The inverted pyramid

https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-structure-an-article-the-inverted-pyramid-8fa0c165fcae

Credit: Ohio State Press

The lead

The above diagram says it better than I ever could. You begin with your lead (or lede), which explains the what, where, when, how and who of the story. This is where you paint a short picture about your story and include the critical piece of information that’ll keep readers reading (ie the ‘hook’).

After this you next move onto act 2: The body.

The body

Here, you build your arguments and make your points. Provide more detail. Throw in some quotes. Add in your journalistic opinion to create a little controversy. Whatever it is, this is your main story.

The tail

Finally, you end on the tail (in content marketing, we call this a kicker). If the reader wants to do more research or find out more about what you’re writing, where should they go? Provide this extra reading last.

Further Reading


THE NUTGRAPH

In journalism, the nut graf is a paragraph that explains the context of the story. The term can be spelled many different ways. In many news stories, the essential facts of a story are included in the lead, the first sentence or two of a story. Wikipedia


PATHOS & BATHOS

Pathos appeals to the emotions of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric, as well as in literature, film and other narrative art. Wikipedia

Bathos (especially in a literary work) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.

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