The inverted pyramid is a style of writing where the most important or impactful information is written at the start of the document. As the document proceeds, the information becomes less and less important. It is a style that was developed alongside the adoption of new communication technologies as a way to present information, typically news and reporting, in a fashion best suited to the news media.
The purpose of the inverted pyramid is to offer a thesis near the start, then quickly and concisely answer the reader’s question. This writing style provides the reader with an answer to their question at the top, then states the thesis of the article or document, followed by supporting material of decreasing value.
In formats where space is limited, editors can cut content from the bottom up, without removing the main thesis.
Readers benefit from this form, because they are presented with content efficiently organized to solve their problems or answer their questions. They can read as far as they need to, without worrying about missing essential information. The content author must organize the subject, and critically analyze it, determining what value each part of the content has, then presenting it in that order.
This style of writing is not chronological or narrative, which is sometimes criticized as being unnatural and dull. Organizations must consider their audience when presenting content, and provide it in a style that matches their audience’s expectations. Often, a customer is looking to solve an issue or gain knowledge on a particular topic, so the inverted pyramid style of writing is likely the best presentation of the content.
Another valuable advantage of this style of writing is that, in order to present content this way, the content author and the subject matter expert must themselves have a thorough understanding of the subject. By analyzing information to present it in the inverted pyramid style, the content creators must completely understand what is important in the subject, and what is relatively less important.
Customers benefit by having their issues resolved quickly and efficiently. They aren’t forced to navigate less relevant or unrelated information to get to their solution.
