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Business Press Release Tutorial Using The Inverted Pyramid

I’m a writer. That’s my job. Well, technically, an entrepreneur who happens to write a blog for small business owners — but you know what I mean.

My goal when writing a press release is to get people talking and to do that I have to follow the guidelines of the inverted pyramid style. Inverted Pyramid writing is a common journalistic writing technique where the most important information is placed at the beginning of a document, followed by less important details.

In a press release, the headline is the most important information that must be included at the beginning of the document.

The inverted pyramid was originally used because it allowed readers to stop reading at any point and still have a complete story. As a writer, I love this technique because I get the most important information out to my readers quickly.

So how does this all work?

I always start with a press release template that has my target audience in mind and then I fill in any additional information they might need to know. Of course, some rules go into writing a great inverted-pyramid story:

The Inverted Pyramid Formula

Headline

Start with a short, interesting headline. Make sure to be concise and specific enough so that the story is clear.

Consider these two headline examples:

“New Tech Enhances Communication” is too vague and not very interesting.

“New Tech Platform Makes Selling Your Car Easier Than Ever!” — now we’re talking!

That headline alerts the reader to what’s in store and it’s much more specific and compelling than the first one.

Introduce the topic and the hook

The intro has to grab my reader so I have to pack in a lot of information.

In addition to being clear and concise, it’s important to provide your target audience with enough information so they can understand why this is an interesting story for them.

Your first couple of sentences need to be interesting enough for people to read on. Using the example above, we could write:

“Selling your car has always been a hassle, but now there’s a new tech platform that makes it as easy as buying your groceries online.”

The who, what, where, when, and why of the story

Next, I summarize the who, what, where, when, and why of the story.

This allows me to give just enough detail so that readers can stop reading after the first paragraph and still get the most important information.

Who:

We’ll start with who this story is about, followed by what they do or what happened to them. Then we’ll tie it all together in the last sentence by saying why they’re important (or related to the main topic).

What:

Start with what made this newsworthy, then explain how it happened or what happened. The last sentence should be why it matters to readers.

Where:

Describe where the story took place. If it’s not relevant, leave it out.

When:

Give the date and time if necessary and then explain why that day and/or time is important or what happened then.

Why:

Answer why this story matters. This is the final sentence and should be informative and compelling to entice readers to read more.

Try not to turn the who, what, where, when and why into a novel. You’d be surprised how much you can fit into a single paragraph.

Here’s what that might look like with CarSellr:

“CarSellr is an online platform that makes selling your car easier than ever. Sellers are invited to list their cars on CarSellr for free, where interested buyers can then bid. The system is easy to use and provides a safe environment for buyers and sellers to connect.”

We’ve used the inverted pyramid formula to answer five important questions about this story:

Who: Sellers and buyers

What: CarSellr’s new platform

Where: Online

When: Now (since it’s a press release) and on all platforms before the official launch date (TBA)

Why: It is an easier way to find, bid on, and purchase a car online.

Now the reader knows exactly what to expect in the story and they have all of the information they need to proceed.

It’s important that I go into detail where necessary, but I don’t want to bore the reader by using unnecessary information.

Personal Anecdotes

The best way to explain something is through an example. If you can provide a personal anecdote that’s not too long, it will help your readers relate to the topic in question.

Anecdotes are especially useful for explaining complicated topics in simple terms.

Let’s apply personal anecdotes back in our CarSellr example by writing about one of my experiences selling a car.

“A father of four from my neighborhood used CarSellr to sell his old minivan. He found it easy to use and was thrilled with the results, “It only took three days for me to sell my van. The experience couldn’t have been easier or more enjoyable.””

Or, if I wanted, I could even share my own experience with car buying or selling:

“Two years ago, I sold my car and bought a new one. It was an experience that could only be described as stressful – the dealership was high pressure and the process took hours. I was exhausted and had a headache by the time I got home.

When my husband and I searched for a new car online last year, it was exciting. We fell in love with the Subaru Forester after checking out CarSellr reviews from current owners. Best of all, we were able to connect directly with three sellers in one day. Our purchase was quick and easy, and we’re still enjoying our new car.”

By sharing my own (or others) personal experiences, people can better relate to the topic at hand and it will make my post more interesting for them to read.

Details and quotes

Now that I’ve given readers an overview of the story, they’re interested enough to keep reading.

This is where I add the details and quotes that will make the story compelling. It’s important to use quotes with sources because it shows readers that what I’m saying has credibility; someone else agrees with me.

I write the details that are most relevant to the story. I’ll usually open with a quote because it gives readers an idea of why this is important before they read the rest of my words.

Here’s an example of how to set up a possible quote:

“Industry experts agree that CarSellr has the potential to revolutionize how people buy cars online. “This new platform eliminates so much of the stress associated with buying a car. It’s incredible!” said local car owner, Roger Bowles.”

Details are important for any story but especially so if they’re relevant to my audience.

So, let’s say I was writing this press release to specifically target women for CarSellr. In that case, I would talk about how CarSellr can help busy women find a dependable car without wasting time or requiring them to meet with strangers.

This section is also a great opportunity to share some more in-depth information about the company.

