Inverted Pyramid

The inverted pyramid was created during the war when news copy was sent over telegraph wires. Correspondents had to develop a system to send the most important information before the connection was lost.

We still use inverted pyramid today because readers are busy and easily distracted. Just because they start reading a news article doesn't mean they'll finish it.

The most important facts should appear at the top of your story. Arrange the rest of the facts in descending order of importance.

Have a fairly good idea of how you will structure the story before you start.

Pick the quotes you want to use. They should be colourful (not boring) and represent the interview subject's opinion and not facts.

Bad example

"The conference is really good. I'm meeting lots of interesting people."

Good example

"This conference is just blowing my mind with all these different people and ideas floating around. There's all of these awesome moments happening and I wish I could make it stop for just a second."

Try to look for and save a good quote (a snapper) for the end of your article as a treat for the reader.

Choose your angle (focus) and ensure that all the elements of your story ties into it.

Write short, clear, concise sentences, and break the story into short paragraphs.

Ideally, there should be no more than three sentences per paragraph.