Inverted Pyramid Writing

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CraigRJD

Make your writing eye-catching and unmissable.

One of the skills of a good news journalist is being able to report a story clearly, concisely, and in a way that grabs the reader's attention right from the start. A quick flick through any newspaper will reveal many examples of how to tell a story in as few words as possible.

It's a skill that can have real benefits in the workplace, too. For example, it is a real time-saver to read and produce reports that are attention-grabbing, succinct, and that have all the important information clearly summarized right at the beginning. It encourages the writer to focus on what's important, and the reader does not get "bogged down" in over-long communications.

This style of writing is often called the "Inverted Pyramid," and, in this article, we explore how to use this technique, we examine its pros and cons, and we look at a worked example.

Understanding the Inverted Pyramid

The Inverted Pyramid is a simple, effective model for producing eye-catching, quickly digestible content. It takes the elements of writing, such as introductions, descriptions, conclusions, and explanations, and puts them into order according to their importance. ...