Your Three-Step Writing Cheat Sheet

The next time you need help getting started on your writing project, give the good ol’ inverted pyramid a chance (think who, what, where, when and why). Below is a 3-step cheat sheet you can use to implement the inverted pyramid regardless of your content’s distribution channel — from an email marketing campaign or blog to a white paper or presentation.

Step 1: Write for Your Audience (the Who)

1. Keep your audience front & center

2. Tell them what they want to hear

3. Keep it brief & to the point

Who are you writing for — your audience or yourself? Hopefully, your audience is front-and-center at all times. With that said, when writing for others, the faster you get your point across the better.

According to a study by Microsoft, the average attention span fell from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds in 2016. Therefore, the longer your content becomes, the more engaging it has to be to keep people interested at all times.

As a rule: Tell them what they want to hear in as few words as possible.

Step 2: Be Purposeful (the What and Why)

1. Make every word count

2. Be empathetic

3. Tell a compelling story

If shorter and quicker are the norm, you need to make every word count. Being empathetic goes a long way in identifying the “what” and “why” of your message.

Writing with empathy is easy. Before you start writing, answer the following questions as if you were the target audience of your story:

• What are you telling me? Is it compelling?

• What is the call to action?

• Why are you trying to talk to me?

• Why should I care about your message?

• Why should I read this now instead of doing something else? cellspacing="0" width="100%"

Step 3: Provide Details (the Where and When)

1. Add supporting details only

2. The shorter your piece, the fewer takeaways you should have

3. Bring it all together

Too many articles, presentations and even emails suffer from "TMI" syndrome. A good way to cut back on unnecessary details is by decluttering.

The single-minded proposition (SMP) can help you as you look for ways to cut back on content. Ask yourself: What is the 1 takeaway I want my audience to remember?

It is perfectly OK for longer pieces to have more than 1 takeaway. However, if you’ve identified more than 3 takeaways, you might need to reconsider the length of your project and its purpose.

I always try to limit takeaways to 1 for short pieces (500 words or less), 2 for mid-length pieces (500 to 800 words) and 3 for longer projects (800 to 1,500 or more). Sometimes I have more than 3 takeaways, but these are typically reserved for white papers and other special projects consisting of 2,500 words or more.

Once you are clear on which details to include, keep them brief. Again, you want to keep your audience engaged as much as possible. Finally, make sure to close the loop: Bring it all together in a few lines to remind your audience of what you just told them before they leave.

In Short

Think who, what, where, when, why and stay on point when telling your story. Leveraging the inverted pyramid will not only help you get started with your next writing assignment, but also ensure your copy stays on target while you reach the editorial finish line.

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