Here’s a quick writing tip to improve your content right away.

In standard news writing, you typically place information in order of importance, from most important to least important (the inverted pyramid). 

In other types of writing, a different structure can help leave strong impact: the hourglass. 

In an hourglass structure, your most important information is at the beginning and the end, with less important information in the middle.

This may not work in fiction writing (no one likes a story with saggy middle).

But it can be particularly effective in short pieces of text. In individual sentences, a period creates a mental pause that draws focus to the final words of the sentence. 

In headlines, social media posts and other types of microcontent, key words up front can help draw attention, while significant words at the end can spur the reader to keep engaging or take action.

Find more of my favorite writing tips here.