Add Class to Specific Paragraph of the_content()

The following bit of code adds a class to the first paragraph output by the_content:

function first_paragraph($content){
    return preg_replace('/<p([^>]+)?>/', '<p$1 class="intro">', $content, 1);
}
add_filter('the_content', 'first_paragraph');

Add the above to your theme’s functions.php file.

Then in your CSS add something like:

p.intro { font-weight:bold; }

I can’t claim credit for this solution (see this thread in the WP forums) but I tested it and it worked great for me in WordPress 3.3.2. You should be able to modify it as needed to target whichever paragraph your heart desires.

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