Break into sections, then structure the parts
So you’ve chosen your organizing scheme. Here are some tips for pulling your story together.
1. Put your info in buckets.
As you gather and organize information, think of your material as “buckets” of like information. Depending on the scope of the project, your buckets might be physical file folders, files on my laptop, Word documents, even bookmarked sections within a Word doc.
For a marketing brochure, for instance, you might have buckets on how the product helps customers:
- Save money
- Make money
- Save time
Each bucket becomes its own section in the body of the piece.
2. Write a ‘lead’ for each bucket.
Master writers craft mini feature structures for each section, giving each section its own “lead.”
3. Label your buckets.
Your reader should be able to see at a glance how your piece is organized. To show them, place a meaningful subhead before:
- Each section of the body
- The conclusion
That will make your thinking visual and your structure clear.
Go Beyond the Pyramid
The inverted pyramid reduces readership, understanding, engagement — even action, according to research by the Reuters Institute and others.
If the traditional news structure doesn’t work, how should we organize our messages?Master a structure that’s been proven in the lab to outperform the traditional news format at Catch Your Readers — our two-day persuasive-writing workshop on Oct. 14-15 in Salt Lake City.
There, you’ll learn an organizing scheme that grabs readers’ attention, keep it for the long haul and leaves a lasting impression.
Save up to $100 with our group discounts.
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