• Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to LinkedIn
info@creativewords.cc | 01284 774797
Creative Words
  • Home
  • Services
    • Marketing Magic
    • Customer Gold
    • Team Sorcery
    • Income Alchemy
  • Blog
  • Online Training
    • Book-Writing Gold
    • Demystifying Content
    • Website Gold
    • 60-Second Gold
  • About Us
    • Pricing and How We Charge
    • Testimonials
    • An Interview With Cate
    • Creative Words in Podcasts
    • Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu
Pyramid structure for a blog
The Content Alchemist

Structure your ideas from a single point

May 16, 2018/in How to write/by The Content Alchemist

You’ve got a target audience in mind and you’ve got all your ideas written down, now’s the time to think about the structure of your article. To do this you need to answer one question:

What is the ONE THING you want your ideal reader to take away?

This should be one very clear point and the rest of the article should be structured around it. This point should be of benefit to the reader, over anyone else, so it should never be focused on selling your product or promoting your personal brand, that comes later.

Content should be focused on adding value to the audience. Think about which of your ideas would be of the most value to your ideal reader. This should be the point about which your entire article hangs. I’ve spoken before about Barbara Minto’s Pyramid Principle before, in The Structure of Blogs, this principle guides the method I am describing here.

Hang everything else off that idea

The idea you have chosen is your main governing thought, the rest of your article hinges on that. Start your article with something which relates to the audience’s personal circumstances. This is the situation which catches the attention of the audience and begins the article. It will usually be a problem they face on a regular basis, or an important aspect of their life which requires attention. Next, explain why the problem isn’t simple to resolve, or the issue otherwise requires attention. This represents the complication.

Now you lead with your governing thought, this will be your idea to resolve the complication. The rest of your article should relate to that thought. All the ideas your brainstormed should fit beneath it, and if they don’t, don’t worry! Just save those ideas for another article, there’s no pressure to cram everything into the article, in fact it’s better not to.

Your mission this week…

is to write an article outline using this structure. Don’t worry about writing the full article, just make sure to spend plenty of time on the structure. If you get this part right, turning it into an article of any length becomes simple. Let me know how your outlines go.

Good luck and happy writing.

Tags: #creativewords, Blogging, Planning, techniques
https://www.creativewords.cc/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/heirarchy-board-755792_1280.jpg 842 1280 The Content Alchemist https://www.creativewords.cc/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CW-LOGO-R-Landscape-White-300x128.png The Content Alchemist2018-05-16 10:27:412022-09-13 16:47:59Structure your ideas from a single point
You might also like
Want To Be More Consistent With Your Content?
The three great Myths of Content The Three Great Myths of Content
blogs Telling your story in blogs
The generation game
how to communicate in uncertain times How to communicate in uncertain times
doing right Doing right by our clients
How to Write - the summary How to Write – the series summary
What is it that you do? Writing your Products and Services pages
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search Search

Recent Articles on The Content Alchemy Blog

  • How do I get eyes on my blog? June 20, 2025
  • How do I structure my blogs so they get my message across? May 23, 2025
  • I’m ready to start blogging – where do I begin? April 23, 2025

The Content Alchemy Blog – by topic

  • Blogging (5)
  • Content for Customers (6)
  • Content for Income (5)
  • Content for your People (6)
  • How to write (7)
  • Industry Insights (13)
  • Lost for Words (8)
  • Making a Market (5)
  • Making Content Work for You (8)
  • Online membership (6)
  • So you want to write a book (6)
  • Telling Your Business Story (7)
  • The expert voice (11)
  • Tools (1)
  • Values in Action (6)
  • Websites (6)
  • Your Questions About Our Services (9)
  • Your Questions About Pricing (3)
  • Your Questions Answered (16)
  • Your Questions Comparing Services (4)

Creative Words Ltd
Old School Hall
Well Street
Bury St Edmunds
IP33 1EQ

Creative Words, the ‘alchemy gold’ icon and ‘Content Alchemy’ are registered trademarks of Creative Words Ltd.

The Content Alchemy Blog

How do I get eyes on my blog?

June 20, 2025/in Blogging/by The Content Alchemist
Read more
https://www.creativewords.cc/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CW_WordPress_BlogHeader_560x315-8.png 315 560 The Content Alchemist https://www.creativewords.cc/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CW-LOGO-R-Landscape-White-300x128.png The Content Alchemist2025-06-20 16:32:282025-06-27 16:33:15How do I get eyes on my blog?

How do I structure my blogs so they get my message across?

May 23, 2025/in Blogging/by The Content Alchemist
Read more
https://www.creativewords.cc/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CW_WordPress_BlogHeader_560x315-7.png 315 560 The Content Alchemist https://www.creativewords.cc/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CW-LOGO-R-Landscape-White-300x128.png The Content Alchemist2025-05-23 17:44:142025-05-28 17:44:51How do I structure my blogs so they get my message across?
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
© Copyright - Creative Words | Privacy Policy | Website Terms of Use
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to LinkedIn
Link to: Let it all Hang Out – how to get started on a piece Link to: Let it all Hang Out – how to get started on a piece Let it all Hang Out – how to get started on a piece Link to: Do you panic about spoiling and grammaring? Link to: Do you panic about spoiling and grammaring? Do you panic about spoiling and grammaring?
Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top