Before creating content, you may be looking at the brand’s voice, tone, and buyer persona. Conducting extensive research on the topic and following the best SEO practice to rank your content on search engines.
But often marketers two important criteria’s. First planning for content promotion strategy and second following best writing practices.
And one of the best writing strategies is The Inverted Pyramid Strategy.
What is Inverted Pyramid Strategy?
An Inverted Pyramid is a writing strategy invented by journalists. To deliver key information to the readers as early as possible. Give the most important message or part of the content in the first or second paragraphs.
Using this method for content creation, you give your audience the core message. Or what you are offering in simple, concise and swift manner. And they will love you for that.
This strategy is not limited to writing great articles. You can also use it to craft a press release, write copy, write product/service descriptions, social media captions, etc.
If you create content using the Inverted Pyramid Strategy. You are not compromising your content value. Rather, you are optimizing your content for your audience because using Inverted Pyramid Strategy has many benefits.
- You will write for 80% of your online audience – The Skimmers.
- If you place credibility and hook strategically in your Lead. It will make your content engaging for your audience.
- Build a strong foundational structure for your content.
- Content that is easy to read will also be easy to crawl. Google & other search engines will love you for that.
- Improves your content clarity.
Inverted Pyramid Structure
The Lead
It is the first part of your content.
Here you will include the most important information for your audience. Create for them, not what you want to share.
Explain 5Ws (Who, What, When Where, and Why) and one H (How).
Add credibility pointers in your lead; this makes it more authentic for your audience to read. If possible, add some hook – which makes your audience read your content further.
The Body
This is where you write other crucial information for your audience.
Here you can add story, issue, quotes, other details etc. That supports or expands the topic further.
Most of the time, your readers are skimmers and will generally skim the content. It would be best if you still made this section interesting and engaging.
The Tail, Kicker or Conclusion
Don’t think of this as a conclusion. You have the opportunity to move them further towards their buying journey.
Or encourage them to take action.
7 Strategies to create content using Inverted Pyramid Method
1. Outline your content and figure out the topic hierarchy
The core reason to create content with the Inverted Pyramid method is to deliver important points first to your audience. To do that, you must figure out your audience’s high and low-priority points.
After you figure that out, make your topic hierarchy.
Also, to improve your article’s readability, outline what you will cover in the post that support, undermine, and conflict with the high-priority point you will make.
Pro tip adds a table of content in your post’s starting.
2. Figure out your Target Keywords for SEO
Now that you know the high-priority points and have the outline of what you want to say, figure out what keyword you will target.
When you are writing an article and using the relevant keyword in that paragraph or even the heading will help you in your SEO game.
But don’t do keyword stuffing.
3. Add hook & credibility to your Lead
Using both building credibility and a hook will help you make your Lead or introduction engaging for your audience, and it is the deciding factor for them to read more.
In your lead try to include one of your target keyword.
4. Front Load all sections of your post
In simple words, with front loading, you are coming up with the point immediately.
Whether it’s a headline, paragraph, or Subheadings, you need to focus on making your point first and then explaining the key information further. But first, deliver the point.
5. Keep in Mind to create content for “Skimmers.”
Online audiences tend to skim content rather than read it completely. One study found that around 80% of online people skim content rather than actually reading it.
For that reason, make sure you optimize your content so that it grabs your audience’s attention and is easy to go through.
Here are some simple ways to do that:
- Use H2 and H3 headings to make an important section in your article.
- Don’t use long paragraphs. Make it short.
- Ensure your Lead or introduction paragraph is precise and has the key message you want to say.
- Italize or Bold to stand out an important point in your paragraphs.
- Use bullet points instead of paragraphs to make reading easier for the audience.
6. Optimize your blog Format
Creating and distributing content requires effort, and if you find out that your content is getting skimmed. It hurts.
For that same reason, you must optimize your blog format, making it easier for your audience to easily read your content or make it easier to skim it.
7. Add important Links & Resources in your content
Through your post you should strive to make your article filled with internal and external links so that it becomes more interactive.
Including relevant links and resources not only help you in your SEO but also helps you to deliver message your audience with much more clarity.
Inverted Pyramid Method In Action
Let’s say you are an egg seller in the United States, and you want to create content to attract customers and ultimately buy eggs from you.
You did some research online, and you found out that there are thousands of online searches for “sunny side egg“.
Before you start creating content, you first want to understand the search intent of those searching online.
What do they want? Are they looking for the history of the sunny side egg, or who invented it? No, in most cases, they are looking for a recipe that helps them to cook a perfect sunny side egg. Now creating content becomes easier for you. You know what to show your audience first (front load your content). It’s the recipe to make the perfect sunny side egg.
Here is a visual representation of creating content with a typical approach and how it compares to writing an article using the Inverted Pyramid method.
Final Thoughts
Inverted Pyramid method is not the only thing that will make your content engaging, but it will make it easy to go through and deliver the core message that you want to convey.
From the SEO perspective it’s a great method, and it can also be used in Social media marketing along with Instagram SEO.
Though I have mentioned everything about Inverted Pyramid Method, still what else do you thing can be added in here? Do mention it on comment.
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