The Inverted Pyramid and Other Newsy Tips For Bloggers

I went to Ryerson University in Toronto back in the 1980s when we still used typewriters and were allowed to have ashtrays right in the newsroom. Hell, back then going to the pub was just as important as learning how to write properly and no one who called themselves a journalist would ever take sides because it was drilled into us the profession demanded we be objective.

I learned how to ferret out, hammer into a recognizable form, and write up the news back then and those skills have served me well on the Internet. The same rules that apply to good journalism make for great online content like blogs.  

The Inverted Pyramid

Take the whole idea behind the Inverted Pyramid for example. It’s all about putting the most important information first and while it applies to good news stories, it works for blogs and other content too. Applying this style to writing for the web has several advantages including the fact you can draw readers in and they can decide whether they want to read the entire blog from the first few sentences.

The Inverted Pyramid is about starting with the conclusion and you can read what this blog is all about in the first two paragraphs here. This is also a good way to put the keywords that are critical for the blog up front where the search engines can find them quickly.

It Works For Paragraphs Too

Remember to carry on once you’ve started using this technique and apply it to every paragraph in the body of the text. It’s best here to limit each paragraph to one idea so you can apply the Inverted Pyramid more easily. You can start with one or two sentences and then go on to explain what you mean in the body of the text.

Words To Watch Out For

Another takeaway from journalism that translates well into blogging is learning to write well. That means, in part, watching out for clichés or other forms of lazy writing. For example, you should stay away from what are often called anatomical clichés like:

• finger in the pie
• ear to the ground
• nose to the grindstone

Then there’s often used synonyms for the proper names of cities that often wind up being clichés like:

• the City Of Light (Paris)
• Bean Town (Boston)
• The Windy City (Chicago)

Finally, keep in mind no one ever really leaves ‘in a huff.’ Journalists have checked and there’s never been a car by that name made in America.