Article Writers begin to use the inverted pyramid method.

The inverted pyramid (or upside down pyramid) is simply a triangle, with the tip of the triangle pointing downwards. The wide ‘top’ of the pyramid represents the most important and relevant information of the article, including the ‘hook’. As you move down the triangle, the importance of the text is lessoned until ultimately you end up with the ‘fluff’ or the most irrelevant parts of the article.

The idea of an article written with the inverted pyramid is to allow the reader to get to the important information or conclusion of the article first and then decide whether they want to read the detail.
Used for over a century, it is a common tool used by journalists to allow the reader to understand the story even if they do not complete the whole article. Additionally it also allowed editors to reduce the size of the article by removing content from the bottom.

An inverted pyramid - concentrating on crucial information first, followed by helpful information and ending with the 'fluff'

So how can article writers benefit from this method?

As an article writer, especially on the web, you have to work very hard to get the attention of the reader. If you don’t hook them within the first few paragraphs, then you are likely to lose them. Looking at this short article you can immediately understand what the article is about from the very first heading.

“Article Writers begin to use the inverted pyramid method.” – this is aimed at writers and immediately lets them know a trend that is happening on the web – interestingly, this will be old news to professional writers already, so it will only interest amateur writers.

After this there is a description of exactly what an ‘inverted pyramid’ is, how it is constructed, and why the method is used.

Finally, as you move down the page you get into the fluff of the article that is explaining how the ‘inverted pyramid’ works in detail. Many readers may never get this far, but they have been given the choice up front and the decision remains there.

The benefits an article writer gets are multifaceted:

• You have gained respect with the reader – they know what the article is about immediately and if you’ve hooked them then you know they are interested in the article, thus the content will be relevant to the reader.
• You’re writing will begin to conform to industry standards (at least for journalistic type articles) – while this may not be important for amateur writers, if you want to become a professional writer then you have to have a portfolio that shows you know how to use basic techniques of article writing (inverted pyramid being one of many)
• Using a inverted pyramid style will help you when writing ‘summaries’ for Google – the paragraph that you want to include as the Google search summary should essentially be the ‘top’ of the pyramid.

The inverted pyramid is one of many different methods of writing; it is one of the best of attracting a reader, but may not be the appropriate style for all articles. For example, articles aimed at educational institutions would probably be written in a more essay type style, rather than the abrupt style of the inverted pyramid.

Final thoughts about the inverted pyramid

I’ve been writing on the web for over ten years and feel I am experienced. However, one thing the Google Pandemic has taught me is that I must adapt my style for the market I am aiming at. The inverted pyramid is perfect for my niche articles or informational articles, but doesn’t work so well for my contemplative articles.

Knowing when to use each method is nearly as important as the method itself.

Article originally published on SimeyC.hubages.com