Go Beyond the Inverted Pyramid
New teleseminar shows communicators how to increase readership with the feature-style story structure
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Dec. 23, 2009. Traditional, inverted pyramid-style stories “do not work well with readers” and “do not justify their predominance in today’s newspapers,” according to a study by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
What’s the alternative? The feature-style story structure increases reader satisfaction and improves the chance that it will be read thoroughly, among a host of other benefits, according to research by The Readership Institute.
“Writers who are married to the inverted pyramid may be missing the mark,” says Ann Wylie, president of Wylie Communications Inc. “Yet too many writers have never mastered other organizational approaches. That means they may be relying too heavily on a structure that’s not always the most appropriate or effective.”
A new teleseminar aims to help communicators master the feature-style story structure.
Program details
What: “Go Beyond the Inverted Pyramid,” a one-hour teleseminar (http://bit.ly/7y9LAM)
Why: To help communicators organize their copy so it’s easier to read — and write
Who: Presented by Ann Wylie (http://bit.ly/60rAFt); sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America (http://www.prsa.org/)
When: 3 p.m. Eastern time (2 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Mountain, 12 p.m. Pacific) on April 22
Where: Register online (http://bit.ly/7y9LAM)
In this program, Wylie will share tips on how to:
- Avoid bewildering your readers by leaving out an essential paragraph. (Alas, many public relations pros are guilty of this.)
- Organize the “muddle in the middle”
- Watch out for five lead devices that could make readers skip your story
- Leave a lasting impression with a three-step technique for ending with a bang
- Use three steps for writing more engaging leads
Quotes:
From workshop attendees:
“We were able to get a placement immediately (within a day) from a trade pub with nearly 90,000 circulation. The editor was enthusiastic about our pitch — in large part, I believe, because it wasn’t the same hum-drum stuff she gets every day.” — Sheryl A. Roehl, director of communications, Optio Software
“You’ll learn more than you bargained for.” — Andy North, Dell
“Take the teleseminar. It gets you on the path to writing more quickly and a smoother approval process in the end.” — Laurie Taylor , Oxford Communications
“The research regarding inverted pyramid vs. feature leads was fascinating ‘proof.’ The three-part lead was easy. Ann does great, practical, seminars.” — Carol Bodensteiner, public relations counselor in Des Moines, Iowa
From the trainer:
“If you’re married to the inverted pyramid, it’s time to start fooling around.” — Ann Wylie, president of Wylie Communications Inc.
From the PRSA professional development director:
“Ann’s insights are especially valuable because she has worked on all sides of the communication ‘desk’ — as a corporate communicator, in a PR agency, as a magazine editor and as a consultant. Her workshops are always extremely well received by our members and other writers.” — Judy Voss, PRSA’s director of professional development
More information about the feature-style story structure
About Ann Wylie
Ann Wylie is president of Wylie Communications Inc. (http://www.wyliecomm.com/), a training, writing and consulting firm. She works with communicators who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out. Her workshops take her from Hollywood to Helsinki, helping communicators at NASA, FedEx, Motorola, H&R Block and other organizations improve their skills. She’s the author of a dozen learning tools, including RevUpReadership.com (http://bit.ly/KJ2t3), a toolbox for writers; and Wylie’s Writing Tips (http://bit.ly/6JgZLJ), a free e-zine. Her work has earned more than 60 awards, including two IABC Gold Quills.
About PRSA:
The Public Relations Society of America (http://www.prsa.org/), headquartered in New York City, is the world’s largest professional organization for public relations practitioners. The society’s members represent business and industry, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. Chartered in 1948, PRSA has 116 chapters throughout the United States and extends services and professional development to the student level through the Public Relations Student Society (PRSSA) with 209 chapters on college campuses throughout the country.
For more information, contact:
Ann Wylie
Wylie Communications Inc.
816/997-8753
Ann@WylieComm.com