“CarSellr was founded on the idea that selling a car should be easy, enjoyable, and safe for both buyers and sellers. Our new platform fits the bill perfectly. Here’s why:

• Sellers can list their cars for free and sell without paying commissions or fees
• Local experts will inspect the vehicle and give it a CarSellr certification that guarantees its quality to potential buyers
• Buyers can feel confident that they’re buying from a seller who has been vetted by experts

The company facts are important because they give the reader some perspective on CarSellr as a company.

Now that I’ve used the details, quotes, and relevant information about my audience to write compelling copy, I’m ready to bring everything together by wrapping up the story with a strong conclusion and call to action.

Conclusion

The first sentence of the conclusion is usually a summary of what I’ve already written, followed by an explanation of why this story matters.

The last sentence of the conclusion should be an actionable step toward achieving something.

For example:

“CarSellr is a revolutionary new platform that makes buying and selling cars online easy, exciting, and effective.”

If I wanted to write a strong call to action in the second sentence, I might say:

“To find out more about how CarSellr can benefit you and your family, please visit www.carsellr.com.”

And that’s it!

The inverted pyramid is a formula for effective storytelling centered around being as easy as possible to understand.

I hope this article has given you some insight into why the inverted pyramid works and how you might be able to use it next time you need to tell your readers something important!

Sample Press Release

Ok, so now let’s pull it all together and see what our press release looks like, shall we?

Headline:

New Tech Platform Makes Selling Your Car Easier Than Ever!

Hook:

Selling your car has always been a hassle, but now there’s a new tech platform that makes it as easy as buying your groceries online.

Who, What, Where, When, Why Summary:

CarSellr is an online platform that makes selling your car easier than ever. Sellers are invited to list their cars on CarSellr for free, where interested buyers can then bid. The system is easy to use and provides a safe environment for buyers and sellers to connect.

Anecdote:

A father of four from my neighborhood used CarSellr to sell his old minivan. He found it easy to use and was thrilled with the results, “It only took three days for me to sell my van. The experience couldn’t have been easier or more enjoyable.”

Details:

CarSellr was founded on the idea that selling a car should be easy, enjoyable, and safe for both buyers and sellers. Our new platform fits the bill perfectly. Here’s why:

• Sellers can list their cars for free and sell without paying commissions or fees
• Local experts will inspect the vehicle and give it a CarSellr certification that guarantees its quality to potential buyers
• Buyers can feel confident that they’re buying from a seller who has been vetted by experts

Quote:

Industry experts agree that CarSellr has the potential to revolutionize how people buy cars online. “This new platform eliminates so much of the stress associated with buying a car. It’s incredible!” said local car owner, Roger Bowles.

Conclusion:

CarSellr is a revolutionary new platform that makes buying and selling cars online easy, exciting, and effective.

Call to Action or Offer:

To find out more about how CarSellr can benefit you and your family, please visit www.carsellr.com.

This press release sits right at 300 words. The recommended word count for a press release is roughly 300-400 words. If you have more than 500 words, revisit the information and remove anything that isn’t crucial to the story.

Finding the Right Words with Jasper

If you find yourself stuck looking for the right words or self-conscious of your writing ability — write down the key points you want to touch on based on the above template.

Then sign up for your free trial of Jasper Boss Mode where you can use artificial intelligence to write your blog post (95% of this post was written by Jasper).

Simply paste your bullet points at the top of your long-form document and then use commands for Jasper to write each element of your press release. For example:

>create a list of headlines based on the above

>create a compelling hook that concisely summarizes the above

>create an introduction paragraph that summarizes the who, what, when, where, and why of the above

>create a personal anecdote about the above product, event, or service

>write a paragraph introducing the reader to the details of the above product, event or service

>create a bulleted list of features related to the above

>create a bulleted list of emotional benefits related to the above

>create a quote relevant to the above press release

>create a strong conclusion for the press release that ends on a high note

>create a strong call to action

Jasper understands plain language, so every command you give him can be as specific or creative as you’d like. The above are just samples of some of the commands I would personally try when using him to generate an inverted pyramid press release.

If a command isn’t generating output that you like, simply regenerate or modify your command slightly. Even small changes to a command can completely change the output you get.

Pro Tip: Make sure you join the Facebook Community – it has over 50K users and is one of the most active and helpful Facebook groups I’ve ever participated in. Make sure you tag me and say hello when you join!

Wrap Up

An inverted pyramid structure forces writers to prioritize their messages so they enter the world in the most effective way possible.

Inverted pyramid storytelling has been used for decades to promote any story from business news to a simple advertisement.

It’s a useful method that ensures readers understand exactly what the message of the article is before they get into the details and explanations that help them visualize, internalize and ultimately remember key parts of informative articles.

As I mentioned earlier, this method is easy to understand and simple to write.

Follow these rules about inverted pyramids:

• Facts are most important at the beginning and least important at the end.
• At least one sentence in each paragraph is “the key sentence,” that is, it summarizes what you’ve just written.
• Every sentence in a paragraph should either add to or support this key sentence.
• More details and examples belong in the middle of your article or in succeeding paragraphs.

Now that you know how to write an inverted pyramid press release, keep practicing. It’s a valuable skill to have in your arsenal when you’re reporting news or writing a press release.

Now go forth and tell your story!

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This blog post was written with my AI writing assistant, Jasper.

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