, or miss the mark entirely. You end up with generic openings that don't grab attention or abandon articles because you can't get past paragraph one.

A simple AI prompt solves this in under a minute. The 1/3/2/1 structure gives you a proven framework, and when you feed it to Claude or ChatGPT, you get introductions that hook readers immediately.

This guide shows you the exact prompt, how to use it, and real examples of introduction writing automation.

Subscribe to Writing for Developers — The leading newsletter helping developers automate content creation with curated prompts that turn ChatGPT & Claude into your own Technical Content Writing Assistant.

The 1/3/2/1 Introduction Format Explained

I already covered the theory behind 1/3/2/1 introductions, so I won't repeat myself here:

The 1/3/2/1 Format: The Only Formula You Need for Attention-Grabbing Introductions

The Introduction Hook Formula for technical articles + AI prompt to automate it

writingfordevs.substack.com

If you don't have time to read that piece, here's what you need to know:

The 1/3/2/1 format creates seven-sentence introductions across four paragraphs
Each number tells you how many sentences go in each paragraph
This structure gives readers just enough information to know if you're solving their specific problem

Here's what each sentence does:

The first sentence is your bold opener - hit the pain point without hesitation.

The second sentence clarifies your bold opener with more context. The third sentence adds credibility by including exact numbers or a real-world example. The fourth sentence rounds out your argument and guides the reader toward your solution.

The fifth sentence introduces and explains your solution clearly. The sixth sentence expands on why your solution works and why you're confident in it.

The seventh sentence tells readers what comes next in the article.

Read the original article to understand why this format works so well for technical content.

Now let me show you the prompt.