Open your essay with a problem your readers care about

Don't follow the standard essay structure from school, where you open with a background overview and definitions, and then move on to your thesis. This reads like "Here is what the community agrees upon and what I'm adding to it", which doesn't create any tension for your readers and doesn't make them want to read your essay.

Instead, open with a problem your readers care about (they either have it or they care enough about it), creating tension around it and highlighting its cost/benefits, and then follow with your solution.