How to make your copymore efficient to write,edit, read and optimize

Rusty Cawley, APR

For generations, journalists have depended on the inverted pyramid when they need to write quickly and efficiently.

Which is … often.

The inverted pyramidThe Lead:

Who, what, when, where why and how (about 30 words)

Background infor

mation in order from most

to least i

mportant

Trivia

The format has taken a beating in recent decades. The critics say it’s outdated.

They are wrong.

The inverted pyramid is more relevant and useful than ever. Why?

• The demand for brand-oriented content is growing daily.– We must to write more copy faster than ever.

• More readers are using the smartphone to view our content.– We must fit our content in a smaller space.– We must get to point before we lose attention.

• Search engines demand web copy that is easier to scan and to analyze.

In this context, the virtues of the inverted pyramid become clear …

1. It’s easy to write.

• Start with a lead that answers the 5Ws and the H: who, what, when, where, why and how.

• Arrange the background information in the order of importance.– Simple to do with Microsoft Word.• Write paragraphs as they occur to you.• Use the cut-and-paste feature to rearrange the

paragraphs to best support the lead.

2. It’s easy to edit.

• Does the lead work?• Are the paragraphs in the right order?• Rewrites take very little time.

3. It’s easy to read.

• Readers are trained to expect the inverted pyramid.– Find essential information quickly and cleanly.– Quit the story at any time and still get the main

points

4. It’s easy to optimize

• Puts the essential facts at the front.• Allows you to easily distribute your keywords

throughout the copy.• Helps Google to more accurately analyze and

rank the content.

Rusty Cawley, APRCopywriter: B2B content/SEO web copy

email: RustyCawley@gmail.comweb: RustyCawley.com