Be an Email Expert With an Inverted Pyramid Approach « The Whitelist

I learned all about the inverted pyramid style of writing in my high school and college journalism classes. And I have continued using it and recommending it in all kinds of writing -- from newspaper stories to brochures to reports to persuasive essays to websites. Of course, it's also perfect for email messages and other forms of correspondence.

The blogger writes:

Here’s some oldie but goodie advice that’s as relevant in 2012 as it was in 1912: Use the inverted pyramid for your content.

The principle is this: The highest number of people will read the top of the message and fewer as you work your way down the page. Hence the inverted pyramid.

For more ideas on using the inverted pyramid, check out Garbl's Action Writing Links. It's an annotated directory of websites that can help you get people to read your writing, keep readers interested and persuade them to respond while they're reading or afterward. In a democracy, we each have the right and the responsibility to speak out on matters that concern us.