Yes, this is true and a lot of good writers blend in too much and become the same as others. I notice that tools for optimising headers for SEO create similar sounding titles, and the risk is that although they are good for SEO, they're going to blend in rather than stand out. The introduction is definitely critical, as it forms an impression and even if the reader stays on the page, they won't have the same interest in an ordinary introduction or even poor one, and will probably skim through the article, even if it's good.