The Importance of Introduction

After reading about college writing and how to "hook" the reader, I realized that the introduction is the most important part of an essay. It is important to present the topic in an interesting way, hooking the reader from the very beginning. The websites explain that using an interesting quote or fact that raises questions for the reader is an excellent way to begin your essay. Making the reader wonder about your topic is the first step in writing a college level paper.
Regarding the claim, the website states that it must be included in a single, concrete statement. It is also stressed that the evidence used throughout the essay should be involved in your thesis statement in the order in which it will be presented.
As far as my own writing, the introduction paragraph has always been the part I struggle with the most. I have always been taught to use the funnel effect in high school and am finding it harder to stray away from that than I thought. I really need to work on strongly stating my claim and making my introduction straight to the point.